Compassion

I've been following the

Blog Compassion Trip to Uganda, Africa .

I've been reading BooMama's account of the trip and also Rocks in My Dryer. I have to tell you, my heart has been breaking for those children. I have cried a couple times just reading about the conditions some of these children are living in. Especially when I think how incredibly blessed my own children are in comparison.

Then I read this post by Shaun Groves who is also on the trip. It is worth reading.

The following is from a post over at Whittaker Woman who also went on the trip. She posted this youtube video of Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer and then added this:

" This is what Shannon told me:He is an orphan, his mother and father have died. His caretaker which is his aunt is very sick and his other sibling is also very ill. Somehow he is not infected and is healthy and beautiful. His smile was so contagious. He was so joyful to be with Shannon. Think about it, he is going to be all alone here in a years if not months. And here comes this hope, this woman who is tangible, who sends him gifts, who sends him money so that he can survive, and who writes him letters of encouragement. This woman who LOVES him. That is hope. That is what this organization is about. I did not completely get it until yesterday. I am so wrecked by this. My heart is so broken. I could not have been Shannon. I could not have allowed him to get back in the car where the social worker was driving him four hours away back to nobody. I just could not do it. "

(I start bawling everytime I watch that video and read Whittaker Woman's words)

My husband also read these posts and we talked about it. And we decided to DO something about it instead of just sitting here feeling so torn and heartbroken for all these children. So we went to the Compassion website and read all about their organization and the ways they help children that are sponsored.

Saturday night we decided to sponsor a child in Ethiopia who is 5 years old. It was really very easy to do. We will be sending $32 a month to make sure that he gets the opportunity to receive an education, the opportunity to be healthy, the opportunity to develop self-confidence and social skills in a church-based program where Christian adults offer love, guidance, personal attention, guided recreation and safety and most importantly the opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about Jesus. These are ALL things that my children TAKE FOR GRANTED.

Not only is this going to benefit this child, it will benefit mine as well. It will open their eyes to the world. As we pray for this boy they will develop compassion and a heart for others who are less fortunate than they are. It will broaden their world view as we look on the map of where this boy lives and talk about the conditions that many children in that country live in. We will have opportunities to write to this child and to be an encouragement to him. We are all very excited and plan to keep his picture up on our fridge.

As we were looking at all the pictures of children available to sponsor, it really broke our hearts. There are SO MANY CHILDREN. And really, a $32 sacrifice a month isn't that much of a sacrifice at all. We looked at our budget and there are several things we could cut back on if we had to in order to make sure that at least this one child in Ethiopia has his basic needs met and an opportunity to learn about our Savior.

I can't imagine a better investment for our money, which is really all His anyways.