DIRECTOR'S BLOG

Dr. Sam Martin

It was a beautiful Sunday evening and my wife, along with our son and his wife went for a walk through a trailer park at a Christian Retreat Center. As we walked, we commented on the trailers, the beauty of the place, and then we saw a handwritten sign with toys either side of it. We stopped and read the words written obviously by a child. It said:

“If you want to play with me please knock the door.”

We stood for a moment looking at the sign and the teddy and doll laying on it, and speculated that a youngster was living in the trailer but had yet to find a playmate. It was a sad moment. It seemed so unfair, so out of place and yet it was real! Was the child watching us and perhaps those who passed by from a window? As we walked on, there was silence for a little while, and a real sense of sadness as we thought of the child who had made the sign.

A day has passed but it is still on my mind. However I am thinking of the children, families who look out from the doorway everyday asking us to help, children saying “who will sponsor me.” They watch the children go to school, they hear I am sure the stories about the things they did, and as their parents approach our staff and ask if there is anyway they can get their child into the program, a child stands holding them and in his/ her eyes there is the longing to become like the other children. I don’t think it is a stretch to say, they are asking:

“If you can help me get to school, please tell my Mom!”

All it takes is $35.00 a month. This gives the child hope for the future, brings them into a family that will care for them, yes and play with them. Children like:

Dylan from Guatemala & Kesneidine Francois from Haiti

Listen and you might hear them say:

“If you want to sponsor me please pick up the phone and call 905.492.5007”