my compassion experience

i have had the honor of sponsoring 2 children through compassion international for about 3 and a half years now, and i have been more impacted and blessed by the experience than i ever thought $64 a month could buy. i started my sponsorship of mohan from india and gerald from the philippines with the thought of "oh, i am just going to give of my finances and make the life of a couple impoverished children better" as if i don't have any needs because i am an american with a steady job. the sponsorship turned out to be so much more than that... and i have been greatly humbled in my thinking.

both mohan and gerald were too young to write when i first started sponsoring, so i was corresponded to by mohan's instructor gerald's mother. at the end of those letters would be a bright-colored scribble from the not-so-nimble fingers of both. gerald's mother always expressed heartfelt gratitude for "caring about gerald and our family." once mohan began to write, he would address the letter "dear mommy sarah". both kids have asked what they can be praying for in my life - two impoverished little children asking me what MY needs are. this sort of launched me into a deeper evaluation of my heart. i began to think, well... i guess i could use some prayer that the Lord would help me not to place my trust in the things i have and the conveniences that come with living in this country, for starters.

now, the list is much longer. i've realised i may be in even greater need for God's hand to move in my life, because i have so much to be comfortable with. these children believe for things, because they have so much to believe for!

scribbles have become stick figures, stick figures have become pretty flowers, pretty flowers have become (almost) 3-dimensional huts. i have never met these precious children in person, but i feel as though i've been watching them grow all along.

i trust compassion and the work God is doing through that ministry. i've never been given a reason to doubt their integrity or their heart behind everything they do. and i love that they are so set apart from all the other sponsorship organizations. these children are given so much more than food in their mouths and clothing on their backs. they are given an education, they are being taught life-skills and are given the abilities and tools they need to impact their communities, they have the opportunity to build relationships with peers and elders who love them genuinely, and most importantly, they are presented with the gospel message in all its truth. the lie of poverty and worthlessness that entangles these precious children is being broken off in every way.

what an honor it is to be a part of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name, and what an ironic beauty it is to have these children be a part of losening the bonds of disguised poverty in my own life.

if you ever want to have the greatest experience $32 a month could buy and make an eternal impact in the life of a child (and your own), sponsor a child. and write to them. they cherish the letters they receive from their sponsors, and the letters they write in return are definitely to be cherished, too.

http://www.compassion.com/