Friday left us with 8 sponsors!! -Our mall record for Chilliwack-

Bangladeshi children on a canoe, Dhaka. 

We had an amazing day almost from the minute the mall opened on Friday. John managed to secure his first sponsor within 20 minutes. I began my shift around 10:30 and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that after only 3 conversations John had already helped a child to have a brighter future.

It quickly became apparent as to why he had already attracted a sponsor to the booth. John always has a high level of positive energy that draws people in, but it was especially on display that day. John had a couple of friends coming down for the weekend to visit and he had both Saturday and Sunday off. It showed that he was looking forward to a fun weekend and wanted to pour everything he had into helping these children before he enjoyed a couple of days with friends.

 One sponsor quickly turned into two not long after I arrived. I was impressed with John’s attitude. He literally said hello and attempted to stop every single person in the mall. John’s enthusiasm drew people in and his conviction about how they could transform the life of a child convinced them to take a chance and open up their hearts to a child who desperately needs a help up.

After seeing John sponsor two children I knew it was going to be a great day. I read some of the children’s stories at the booth like I usually do and chose to focus on helping a young boy named Rakib from Bangladesh who had been sitting at the booth for a few days.

His story reminded me of Jonaki who I read about in our success stories folder. Jonaki had once worked in a tobacco factory in Bangladesh from dawn to dusk without a chance to go to school. She was 9 years old and completely illiterate. But because of the compassion of people around the world who support World Vision she was able to go to school and now dreams of being a doctor when she grows up. Her story is inspiring to me. Without World Vision and generous, big hearted donors she would still be slaving away in a cigarette factory to earn just enough to survive another day. But now she will be a doctor and help herself, her family, and her community. The differences we can make in the world with just a small donation are incredible.

Whenever I read about a child from Bangladesh I now like to share Jonaki’s story. This boy I was trying to help become sponsored was 8 years old and his father is a day labourer who often finds it difficult to secure work. Due to their extreme poverty this boy was at risk of falling into child slavery. 

After only a few conversations I met an incredibly kind hearted woman who was amazed to see the transformation she could help to make in the life of a child simply by sending a small donation each month. When she heard the story of Jonaki she told me she wanted to sponsor Rakib.

Each time I am able to help a child to enter the sponsorship program I have the same feeling. It is a mix of excitement and joy for the child and gratitude towards the sponsor. I know coming up with $39 a month is not always easy, but when someone begins to understand what a difference that they can make in the world and in the life of a child they are eager to help.

It was a great start to the day and by the time we left we had managed to help eight children to have the opportunity for a brighter future!

I am always excited to go to the booth each shift and help a child. But days like Friday are especially rewarding. I had stood for 8 hours and talked almost non-stop. You might think I would be exhausted, but instead I was energized and full of positive energy. I was able to work with John and Mel, two incredibly committed and compassionate people, and meet 5 kindhearted sponsors who were willing to take a chance on transforming the life of a child who is living in extreme poverty.

It was an amazing day. Thank you so much to all the people who took a moment to stop at our booth and especially to those who were willing to take a stand against child poverty.

The Lantern Project
-Sean Lafortune-