The boy in the picture...

If you are on facebook and you've seen any of my recent posts, you have probably noticed that I recently went to Ethiopia, had an amazing trip and I'm back...nearly at 100%. If you read the Ordinary Hero blog, looked through my pictures or saw my facebook profile picture, you probably noticed that I got to meet our sweet, sweet sponsored child, Ashenafi while I was in Ethiopia. It is something I will never forget. It was so much easier to send our money and pray for "the boy in the picture" before all of this. But now I know him. I saw his sweet face. I talked to him. I witnessed what was completely normal to him (which by the way is NOT normal for anyone in this country). I saw what he sees every day. And I care now, more than ever before. I want to encourage you to sponsor a child. We sponsor Ashenafi through Food for the Hungry and I asked them how could we possibly help him and his community more. Their biggest need is sponsorships in Ethiopia and all over the world.

For a little more than $30 a month you could change a child's life. Not only are you helping Food for the Hungry (or any other organization, should you decide on a different one), you are giving a child hope. I can't begin to tell you how excited these children are to know that someone in the United States even knows their name, let alone cares about them, prays for them and genuinely wants what is best for them.

If you are (or have been) skeptical about sponsorship programs, I am here to tell you that I saw him face-to-face. He is real. So I can tell you, without a doubt, that Food for the Hungry is a way to meet the needs of sweet children around the world, no fluff. It's the real deal. And that is just my experience. I also met the children that are sponsored through Project 61, and that's the real deal too. REAL children having their REAL lives changed by REAL people.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, PLEASE DO! Visit http://www.fh.org/give/sponsor to get more information about sponsoring with Food for the Hungry or http://p61.org/sponsorship.html to get more information about Project 61. Those are just two options. Two great options.

The hardest thing I did while I was in Ethiopia was leave Ashenafi. But the best thing I've done in a long, long time was meet him, hug him, kiss his sweet face and tell him that he has an American family and that we love him very much. Knowing that we will have a lifelong relationship with him brings me more joy now than ever before.