World Vision

Last night, our doorbell rang around 6:30pm. Yusuf answered the door while I was packing our lunches and I can only hear faint talking in the background. When I hear that the conversation continued for at least 10 minutes, I went outside to see who was at the door. (plus, he was running late for his chiropractor appointment)

It turned out to be a girl from the World Vision organization. She was going door-to-door trying to get 4 children sponsored for 1 year. The reason why these children were "chosen" was because they had been on the waiting list for too long and their health status was only satisfactory. There was an urgency for these kids to "bump" the line.

The representative spent a good 5 minute again explaining to me their mission, and letting me know that I can sponsor these kids right away to help. She showed us her World Vision badge and all the letters/forms that we would get in return to ensure this was legitimate. I already sponsor a child and the documents she showed looked very legitimate, but there was still a doubt in my mind whether this was a scam or not. So, we finally decided to decline the offer and wished her the best in her mission.

I really felt bad! As some of you know, I have been sponsoring a little boy in Guatamala for a few years and it is very rewarding to know that you are helping improve their lives, family and community. If this was legitimate, then I would be turning away these kids in desperate need of our help! I really felt horrible for turning her down!

So today, I called World Vision and told them about our experience. They have verified that this was in fact a legitimate activity that they were doing and they have been doing this for several years now. After calling, I searched on the database and found a seven year old girl from Mongolia who was born on July, 28!!! So we decided to sponsor her! Here is a picture of her.