A man once adopted from an orphanage in India is chosen all over again
Being chosen was a reminder of Jesus’ love for a man once adopted from an orphanage in India.
You may be familiar with child sponsorship. Through Chosen, World Vision’s new invitation to sponsorship, it’s the kid who gets to experience the joy of choosing. This is what it means to be #chosen.
Rosemary, who lives in Kenya, was not used to choosing. She and her grandmother and brother barely had enough food to eat, and she had to walk an hour to collect dirty water. “As I go to fetch water with my friends, we play and talk about homework,” she says brightly. The water is not clean and makes them ill. But it’s the only option they have.
But then Rosemary got to choose her sponsor at an event in her community. Photos of potential sponsors were displayed for the children to see. One by one, each child took their turn to examine the faces and choose who they wanted. Rosemary stood in awe of all the photos, then chose Regis to be her sponsor. In a message to Regis she explains that she chose him, “because you look smart.”
Being chosen by Rosemary stirred up deep emotions and memories for Regis of how his mom picked him from photos when he was adopted from an orphanage in India. For Regis, being chosen, both as an orphaned child and now as an adult, is a reflection of God’s love. “This is a good reminder of Jesus,” Regis said. “He has not forgotten me. He hasn’t forsaken me. He continues to love me.”
Regis, who rarely cries, let the tears fall as he watched a video of Rosemary choosing him. He had signed up to sponsor because he wanted to help. But being chosen felt like his gift was reciprocated. “I felt loved, and I know now she feels love as well. So, it’s Jesus in action,” he says.
“I think I see a glimpse of my mom,” he said through the tears. “Someone in a different country saw me. Looked at me just by a picture and [said], ‘I’ll give that person a chance.’ My mom did the exact same thing … She saw a picture of me and was like, ‘That kid with that bright smile, he’s worthy to have an awesome life, and I’m going to give him a chance.’”
As a therapist, Regis sees the universal need for such a reminder — to know we are loved and chosen. “The identity that people are looking for is to be chosen ... to be accepted and loved,” he says. “If you understand Jesus’ love and the way an orphan is looking for love, I think that’s where we are. We’re lost, but Jesus found us.”
Learn more about being chosen at worldvision.org/Chosen
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