“I can’t let this little guy suffer, Mama. We have to take him.” My dimpled nine year old looked up at me with pleading eyes. And just like that, Daniel from Kenya joined our ever-growing family of Compassion International-sponsored children.
For those keeping count, Daniel is number four. A friend recently looked at me with mouth agape and asked, “Oh my gosh! What did Matt say when you told him you were sponsoring another child? “ I just smiled. When Grant excitedly told his daddy that we were sponsoring another child, he simply exclaimed, “Cool! What’s his name?”
You see, my dear husband has granted me mountains of grace when it comes to giving. Once upon a time he would take a deep breath and say, “You gave WHAT to WHO for WHY?” Now he just nods his head. We have yet to miss a meal, our bills are paid, and our house is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. God is faithful. If we need to give up a dinner out here or there, we are willing to do it if it means that a child receives much-needed care and education.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48 (NIV)
We’ve been entrusted with much by simply being born at this time in this place. If you are reading this on a personal computer or phone, you have most likely been entrusted with much, as well.
We met Daniel at “Change the Story: The Compassion Experience,” a free, traveling, immersive experience that takes participants behind the scenes and into the daily lives of a child sponsored through Compassion International. Shipping containers in a parking lot are transformed to look like the homes, schools, and living conditions of children around the world. Each participant chooses to follow the story of one child in the Compassion program. My kids have been to Guatemala. They have seen third world poverty first-hand, but it has been a few years since our time in Guatemala. We needed a refresher course… a reminder in the midst of our hurried first world lives.
We placed the headphones over our ears, pushed play, and entered the life of Ruben, a young boy in Bolivia. We listened as he chronicled his life with an abusive father. We took in the litter-strewn, concrete-walled room that passed for living quarters. We watched as his life was changed when someone invested in his life, a Compassion International sponsor. We read the encouraging letters from his sponsor, and witnessed Ruben growing in his faith in God and in himself.
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| A Compassion International Learning Center |
When Ruben made poor choices, we observed the unconditional love of a sponsor who welcomed him back with open arms… the Gospel in action.
Ruben credits much of his success as a young man today to the sponsoring family who faithfully carried him through some of his darkest days. They supported him through a small monetary contribution each month ($39), letters of encouragement and hope, and big prayers for his future. Everyone deserves to have someone who believes in them. Someone to help point them to the One who gives us hope and a future. Are you the one?
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| Living Conditions and Some of the Letters to Ruben from his Sponsor |
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| Ruben |
Gather your family. Browse through the photos of children in need of a sponsor. There is even a Compassion App that makes it easier than ever to write and send photos to your sponsored child! Maybe you have a special connection to a country. Search through the photos of children in that country. Maybe God has set it in your heart to sponsor an older child or one who has been waiting a long time for a sponsor. If your heart aches for those children living in countries where there is a higher risk of exploitation and abuse, those children are available for sponsorship. If the plight of children living in AIDS-affected areas keeps you up at night, those children are also specifically identified. You may choose a child who is celebrating a birthday today or one who is the same age as your children.
At Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Hope in the most unlikely places. A baby boy born in the midst of filth and poverty. The greatest gift given to a broken world came not elaborately adorned, but extraordinarily adored.
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
This Christmas, let us spread the hope of the season beyond December 25. When you choose a child, God is choosing YOU to make a lasting impact on the life of that child. This year, let us invest in our presence in the lives of these children more than the presents under the tree. Whose story can YOU change today?
Welcome to the family, Daniel!
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| Grant and Daniel |
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| Two Lives Changed |
