ICC E-News Header
ICC WEBSITE | SPONSOR A CHILD | DONATE ONLINE
Sponsors Speak — Karen & Rodney’s Story

Illustration of a person writing“Our visit was an exciting confirmation that getting involved with ICC was one of the best decisions we had ever made!”

We all have seen heartbreaking pictures of the faces of needy children. After our children were raised, we wanted to help other children but were skeptical of finding an organization we could trust. A search of the Internet led us to ICC, and we were immediately drawn to the concept of children being cared for in a “family home” setting where Jesus’ love is modeled.

That was in the year 2000, and our journey as sponsors has gone beyond what we had hoped. We live in southern California, so we chose to sponsor a child in Baja, Mexico in the hopes that we might travel there to see the child someday. We cherished photos ICC sent us along with progress reports and precious artwork handmade just for us.

The child we sponsored was later reunited with his family. While awaiting assignment of a new child, we had the opportunity to drive to El Oasis and select the child we would sponsor. Our visit was an exciting confirmation that getting involved with ICC was one of the best decisions we had ever made!

God's blessing was so evident in the warmth of the entire staff, the hospitality of Pastor and Lidia Reyes, and in the well-being of the children who were obviously very HAPPY. You would think we were royalty—we were greeted with hugs (lots and lots of hugs) and giggles, and kids who were delighted to show us new clothing they had received.

One boy who exuded a special sweetness and lively spirit, Isidro,* captured our hearts immediately, and we chose to sponsor him. When we learned he also had a baby brother there, Juan Jose,* we decided it was time to sponsor not just one child, but two.

In 2007 they went to live with their grandparents, and we then became sponsors of another pair of brothers—Cesar* and Ernesto.* It has been our pleasure and blessing to participate in group projects at El Oasis and the local church school. Precious hours have been spent getting to know Eduardo and Hector as well as the other children.

Mauralia* and her brothers and Bianca* (who we now sponsor) have been especially dear to us. We do not speak Spanish; but amazingly, we somehow communicate in spite of our handicap (with God’s help and a pocket translator), having fun playing, singing, and working.

These children love Jesus and each other. They are very generous and, though they have very little, love to give. They sing with all their hearts and take care of their church. We have seen many of the children baptized and are amazed at how willing and capable they are in leading out in services. They are being trained to be leaders and witnesses for Jesus.

Having a small part in their lives has energized and enriched our own experience. They are family. Judging by the way they embrace us and seem to not want to let go, we know we are important to them too. Oh how wonderful heaven will be where there will be no language barrier and these beautiful children (who were once separated from family) will experience true “family” beyond their imagination, as God designed it.

Karen and Rodney Knight

*The children’s names have been changed to protect their privacy.

International Children's Care is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, USA. We can be reached by phone at 800.422.7729 between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific Time. Our address is: 2711 NE 134th Way, Vancouver, WA. 98986. Our general email address is: info@forhiskids.org.

Our Privacy Policy is this: Any information you provide us is held in strictest confidence. At no time will we share you personal information with any person or organization outside of ICC.

ICC Website | Sponsor A Child | Donate Online

© Copyright May 2013
The Informateur is a publication of:
International Children's Care
P.O. Box 820610, Vancouver, WA. 98682-0013