Klairy’s Story
Klairy is a 10 year old girl who lives on the outskirts of La Cieba, Honduras. She is one of the children sponsored through the Children of Promise ministry. Her sponsors are Paul and Marcia Lund. During a recent Children of Promise Sponsor Trip to Central America, Children of Promise director Paul Maxfield was joined by seven Children of Promise sponsors, including the Lunds. This trip included visits to the COP programs in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. And while in Honduras, the Lunds and Klairy were introduced to one another. Here is an account of that experience in the words of the Lunds.
"This meeting was unique in that most sponsors only get letters and photographs. We got hugs and smiles. It was an emotional moment, one to be treasured by the whole COP team. Then as an added blessing, we and the team were introduced to Klairy’s Mother, Father and little brother.
The team had visited in the homes of several of the sponsored children, but the local director didn’t know how to get to Klairy’s home. This was a little unusual, and it raised some questions in the mind of Director Paul Maxfield, because the local directors are to know about the home life of each child. Why didn’t they know where this child lived? The questions were answered when it was discovered that the family had recently moved.
Arrangements were made to meet the Father, and he would lead us to their house. The team traveled to the designated spot, but the Father wasn’t there. Phone contact was made…he was on the way, but running late. Again, questions rose, “Is this guy reliable, or what? He finally arrives on his motorcycle, (the family’s only transportation we later found out) and the van with the team followed him down the highway, turned off on a secondary road, then turned again onto a bumpy path. At the end of the path, was Klairy’s house.
As the story unfolded, we discovered that the parents had been living in town, but wanted to have a place of their own. A little piece of ground became available and they were able to buy it. While, the Father does have a regular job, the family income was still below the level to qualify for COP sponsorship.
There was no house on the ground, so they built a one room house, about 14 feet square. The house was a diy project, constructed out of bamboo poles with mud plaster to form the walls, and a flat corregated metal roof, a dirt floor, no running water and no electricity. The house was divided in half by a curtain to provide a sleeping area, just big enough for two beds and a cooking/living area in the other half. But it was theirs and they were so proud of it.
Out front, Klairy’s father, Jarry, pointed out a well, fitted with a clever, plastic pipe hand pump. They had their own water supply, and Jarry proudly proclaimed it to be good, clean water. Off to the side of the house was the beginning of a garden. Some yucca plants had been planted and would, one day, help provide for the family table. There were also some fruit trees alongside the house which, when mature, would add to the food supply and provide some shade. In back of the house there were some mature banana trees. Again, providing shade and food.
The parents were proud as can be, to show off their land and their house and you could see the sparkle in their eyes as they spoke of their vision for the future. Testimony to this vision, standing in the back corner of the property was a small pile of concrete block, the building material of choice for that area. They were buying a few at a time, stockpiling them for the day when the bamboo and mud plaster would be replaced by sturdy concrete block.
We met Klairy and her family again the next day, Sunday, at church. The family has been a part of that church since before Klairy was born. Jarry wanted to give me (Paul) a note, and as he was thumbing through his bible looking for a piece of paper to write on, l could see that the Bible was filled with underlining and highlighting. It was not a showpiece, it was a well used copy of the Word of God. In the Bible, there were numerous pieces of paper, which were filled with writing. From all appearances, they were notes taken from sermons heard while in church. The family was not just participating in church because it was required for Klairy to be in the COP program, they were part of the church, committed Christians, connected to the Family of God.
It was a thrill to see this family, working, struggling, in circumstances we can hardly imagine. We found it an extra blessing to find that Klairy was part a complete family with the promise of a future. The sponsorship support will help provide extra food, school clothes and supplies, and medical care. And the church provides the spiritual support which is an important part of the program. As a result, this beaming little girl will have a better chance to develop the potential that God has placed in her, becoming an asset to her family, her church, her community and her country.
Sponsor trips involve a great deal of work as side trips are made to various churches in the area where the COP ministry is active. It is a chance for the sponsors to meet church leaders and local COP directors. Sponsored children are interviewed and homes are visited. Much has to be done in a very short time. Nevertheless, it is a rewarding experience to see firsthand the COP ministry and the work it is doing. For us, the whole trip would have been worth it, just to have those few minutes with our smiling 10 year old girl and her family. We are looking forward to receiving letters from Klairy as she grows up, for our visit has revealed a bright future as she is indeed a Child of Promise. And Klairy will be writing not just to a far away sponsor in the U.S., but she will be writing to people she has met, hugged, who have been in her home, and she knows she has a place in their hearts.
