Bless the children

I can't sleep tonight.  It's only partly because I seem to have come down with a cold or the flu or something.  I haven't felt awful, just feverish and exhausted.  I wanted to be asleep hours ago. But I can't quite turn my brain off tonight.

I'm struck by two different situations in our world - the overwhelming problem of extreme poverty, and the pain and suffering of abortion.

Forty years ago today, the United States Supreme Court effectively made the killing of children legal - so long as they are still in the womb of their mothers.  Willfully denying the fundamental and simple science that says that a fertilized egg is living (growing, changing, and reproducing) and not dead - leading to the most ridiculous mental gymnastics as people try to figure out what it means to be human and alive if an unborn child is neither - our society has made children literally disposable. Since that day 40 years ago, over 53 MILLION children have been murdered before they ever had the chance to see the outside world. Today, 1 in 4 African American babies are aborted, and almost 1 in every 3 women in the US have had an abortion (around 70% of which identify themselves as Christians in name, at least).

53 million.  Over 3,300 babies are killed per day, legally, right here in the US.

Outside the womb, children around the world are in peril.  Over 9 MILLION children under the age of 5 die each year; and over 2/3 of those deaths are from preventable causes.  
Every day, 1500 women die from preventable complications in pregnancy or childbirth, and every day 10,000 babies die before reaching the end of their first month of life.
25% of children in the developing world are underweight and at risk for long-term complications from malnourishment.  9 million people die from hunger each year.

For those who can't quite get your heads around the enormity of those numbers, think just about the number of children right here at home who do not have permanent families.  According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, in 2011 (the last year for which there are published estimates), the US foster care system served over 646,000 children from September 30, 2010 - September 30, 2011.  401,000 children under the age of 18 were in foster care in the US on September 30th.  Over 250,000 children had entered the system, and around 245,000 had exited the system.  61,000 children had their parents' rights terminated, and over 104,000 children were waiting to be adopted. In my county alone, there are over 6,000 children in foster care.  In my state, there are over 14,000 children in foster care or in emergency shelters waiting for placement in a group home or foster home after being removed from their biological family.

We have a problem in our 21st-century society. At the heart of it is a rejection of the worth and human dignity of a child.  We have somehow decided (in the US, at least), that a child's life is inherently less valuable than an adult's life. We've neglected children both prior to birth and afterwards.  We lament the problem of child abuse and broken homes, but then do nothing about the thousands of children in our town who live in constant fear & flux, with no support system and no security.

One of the criticisms that pro-abortion spokesmen make of those who abhor abortion is, "You care about the child before it's born, but you do nothing for them afterward!"  For many of us, even in the church, we would have to confess that it is a true statement.  We find it sad when we know that children are suffering abuse, forced prostitution, or dying from tainted water supplies or malnourishment, but so long as it doesn't affect our home, our family, then it's not really our problem.

I'm here to tell you: it is your problem.  Our problem.  We talk about children being our future, but there will be no future if we as the body of Christ do not wake up and start really loving people.  Meet their needs. Comfort them. Rejoice, cry, encourage, live fully with them, as part of each other's lives, rather than looking down on them with pity.

In the past three weeks, my church's interim pastor preached on Mark 10:13-16:
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. 

He talked about how over 3/4 of all Christians accepted God's love and sacrifice as children; very few adults ever turn to Jesus if they haven't done so by age 22.  He made the point that it is vital that we bless children - that we love them, accept them, meet their needs, and show them the love of God.  

I also have started reading Wess Stafford's (the president of Compassion International) book, Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most.  And I read Pam Cope's Jantsen's Gift, which I've mentioned before, along with Amy Julia Becker's A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny (about one family's coming to terms with their daughter's Down's Syndrome diagnosis at birth - by the way, it's estimated that almost 90% of babies diagnosed with Down's in the womb are aborted, killed before getting the chance to show the world their worth). While reading all of them, I have been constantly tugged and prodded by the realization that children are suffering all over the world, including in my neighborhood, and I want to do something about it.

