It’s been awhile since I’ve posted in Journey of Helping. I have to be honest it’s been a challenge lately with the cold and snowy weather to get out of the house.
But deep down my heart hasn’t changed. I still desire to help in simple ways. Here’s a simple way that we’ve been helping for over the past 5 years. Some of you may have heard of Compassion International. Others of you may not.
Compassion International has a special place in my heart. It’s an organization that helps children in poverty all over the world. For just $38 a month you can give to a child that’s in a desperate place. Compassion is unique because it allows you to care for another child and know that they will hear the good news of Jesus Christ in the process.
The children aren’t just given a meal and sent away. Compassion works with them to address their social, spiritual and physical needs. Needs that currently aren’t being met by family, community or church. Currently over 1 million children have been sponsored so far. But wouldn’t it be awesome to know that every child in this world has his physical needs met?
That may sound like a huge goal. But each one of us could make a difference by just sponsoring one child.
Here’s our two sponsored children. Our sponsored child, Celio, is the age of my oldest son. The girl (Ebenezer) is the age of my daughter. Next, we would like to follow suite and get another boy the age of our youngest son. So they each have a ‘match’.
Our Compassion children write to us on a regular basis and it’s such a blessing to see what God has been doing in their lives. They share their hobbies, what they are learning in school and and anything else on their hearts.
Even though we can’t be with them we can make a huge impact.
3 Things Having a Sponsor Child Has Taught Me:
1 .You can make an impact on someone even if you can’t physically be with them.
We write to our children regularly. We also pray for them on a daily basis. The prayers of every person in our family lift them up to the Lord each day.
2. You’ll be every bit as blessed as the person you are helping.
It has blessed us immensely just knowing that there are children out there who are excited to hear from us.These children write us regularly to tell us that they are praying for us too. Giving to someone else helps us to forget our own burdens and turn to and care for others.
3. You may not be able to change the world but you can change something. This is a vital lesson to remember.
At times it may seem so overwhelming. There are so many needs. Child abuse, drug addicts, sexual abuse, homelessness, child poverty and the list goes on and on. But the important thing to remember is you have to start some where. One person makes a difference. Two people spark momentum. All of us working together ignite a fire to change the world!
What difference are you making? What stamp are you leaving behind?
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Love and blessings,
Melanie
Helene says
We’re sponsoring a child through a different organization. Thank you for the reminder to pray for them!
Melanie says
Awesome Helene! It’s so great to hear that. There are other great organizations out there. This just happens to be the one we chose. World Vision is a great one too. Glad you stopped by!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
This is so great. Thanks for sharing. You’ve got the wheels in my head cranking thinking about doing this.
Melanie says
Happy to inspire Natalie! My heart is to help the hurting.
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
Yes, my wife and I know Compassion International well! We sponsor a teenage girl from Ecuador through Compassion. It’s such a great organization and I totally agree with you… we feel equally blessed as she does!
Melanie says
That’s awesome to hear Chris! I love hearing these stories. Makes me happy. 🙂
Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies says
Your three lessons from sponsoring have also proven very true for our family as well.
Making that initial leap of faith in 2009 was a moment that has changed our family in countless ways. Beautiful ways. Powerful ways.
Thanks for sharing the mission of Compassion International on your blog!
Melanie says
Thanks for sharing Michelle! It’s so encouraging to hear when others are doing the same. Thanks for stopping by.