Today we welcome to our family our first sponsor from New Zealand, Beccy Jones-Orcon.
Beccy who has timed her first payment to coincide with her birthday came across our small charity in an unusual way.
Searching Facebook for two old friends - one called Sue Hayward and the other called Elizabeth Gomm - she just happened across Sue and I (she thought Sharon might be related to me) saw that we we had the Happy House in common and decided to take a look!
Beccy says:
"I had thought about sponsoring a child for many years, but the only places I'd come across were kind of places where it felt like you were just donating your money and that was all - not that it is wrong for people to just donate money, but I am the kind of person who wants to have a slightly more involved feel to it, and on a more personal level... where I (and my family) could write to the child, hear news of the child, send little gifts and maybe (if I ever won the lottery) even visit where the child lives.
It was just so wonderful when I found Happy House... I just KNEW it was the right place, and of course the little children's faces all won me over.
I also thought it would be wonderful for Anoushka (we call her Nou) ,who is five, to have a 'sister'. She has four brothers.
Also I thought it would be an excellent way for her to learn about life in a different country, how different children live, how people's lives can be so vastly different because of many different circumstances, and of course to reinforce just how lucky she is that she has the life she does and to reinforce the usual life's lessons of being loving, giving and respectful of people whatever the their lifestyle."
Beccy, married to Wes, is celebrating her birthday today by adding a Happy house child to her family.
"I am also going to be celebrating it by buying some little sticker books or something similar that I can send over in a parcel for the children. And as soon as I know what my sponsored child's name is, you can be sure that I will be writing and enclosing a little gift and some photos too. I am also going to be hunting out those calcium drops too....
Anoushka is so excited and has been telling all her friends at school that she is going to be 'loving a little girl in Kenya'."
Happy birthday and welcome to our family Beccy with lots of love and smiles from all the family at the Happy House.
*Pictures show Beccy with Wes, Anoushka with a cake she helped to bake for Father's Day and Beccy with Anoushka (now five) and sons Simeon (now 10), Thomas (now 20) and Jordan (now 18).
