Sometimes love comes from far away...

Monday, March 17, 2014

“It was such a special day when I heard that you were coming to Albania.I was very excited and looking so much for-ward for this day to come. We had three wonderful days together, which I will always remember. You kept your promise, because you had promised me you will find the way to come and meet me up in Albania and you did. This makes me more than happy.  Thank you for being here and for making my dreams come true my sponsor Eunbit Wond!”

These were the words Enest, 17 a sponsored child from Librazhd Area Development Programme, in Albania said to his sponsor; Eunbit, 22, from South Korea during her visit to Albania to meeting her sponsored child. 

Eunbit and seven other sponsors from South Korea visited their sponsored children in Albania for the first time. Their visit was unlike anything. When they first saw their children, they ran towards them, hugging and shedding tears of joy. 

The sponsors were surprised to see how their children had grown. Enest was just a child, 8, when he was sponsored. Over the years, he has received many letters, gifts and encouraging words from his sponsor. 

All the children: Enest, 17;Sidorela, 17;Isuf, 16;Algert, 12, Aristotel, 11, and Sonila, 10, adminted couldn’t sleep the night before they were to meet with their sponsors. 

“I was wondering how it would be like meeting my sponsor face to face,” said Aristotel, while looking at his sponsor, Patrick, 16. “He is so kind, caring, tender, and a great friend to me. I am so happy he came to Albania, from so far away, just to see me,” ended Aristotel, smiling.

Although they live in poverty, both the children and their parents wore the best cloths they had (or could borrow) to show respect to their guests, as the Albanian traditional requires.

Accompanied by their parents, children spent three days with their sponsors where they enjoyed lots of good time together: they danced; sang both Korean and Albanian songs, played games, did face painting, wrote letters to each other and released balloons into the sky, as a sign of their unconditional and unlimited love. In additional to gifts for their sponsored children, the sponsors also brought gifts for more than 120 children in Vejçan and Librazhd Qendër villages, as well as painting and decorating a kindergarten.

(South Korean sponsors teaching a Korean child song to the kindergarten children of Librazhd, Albania- short video:

“I could not hold my breath when I saw my sponsored child, Isuf, so close to me,” said Lee jongAe, Isuf’s sponsor who came to Albania with her daughter Kwon Eunsol, 23.“So, I just hugged him tight. Looking at these children and the good changes [that have] happened into them, pushes me towards a spiritual responsibility to volunteer more and help other children in the world to enjoy a good life,” added Lee Jong Ae. 

“We are so very happy to see our child and spend time with him and his family,” said JI Kyeong Seob, 53, Algert’s sponsor.  “I am also so happy I am helping this family and Algert. I am glad to be a child ambassador for World Vision,” he added. Algert is just one of the more than 30 children that Ji Kyeong Soeb and his wife sponsor around the world.

Algert who is very shy wrote about his feelings and described the emotions this visit caused to him: “Today is February, 28. I feel so very happy because I am among the most beloved people. I am meeting [my sponsors] for the first time. I feel so excited about this. They are so tender, friendly, and brought me lots of wonderful presents. Thank you…,” he said in his letter.

For the parents, these moments were also meaningful and unforgettable. “This is like a dream to see people who are form so far away to come in Albania because of the great love they have for our children,” said Kadife, Enest’s mother.

The hardest part was when children and sponsors had to say good bye. Sonila started to cry and so did August, Enest and the sponsors.

“My sponsor means so much to me,” said Enest, in tears. “Thanks to her advice and encouraging words, I am who I am now,” ended Enest.

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World Vision in Korea started supporting Librazhd ADP in 2007, serving more than 3809. Thanks to the sponsors help these 3809 children are getting better education, protection and have hops to dream for the future.

--ENDS--