When You Can't Say Goodbye...

It's happened again.

The phone rang and it was Compassion on the other end. I have found from experience that this is rarely a good thing. More often than not, they have news about one of our sponsored children and usually it's not good news.

A couple months ago I received a letter from Compassion informing us that the money designated for Ayon, one of our boys in East India, was being suspended because there was an issue with the local church. The letter was positive and hopeful that the issue would be resolved quickly and soon funding would continue.

I sure hoped they would because I couldn't stand the thought of losing Ayon - he's one of my favorites. (Can we have favorite sponsored children?) Ayon started out as a correspondent child, but when his financial sponsor backed out, we took him on.

And for the past six years we have had the honor and privilege of developing a relationship with this boy on the other side of the world. In six years we received 63 letters (!!), and his letters always stood out from the others because of the doodles and artwork.

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Anyway, it turns out the local church that was hosting the Compassion project decided to discontinue their relationship with Compassion. Because Compassion is no longer working through this church, there is no opportunity for us to say goodbye.

(Wait a second while I wipe away my tears.)

And so I pray. I pray that the words I have written over the past six years will point him to God. I pray that he will remember the messages of love and life and hope that we have sent him. And I pray that he is strongly rooted in Christ because of Compassion, and that he will continue to mature and grow in his relationship with God.

Ayon....we will never forget you and the light you brought into our lives. I will forever remember you as my tall, skinny, child from India who always held his arms straight down for photos....

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Would you join me in praying a blessing over Ayon and his life?