Mary Ester

She calls me Ate which means Big Sister. She's Mary Ester, my little friend in the Philippines, and today is her tenth birthday.
We met through an organization called Compassion which matches needy children to people willing to give. My commitment is easy--a monthly donation, a few letters each year, and a photo now and then. And prayers. I pray that Mary will grow strong physically and spiritually. I pray that she will have opportunities that other people in her country may never have. My support offers her the means to not only to have meals and clothing, but attend school and church where she will grow in mind and spirit. I received a letter from her just the other day and she indicated she is ranked 6th in her class. I don't know how many other children are in her class, but she seems pretty proud that that's her spot, and so I'm proud of her too, and pray she will maintain good grades during the school year.
I may never see her face to face on this earth, but in her letters and photos, I see her sweetness and kindness. She prays for me too. What a little treasure she is, my friend Mary.
I first learned of Compassion years ago when I was about Mary's age. My parents sponsored a young boy until he turned 18, and then sponsored a second one for a time. When I was in college, I decided I wanted to sponsor a child myself. At the time, I asked for a boy from Latin America--I thought I could work on my Spanish in my letters. I guess God had other plans, since I was assigned a girl, Sheila Ann, from the Phillipines and she wrote to me in English! She has grown up and is no longer in the program, but I still think about her and pray for her. (Currently, I sponsor two children--Mary, as you've read about, and Daniel from El Salvador.)