Motherhood Around the World: 4 Beautiful Stories to Bless You

Every day at Compassion, we hear stories of the incredible women raising the next generation. In remote borderland refugee camps and frosty mountaintops, tiny villages and sprawling cities, these women are embracing motherhood with love, determination and sacrifice.

To everyone in the role of Mom, Mãe, Mami, Mamae, Mama — we honor you.

And we’d like to introduce you to these four incredible mothers.

Patricia, Brazil

When I was 10 years old, I fought with God in my grandmother’s backyard.

If he existed, why did he allow me to suffer so much? My father and mother drank a lot, and I grew up watching my father beat my mother at home. I didn’t know what love was.

When I got pregnant at 19, my son’s father abandoned me. I had nothing, not even a spare piece of clothing, so I decided to leave the baby in the maternity hospital when he was born. But when I looked into my baby’s eyes and he looked back at me, I changed my mind.

I never had a good mother, but I chose to become a good mother to my son. I named him Weslley. I finally found what love is because of him. It was a love I never thought I could feel.

One day, when my son was almost 3, some women from my community told me about the Compassion child development center. I went to a workshop at the church, and there I met Pastor Gleidson. He said they’d put Weslley’s name on a list and call as soon as registrations were available.

I just waited for that day. In the meantime, I tried my best to provide for my son, working with everything I could. He was my reason to keep fighting for a better day.

Finally, the pastor called me, saying we should go to the center to register Weslley. I was so excited and afraid of missing that chance that I just grabbed him and ran to the center.

The kindness, love and patience of the pastor, staff and center volunteers changed everything. They changed not just my child’s life, but also mine. The volunteers told me they suspected Weslley had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and taught me almost everything about it. They helped me understand and enter Weslley’s world. He is a pure, innocent, kind boy who can’t see malice in anything.

Being aware of Weslley’s condition never made me sad or despairing. It made me love him even more. He’s a special boy, not just because he’s autistic, but because he’s kind, lovely and caring. Anytime I’m sad, he comes close to me, hugs me and says encouraging words. I know God gave me him to change my life and teach me the meaning of true love.

I never had a mother who would protect me, but I decided to be a different mother for Weslley and Davi, my two children. I never received love, but I will give them love. I never received kindness, but I’ll provide them with kindness. I never had an education, but I’ll fight to provide them with an education. And I know I can do this because Jesus changed my heart.

When I remember myself as a child with a broken heart screaming at God, all I want is to hold that child and tell her that everything is going to be OK.

Raboaki, Burkina Faso

I am not educated, and I don’t want any of my four children to miss school because of poverty. Through the Compassion center, my teenage daughter Lucie and I learned how to make kokodonda — a beautiful, colorful, hand-dyed fabric. Today, I can make and sell clothes and support my family, putting food on the table and meeting our needs. For Lucie, learning to weave and make kokodonda will enable her to become self-sufficient in the future.

I’m very happy Lucie is registered at the Compassion child development center. As far as our children’s schooling is concerned, our resources are limited to pay their fees, but thankfully the center offers Lucie health care and takes care of her schooling.

Since she was born, Lucie has suffered from eye aches. This affected her performance at school, and I was upset and worried about her future. But thanks to the center, Lucie’s eye problems are taken care of. She was given glasses, which have helped to improve her vision and enable her to study more easily. Without Compassion, Lucie might have lost her sight because it would’ve taken more time for us to afford the medical fees, and by then it might have been too late.

Making traditional clothes gives me joy and inspiration, and the pattern colors are beautiful. In my village, no one else could make this kind of fabric. I’m happy to share my knowledge by also training young girls and women so that they, too, can support themselves and their families. I want to train more women and girls outside my community in the future. The activities carried out by the center have a huge impact on the community that will last for generations.

Today, I can sing, dance and rejoice with those around me because Jesus fills my heart and mind with great joy. I feel useful by helping my neighbors and my community.

I have faith that God’s plans are plans for happiness and a better future even through difficult times. I trust God in every hardship because he gives me strength and power to overcome each difficulty. Through prayer and fasting, I cast all my burdens to Jesus, for he cares for me.

Alma, Mexico

Motherhood has been a journey full of blessings, lessons and challenges. I love seeing how different my children are from each other and how much I learn from them: Victor’s serious and dedicated nature; Gabriel’s smiley and playful personality.

I was blessed to learn about Compassion’s sponsorship program when my oldest son, Victor, was 3. One of the great benefits the kids receive are the regular medical checkups.

When Gabriel was three, he started saying his tummy hurt and that he couldn’t urinate. Worried, my husband and I took him to hospital. A specialist told us our son needed surgery to remove the kidney stone, which would cost 18,000 pesos ($1,0467 USD).

My body froze when I heard this number. I thought, “How on earth are we going to get all this money?” We were going through many economic challenges — my husband was unemployed because of the pandemic.

Victor and I prayed the Lord would help us find the resources. I sold embroidery, and family and friends contributed, to help us gather 9,000 pesos ($523.49 USD). We didn’t lose faith God would provide the full amount.

That’s when Compassion stepped in and helped us pay the remaining half. We were at the hospital, prepared for the surgery, by 5 p.m. on the day we received the remaining funds. Two months later, doctors removed Gabriel’s intravenous tube, and I saw him running, playing and laughing again.

Even though we experienced stress and anguish, the situation helped me to learn the importance of kids having a balanced diet so they can have a healthy body and mind.

I feel truly blessed by God and the center for the medical intervention support. Every six months, my sons have their medical checkups, and every time they attend the center, they eat nutritious food. I feel at peace knowing the center staff truly care about my children’s health.

Angel, Indonesia

When Karunia was born, I felt there was something wrong, but I didn’t understand it yet. My husband, parents and family members were hiding my baby’s real condition from me. Any time they gave Karunia to me to breastfeed, they wrapped her in a blanket, and she wore gloves and socks so I couldn’t see her hands and feet.

My body was shaking upon hearing my husband Chandra’s confession that Karunia has Apert — a genetic condition that causes fusion of the skull, hands and feet bones. I just cried and wondered why God had entrusted this situation to me.

I didn’t always think positively, especially when Karunia was sick in her first year. However, Chandra is a caring father and husband; he loves and cares for me and our child. Everyone in the program motivated me, so I didn’t give up on Karunia’s condition.

I learned to love Karunia even more deeply from all that support.

For me, a harmonious husband and wife relationship that supports each other is the primary key to caring for and educating children at home. This allowed me to have a strong mind about Karunia, something I couldn’t imagine feeling during the challenging early years of her life.

I love being a mother, and I love my daughter. There are lots of joys in being a mother. Every day, I tell her she is beautiful, and I love her. I keep encouraging her to be confident and to always remember she has a family who loves her deeply.

Through the programs at the Compassion center, I was greatly helped to understand about my responsibility as a mother for my daughter. I understand that Karunia is a blessing to me and my family. I believe that when God gave her to me, God himself gave me the ability to raise her.

After Karunia was born, I wasn’t sure that I would have another child, because I wanted to just focus on her. But her spirit to live and survive has changed me totally. She taught me how to have self-confidence.