I am convinced that we as the body of Christ need to get up off our collective lazy behinds and start loving children.  Remember that DC Talk song from the late 80s or early 90s - "Love is a verb"?  If you can get past the somewhat cheesy rap, pay attention to the message here: 

Pullin' out my big black book
Cause when I need a word defined that's where I look
So I move to the L's quick, fast, in a hurry
Threw on my specs, thought my vision was blurry
I looked again but to my dismay
It was black and white with no room for grey
Ya see, a big "V" stood beyond my word
And yo that's when it hit me, that luv is a verb
 
Words come easy but don't mean much
When the words they're sayin' we can't put trust in
We're talkin' 'bout love in a different light
And if we all learn to love it would be just right

Hey, tell me haven't ya heard?
Luv, is a serious word
Hey, I think it's time ya learned
I don't care what they say
I don't care care what ya heard
The word luv, luv is a verb

Down with the dc Talk, d- d- down with the dc Talk
Are you down with the dc Talk, d- d- down with the dc Talk

Thinkin' of a way to explain-o
Cause ya' know when I'm flowin' like a bottle of Drain-o
Simple and plain, L-O-V-E
Ain't all that junk that ya see on TV
Put soaps on a rope cause they ain't worth copin' with
It's a myth that there ain't no hope and
Luv is enough if it's unconditionally
Givin' now you're living out the Great Commission

Back in the day there was a man
Who stepped out of Heaven and he walked the land
He delivered to the people an eternal choice
With a heart full of luv and the truth in His voice
Gave up His life so that we may live
How much more luv could the Son of God give?
Here is the example that we oughtta be matchin'
Cause luv is a word that requires some action 


"And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." Maybe it's time for us, as the hands and feet of the body of Christ, to take the children in our arms, put our hands on them, and bless them.  What do you say?

The least of these

As I said in my previous post, God has been putting on my heart a desire to help the orphan, the abandoned, those least desired or cared for in society.  I'm still not entirely sure how this will play out; I have a few leads, but am waiting to see if any of the doors open wide for me.

In the meantime, I thought I'd do what I could to share some ways you could help the least of these.  All of the opportunities below give you the possibility of helping to rescue a child - from poverty, from human trafficking, and from invisibility.  They are different in nature; some focus on education, others on actual physical rescue, some care for orphans and those abandoned by society, but all of them proclaim the love of Jesus to these precious children.

If you could change one child's life, would you do it?

Prove it. 

Here are just a few opportunities I've found to help you put your money & time where your mouth is.

1) Sponsor a child through Compassion International - I've blogged for Compassion, and so have written about them often.  For $38 a month, you can provide a child with education, medical attention, food assistance, clean water, vocational training for them (and, in many cases, for their parents), and, most importantly, love.  Compassion partners with local churches and helps to empower the local community to support their own. Compassion also offers opportunities to support pregnant mothers and mothers of newborns, disaster relief, and university education & leadership development for young adults.

2) Provide children and young adults in Nicaragua with an education through Educate Nica - a ministry that I learned about from a college friend who lives in Nica as a missionary and has partnered with this organization.  Since education is not free there - students have to pay for tuition, books & supplies, and uniforms - Educate Nica pairs sponsors with children in the elementary/secondary school (for $25 a month), with young adults going to trade school ($70 a month), or with young adults who want to attend university ($100 per month).  100% of donations go directly to the students, and sponsorship also allows the local churches to work to meet the physical needs of the student (medicine, shelter, food) as well.

3) Support Voices 4 the Voiceless - a ministry that cares for orphans around the world.  They specifically are supporting the Sangaalo Baby Cottage in Uganda and other ministries to orphans in Uganda.  This small ministry, run by only 4 women at the moment, is working to love those who have been abandoned and are alone in the world.  One of their small projects right now is making handmade dolls that you can "adopt" and that will be taken to Uganda and given to the girls in the orphanage.  I just "adopted" one - when you do so, you can name the doll, and the child gets a birth certificate with their doll's information. Imagine being all alone in the world with little that is truly yours, being given a special doll made and named just for you. :-)

4) Support Rahab's Rope - a ministry dedicated to the girls and women caught in the sex trade in India.  They go into the brothels and minister to the women there; they have rescued over 1200 women from human trafficking there.  They provide shelter, food, vocational training, and psychological and spiritual nurturing to women who have been abused and rejected as outcasts.  I first learned about this ministry when a friend from college was on the World Race (a 12-country, 11 month mission trip) and she worked with Rahab's Rope while in India.  If you can't go to India and serve alongside these women, you can buy jewelry and other products made by the women who pass through the shelters to help support them financially.

