I started sponsoring MAD Ministries in February of 2007. In October of that same year, I went on my first mission trip to Brazil. I went for 2 reasons: 1) An indescribable tugging on my heart. 2) I wanted to see where my donations were going. I was sponsoring a child through another organization, but it felt so distant.
This trip to Brazil changed my life. I saw first-hand children living in extreme poverty conditions and yet they were happy and friendly. They didn’t know they were so poor. Their lives were very hard. They were hungry, they wore torn worn out clothes, many were abused, and they always had lice.
I saw a group of local people pour themselves into these precious children. They were dedicated to make the lives of these children better and they served them with unconditional love. They even opened their own home to keep the ministry going. Most of these amazing people still serve the ministry today. They give these children something to live for.
At first, when we would ask the children what they wanted to be when they grew up, they had no answer because they had no hope of a future, they just had to survive that day. It is different now. They do have hope because they have seen the young adults, who attended the ministry, grow up and go to college and have a brighter future. Many of those first children now serve the ministry themselves.
I went back to Brazil 8 times and fell in love with the children, the people, and their culture. There is not another ministry that serves children and their families better than this one. Over the last 20 years, I have seen a huge change in the lives of many children.
Why do I continue to support MAD Ministries?
Because this ministry truly makes a difference in the lives of children!!
Mary Wagner, Longtime Sponsor