Sweet Diane

About 7 weeks ago, I went to visit Diane in her home. Diane is a P1 student at Sonrise. As we were eating lunch (cooked potatoes, some kind of meat, green peas and a fanta) her mother and father were telling me why she has not been at school: over the Holidays, Diane became very ill and her parents had to spend a lot of money on her medical bills. This meant they couldn't afford to send her to Sonrise. As I was hearing this, my heart sank and I knew something had to be done to get this little girl back to her home away from home. I emailed some friends of mine in Fort Smith who immediately expressed interest in wanting to help. It costs $1200 to send a student to Sonrise for one year and within 7 days we had the money and Diane started school 3 days after that.

Yesterday was Visiting Day at Sonrise. This happens 3 times a year and parents, relatives and friends come to campus to visit their children. As I walked into Primary, I saw a sea of faces hoping their parents have come to visit. For some this is a joyous day. For others, this is a very sad day. I noticed Diane among the sea of children with a sad expression on her face. I immediately got on my knees and wrapped my arms around her asking why she was so sad.

I gave her a big bear hug and she buried her face onto my shoulder. I didn't know if her parents would be able to make the journey to Sonrise so I told her I was her visitor. I made funny faces and kissed her cheek and this got a smile out of her.

I took her by the hand and we walked together to greet the other children and families we were there to visit.

A few hours after I had left Visiting Day, I received a call from Diane's teacher, Christine. Christine was asking where I was because Diane's parents were at Visiting Day wanting to greet me. I wasn't able to see them yesterday but I have a feeling that their excitement and love could have been felt all the way to Arkansas!

Didier, Diane and I: All Arkansans at heart!

This post is dedicated to the amazing individuals who sponsor Diane's education at Sonrise. I pray that one day you get the chance to meet this sweet, precious girl.

On behalf of Diane and her family, thank you to: Rick and Jan Beauchamp, Martha and Vent Murphy, Hector and Kathreen Mendoza, Steve and Kyle Creekmore, Bob and Jan Cooper, Mike and Donna Stec, Kelsey and Chris Rogers, Linda and Henry Udouj, Candy and Neil Crow, Charlotte and Dudley Flanders, Carolyn and Breck Speed, Bob Cooper Jr., and Ricky Beauchamp.