The Frosting…

I am often asked why I sponsor several children through Compassion International. My response is usually something like this:  ”I can’t imagine my life without the beautiful children I sponsor being a part of it” (and really–I can’t). Then, I will go on with the details about each of them in the same way I do about my own children and grandchildren. I was re-reading a recent letter from one of my sponsored kids and something came to me–grabbed me, actually…this is the frosting. These beautiful children I sponsor, they are the frosting on the cake. There is something deeper going on…beneath the frosting. Oh, the frosting is the best part, of course, but there are layers beneath.

One million children sponsored. That’s a big “shiny” number. But, there is another big number beneath…the people who get up each and every day…living in conditions very much like those of our sponsored children…those who will be the hands that comfort, teach, heal and love our sponsored children at Compassion centers around the world. This is what lies beneath the frosting. Brothers and sisters in Christ working lovingly and tirelessly to release children from the many layers and levels of poverty. Our child sponsorships enable large numbers of people the opportunity to bless children each day…to be the hands and feet of Jesus for children who would otherwise not know how dearly they are loved by God. They are the foot soldiers…the ones in the trenches. They help our children write the letters we love to receive. They feed our precious children food for their bodies, food for their minds and food for their souls. I have recently paid more attention to the letters and have read the names of the translators and those helping our children communicate with us.  I try to write a sentence in my letters that will include them somehow…to let them know how very grateful I am that they are right there…working on behalf of my sponsored child.

We have been blessed with the opportunity to meet some of the children we sponsor. We’ve met their families, friends and have seen the communities and homes where they live. It has been a particular honor to meet the workers at the Compassion centers that our children attend and others that we have visited. If it has done nothing else, it has made me appreciate how easy it is to be a sponsor. $38 a month is not a huge sacrifice…one meal out, one article of clothing, a portion of a haircut in a women’s salon, one pedicure. I can’t look at the price of anything anymore without calculating how many children’s lives could be saved. If I can afford to be writing on this computer with a high-speed internet connection, I can afford to sponsor at least one child…and maybe one more. That’s what happens when we witness poverty firsthand. It changes the way we see the world. For those who are devoted to loving and caring for our sponsored children day in and day out…the ones in the trenches…it is not easy. It is truly a daily sacrifice. It is also a thing of great beauty. Someone once told me, “never deny someone the opportunity to be a blessing.” That is how I see sponsorship. Not only are we helping to release a child from debilitating poverty, and in many instances…saving that child’s life, we are enabling many others to be a blessing to that child. It is a new way to look at sponsorship. Remembering there are many layers beneath the frosting, but the frosting…well, its still the very best part!

Hands that feed over 200 children in rural El Salvador

Blessings in the Midst of Disappointment…

There is really nothing quite like wrapping your arms around a child that you have loved and cared for, whether it be our own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or a special child in our life. I have been richly blessed with many children in my life, an assortment of all the above.

On September 5^th, we scheduled a trip to Uganda to meet an eight-year-old girl that I sponsor through Compassion International. I would be meeting her just a few days before her ninth birthday. She is beautiful and her letters are a joy that bring tears no matter how many times I read them. I feel unworthy of the grace that pours on me through her words of love and gratitude.

For the past 20 years, the “Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has kidnapped, enslaved, tortured and murdered tens of thousands of young children in northern Uganda, causing children to be “night commuters,” which means they had to walk many miles each night to hide from the soldiers of this terrorist group, who targeted children specifically. Over the past couple of years, the Ugandan Government has successfully put an end to this terrible practice that has affected two generations of Ugandan children. Left behind in this wake, are many parents (victims themselves) and children who have known nothing but fear and terror their entire lives. In addition to food, health care, an education and Christian teaching, Compassion projects in the northern part of Uganda are providing loving Christian counseling and self-esteem building programs for these children and parents who have known nothing but violence.

In Caroline’s family there are fifteen children. Not all brothers and sisters, but a combined family of sisters, brothers, cousins and aunts. Grandpa is the head of the household…the glue that holds the family together, though many were likely scattered and lost. The large family lives on the equivalent of $9 US dollars a month.

Our four large overstuffed bags were packed, mostly with practical items for Caroline and her family. Our intent was to leave all the luggage and even our own clothing with her family, returning with just an overnight bag of absolute necessities. God has richly blessed us with more than enough. Brothers and sisters in Christ had been praying for our safety, health and travel mercies for months.

