During Sunday evening’s worship service, Benaia Freire Furtado, a former sponsored child from Brazil, met her sponsor, Judy Veigl, who serves as an administrative director at the Church of the Nazarene’s Global Ministry Center.

When Benaia was young, her father died suddenly. Struggling with grief and feelings of abandonment, she stopped speaking for four months.

“I felt abandoned, like my world was upside down, and I didn’t understand why he left me,” she said in a video made for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.

Child Sponsorship had a deep impact on Benaia’s life. It was during this time of grief that she was first accepted into the program. Later, when her family moved to an area where they didn’t know anyone, the letters she received from Judy helped her feel grounded and supported.

“The program enabled us to dream again,” Benaia said. “It is very important for the child who receives the letter – it brings love to our hearts.”

For more information on NCM’s Child Sponsorship program, visit ncm.org/cs.