At this
time of year almost everyone in the Western world is racing from store to
store, buying loads of Christmas gifts. If you began early you’ve already
completed this annual act of madness! Many spend excessive amounts of money on
gifts that are remembered not much longer than Christmas day.
The more
time I spend in Haiti, the more reflective I’ve become about the value I place
on “stuff”! But what’s an object worth anyway? Who determines its value?
We do. An object doesn’t have intrinsic worth; people assign value
to things.
We’ve all
been to garage sales and haggled over the price of an object. When the price
matches the object’s “value” we hand over our cash. You may have seen
that strange looking couple at your garage sale buying your shabby-looking
trinkets. What in the world were they thinking?
The value
we assign to things is personal. Something of little value to you can
hold great value to another person… and I’m thinking beyond material things! As
a teacher I value education and learning. But more than that, I value the
individual child in my classroom. When I’m not too busy thinking about the
curriculum and the next lesson I have to teach, I think about the "whole
child" in front of me. A child whose future is yet to be determined
by the choices they make; a child with unique talents waiting to be discovered
and developed; a child loved by God and created with a purpose; a child who has
the potential to change the future of poverty-stricken Haiti.
I’m
hoping that you value education too. But more than that I’m hoping you
see into the heart of this child.
Eight years ago my heart
chose Yoanny. At the time she was only four years old. She lives in
the Dominican Republic, the neighboring country of Haiti. In 2010 I had the
opportunity to meet Yoanny and her family. It was a humbling experience
to say the least! A photo of myself was displayed in their makeshift
home. Their warm hospitality demonstrated their gratitude for the opportunity I
was giving their child. As I was leaving they handed me a large bag of
produce from their garden as well as homemade preserves. I was overwhelmed by
their generosity!
Outside Yoanny's home
Finally,
I’m coming to the purpose of this blog post. I hope you've read this far! Sadly, I
can no longer afford to sponsor Yoanny, in addition to the other three children
I sponsor. My salary in Haiti is just one fifth of what I earn in
Australia and for the last 18 months I’ve been able to make ends meet,
but now finances are very tight.
Hence,
I’m appealing to you this Christmas to give the gift that will not be
forgotten; the gift that keeps giving; the gift of education.
Many parents
in developing countries are uneducated; their hope for the future is in their
child who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to study. One child can
change the future of a whole family; or the future of a nation.
Would you
like to give a gift that keeps giving? What value will you place on Yoanny's future?
If you can sponsor Yoanny please email me at kellyanneborg@gmail.com.