Four days prior to our departure, I became quite ill with a fever and cough. Many prayed that I would be healed. Our loving pastor prayed with me on the phone. The day before our scheduled trip, my condition worsened and my doctor advised me that I could not travel to Africa. Heartbroken and empty does not adequately describe how I felt. How could God do this to me and to little Caroline, who had already been told I was coming to visit. Why was this happening? Why had God not listened to my prayers and those of my prayer warriors?

I had lost my focus. My plans are not God’s plans. I had taken over the controls of a ship without knowing its course.

The night before our small group departed for Uganda, I received an email and a telephone call from a dear friend who was going on the trip. She had been shopping near the San Francisco airport for our dear little Caroline and her family. She detailed the items with excitment. She told me she would be there to love Caroline in my place, along with the others on the trip. “Don’t worry, I will make sure that Caroline knows she is loved.”  At a layover in Minneapolis, my dear friend, Nancy, walked into a souvenir shop to see if there was anything for my special little girl and right before her eyes there was a puzzle made of African animals with the name “Caroline” spelled into it. She sent me an email from the airport. “We have an AMAZING God!”  We do, indeed.

Others on the trip took items they had intended to give to their sponsored children to complete Caroline’s items. Some had extra clothing, toiletries, toys, school supplies and a duffle bag. I started receiving emails from others on the trip detailing the items for Caroline. Strangers, people I had never met were comforting me and preparing to love Caroline in my place and they were praying for my health. Rarely, do we get to feel God’s presence and blessings with such overwhelming clarity. I felt complete peace and calm. God had taken the controls from me.

On September 10^th, violence between tribal factions broke out in the streets of Kampala, Uganda, the capitol city, where the group was staying. The group had been helping build a structure for a new Compassion center, but was unable to return to the hotel as all roads were blocked. The Compassion country staff found safety for the group at a Compassion church orphanage. The group spent the night on triple-decked bunks covered with mosquito nets right there with many orphans, who I am sure were delighted. At dawn on September 11^th, the group bus made its way into Kampala amid the smoke, broken glass and debris, where they collected their suitcases and were immediately transported to a hotel on the banks of Lake Victoria, about two miles from the Entebbe airport and quite a distance from Kampala. The violence continued and the Compassion group leader and country staff determined the conditions were unsafe for both the group and for travel by any of the Compassion children. No one on the trip was to meet the Compassion child they sponsor, though the items were stored at the country office and would be taken to each child, my little Caroline included. Compassion arranged for early departures and with broken plans and broken hearts, the group left Uganda many days prior to the original departure date.

Our dear friends continued to keep us informed several times a day, until they boarded their flights, each now safely returned to their homes and family. I receive regular emails and links to photos of days spent in Uganda. They loved the people and the country.

I have recovered nicely in the comfort of my home and by God’s unceasing grace, many Compassion children and their families, friends and communities, were not infected by this virus. Many having no access to medical care. An entire orphanage could have been infected. My travel partners and many others I may have come into contact with would have been at risk, but this did not happen. God’s tender mercies to His beloved.

To date just four cases of the virus are reported in Uganda, all in the same family, who had just returned from Asia. They were quarantined to their home and have since recovered. No other cases have been reported. I do not know God’s plan for Bonnie Bear and the over-stuffed suitcases, but I know He has a plan far better than anything I can imagine.

Thank you for your prayers, they were answered.

The hand of Diana Rose…

On Sunday, a lovely teenage girl from our church gave one of the most beautiful testimonials about God among us that I have ever heard.  Not because she was polished, rehearsed or educated in theology. But, because the words she used glowed from her heart. She was absolutely radiant with the Spirit!

Last week, Susanna traveled to the Philippines on a Compassion International youth mission trip.  The mission focused on just one Compassion center, located in an old, run-down church building in the middle of one of the poorest and congested areas of Manila. The mission was to help refurbish the Compassion church, which serves over 300 children;  the tools–teenage muscle. The Compassion church had been praying for just such a mission for over twenty years. Their prayers had finally been answered. Our church youth joined together with Compassion sponsored youth and their families for almost a full week of exhausting labor in the sweltering August heat.

