compassion blog - part 4

Compassion believes that change begins with the heart of a child. People in poverty believe lies for many many years. That’s why we must start with the heart and mind of a child. We must pour truth over them and tell them that they are special and that God has a plan for them. Each of these children who are sponsored begin a relationship that will have an eternal impact. When a child’s life is changed, it affects the entire family, church, community, region, country, and eventually the world. The ripple effects are endless and lasting.

Compassion International is the real deal. I know my $32 a month is going directly to making a better life for my sponsored child. My life has been forever changed by Compassion, and that’s why I’m writing this blog. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen the children whose lives have been changed by this organization. I’ve visited the offices of Compassion and talked with the staff. I’ve held the children in the schools and sat in on their class lessons where they learn about the Love of Christ. It’s ridiculously difficult to try and sum up what Compassion is and what it’s meant to me by the use of mere words. But I knew I had to try. God has called me to be a voice for the voiceless, to speak up on behalf on children in poverty living all over the world.
As a worship leader, my life was changed when I read James 1:27 that says “Pure and undefiled worship/religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: caring for and visiting orphans and widows in their time of need.” I can no longer just sit there and watch children die in poverty. Did you know that 30,000 children a day die in poverty? It doesn’t have to be this way. We can help change the world. I believe in this so much that I am devoting as much time as I possibly can to share about Compassion.

Would you pray about changing the life of one child today? My intention is not to guilt anyone into sponsoring a child. My intention is simply to make you aware of one of the best and most successful organizations for combating poverty. Compassion is changing the world, one child at a time and you can be a part of it. You can go online at www.compassion.com and look for God’s child for you. You will not just be a sponsor who gives money. You will be so much more: a mentor who will change their life forever. A friend who will speak truth into their lives through your hand-written letters that are translated and given to the child.

Letters are huge in this sponsor-child relationship. I visited one 18 yr old girl who showed me a thick binder of every single letter she had ever received from her sponsor, who had been her sponsor for 15 years. This girl cried as she looked through all the letters and pictures that her sponsor had so faithfully sent her through the years. When I asked this young woman what she would say if her sponsor walked in the room, she busted out into tears, had to sit down, and was speechless. After finally gaining composure, she told me that she wouldn’t really know what to say. She would just hug her sponsor as tight as possible and thank her over and over again for changing her life forever. To see the gratitude on her face made me want to sponsor even more children!

The truth is, I’m addicted to sponsoring children. When I share about Compassion at a ministry event, I put the packets of the children waiting to be sponsored on my product table. Sometimes at the end of the event, there are children who have yet to be sponsored. These beautiful little ones always capture my heart. I have three children now, but if I could, I would sponsor them all!

The bottom line is this: thank you so much for reading about my heart for the ministry of Compassion International. My heart beats with joy in knowing that you might be one that God will raise up to mentor a child living in poverty overseas. Please commit these children to pray and pray that God would continue providing sponsors for these children. We think our economy is bad, but theirs is even worse. We actually have food and clothing, while most of them have nothing. Compassion provides for every aspect of the child’s life and introduces them to Jesus, who is mighty to save.

My GOAL: let's get 10 kids sponsored by February. Go to compassion.com and change a life today!