5) Support Touch A Life Foundation - they work to rescue children from human trafficking and modern-day slavery in Ghana, Vietnam, and Cambodia.  They operate shelters, long-term care (in Ghana), and physically work to rescue children who are being exploited, abused, and abandoned. 

6) Sponsor a child through Gospel For Asia's Bridge of Hope Ministry - for only $35 a month, you can help provide a child in Asia with education, a daily meal, medical care, and the opportunity to get to know Jesus and His love for them.  They also send 100% of the donations directly to the local ministry to help that particular child. 

These are just a few, small ways that we can minister to the least of these.  What could you do to change one life?  What would you be willing to sacrifice for the least of these? 

What has God put on your heart to do?

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." ~Psalm 82:3

Over the past six months or so, my heart has been breaking little by little.  It started in August when my husband and I agreed to sponsor a second child through Compassion International - our beautiful "daughter" Rebecca (from Ghana), along with our handsome "son" Michel (from Mexico) whom I had started sponsoring before we got married.  

When we chose Rebecca, I wanted to learn more about Ghana - its culture, its history, and its problems.  I started trying to do research to find out what I wanted to know.  I came across a blog called Compassion Can {Beyond Measure} and voraciously read every post the owner of the site had written during a trip to visit their sponsored children in Ghana.  It made me long to go visit Rebecca, but, even more so, it made me long to do more for the children there.  Part of what I learned about was the tremendous problem of child slavery there - as many as 27,000 children live in slavery around the region of Lake Volta.  The stories were heart wrenching.

The images and stories have stayed with me, and my desire to do more has only increased.  This weekend, I read Pam Cope's Jantsen's Gift, written by the founder of Touch a Life ministries.  The short story is that her son died unexpectedly at the age of 15, and they raised something like $25,000 after the funeral.  In the midst of their grief, they went to Vietnam and started working with orphanages there that took in the abandoned, the disabled, and those rescued from human trafficking. They went on, over the past ten years, to establish ministries in Southeast Asia and in Ghana. I read the entire book in about 12 hours. I didn't sleep at all that night.  I keep seeing the faces of those children in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ghana that were rescued and given hope. 

Last summer, I was tormented by the question, "What has God put on your heart to do?"  It haunted me.  I didn't feel like there was anything there, except loving my husband and loving God. I begged God to show me what He has put on my heart to do. 

I think I know, at least a little piece of it, now.  My heart rends for these children - the ones living in abject poverty, dying from simple diseases like diarrhea, the ones being sold by desperate families into slavery (despite international and national laws forbidding it), the ones who have lost their parents and feel abandoned and hopeless.  I want to be part of helping these children.  I was praying and told God that I would love if I could work for an organization that served those children. I wish I could spend the majority of my time serving them in person.  

As of right now, I have no idea how any of that would be possible. Right now, my husband is unemployed and can't find work; I make a pittance and can't cover all of our bills, and can't get anyone to even talk to me about extra work.  While we are still sponsoring Rebecca and Michel, and I am writing them every two weeks, along with another beautiful young woman named Brigida (aged 15 in Bolivia) for whom I am serving as a correspondence sponsor, I want to do so much more.  I don't know how.  But I think I finally know what God is putting on my heart to do.  

If my few readers (I think there are only about 10 of you total) have any additional leads on ministries or agencies that I might be able to serve in - even if only as a volunteer - please let me know. 

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. 'Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'" ~Isaiah 1:17-18

"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."~Deuteronomy 10:17-18

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds-- his name is the LORD-- and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." ~Psalm 68:4-6

"It's About Giving"

This month is often Americans' favorite of the whole year, because it means we are finally at Christmas.  That means hot cocoa, time with family, Christmas carols and holiday songs on the radio every day, Santa Claus, and, of course, presents.  We love getting presents, don't we? Who doesn't enjoy unwrapping the present (whether it's in a beautiful box with a bow or wrapped in the funny pages from that weeks' newspaper - my big brother's favorite wrapping material)?  There's all the excitement of finding out what the people who love you got you, how they are demonstrating their love for you. 

