A Budding Artist

Heaven’s* head was bent low over the familiar, lined paper. She carefully ran her pencil across the page, then chose a crayon before adding in the color. Two other children looked over her shoulder in curiosity. “Hey, Heaven,” one of them asked softly, “when you’re finished, can you draw a photo on my sponsor letter?”

This scene is a familiar one at Kids with a Vision Foundation Children’s Home. Twelve-year old Heaven loves to paint and draw. “She loves to make things beautiful,” shared Elizabeth, a tutor at the home. “Whenever the children write sponsor letters, there is a line of children next to Precious who want her to add a drawing to their sponsor letter.”

Heaven is an artist at heart, but she also loves to help others. “We work in small groups for homework time,” explained Elizabeth. “I will get busy helping one child and when I look up, Heaven has left the table. More often than not, she’s helping someone else with a house chore, planning to return to her homework later.”

The children at Kids with a Vision Foundation are allotted a certain number of notebooks and pens each year, and are responsible for taking care of them. Heaven recently approached Elizabeth and asked her nervously, “May I have another sketch pad?” Thinking she misplaced her own, Elizabeth asked what had happened to her other one. “I used all the pages drawing pictures for my friends at school.” Touched by her desire to share this gift with the people around her, Elizabeth used child sponsorship money to purchase Heaven an additional sketch pad, so she can continue to bless her friends.

Elizabeth, along with other staff at the home, are praying and looking for ways to encourage Heaven’s gift and help her further develop this talent. As she continues to grow as an artist and someone who loves helping others, please join Back2Back Nigeria in prayer for ways to foster her love for art, her attention to detail, and her heart to bless those closest to her.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the teens we serve.