Sponsoring Mary Riziki (Destiny)

Psalm 91

 ¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”  ³ Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.
 ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 ¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”


I've been thinking of sponsoring a child for a while, but things like moving kept getting in the way of finances. Now that we've settled down into our new home and gotten use to the financial changes (and I happened to get my yearly raise to make it even easier), I decided it was time to contribute to making a child's life better. I went through Rehema Ministries, as recommended by my sister-in-law. The founders and main office are located in Anacortes, WA, which isn't far from where I live.

I got on the website tonight and started scrolling through the photo gallery looking at unsponsored and partially sponsored children. I knew I couldn't do the full $150.00 sponsorship, but I knew I could give enough to make a difference in a child's life--get them vaccines and shoes, if nothing else.

I kept seeing captivating smiles and beautiful big brown eyes. All the stories are touching, some more tragic than others. A few of the children had outright been tortured before being either abandoned or taken into custody. I almost chose two of them--started filling out the form for them and everything--but kept feeling like it might not be the right child.

I paused and said a quick prayer after the second child I almost chose that didn't feel quite right. Almost immediately after I found Mary Riziki (which means Destiny), who has a tragic story of incestuous rape before she was even a year old. Her father is now in prison for it, and her mother is mentally unstable and unable to care for her, so she landed in the orphanage.

I almost cried reading her story, and I've been shaking since. I can't believe someone would do that do their own little baby, and I'm so grateful to have the chance to make a difference in her life. I pray she was young enough when it happened to her that it won't be a constant part of her life anymore than it has to be, and I hope my contribution helps keeps her healthy, happy, and educated as she grows. I hope very much to stick around to see her become a young, happy, independent woman.

She is the orphanage's 91st child, and so they say her scripture/song is Psalm 91. Considering her tragic history in her already very short life, I think the Psalm is appropriate. I hope she remembers all her life that God is her fortress and her refuge.