Every afternoon, the youth from our church would break into two groups, each visiting the home of one of the children they had met and worked with at the Compassion center. There was much excitement about traveling to the homes in motorcycles with side-cars; a special treat for teenagers. For Susanna, that excitement was quickly replaced by the reality of the moment, when she arrived at the entrance to a narrow alley that meandered through a crowded slum leading to the home of one of her new friends. It is not easy to witness true poverty with sights we have never seen, smells we have never smelled and living conditions we can’t have imagined in our worst nightmares. Fearfully, Susanna marched with the nervous group towards the home of a teenage girl, who was about her same age. Susanna quietly prayed that God would give her strength to overcome her fears and anxiety. Her stomach churned as she stepped through puddles of garbage, sewage and ducked to avoid damp clothing hanging on lines above the narrow thoroughfare. As she prayed, she felt a warm hand gently grip hers, immediately giving her comfort and alleviating her fears.  It was the hand of Diana Rose, the teenage girl whose home they would visit. The two held hands as they walked through the maze of poverty in silent understanding–joined by the Spirit. Diana Rose introduced the group to her sister, grandmother, nephew and other family members. Diana Rose, in her crisp, clean school uniform, was elegant, dignified and poised; a direct contrast to her surroundings.

God sends His vessels of love and mercy in many shapes and forms. For a small, run-down church in an impoverished neighborhood in the Philippines, it was an energetic group of teenagers.  For Susanna, it was the hand of Diana Rose.

The Salt and The Light…

Children are powerful!  What is the very first thing that happened when you saw this photo?  I know the answer. You smiled!  You received a little extra light…maybe just the right amount to get you through your day.  You felt their joy and that is significant.

My husband and I arranged an individual visit to meet our sponsored child in Alaba, Ethiopia. This was our reception–a photo my husband clicked as we opened the van door at ET 139. It was truly amazing to see what God is doing through the work of Compassion to transform so many lives in one of the poorest areas in the world…and He is doing it through children!

Chances are, you live in a home with running water and electricity. You probably have food in the fridge and cupboards full of goodies.  Not these kids.  These are the children of ET 139, a Compassion child development center located in Alaba, southern Ethiopia. Food and water are scarce for hours in any direction; cars even more scarce. Struggling to eat one meal a day, few can afford horse or donkey carts, which are as common as dust in the small villages that make their mark on the edge of the Rift Valley.  Most of the residents in this community walk to get where they need to go, carrying what they need on their backs, their heads, their shoulders, their arms, their hands or an assortment thereof. The elderly and toddlers are not exempt. In Alaba Town the streets and small highway are thick with people walking in all directions. Everyone has something to do.  Survive.  And, it is not easy.  Small mud shacks are home to most of the community, which offer some relief from the extreme afternoon heat, and will provide some shelter from the relentless rains that begin in July and last for two or three months. The three young girls in our sponsored child’s family sleep on the dirt floor of their tiny mud shack, grateful to finally have a roof over their heads. Their humble home is about 9 X 12. I’m guessing the family of five’s total possessions would fit in a small laundry basket. By late afternoon, the community is on the move…water and maybe some food for dinner, but not always.  Water is essential, two meals a day a luxury, three meals a miracle.  The price of grain has tripled in eighteen months. Adults work as day laborers, when there is work, which isn’t often. Families in the Alaba area are living on about $8 a month. With literacy rates well below the Ethiopian national average of 50%, there are few small businesses. A cycle of poverty that seems tragic, unbreakable, insurmountable, except for this…nothing is impossible for God.

Take another look at those smiles. Does despair come to mind?  Not to these kids!  Children are not designed for hopelessness or despair. Children are a perfect example of our very best traits and characteristics.  They are humble, loving, helpful, and most importantly, hopeful. Jesus SO loved the nature of children and knew their importance in the Kingdom. Children can have an amazing impact on their families and in their communities. When taught to read and write, they enthusiastically teach their families. When taught how to get healthy and stay healthy, they teach their family, friends and neighbors. They can’t contain what they’ve learned…because they’re kids! Children at Compassion centers around the world are being educated in all areas of life–physical, spiritual, social and economic. They are learning to read and write and they are learning about the love and hope found only in Jesus Christ.  ET 139 is no exception.  Can you imagine what it is like when these 254 joyous children leave the gates of the Compassion center each afternoon?  How this impoverished community must look forward to this en masse barrage of laughter, love, joy, knowledge and hope!  With big dreams in their hearts, these children are not only the future leaders of their communities and their country, they ARE the Salt and the Light of today.

We are called to care for the poor so very many times in the Bible. Matthew 25:40 may be the most familiar ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ But, if we read on to verses 45-46, the consequences of NOT helping the poor are severe..in fact, very severe. If we call ourselves Believers, we must heed this advice. Not out of guilt, but because these are God’s words to us. “…’I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

It all starts with an action. Sponsor a child. If God places it in your heart, sponsor another child. Your sponsorship and encouragement through letters and pictures will help your child become The Salt and The Light in a broken and hurting world…one child at a time.  

