For an orphan, it is all about the little things. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I asked Giovanni, our in-country leader in the Dominican Republic, to ask a couple of the children living in the Cayacoa Kinship Project a simple question, “What are you thankful for?”
Don’t forget, he's asking this question to a group of children who have been rescued from the streets. Young girls and boys who have survived the horrors of human trafficking, child slavery, and abuse. They have lived through the worst situations and scenarios and yet, they remain thankful.
These six orphans remind us that there is always, always something to be thankful for.
A young boy, Felo, tells Giovanni that he's thankful for his new home, the Cayacoa Kinship Home. He says, “I love it here!” Felo is also thankful that he can now practice baseball and go to school - something he never had the chance to do living on the streets.
Seven-year-old Frannely tells Giovanni that he's thankful that he gets to eat - something that was never guaranteed before being rescued. He says, “I get to go to church and I go to school. They give me food at school.”
Gwenn says that she's so grateful to God because she was brought to the Kinship Home. “I get a lot of food here,” - something that was hard to come by when living in the slums working as a child slave.
Six-year-old Jefferson tells Giovanni that he's thankful because, “I get to worship God here and I can play and go to school.”
Josnailyn was asked, “Tell me what things you are thankful for today.” She said, “I am in school and I am fine. God and Jesus and their mercies. God is here with me.”
Finally, Sharonda tells Giovanni that she's thankful, “Because I behave well in school and I am with God and they give me a lot of food then they give me juice and I am right with God.”
A friend of mine asked me the other day, “When do you feel joy?” Interesting question, right? For Felo, it’s when he is playing baseball. For Sharonda it’s when she’s eating a hot meal and drinking cold juice. This Thanksgiving, we can all take a lesson from these six children. Let’s pay extra attention to our everyday moments of JOY and be THANKFUL for them every single day.
Thank YOU for giving these children so many reasons to be thankful. Thank YOU for having a heart big enough to bring joy to an orphan. Thank YOU for uniting children, widows, and villages in Kinship.
Blessings to you and your family this Thanksgiving from Kinship United!
Leave a Reply