My wife Patti and I first heard about Children of the Nations (COTN) in 2010 through our good friends Pat and Tim Kelly, who were attending church in Bellevue WA. They had met Fraser Ratzlaff, who was a coordinator with COTN and had invited us to join them for a “feeding event”, also known as a “Meal Marathon” where we packaged up hundreds of meal packets to feed the children in Uganda, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Malawi.

We did that several times and then decided in 2011 we’d like to sponsor a child. Big step. We decided that we’d each look at pictures of the available children and then each choose one. Then we decided we’d “cast lots” (flip a coin) and let the Lord decide which one we’d choose. Patti had picked an 18 year old girl named Ana, and I had picked a 9 year old named Isha. Typical of my wife, she felt that most would choose the young children so she wanted to help Ana. I lost the coin flip so we sponsored Ana. Of course immediately I started to feel like I was abandoning my choice Isha. So the next day we called and added her. The Lord decided our plan for one sponsorship was one person short.

Over time we added two more, occasionally adding a new child when one graduates or moved out of the program. But excited to say that we still sponsor Isha today who is now doing great and is in college. Children of the Nations changed her life, and ours.

We have observed what a wonderful Christ centered organization COTN is over these past 13 years and when Patti passed away late February this year from cancer we were asked if she had any organizations she loved for donations in her honor.

She loved two in particular:

Eastside Christian School in Bellevue where she taught for 27 years, and Children of the Nations.

Thank you.