For many of us, we measure how much we are loved by how much we get.  But in God's economy, what matters is not what we get, but what we give. Giving is at the heart of our faith.  There are so many places in scripture that we could see this, but let's look at just a few points tonight.

1. We give because we serve a God who gave up everything to save us.
Philippians 2:5-8 "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!"

Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 
 
Jesus, our LORD, gave up His rights as God, all the privileges of being the One True God, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator and Lord of all things.  He gave that up to inhabit a human form, to live a human life with us on earth. And then he willingly gave up that life - for you. He died the death we deserve so that we might live through his sacrifice.  The Father gave up His own Son, sacrificing his only son for your sake.  If He was willing to do that, how could we doubt that He will give us all that we need?

2. We should give because our God is a gift-giving God.
Romans 3:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

Romans 5:17 - For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
*Our salvation is the free gift from God, dependent not on anything that we have done, but wholly dependent on the goodness and mercy of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:7 - But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.  
Romans 12:6 - We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
*Beyond the gift of eternal life and salvation, God also gives us each spiritual gifts that allow us to work together as the body of Christ. 

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Beyond salvation and spiritual gifts, the God we serve gives wisdom generously to all who ask.  He also gives grace and mercy and forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.)

3. We give because God loves when we give to others. 
2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

4. We give because we recognize that all gifts ultimately come from God, not from us.
James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  
*When our motivations are right, we give to others because we ultimately recognize that all that we have is from God.  Whether we have much or we have little, all we have is His.  

Whether we give our money, our time, our conversations, our things, our prayers - when we give to others out of the overflow of God's blessings to us, we have the opportunity to glorify Him. We have the chance to say, "This isn't about me; this is about how good God has been to us, that we can share it with you.  He is the one who deserves the thanks."  

I think that when we stop worrying about what we're going to get and start focusing on how we are going to give, we please Christ.  

This December, there are wonderful opportunities for you to give to others and glorify our God in Heaven.  For the next 19 days, Compassion International is sponsoring an initiative entitled, "It's All about Giving."  By simply clicking here - Compassion Christmas Gift Catalog, you have the ability to radically transform the life of a child, a family, or a community.  I wrote about this in my last post, but to reiterate, you could: 

• provide garden seeds for a family in Africa for $10 
• protect a child from malaria for $18
• build a water reservoir for a family for $23
• provide safe and sanitary bathrooms for $30
• provide shelter for a family and a highly vulnerable child for one month for $42
• feed a baby and its mother for 3 months for $48 
• provide for a baby's medical care for a year for $55
• provide clean water for a family for life for $79

And there are so many more possibilities.  Our goal is to raise $20,000 in 20 days for the most vulnerable and needful children around the world.  

Will you help?  Will you give out of the blessings you have been given?  Again, the campaign is #ItsAboutGiving (in case you look for it on other social media) and the link to the Christmas catalog is http://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm?referer=128060

We have been given so much.  Perhaps today is the day to give in return.

'Tis the Season

I can't believe it is November already! In fact, it is November 2nd, which means a very important person in my life is celebrating his birthday today.  Between his birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, my mind has begun to turn toward the idea of giving and receiving. 

We all love to receive, don't we?  Most of us love receiving letters or cards in the mail, emails when we log in, presents on our birthdays and at Christmas.  For some people, this is part of their "love language," and the act of giving and receiving is how they best express their love for someone or know they are loved in return.  And in the U.S., we place a high premium on getting.  We spend billions of dollars between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.

But I have a question: does it satisfy you? Does it really fulfill you to receive and receive and receive?

I know it doesn't satisfy me.  There's always something more, something better, something new.  Receiving, getting, never really fulfills me. Perhaps this holiday season, we need to stop demanding and pleading and begging for things for ourselves and begin focusing on giving. 

