Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
(Romans 15:7, NRSV)
In mid-November 2012, I had the privilege of traveling to Zimbabwe to experience the ministry and mission of our partner church, the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe. While there, we traveled to Mt. Selinda, the birthplace of the church in Zimbabwe. It is a beautiful place with a sanctuary and parsonage, school, hospital, and children's home. The ministry of the church is visible everywhere at Mt. Selinda.
One of the most memorable times in that trip was our visit to the Daisy Dube Children's Home at Mt. Selinda. There I saw children--tiny babies, toddlers, and teenagers all living in with a fervent hope for the future. The children were a community that looked after one another. Staff members were present and engaged, but the staff-to-child ratio was not what we might expect in the United States.
At Daisy Dube, as we opened several large bags that were filled by partnered churches in the New Hampshire Conference, I initially felt very uncomfortable. Would these toys and trinkets get in the way of a real relationship with these children? Would we be perceived to be Western benefactors, as rich white folks, who share superficially with the poor little children of the world while never engaging deeply, prayerfully with them? I worked through that feeling, but it still lingers with me. How do we show the care and compassion of Christ? What gifts do these children really need if they are to embrace the future that God has for each of them?Several years ago, when I was a local church pastor in the Missouri Mid-South Conference, I heard Tony Campolo speak at our annual meeting. Campolo, a powerful speaker with an evangelical heart, challenged us to care for the children of the world who are dying of hunger and hunger-related diseases at an alarming rate. He invited us to give him a scrap of paper with our names and addresses, which he forwarded to Compassion International, a ministry based in Colorado that serves the needs of children across the globe. I responded to that "altar call," and for many years gave monthly to support a child named Zonia in Bolivia. At the time, I did not realize our own church--the United Church of Christ--also had a child sponsorship program that is underwritten by Our Church's Wider Mission (Basic Support), so that every dollar donated for a sponsored child goes to that child's care.
In April 2013, Zonia turned 18 and was no longer able to remain in a sponsorship program. She became an adult. We pray that she is making her way in the world. At that time, we switched our child sponsorship offerings to the program of our denomination; and we specifically requested a child in Zimbabwe. Imagine my joy when the child who was identified for us lived at the Daisy Dube Children's Home at Mt. Selinda--a place whose children I had visited just five months earlier.
This month we received a letter of thanks from the Global Ministries Child Sponsorship Program. In it was a picture of our child, who is named Witness, a thirteen-year-old boy. We are told that Witness enjoys reading books and playing ball with his friends, including his best friend, Kelvin. He is in school, and wants to be a business man or administrator when he grows up. Sadly, Witness says that he does not know about his family members because he was brought to the Children's Home as a very young boy. "I don't know a thing about my history or my parents."
I have taken Witness to heart. A small monthly donation is sent to Global Ministries for his support--a symbol of the care and love I feel for this child, whom I may never meet. I pray that his dreams and hopes will be realized--that he will become the person that God calls him to be. There is a space in the world, a space in my heart, for Witness.
O God, send your Spirit upon Witness, your beloved child. Help him to grow in your friendship and grace, that his future may be filled with sustaining memories and abounding hope. Guide him in his life's journey that he may reach his goals and offer his own gifts for the life of your world. Thank you for this child and for all the children of the world. Amen.
