Sponsorship Full Circle ❤️

Yesterday, I experienced one of the most beautiful full-circle moments of my life. And I am still struggling to find the words to describe what it meant to me.

In January 2010, I was in Rwanda when a 14-year-old boy named Cyusa walked into the Africa New Life office. I had decided to sponsor him, but I had absolutely no idea that this young boy would become such an extraordinary part of my life and my family’s story.

When we met, Cyusa had recently lost his mother. His father had died years earlier in fighting that continued in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He had already experienced more loss in his young life than most of us can imagine.

What began as a sponsorship became something so much more.

Over the next 16 years, through countless trips to Rwanda, conversations, prayers, milestones, and shared experiences, I had the incredible privilege of watching Cyusa grow into the man he is today.

He graduated from high school, made his way to the United States for college, earned his degree, and is now a social worker living in Oregon.

But those accomplishments, as wonderful as they are, aren’t what make me most proud of him.

It’s the man he has become. His character. His remarkable faith. His love for the Lord. His resilience, kindness, and the way he lives his life.

Somewhere along the way, the word “sponsor” stopped adequately describing our relationship. Cyusa became family. My boys absolutely adore him and look up to him. My entire family loves him. And I can say with certainty that our lives have been changed for the better because God brought Cyusa into them.

Fast forward to yesterday.

As many of you know, God led me into a new chapter this year as CEO of PathLight International, serving students and families in Belize.

When I joined PathLight, I knew one of the first things I wanted to do was sponsor a student. I remembered those early days with Cyusa and how something as simple as saying “yes” to walking alongside a young person could become one of the greatest gifts of my life.

A few months ago, I began sponsoring a 12-year-old boy named Kareem.

And yesterday, in Belize, I finally got to meet him.

He is bright, intelligent, engaging, and full of potential. We sat together, talked, laughed, and began getting to know one another. I had the joy of telling him that I would be walking alongside him as he pursued his education and grew in his faith.

And as I sat there looking at Kareem, I couldn’t help but think about that day in January 2010 when I first met Cyusa.

Two young boys. Two different countries. Sixteen years apart.

And the same incredible privilege of being invited into someone’s story.

After our time together, I picked up my phone and sent a picture of Kareem to my family. Of course, I sent it to Cyusa, too.

A few minutes later, Cyusa responded:

“Hey, does he need another sponsor?”

I told him that yes, actually, I was still looking for four more people to come alongside Kareem.

And then Cyusa told me that he wanted to be one of them.

He wanted to help sponsor Kareem’s education alongside me.

I just sat there.

Overwhelmed. Emotional. Grateful.

The little boy I met in Rwanda 16 years ago, whose education I had the privilege of helping support, was now choosing to invest in the education and future of another little boy in Belize.

But God wasn’t finished with this moment.

After Cyusa told me he wanted to sponsor Kareem, we were able to get on FaceTime together. There I was, sitting beside Kareem in Belize, talking with Cyusa in Oregon.

And what unfolded during that conversation is something I will never forget.

Cyusa began sharing his own story with Kareem. He talked about his educational journey, how we first met when he was just 14 years old, and how our relationship had grown through the years. He explained how remarkable it was that our lives were now intersecting with Kareem’s and that we were all connected.

And then, in the beautiful way that a social worker knows how to do, Cyusa began asking Kareem thoughtful questions about his life, his family, and his experiences.

Through that conversation, we learned something that stopped me in my tracks.

Kareem had also lost his mother when he was a little boy.

Just like Cyusa.

And suddenly, this already extraordinary moment became even more tender.

Cyusa was able to look at Kareem through that FaceTime screen and tell him that he understood. That he knew what it was like to lose his mother at such a young age. That he knew what it was like to walk through hard things as a little boy.

And he was able to encourage Kareem in a way that I never could have.

He shared what his own journey had looked like, how God had been faithful, and how education and relationships had helped shape his future.

And then he told Kareem that we were now part of his team. That we believed in him. And that we were going to walk alongside him.

I don’t think I will ever forget watching those two boys—one now a grown man, and the other just beginning his journey—connect across thousands of miles.

Two young men from different countries, with remarkably similar experiences of loss, brought together through a relationship that began 16 years ago.

I could never have written this story.

Never.

When Cyusa walked into that office in 2010, I couldn’t have imagined the friendship that would unfold. I couldn’t have known that one day he would be a college graduate, a social worker, a beloved member of our family, and now someone choosing to extend that same opportunity to another child.

And I certainly couldn’t have imagined that God would bring our stories together again in this particular way.

But God knew.

Yesterday reminded me of something I have believed deeply for so many years: Sponsorship is not simply about paying for someone’s education. It’s about relationships. It’s about walking alongside someone, believing in their God-given potential, and trusting that God can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.

And sometimes, if we are fortunate enough, we get a glimpse of just how far those ripples of faithfulness can reach.

From Rwanda to Oregon to Belize.

From Cyusa to Kareem.

From one generation of opportunity to the next.

What began with a simple “yes” in 2010 has become a story of generosity, friendship, faith, and hope being passed forward in a way I never could have anticipated.

I don’t know what God has planned for Kareem’s life. But I know how excited I am to walk alongside him, and how profoundly meaningful it is that Cyusa will now be walking alongside him, too.

Sixteen years ago, I had the privilege of telling a young boy in Rwanda that I believed in him and wanted to be part of his journey. Yesterday, I watched that same boy, now a remarkable man, tell another young boy in Belize the very same thing.

And I think that might be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.

God is so, so good.