Friday, November 5, 2010

#316 - Compassion Presentation

Today I was able to share Compassion with my homeschool co-op during our chapel time. Many of the families followed this blog while I was in Peru, and I was excited to share more stories with the kids from my trip.

Sponsorship means so much to our family. This started out as "my" thing 17 years ago when I first became a sponsor. I have loved seeing it become "our" thing as the years go by. I am so thankful for Kevin's full support of this ministry.

Last night he was looking at the pictures of kids I was hoping would get sponsored as a result of my presentation. He picked one up and said, "If no one sponsors this one, we will." We already have oodles of kids....but he is supportive and often is the one who decides when we will sponsor another. When I left for Peru he gave me strict instructions to sponsor another child when I was there! There were others on the trip who were told by their husbands NOT to sponsor another child while they were there!

I am always thankful for each and every opportunity I get to speak on behalf of these children. I always have high hopes of connecting new sponsors with children in need.

If you haven't experienced sponsorship, would you prayerfully consider walking journey with me? I always have child packets on hand and am passionate about helping people enter the sponsorship relationship.

I said before that sponsorship means so much to our family. It has made us more globally aware. When other countries experience hardship, we experience it too. When you have a child you care for, love, pray for and financially support in one of these countries, their struggles and hardships become real to you. As this hurricane lashes the country of Haiti today, I cannot help but pray for Bildad, our LDP student in Haiti. As the volcano erupts in Indonesia, I cannot help but think about and pray for Nowanda.

God has used this ministry to open up our eyes to the world outside North America. My young girls know where Colombia and the Dominican Republic are...where Lian and Yoselin live. We learn about these countries and have real, live pen pals we can write to. We pray for them daily, and they pray for us.

One of the most significant things I will remember from my trip to Peru was praying with David's mother. Despite living in poverty and the struggles that entailed, she successfully raised her children to love, seek and follow God. When she asked me how she could pray for me, I asked her to pray that I too, would raise children who genuinely love, seek and follow God.

Compassion has become such an important part of who I am...who our family is. I am a wife, mother, daughter, violinist and Compassion sponsor/advocate.

I would love to hear about the children you sponsor...through Compassion or any other child sponsorship organization. Leave me a comment and tell me a little bit about them.


3 comments:

Teena said...

Jill. Thank you for sharing this. How amazing. We started with Compassion 2 1/2 years ago and it was just me... little by little my family is joining me. My dh is one that says "no more" He did let me sponsor a World Help child in May of this year (for Mother's day). We met this child through the Children of the World. Her name is Jamira. She is 10 and lives in an orphanage in Uganda. She is a true orphan both parents have died. Jamira would say to me "Auntie Teena, Auntie Teena... I see you again?"

With Compassion we sponsor our little boy Ucok from Indonesia. I hope to meet him one day. We hear from him. We have not heard from Jamira since she returned to Uganda in June.

My daughter is in Kenya now and visited the Compassion Project there. She met Maurine. Do you know Maurine or ever heard her speak on behalf of Compassion? You can youtube her Maurine Owino. I think when Mandi comes home she will be a Compassion Advocate. I would love too, too....

I hope one day to sponsor more...

Also, how do I become a correspondant? We would love to do that.

Thanks for letting me share.

Hugs,
Teena

Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies said...

Teena, I have info on that in my Letter Writing 101 post on my blog.

Our Compassion journey started in June 2009 when we welcomed Precious in Ghana to our family. A couple of months later, we took on 4 correspondence children in quick succession. Yolanda in Guatemala, Rodrigo in Bolivia, Yishak in Ethiopis and Johan in East India. In April, I believe, we took on a second financial sponsorship and my middle daughter picked Bertille in Burkina Faso. Bertille was born just a couple of weeks after Kaya was. Last month, we took on another correspondence child, Kazahizina in Rwanda. I think we will lilley take on one last correspondent in a couple of months, so we have a nice even number.
These kids have blessed me beyond description. <3

Tara said...

We started sponsoring with Compassion two years ago on Christmas day...we sponsor a little girl, Irlanda, in Boliva. A couple months ago I took on a correspondent sponsorship but just a couple weeks ago I was informed by compassion that my correspondent childs sponsor had quick sponsoring him and would I be interested. After praying for the last two weeks we have decided to sponsor Fausto in Ecuador. I will again pick up another correspondent sponsorship but not right yet.

 
Designed by Lena