O.K., single friends, so there’s something really awesome happening tomorrow in blog world (no, it’ s not my eBook even though I think that’s pretty awesome, too!) I can’t tell you yet, but trust me, you don’t want to miss it! So be sure the check back tomorrow!
In the meantime, I want to really get to know you to help with this big reveal that’s coming tomorrow!
Do you mind taking this short survey for me?
It’s painless, I promise! If you are single woman, I would love for you to participate!
It’s Five-Minute Friday! Where we write for five minutes on a certain topic without fretting or correcting. Today I reflect on my last month of pregnancy. It’s been a smooth one, so for me it’s bitter-sweet. I grasp at these last days. Will you join me?
It’s a funny thing, really. For eight months since I looked down and saw proof of your presence on that little-plastic-stick I have prepared to meet you.
Now with only one month left to go I grasp at every last moment. Wondering when will be the last time I feel your kicks inside of me. The last time I have you this close.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to see your face. To see your daddy and me all mixed up in you. I can’t wait to feel your skin and soothe your cries.
But when I let you loose you’ll be loose forever. No longer tucked safe. No longer protected from this big world out here.
And then I will grasp for different things.
For your protection, your health, and your love for Jesus.
Once you’re released from me know that I will still always be here. As if you never left. You will never have to grasp for me.
So today I grasp for each movement you make, each response you give, each sign that you are still with me. And I try my best to hold on.
It’s almost the end of Compassion Blog Month. As of last Friday 2,006 children all over the world found sponsors. Our goal for September is 3,108.
Have you considered becoming a sponsor yet?
There are several reasons why people do not consider sponsorship.I’ve had many of these same thoughts and concerns, actually. So today I want to talk about some of them and tell you my experience.
That’s probably the biggest reason, isn’t it? I get it. I totally get it. Extra money is hard to come by sometimes, especially now-a-days. But think about this. By just living in the United States most of us are in the top three percent (or something like that) wealthiest people in the world. A pastor said that once in one of his sermons, and my mouth almost dropped. The percentage may not be exact, but it’s something crazy-high like that.
Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48)
There’s no doubt that giving to a child in need takes sacrifice. It takes saying “no” to some of our monthly pleasures to be able to use that money elsewhere. But when you see how God blesses you with peace and joy when you get that first letter from your sponsored child in the mail, then you realize how you gain more than you could ever give.
2. The Fear
There are a lot of scammers in the world. People trying to exploit children for money. We all have to be careful, prayerful, and vigilant so that these things don’t happen. Some people wonder if their money is truly being used for their sponsored child.
Well, I had the opportunity to visit my Compassion child at a Compassion site in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Honestly, I was more than impressed with what I saw. It was clean and well-kept. The children were happy and learning. They teach the children about the Gospel, but also about good hygiene, manners, and how to interact properly with others. They teach them life-skills that they would not otherwise learn. The team of leaders encourages these children to be all that God created them to be. And of course they provide food and medical care for their families.
From what I have seen, Compassion is a top-notch organization. Here are some pictures from the Compassion site:
Outside the Compassion siteSome children playing outside the Compassion siteAll the children when we walked up to the siteThey teach the children how to use toilets.A Compassion buildingThe children in classOutside classroomNotes from the children’s classInside a classroomInside a classroom. They are separated by age.
And here’s a little video from our visit that day:
3. The Difference
I write a lot about my mission trip to Africa, and every time I do I worry that you may think you have to go there to make a difference. That is so untrue.
If you didn’t read this post, please do. Recently I wrote about how I was very bad this past year about writing my Compassion child. I just kept thinking, “What is my letter really going to matter?” Well, it mattered. More than I ever thought. When another team from my church went back there recently, my Compassion child ran up to one of my friends who was there. She was holding the picture of my husband and me.
You don’t have to visit your child to make a difference. Your letters make a difference. They truly, truly do.
4. The World
A common reason I hear of why people do not sponsor children in other countries is “Well, what about the children here? Shouldn’t we be helping our own first?” Of course we should be helping children in our lives and communities right where we live.
But the Great Commission does not stop just with here. The Great Commission is for everywhere. We just happen to live in a country with resources that make it easier to help children and people all over the world, not just here, so why not do that? And with the internet and technology it is easier and more convenient than ever.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)
I encourage you to think the way I think God thinks. I don’t think He sees us all separated by land masses and water. All of us live on a fallen earth, all of us need a Savior, all of us are His children whom He loves more than anything.
May I challenge you?
Sometime today or tomorrow, go to this website. Look through the children who are waiting for sponsors. Don’t just make a commitment. Really look at their faces. Then pray and ask God:
to protect these children. Give them what they need. Help them to know Him intimately.
to reveal to you if this is your time to sponsor. It may not be. He may tell you “not now”. But at least pray and ask Him.
This is a wonderful opportunity to get your personal children involved, too. Grow in your children a heart for others by having them choose a child to sponsor. Then, involve them in writing to your sponsored child.
What do you think or wonder about often about child sponsorship with Compassion?
