Hopelessness

Many times I ask myself: Why am I here? Why am I fighting a battle that I'm never going to win? I'm only one person, can I ever really change anything here? And many other random, discouraging thoughts that pop into my mind from time to time.
I guess these are normal thoughts for any missionary that is faced daily with poverty day in and day out, that doesn't seem to be able to be changed.
It's hit me several times over the last week or so, especially when I'm watching Jackie. She's so bright. She deserves to have unlimited opportunities. But, the reality is, her opportunities are pretty limited.
She keeps asking me to teach her to swim. There's not really a cheap way to do this besides filling her little plastic basin with water and letting her play. Not highly effective. She should be getting to enjoy ballet classes, piano lessons, the best schools. She's a child that if born in another time and place really could have gone far in life. She could be anything, do anything!
But, because she was born into poverty, in a developing country, to an HIV+ mother, her chances are very slim. Sure, I can help to get her the best medical help available. I can take her to school. I can teach her everything I know. But, I can't give her things and all those lessons.
But, wait a minute, are those things really all that important. Popular psychology would say yes. Develop a person to be all they can be. Achieve every goal, etc. But, isn't what is really important is that she knows, loves and honors God? That who she becomes gives glory to Him?
Hopefully, with the little that I am able to give her, that she will know God, she will love God, she will honor God, and everything that she is/does will glorify Him.
I know she is learning who He is. I catch her singing songs like Father Abraham, Jesus Loves Me, The B-I-B-L-E throughout the day, along with grown up songs like Amazing Grace, I Surrender All, and Morning Glory (that's one that a friend of mine here wrote and the big kids performed at the Christmas party). She's like the pastor in the house demanding that everyone close eyes and pray before eating. She's usually the one to lead us but from time to time will tell one of the other kids to pray. And nightly, she never forgets that she and I pray together as I put her in the bed at night.
So, while I still say life is not fair, wish I could take away the HIV+, and give her more opportunities, I know that she does have hope. Her situation isn't as hopeless as it was 6 months ago. She's learning Truth, which is much more priceless than any of the lessons I could ever provide her with. It's something that will give her a greater possibility than any piano lesson or ballet class ever could. It's something that gives her far greater hope than any amount of money could ever buy.
Pray with me that I'll remember this when I look at any of my kids and feel dispair for not being able to do more for them. I don't want them to waste the potential that they have, especially the potential of knowing who they are in Christ.