SARAH Forbush Southworth, in a way, had been waiting and even preparing for the special moment for much of her life.

Having sponsored several children through the Christian Children's Fund (now called ChildFund International) since 1982, the Fredericksburg resident was no stranger to the slow feeling-out process of getting to know one of those youngsters.

But with Gilson and Hermelinda, the first two children she sponsored over the space of 25 years, in remote areas of Mexico, all the interaction happened through letters that flew frequently to and from her mailbox. Or in special gifts sent at Christmas, Easter and other holidays.

But on a dramatic day recently on the lush Caribbean island of Dominica, Southworth found herself breaking the ice in person with Kessler, the lad about to turn 10 whom she now sponsors.

"We started with simple things, questions like 'What do you like to do when you visit here?' and 'What's it like where you live?" Southworth said of the visit in the capital city of Roseau on the island halfway down the Lesser Antilles chain in the West Indies.

Before long, the two were talking like old friends. That was helped by the fact that they'd exchanged letters since 2007, when she became the sponsor of the young boy who shared a one-room dwelling with eight family members in a village outside Roseau.

In a whirlwind visit over a few days, Southworth met with caseworkers and officials of ChildFund, got to know some of Kessler's relatives and toured the capital city with the boy.

They shared photographs and details of each other's lives. Southworth bought a beaming young Kessler items that ranged from a soccer ball to clothing to books she thought might fit a 10-year-old's fancy. And she took the boy and his grandmother on a quick stop to a food market, where they stocked up on staples and items such as bowls and cups.