We had just finished an 8 day mission's trip showing the Jesus Film to hundreds of people throughout various parts of Guatemala and we felt drained and tired from all the talking, walking, and sharing. We both needed a day of rest and relaxation. However, our desire to visit our sponsor child of 5 years was stronger than our need for relaxation. And so we got up early while the rest of our team remained in the beds catching up on sleep. We were picked up at early in the morning from our hotel in Antigua by the World Vision Representative/Translator for the day, Francisco. As we drove the 2hr drive from our hotel out into the hills of Guatemala where our Sponsor Child lived both Andrea and I were a little anxious. As we continued driving and talking with the World Vision representative our thoughts and desire for rest that day changed quickly.
As we drove we talked about the country, the people, World Vision, and more specifically child visits by their sponsors back in North America. We were talking about how many of the 72,000 sponsor children in Guatemala get visits from their sponsors. Frank said it was about 30 visits a year. He said, in fact you will not probably understand this but for your child today, this will be the most important day or her life. That statement made me stop dead in my tracks and ask again what he just said. He said again, yes, for your sponsor child, today will be one of the most important and significant days of her life. It is so important, she is not at school today, she is at home waiting for you to come for your visit. I sat for a few minutes getting my head around this statement. I thought back on all my years of life, all the people I had met, all the things I had done, and then I thought of this little sponsor child that Andrea and I have sponsored for 5 years. Out of all the people she will meet, all the things she will do in her lifetime, this visit today would be the most important. A visit from two people from Canada who pay less than a dinner and a movie each month will be the most import visit or experience of her life.
This statement changed both my and Andrea's outlook for the entire day, the entire trip, for our entire lives. This was not just another day, this would be a crucial day in the life of a little child that would affect her for the rest of her life.We continued to drive down a dirt road almost too small for our World Vision vehicle to fit. We finally stopped at the end of the road, where the dust of the road met the dust of a field. There sat a little cinder block house. As we got out of our vehicle a beautiful smile was awaiting us. It was little Evelyn, our sponsor child who Andrea and I had been sponsoring and conversing with for the last 5 years. The reason we new it was little Eveyln was that she was exactly as we had seen in the picture. Right from the broken sandals on her feet to her long skirt and embroidered top. Identical. (the picture explains it all). She walked up shyly with her grandfather and little brother. We bent down and shook her hand and said, "Hola Evelyn. Me nombre es Juan and Andrea. Soy de Canada." Which I believe I said that our names are Jon and Andrea and we are from Canada. She laughed a little….so I hope that's what I really said! We asked her how she was doing and she said good and invited us into her little home. We followed Evelyn, her grandfather, and little brother in the courtyard of a cinder block little house. The family had a table all prepared for us to sit at and we went over and met her whole family including her Mother (Maria), her 2 grandmothers, grandfather, and little brother. Evelyn's two other sisters and older brother were at school right now. We learned later that Evelyn's father was not with them anymore. The whole family and extended family grouped together in this cinder block house to try to make a go of it together. 
We sat down at the table and pulled out some pictures from home. The first one was our picture of little Evelyn. We showed her the picture that we looked at every day when we got up. She smiled such a big smile I thought her face would break. She was so excited to see that we actually had a picture of her and that we had seen her before this day. We showed her some picture of our families back home and picture of what we do for work. There was a picture of me on stage singing and playing my guitar. I asked her if she sings at all. She nodded (please note that all our conversation was translated). I asked her if she could sing us a song and then I would sing her a song….seemed like a fair trade. She nodded enthusiastically and then started to sing for us. 
Her little voice carried through the courtyard as every sat still listening and smiling at her. After she was done we all clapped and cheered for her. After the excitement was over, I picked up my guitar and sang her a song also. She sat on her little stool watching me as I sang "Your Amazing Grace" for her and to God thanking Him that he had brought us to this place. As I sang, she wore a constant little smile and kept her eyes glued to my voice the entire time. 
I could tell that this was an important day for her, possibly one of the most important, although my mind could still not get around this concept. When I finished singing, she thanked me for singing for her and smiled again brightly!
Andrea and I then asked Maria (Evelyn's mother) if it would be okay to give Evelyn and the family some gifts that we had brought from Canada with us. She said yes, thank-you very graciously, and Andrea and I pulled out the duffle bag full of things we had brought for her and the family. As we pulled things out from the bag I looked in their eyes, I could see that this was more than Christmas to them. These were things that this family would never have been able to afford in their entire lifetime. Toys for the kids, a school bag with school supplies, to kitchen utensils for the family, toothbrushes and hairbrushes, shirts and skirts, a crank-powered flashlight, peanuts, even a Jon Bauer Life of Worship CD and a Jesus Film for Children DVD; we brought everything we could think of that would possibly help Evelyn and her family. The mother was so full of gratitude she kept saying over and over again, "Gracias, Gracias, Gracias!" After we had finished emptying the bag of gifts I asked Evelyn if she might be interested in showing us her school as it was only a short drive up the road. She nodded enthusiastically. 
As we got up to go Maria also gave us a tour of their humble home including the kitchen and bedroom where the 5 kids and mom would sleep. Their bedroom was composed of 3 double beds pushed together to make one big bed. This is where they would all sleep each night. The kitchen was composed of a little table and wood stove where they cooked their food. Out in the courtyard of their house was a big tank full of water. This was running water that World Vision had supplied to the house so that the family could have water for cooking and water for washing clothes. Over head I looked and also saw wires. I asked if they had electricity and they nodded. They said that World Vision also supplied them with electricity recently. Before this time, they only had the light that a candle or fire could provide. As I looked around the courtyard my eyes when to something hanging from the rafters. It was a little Christmas Stuffed animal. This was the toy that Andrea and I had sent Evelyn at Christmas time. In fact it was the only toy that we saw anywhere in their entire house or courtyard. We smiled thinking how could we have ever doubted that our toy would make it across a continent to our little sponsor child and that it really would mean very much to them.
She and her mom took us to her school and showed us around her classroom and then we all went and had an ice-cream treat at the corner store. We then drove back and drew on the concrete sidewalk in Evelyn's courtyard with the sidewalk chalk we bought her. After a while of playing and more talking we said our goodbyes. As we left we promised Evelyn's mother that we would continue sponsoring Evelyn for as long as she needed it. That was our promise to her and she said again "Gracias, Gracias!" As we left, we gave Evelyn a hug and she gave us a blow kiss on the cheek. She smiled so big as we waved goodbye. I could tell that this would be a visit that not only she would remember, but Andrea and I would remember forever! We got back into our little World Vision 4x4 and made our way back up the dirt road and ultimately to our hotel.
On the way back to our hotel we were so full of energy we could have spent twice that long with her. Sponsoring Evelyn was decidedly one of the best decisions we have ever made. This was not only life-changing day for Evelyn, this turned out to be one of the most important days of our lives as well! 
We have three other children that we sponsor in different parts of the World and are looking forward to visit them in the years ahead also.If you would like to sponsor a child with World Vision please come to one of my events or visit my website. I have a link where you can go and sponsor a child like little Evelyn. Bob Pierce, the man who started World Vision over 50 years ago said, "Most people do nothing, because they can't do everything". Well I want to encourage you to do what Andrea and I did; make all the difference in the world for one child! Just reach out to one child! It could be the most important day of your life! www.worldvision.ca
~Jon
www.jon-bauer.com