Pastor Ray's Blog

    
Dear Friends,

"I want one to be a girl,” Diane told me recently. She was talking about our decision to sponsor some children through their educational process in Haiti. 

Hopefully by now you have heard about the challenge that our International Missions Team has issued to our congregation and which the Session heartily endorsed. We want to sponsor a class of children (30 kids) throughout their educational process in Haiti. We will take on an entire class of kindergarten students and will support them every year until they graduate. This is to be above and beyond our regular giving. It will require $300 per student which equals $9,000 a year. Our total investment in these children will most likely be in the neighborhood of $72,000 when all is said and done. That would take each child through at least 9 years of school including this kindergarten year.

As Diane and I discussed our involvement in this project, she said, “I want one of the children we sponsor to be girl.”

Now, let me tell you why.

Six years ago our family had the experience of having one of the great joys in life turn, overnight, into one of the great tragedies. My niece, Mary, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and named her Maura. As you might imagine we were thrilled with Mary and her husband, Jess, at the birth of this perfect little girl. They already had a son and now had their little girl.

Mary and Maura were released from the hospital as a healthy mother and daughter. That night, however, Maura suddenly died. Although no cause of death was ever discovered, that I know of, they think now that she had an electrical defect in her heart. Our joy immediately turned to sorrow.

Diane and I rushed to West Virginia to gather with family. Shortly after we arrived, Mary asked me to do Maura’s funeral. I was honored to do so, along with their pastor. It was an amazing thing to see the hundreds of people who came to the funeral of this little girl they would never have the opportunity to know. As I stood beside her tiny casket and looked down on her precious features I was overcome with emotion as I realized how much I loved this great niece that I would never be able to hold or bounce on my knee or hear her call out for Uncle Ray. A lump still forms in my throat as I write these words.

Diane and I decided then, that we would continue to honor Maura’s memory in some way. Up to this point we have made donations to “kid friendly” charities on her birthday and at Christmas. We’ve helped send kids to Christian camp, and we’ve helped children attend Bible Schools in Haiti, among other things.

When this opportunity to sponsor children in this class in Haiti presented itself, it seemed a perfect way to continue to honor Maura’s memory. You see, Maura would have started Kindergarten this very year!

When Diane and I had our initial discussion we weren’t sure how this sponsorship program was going to work. I’m not sure anyone did. This is a totally new thing for Triangle. And in truth, it really doesn’t matter if we are assigned a girl or if we are simply supporting one of the children in the class who will be known to us only through the class pictures we will get year by year. The point is that as a church family we are making a commitment to support this class of 30 students through their educational process. Every year you will have an opportunity to recommit or maybe join in and contribute for the first time. A special fund will be created to collect the money and if by chance more money is collected than happens to be needed in a given year it will be held for future educational purposes for these children. Who knows maybe we can help send some of them to college.

In truth, some of the children in the class may change. Life happens. People sometimes move, even in Haiti. But we will make our best faith effort to serve the children of this class in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Somehow, I think Maura would like that.

Together with you in Christ's service,