Doug and Julie Effinger in Nicaragua

A couple days ago Julie and I received notice that the girl we have sponsored for the past five years will be returning to family members. Sandra has been living at the El Canyon/Puente de Amistad (Bridge of Friendship) orphanage for the past 5+ years. Julie and I have tried to visit her every month, or as often as time permitted, beginning a few weeks after her admittance into the orphanage. After hearing the news, Julie and I ran down to see her one last time at the orphanage. (Sandra at 8 years old.) I remember the first time we met Sandra at El Canyon. She had only been there for a few days when we came down with a dental team to provide some free dentistry. I dropped the group off at the orphanage just outside of Managua and had to run into Managua to do some errands. When I returned just after mid-day, the group was well into cleanings and checking the kids mouths. Sandra had been the first to get looked at and the dentist said she did really well for never having seen a

I've been blessed. I want to say something about the most influential person in my life. He is the person who has molded me, encouraged me, and loved me despite all my flaws. This person is my Dad. I could tell you his name: Richard P. Effinger, but to me he is simply, my Dad. He's my friend and my mentor. In a sense, he is the reason I have a good image of God the Father in my faith. Not everyone has a good dad. Not having a good dad can make it difficult to understand the character of God. I have a better understanding because of my dad. That's not to say that I understand God completely. Nobody does except the Son. But I know my dad. The one God gave me. And I know that he loves God and honors him. He tries to emulate Him. My dad's not perfect. And he'd never claim to be. What makes him such a great dad is that he has never placed himself above the rest of his family. Rather, he has encouraged us all to live our lives in the way we believe God woul