His name is Agung Supriadi. He is 8 years old and he lives in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

He is the child that S k y e and I are sponsoring through World Vision Malaysia. I remember opening up the envelope that World Vision mailed me 2 weeks ago, and I was going through the many newsletters and brochures that were enclosed. I couldn’t wait to see the face of the child I’m sponsoring. When I finally opened a thin folder containing the details of this boy, I was touched. I felt the real joy of being able to give in such a deep and meaningful way.

Child sponsorship reminds me of this story of the boy and the starfish. One day, a boy was walking along the beach, when he saw thousands upon thousands of starfish washed up on the shore, most likely because of the tide. As the sun is rising in the horizon, the boy began to pick up the starfish one by one up and threw it back to the sea. As soon as the father realized what his son was doing, he told him “It’s ok, son... There’s just too many starfish and you won’t be able to save all of them. What difference does it make?” The son picked up another starfish, looked at it and said “Well, at least it made a difference to this one” And he threw it back into the sea.

For us, we know we made an eternal difference for a boy called Agung Supriadi. He shall grow up to be a strong man of God. He shall be the light in the land of Indonesia. He shall reveal God’s glory. He shall prosper in the land that God has given him. He’ll know God and do mighty exploits. The day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.