Here are a few things that God has said about giving:

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." ~Deuteronomy 15:10-11

"The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing." ~Proverbs 21:25-26

In the gospels, Jesus said, "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." ~Matthew 5:42

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." ~Matthew 10:8 

"Jesus answered,  'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" ~Matthew 19:21

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~Matthew 25:34-40

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~Luke 12:32-34

"Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" ~Luke 14:12-14

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." ~2 Corinthians 9:6-7

 We could go on, but it seems quite clear that God wants us to be giving people.  It makes the most sense - after all, we serve the God who gave Himself as a sacrifice and gave up the rights of being God to become human and pay the price for our sins (see Philippians 2 and all of Romans).  Our Lord Jesus gave up his rights, gave up the privileges of being the God of the universe to become human and lay down his life - for you.

The sacrificing servant whom we serve desires that we, too, be sacrificing servants. 

You might not be called to give up your life for another. You might not be called to sell everything you have to give to the poor or become a missionary to groups who have never heard of Christ.  So what steps can you take to be a more giving servant? 

This holiday season, would you be willing to give up receiving gifts for yourself so that the poorest among us might receive?  

You can make this a reality through Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog.  

Through Compassion's gift catalog, you can donate in someone's name to provide vitally needed care for the poorest of the poor around the world, through Compassion's local church partners. 

Some possibilities: 

• For only $4, you can help protect a child from deadly and sickening parasites. 
• For $14, you can provide food for a mother and baby for a month. 
• For $23, you can help build water reservoirs for a family or community. 
• For $25, you can provide HIV testing for a child.
• For $32, you can provide needed dental care for a child. 
• For $40, you can help treat a child with a deadly illness. 
• For $55, you can provide medical care for a baby for a year. 

For those who can give even greater amounts - or for those who want to combine forces to share the costs, these are some of the possibilities: 

• For $280, you can provide livestock to a family that can provide them with wool, milk, and meat. 
• For $300, you can provide long-term medical care for a child who has been injured or who has a long-term illness. 
• For $300, you can provide support for a child or caregiver living with HIV/AIDS.
• For $504, you can provide one year of shelter for a highly vulnerable child.
• For $528, you can provide all the necessary prenatal care, birthing assistance, and newborn assistance to a new mother and her baby. 
• For $1320, you can help provide a stable roof for a vulnerable family 
• For $1045, you can help rescue a child from a dangerous situation - especially those in danger of being sold into slavery or exploited as part of human trafficking.
• For $5000, you can give a child access to live-saving surgeries. 

(These amounts are merely suggestions - those who choose to give can donate any amount to any particular gift.  If you are passionate about health care, for instance, but cannot afford to give the suggested amounts, any donation that you can offer will be used for that gift.) 

And if none of those gifts strike your fancy, would you consider sponsoring a child living in extreme poverty for only $38 a month?  You can bring hope, education, compassion, and Christ to a child who desperately needs them by sponsoring a child through Compassion.

Or you could donate money to Compassion's disaster relief funds, education and parenting initiatives, malaria prevention and HIV/AIDS initiatives, or offer one-time support to children waiting for sponsors.  

This Christmas, you have the potential to radically transform a child's life, or perhaps their family's life, or a community's life.  If you have been given much, will you consider giving up your rights for things to help bring hope and needed care to those who need it most? 

Wrecked - a letter to Jesus

My dearest Jesus,

A few months ago I asked you to break my heart.  You had me study the book of Nehemiah for 6 weeks, as you remember, and the big question that the study posed was: “what has God put on your heart to do?”  I really didn’t know.  But I asked you to break my heart and help me to love others with your love.

Wow – when you answer, you really answer! I thought you’d break my heart for someone or something here where I live – having me serve in some mission here in town.  I thought you’d put something on my heart regarding my church or my family.  But you did what I should learn to expect by now – you turned me to a totally unexpected direction.  You turned me to Ghana, to beautiful little Rebecca, and back to Mexico to my handsome young Michel.

While Michel has been in my life for a few years, I really had not been a very good sponsor.  I cared for him, but I was too easily distracted by the cares and concerns of my own life to show him your love like I should have been doing.  I wrote, but nowhere near as often as I should for such an amazing young man. I loved getting his letters and reading about how he was doing, what he was interested in doing, and looking at his drawings.  His letters went up on the fridge door.  But I was so inadequate in my love for him.  You know this – you tried to tell me over and over again. Please forgive me for not obeying you for so long.

