New kids!

On Monday, I felt one of those urges/need to look at photos of kids on the Compassion website. I know that feeling, and it's God telling me that I need another child! I always search by longest waiting. If you do that you get photo's of children that have been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor. I know, from talking to Compassion staff that sometimes kids drop out of the program because they don't have a sponsor!

Two photos tugged at my heart. Juan from Columbia and Kaio from Brazil. I couldn't decide which one to sponsor. So I thought I'll sleep on it, check the website tomorrow and if only one is left (the other having been sponsored) then that is the one God means for me to have.

On Tuesday, I checked again. Both were still there! Hmm.....I decided to go with Juan and clicked on his picture, which gives you a web page with some information about him and the link to start sponsoring him. But I hestitated. I asked God which child? And the immediate answer was BOTH. Still thinking that 2 was alot to add to my budget, I asked again, and got the same answer. So, I clicked on Juan's sponsor link and was told that another sponsor had signed up for him and I couldn't! I went back to the outer page and his photo was gone! And I felt real loss. I was sad. Not the disappointed you get when an album you wanted is sold out so you buy a different one. But real loss. I went ahead and signed up Kaio and spent some time praying for Juan's new sponsor that it would be a great relationship.

This morning, I felt that tug to look at the photos again. And guess what I saw? Juan's photo!!! I got tears in my eyes that I had a second chance! I don't know what happened with the other person who was trying to sponsor him, and I hope and pray that other sponsor picked another child, but I was so happy, I had my child back. I love that God gives us all second chances in so many different ways!

Oh, and here's the kicker. Juan turned 6 years old today, not yesterday or Monday, today the 29th. And for his birthday, he got a sponsor who will love him and treasure each letter he writes! Happy Birthday!

And on the subject of Compassion, they have a blog with wonderful stories on it, and one story they had awhile back was about a man who rented a bicycle van to transport people around, but most of his earnings went to pay the rent on it. His dream was to own a bicycle van (such a simple dream!) and the folks reading the blog chipped in and today they had a story about him receiving his bicycle van (which is a bike attached to a flatbed cart that people sit on while he pedals and takes them where they want to go!) Here's the link to the story.

God bless!

Compassion International and poverty

I got a widget! Compassion made it easy, all I had to do was copy all the code and then figure out where to put it in the blog code for my page. The first place I put it kind of messed up some of my links, although I don't know why, I didn't put it in the middle of the links! So I moved it. And it looks better now. It's pretty cool.

It's not for sponsoring a child thru Compassion, but I'm sure clicking on the widget would get you there eventually. It's for something related. See, I have been listening to people complain about our gas prices and economy and what folks can't buy, and I've complained too. But I still have a car, a safe place to live, a heating unit in my apartment. I still buy books and go see my friends. I still eat out when I want too. Sometimes I don't go to the movies or the beach or something to save money, but really it's not hitting me hard. For those with kids, it's probably hitting them harder. My brother has 8 kids, and they still seem to be getting everything they need. None of them go hungry. But in Haiti and other countries where Compassion works, kids are going hungry. Milk here may have gone up 10 or 15 cents. And we gripe, and pay it. In Haiti, they can no longer afford it. The income made by most folks in third world countries barely kept the family feed before, and now....it's impossible. Compassion Country Offices (each country that has a program has a local office) have requested help feeding the kids and their families and Compassion in Colorado (the headquarters) has a fund to help. And they are trying to raise money. But it seems people here are so afraid of our market and that Christmas will be leaner this year that they are afraid to send the money. We all need to remember that God is in charge and help those who are literally starving. The Compassion blog explains the situation better. Please trust God and click on the Compassion widget!

The opposite of poverty is enough.

God bless

Compassion Advocate

Compassion has a program that people can join and become a Compassion Adovcate. You get training discs and some dvd's and a binder with instructions. Friends, and even an employee from Compassion, have said that I should become an advocate for years because of how passionate I am about Compassion and it's ministry. And I have passed for years. Not because I don't believe in Compassion, but because I am afraid I would fail. You make a commitment to get at least 4 kids sponsored, by other people, every year. Part of why I thought I would fail is that my church is a "world vision" church. They want to support a ministry as a body and they have chosen World Vision. So I can't have a Compassion Sunday, where a booth is set up at your church and you have child packets and get sponsors! I've asked, and my request has been denied. Sigh.

However, I felt that I should become an advocate anyway. I got all the materials late last month including a child packet and I was very nervous and scared. Each child packet is dated. Mine was dated Nov. 7th. So I had a month to find her a sponsor. And the other reason I was afraid I would fail is that I can talk about how awesome Compassion is and how much you as a sponsor get out of it, but showing them a packet and saying please take her, well that part is hard. I'm not good at asking for money for any type of cause, not that directly.

So I just kept praying...please let me find someone and let them approach me! I carried the packet around, hoping someone would see the girl's picture and ask me, but no one did. But last Saturday, after church, I started talking to a woman from a past Bible study group I was in and I just blurted out "so after listening me talk about Compassion, did it ever make you want to sponsor a child?" She said that she had sponsored a child, thru World Vision, and my heart sank. Then she said that the child had graduated and she didn't have one right now and it was good that I caught her before she signed up another kid! I felt such relief.....until I get the next packet and wonder who will I find for that child?

God bless!