I just met the most beautiful eight year old little girl.  Her name is Nikini.  She and her adoptive mother attend the model church Rick and I planted 10 years ago in Colombo, Sri  Lanka.  The church is healthy and financially stable, and we're beginning to hear stories of how the church members are tending to the needs of those around them.

Nikini and her mother went to live with distant relatives when she was two years old because her father deserted them.  When she was three and a half, her mother told the family that she was taking her to see her father.  She took her to a hospital instead, and abandoned her there.  The police put Nikini on television to try and locate someone who knew her.  She was frightened, and all she could say was the name of the area where she lived.  The family that she and her mother had been staying with recognized her and went immediately to the police station.  They were able to bring her home with them, and she has lived with them ever since.  Nikini is a beautiful little girl with the most heart-warming smile.  It was a joy to watch her as she interacted with her adoptive mother.  The love that flows between them is almost tangible.

We're grateful for the success of our children's home in Nepal, but we are so encouraged when our church families reach out to the abandoned children around them and take them as their own.  Compassion has given Nikini the precious gift of a loving family.  Her life will forever be changed.  We haven't helped Nikini directly, but the maturity of our church members has enabled them to reach out beyond themselves.  Compassion and church planting are truly working hand in hand.

Thank you for your partnership and for believing in our ministries.

Bev