Many of you who know the Gaillards know that we have four daughters, but what you might not know is that we also have just adopted our third daughter. When we entered seminary, the Lord showed me that if my oldest daughter’s life was going to be world-focused and not just provincial, we had to begin to make connections beyond the USA. I had worked with Compassion as a youth minister and knew the trustworthiness of their ministry. My wife and I decided together that we would adopt for our daughters a sister in the Dominican Republic on their 5th birthday. They would write and pray for this Dominican child who in each case is very near their age. My promise to them is that I would take them to the DR to visit their sister when they were old enough. When they begin to work, they will be responsible for paying part of the sponsorship. In the meantime, this was a great discipline for my wife and me:  not just raising children in the wealth of the USA but committing ourselves financially and prayerfully to raise children out of poverty in the name of Jesus Christ.

My #3 daughter turns 5 in November, my wife and I have just sponsored Maria on behalf of Eliza. My eyes filled with tears and my heart was grateful that the Lord had once again allowed us to show His love to someone in need. My older daughters have started secretly praying for Maria when Eliza is not around so as not to spoil the surpise. I cannot wait to introduce Eliza to Maria on November 23.

At Good Shepherd, we are seeking to raise a generation of “World-changing Children.” One simple way to do that is to sponsor a child through Compassion.  If every Christian sponsored one child per family, what a different world it would be!

What a joy,
Shay +