Meet a Blogger: Sarah

I’ve been blogging for Children International for a while now, but I’ve never really introduced myself. While a little mystery is always nice, I’d like to share a bit about the name behind some of the blogs you read.

I got my first taste of real poverty when I spent a summer studying in Mexico. When I wasn’t in class, I volunteered at an elementary school for inner-city kids and at a federal orphanage. Those little faces stuck with me. After I graduated from college, I moved back to Mexico and taught English to pre-school children - a challenge to say the least. I taught them English; they taught me patience and humility. Although the school was somewhat prestigious, poverty was still all around me: in the poor neighborhood surrounding the school, on the street corners where children sold gum to help their families, in the zócalo or plaza where mothers begged for money with their children at their feet. It’s amazing how easily one becomes accustomed to seeing it.

When I moved back to the States I knew I wanted to continue working with children and above all, use my Spanish to help people. I took a job as a translator for immigrant families at a public school, and I even taught a bilingual 2nd grade class in Dallas for a while. When I was ready to go back home to Kansas City, I stumbled across Children International. Serendipitously they were looking for someone with my skills. You know the rest of the story - I got the job.

It is a job that I kind of just fell into, but it is also a job seemingly tailor-made for me. While I spent most of my time in the main office proofreading and translating, I do occasionally get to travel to our agencies as a staff interpreter. Meeting the needy families that we help and chatting with their children are certainly the highlights of what I do. Whenever someone asks, I feel proud to tell people I work for Children International. If I have to spend my time working, knowing that in my own small way I’m helping children feels like a pretty great option to me.

Sarah and writer Damon Guinn interview a sponsored boy in Honduras.

Photo by Jennifer Spaw.