Have you heard? It’s Compassion Blog Month. We’re trying to help children all over the world with sponsorships that give them food, medical care, educational opportunities, and allow them to hear the Gospel. So far this month there have been 2,006 children sponsored. Our goal is 3,108.
Today I am writing a post for Blog Month from the perspective of my Compassion child who lives in the landlocked country in West Africa – Burkina Faso. A country that struggles greatly from poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, water-born illnesses, and AIDS.
I had the opportunity to visit my Compassion child last November when I traveled to Burkina Faso on a mission trip. I cannot express to you how your sponsorship and letters truly make a difference. Trust me. I saw it firsthand. Read more about my trip to Burkina Faso and even more recently news that my Compassion child was running through the village carrying my picture. See? You can make a difference.
When I saw you for the first time I didn’t know who you were and why you came to see me. Your skin was white. Your hair was shiny. Your clothes were bright and clean. And you smiled.
You smiled big.
Then you started to cry.
I couldn’t imagine why you were crying. You were the one that had everything, so it seemed.
I live in mud hut in a village in Burkina Faso. I have to walk a two miles to get water from a well. Then I have to hope that it doesn’t make me sick. Fortunately I get to go to school – for now. It is really hard. I’m thirteen years old, but I read as if I’m six – by American standards. Each day my life is spent surviving – preparing food, helping my family, taking care of my siblings. Sometimes I get to jump rope or play with other kids in the village.
As we stood with the sun beating down on the packed, red clay, and the tears streamed down your face I wondered if I had done something wrong. Why would you be crying over me?
Who am I that you would come across the world to lay eyes on? Who am I that you would send me your words when you cannot come? Who am I that you pray for each day? Who am I to deserve your tears?
Who am I?
I’m just a girl living in Sub-Saharan Africa. You’re the American.
But you came to me anyway. And brought your tears, too. That’s how much I meant to you.
I don’t understand how you know me. I don’t know why you care. I don’t get how this all works.
But that day, as tears ran down your face after seeing mine, I knew I was important. I knew there must be something special about me. I knew I was worthy.
Will you consider helping a child feel his or her worth by being a sponsor through Compassion? You don’t have to visit your child to make a difference. Your letters matter just as much! You can learn more about sponsorship at www.Compassion.com. If you have any questions from someone who has seen a Compassion site firsthand, please email me at brenda{at}triplebraidedlife{dot}com. I would love to share with you what I experienced!
Also, read more of my posts for Blog Month with Compassion:
I knew that when I stepped outside and the air was different and the colors were changing and the sun was lower that the time would be soon.
But I didn’t know it would come this soon.
I am one month from delivering my first baby from this ever-growing belly. Even though I have known the date she is expected to arrive for almost nine months now, her arrival is still a surprise, and I find myself whispering over and over each day: Is October really next month? Is the air really crisper? Are those leaves really orange? Is the sun later to rise on purpose?
These were the signs that I looked for in anticipation. These are the signs that tell me she is almost here.
I didn’t expect these signs to be a surprise, though.
I didn’t expect them to whisper back, “You’re not ready.”
Procrastination is part of my livelihood. I say that I work better under pressure, and that may be true. Or it may just help me to feel like less of a slacker.
But two of my friends just had their babies a few weeks early (their first babies, mind you), and here I am holding a checklist that seems to grow by two for every check I make on it.
I am overwhelmed.
And then there’s that other baby I’m birthing next month. The one that’s without flesh and bones but contains the stories and secrets of my life. The one I’ve worked hard to push out for months now – and even years if you count the dirty work to make the stories.
That baby is my eBook Fall for Him: 25 Challenges from a Recovering Single. It is back from the editor and on its way to formatting so that you can see it. Every day I am consumed by thoughts for the women who will read it. My prayers are already going up to you.
So please forgive if even the expected is surprising. I’m still here trying to nest and birth.
We all love Pinterest, don’t we? Getting lost in the hours of recipes and crafts and fun decor! And now there’s a contest where you can not only have fun on Pinterest but also help children get sponsors through Compassion International!
We’re halfway into Blog Month and so far 1,515 children in poverty have been sponsored. Now there’s just 1, 593 more to go!
I had the opportunity to meet my Compassion child last year when I went to Burkina Faso, West Africa on a mission trip. What an experience! But you know, visiting your child isn’t necessary to show them the love of Jesus and your love. Your letters matter just as much.
Only a few weeks ago another team from my church went to Burkina Faso, West Africa. While walking through the village one day this girl came up to a friend of mine holding a picture of my husband and me. She was asking my friend if she knew me. Even I wondered if my letters truly mattered, but when I received the picture below with my friend, our Compassion child, and the picture I sent her, I knew that my letters matter more than I ever thought!
Will you help find other children sponsors by participating in the Compassion Pinterest Contest?
Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of the children! From someone who’s experienced Compassion firsthand, I can tell you that your sponsorship and support really do matter!
Tell me, will you repin the Compassion pin on Pinterest to help spread the word?
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