A precious little girl in Kenya

11th February, 2010 - Posted by Camille Cotton -

For the past two years, I’ve had the immense privilege of being a sponsor parent to beautiful Maurine, a 7-year-old girl who lives at the Open Arms Village. Maurine was orphaned at birth when her single mother abandoned her on the doorstep of a neighbor’s home. This kind older lady cared for Maurine as best as she could for 5 years, but she did not have the resources to provide for her and asked Open Arms to take her in. We did so willingly, and I immediately began sponsoring her after she moved to the Village.

I’ve led groups to Kenya on outreach trips the last two summers, and my favorite part of both trips was the time I got to spend with Maurine. I’ll never forget the butterflies in my stomach as I was introduced to her for the first time, the way she shyly smiled at me and took my hand to show me where she lived. And the excitement and anticipation of writing back and forth for an entire year, waiting until we got to see each other again. We were both giddy when we met again last summer and thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend together. What a bright spirit she has, always exploring, asking questions and being the first to offer help or sharing whatever she has with her siblings. Meeting this beautiful child and getting to be part of changing her life has deeply affected me and motivates me to work hard every day to provide a better life for her.

Camille