My friend and I enjoyed our visit to Collegio Dios Con Nosotros (God with Us School) in Nicaragua. We visited classes, met with children sponsored through World Hope International, and even visited some of the children in their homes.
One 5th grade boy lived across the street from the school. So one day, our host took the two of us to visit William. When we arrived, William was standing at a cement sink just outside the back door of his house. He was using a scrub board to clean his school uniform. He burst into a huge grin when he saw us come around the corner of the house and into his yard.
William’s mother worked for the military and apparently had to live on base. His father was not in the picture. Consequently, William lived with his grandmother. She quickly came to the door and invited us into their humble home. When we stepped inside, I noticed how sparsely furnished it was, although very neat and clean. In fact, William’s grandmother had a broom in her hand and had been sweeping before we arrived.
We found out that William slept in a little shed at the back of the property. He showed us the simple cot that he slept on. Otherwise the space was pretty bare.
Our last day at the school, we hosted a luncheon for the teachers and enjoyed visiting with them following classes that day. Suddenly there was a persistent knock at the gate. Someone went to answer it, and there stood William clutching a clumsily wrapped package in his hand. “I need to see Anna O’Dell,” he explained. The gatekeeper let him in and he came into the room where my friend and I were finishing cleaning up after our lunch. My host and interpreter said, “William has something he wants to give you to thank you for coming.”
With that, William handed me the little package. It was lumpy and the ribbon he had wound around the item barely kept the crinkled tissue covering it. I couldn’t imagine what this child of poverty could be giving to me. As I unwrapped it, I discovered a My Little Pink Pony. It was a little smudged, like a much loved toy often is. Tears came to my eyes! Just then my friend poked me and whispered in my ear, “You aren’t going to take that, are you?” She too realized what a sacrifice this gift was. Probably the only plaything this child possessed, yet he was giving it to me!
Immediately I knew that hard as it was, I needed to accept this gift given with such sacrifice and such love. I’ve met many children through the years, and I can no longer be sure of the gift bearer’s name, but I still have the My Little Pony. And when I look at it, the child’s face comes to mind and I ask myself, “What have I ever given to someone with such love and such sacrifice?”
William in his school uniform.