Can I really prepare?

We are going on a long trip, which includes three weeks in Ethiopia with Compassion.  The highlight will surely be traveling to each of our sponsored children’s projects and homes.  At last, wrapping our arms around these precious gifts from God–the beautiful children we sponsor.  

As I sit in the middle of all this “stuff,” and worry about the details of getting ourselves and this stuff to Ethiopia, I wonder…can I really prepare?  I remember a particularly meaningful verse written by John Lennon, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  I sit back and listen to the song…the entire song–written for his young son.  I believe all things done from the heart to honor children are of God. I haven’t listened to this song for at least a decade, maybe longer.  ”Beautiful Boy.”  This respite…it is no accident.  God has put me back into this very moment–the here and now. Instead of worrying about each detail and what may go right or wrong, I should rejoice in these precious moments. Shopping for T shirts, soap and toothbrushes…an honor, privilege and joy.  The worry about vaccines and visas…they’re done.  Wasted moments.

I wonder…When is the last time I prepared and life actually went according to my plans?  Hmmmm…maybe never or should I say gratefully never.  I am usually surprised by how well things work out in spite of my plans.  Instead of tackling this itinerary and packing project like an out-of-control fire, I will try to savor each and every moment as a gift and give thanks to the One who is The Giver of all.  I can’t really prepare for the future, because I don’t know the future.  What I can do is prepare my heart.

Now I wonder…which one do you think, Lord?  The pink or the purple backpack for Belaynesh?  

Compassion steps in…

 

Children “…they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.  Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

Sometimes…Compassion steps in. A young mother and her beautiful daughter in the kitchen of their humble home–in an area that knew nothing but war for more than a decade.  These beautiful young ladies are the indirect beneficiaries of Compassion International’s global ministry.  Her cousins attend a Compassion project, where they learn about health, basic hygiene and how to keep from getting sick. Simple remedies:  brushing teeth, washing hands, boiling water, wearing mosquito repellent.  They learn to read and write and teach their family.  They glow with the love that is Jesus. She has learned much from her young cousins and now attends church with them each Sunday.  In fact, the entire extended family has become involved in their local church…a Compassion church.  They say for each child sponsored, twelve lives will be transformed…when Compassion steps in.  To reach this family, we traveled by bus on gravel roads, walked across a rope and wood foot-bridge, hiked another quarter of a mile or so up the side of a hill.  The family lives in a community of people who moved to this remote location in an attempt to escape the ravages of war.  It wasn’t easy then or now…but Compassion stepped in.

Her cousins have not met their sponsors…I wish I could tell them and show them what a difference they are making in the lives of their sponsored children, their family, the community, and how very far $32 a month can go. Please sponsor a child today and watch the miracle grow…when Compassion steps in.

 

 

The Amazing Statistic 1…

I’m not big on statistics. First, they are moving targets. Second, there are too many to remember! The few that I can remember or recite have to do with the number of children in my family or numbers that have shocked or saddened me. Here…I’ll give it a try. We have four children, five grandchildren, eleven nieces and nephews and one on the way.  On the other side of my statistical memory spectrum are these:  Each day 30 Thousand children die from preventable causes. Around the world 91 Million children under the age of five are growing up with debilitating hunger.  Every 14 Seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS.  Every 3 Seconds a child dies from AIDS or the ravages of poverty. 134 Million children have no access to any school whatsoever. One Million children are forced into the commercial sex trade every year.  

These numbers get my attention and break my heart.  But, they are SUCH BIG NUMBERS–they boggle my brain!  I can easily wrap my arms around the number of children in my family.  But, the problem of children in poverty…Oh, I can’t comprehend those numbers.  The problem seems so insurmountable…hopeless.  Blessed as I am, those numbers almost forced me into complete inactivity because I can’t solve that big of a problem!

Here is my favorite number:  1…you got it; ONE.  I can imagine one problem and one solution.  If there was only one child in the entire world, who was sick, starving, orphaned by AIDS or needing an education,  I could certainly help save the life of that one child.  I think each of us would try to save that child–if there were only one child on earth who needed our help.  We can grasp that number.  We like the number ONE.  

I have some very good news about the number one.  For over fifty years, Compassion International has been releasing children from extreme poverty in Jesus’ name, ONE child at a time.  Here is how it works; ONE child, ONE sponsor.  Not one village…not one community…not even one family.  Just one child. One child with one name.  We can remember just one name.  One child who will write to us, encourage us…pray for us.  We can encourage, write and pray for one child. We can save the life of just ONE child.  Would you save the life of the little girl in the photo above?  I did–many years ago. I have seen the work of Compassion.  I have visited my Compassion child.  I know this works!  The cycle of poverty has ended for this precious little ONE.

Join me.  Let’s all become superheroes with the power and strength of ONE. Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name…ONE child at a time. To save the life of one child, click below. Its so easy…you need only click once. There is one beautiful child waiting just for you.

The Letter…

Today, I received a letter from an eight-year-old girl that I recently sponsored through Compassion International in the small country of Togo in western Africa.  It is the second letter she has written to me, but this one landed smack dab in the middle of my heart. The letter starts like this, “I never knew someone loves me. With all that you give me, I feel exciting in life!”  I read these first two sentences again and wonder what it is that I have done to deserve such praise from this wonderful child in a country so far away.  Her letter goes on and on…she details each and every sticker, postcard and reminds me of every word I wrote.  ”The calendar is exceptional and I will keep it even after the end of the year.” Ah…yes, I enclosed a calendar, too.  It seemed like nothing.

I feel unworthy of such grace.

I have heard presentations and seen videos about the impact that our letters have on our sponsored children–I’ve repeated these words at Compassion events…helping at the tables.  Today, I lived it.  It became a part of my story.  It is hard to say which of us is the more impacted by the letter writing–the child or the sponsor.  I see a vision of Jesus, his arms stretched out holding hands with each of us.  Me on one side, she on the other.

I glance at her photo.  She is beautiful, by anyone’s standards, an above average student.  She admits to being quiet, shy and regularly sick.  She asks me to pray for her health and to pray that her aunt will deliver a healthy baby soon.  Africa has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS.  I pray that she has been passed over.  My mind plays tricks…perhaps it is malaria or malnutrition…an odd thing to hope.  I realize knowing is not important.  It does not define her.  She tells me she has no information about her family…father, mother, or siblings…a life I can’t imagine, in conditions I’ve never seen.  Yet, God has chosen to bring our lives together.  This is not an accident.

How will I respond?  I will sit quietly and listen and then I will write. I will let her know that someone does, indeed, love her!  I will send stickers and pictures, little books and postcards.  I will pray for this precious little one and I will accept this blatant grace, though I have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.  I will respond with love…”because He first loved us.”

A child on the periphery…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His small hand grips the fencing surrounding the church.  There is sweat on his face and neck.  His hair is damp.  His clothes are clean — though, worn by many someone elses.

The community surrounding The Church of Pain and Suffering has likewise made special efforts and preparations — everyone wearing their very best. They greet us with warm smiles and open arms — mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers…and oh, so many children. The gate closes behind us.  

He has been given a bag of  treats from someone within the Compassion center.  There are many children outside watching and longing…children on the periphery.  He is the one that breaks my heart.  

I am fifty-eight and this is my first experience witnessing true poverty…from within the world of the impoverished.  He can’t be more than five or six.  He knows nothing but poverty–it surrounds him for miles.  I watched it from the window of our air conditioned bus.  

The children at the Compassion center are receiving their meal of chicken, rice, corn and clean water. They eat small portions, taking most of the meal home to others in their family, who did not get a meal today.  They sing, dance, pray — they are neither afraid nor ashamed to stand up and proclaim our righteous God and the love of Jesus. They are His true and faithful witnesses — the salt and light in their hurting world.  Many in the lives of these little ones will be transformed.  I am humbled by the challenges they face — these young children.  They eagerly dole out hugs and kisses — smiles of joy crowd their faces.  I am unworthy of such grace, but accept it gracefully for Him.  The Compassion center wreaks with the love that is Jesus.  They shout their prayers of thanksgiving for things I take for granted…immunizations, physical exams, the dentist, school, an education — clean water.  These little ones live with hope.  They are not children of poverty — they are children of God.  

I can’t take my eyes off the little boy gripping the fence.  He sees me and smiles. My heart aches.  I am compelled to sponsor one more child to make room for this precious little one.  This child on the periphery.  Please join me.  Release a child in extreme poverty.  Just one child on the periphery…

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JOY!

     

JOY abounds on the faces of the beautiful children at the Compassion Center in San Lorenzo, El Salvador.  The floors are dirt, windows and doors non-existent, the church completely destroyed by earthquake.  Love is alive and well and fully operational.  I’m hanging out with a few of the kids after a day that forever changed my life.  This was the first Center I visited on my first Compassion trip.  It was the first time this Center had ever received sponsor guests.  A day of firsts…