I asked you to break my heart for the things that break yours. And you did. Not just broke my heart. You wrecked it.   

You brought me back to Michel’s picture – looking at that gorgeous head of curly hair and that adorable smile.  You brought me back to reading about how he loves to ride a bicycle and his favorite animal is the horse. You reminded me of his mother and how hard she works to care for him.  And suddenly, in an instant, he was my son. 

In an instant, my heart was overflowing with so much love for Michel and his family that I thought I’d never stop crying.  I couldn’t stop thinking about him, praying for him and his family, wish we could fly to Mexico to meet him.  You gave me that, Jesus. And I am so grateful.  You broke my heart for Michel. 

And then you wrecked me some more and brought me to my darling Rebecca, who might not even know she’s been sponsored yet.  I don’t know what it was – her name (the same as my mother-in-law), her big dark eyes, her brightly colored dress – but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.  I couldn’t stop worrying about her.  I wanted nothing more than to pick her up in my arms and love on her and tell her how special she is. 

Jesus, you know I haven’t been the best sponsor.  I didn’t let myself get too close.  Maybe I was afraid it would hurt. Maybe I was afraid that they wouldn’t want me in their life.  I guess what you’ve been trying to show me is that hurting is good, when it’s hurting for them the way you do.

Oh, Lord God, thank you for putting Michel and Rebecca in our lives.  Thank you for giving us children in two parts of the world.  Thank you for making my heart long for these two precious ones.  I never realized that I could love these two children like they were my flesh and blood – especially since we don’t have children of our own yet. But when I open this computer and see their beautiful faces that you created and that you knew even before they were knit together in their mother’s wombs, I know.  Michel is my son.  Rebecca is my daughter.

I have such hopes for them both, such dreams for their future.  For Michel, Father, give him a heart after yours.  Help him to grow into a man of integrity and honor, a man who loves and serves you and cares for those who need help.  Give him confidence that he can do anything with Your help.  Give him big dreams, Father, and use Michel to bring others to your throne.  Give him passion and a servant’s heart. Protect him and his family, and provide all that they need each day. 

For Rebecca, Father, may she be like Ruth, Esther, and Mary, who trusted you and served you with all their hearts.  Please protect her and her family, especially from the slavers and human traffickers that are so prominent in Ghana even now.  Please provide clean water and food and security for them all.  Help Rebecca to grow into a woman of virtue and integrity, a woman who loves you first of all and who radiates peace and love from you.  Give her confidence that you created her for a purpose, and that she can do anything with Your help.  Give her big dreams as well, Father, and use Rebecca to transform the world for you.  Give her joy and compassion, and teach her of your love.

Jesus, I can’t ever thank you enough for giving us the chance to be a small part of Michel and Rebecca’s lives.  I have such joy – not because of anything they have done, but just from the opportunity to love them.  This is what you wanted from me all along, isn’t it?  

Please help me to love them and their families with your love.  Continue breaking my heart over them, Jesus. And if it is possible to give us the privilege of adding to our family in the future, please help me to be open-hearted.  Give me your love for them, Jesus. 

Thank you for loving me enough to break my heart.

Your beloved daughter,
~Rachel

**This post is about the two children my husband and I sponsor through Compassion International. 

**Those of us who are "Bloggers for Compassion" are working in the month of September with the goal of helping 3,108 children gain sponsorship before October 1.  Last week, the first of this month-long challenge, 837 kids were sponsored!

**Whose life could you change for only $38 a month?  Click on the picture below to see the faces of those precious children who most need your help.

Sponsor a Child

Allowing your heart to break

As the badge off to the right of this post indicates, I am participating in the September "Blog Month for Compassion" initiative.  My previous post ($38) was my contribution to the first assignment for Blog Month.  Our goal for the month of September is to get 3,108 children sponsored in 31 days.  Those of us who have agreed to dedicate time on our blogs to raise awareness and point people to the needs of these precious children are getting weekly assignments to fulfill. 

In the end, it's not so much about the number - 3108.  It is about the lives of precious, beloved, unique children who are waiting for the hope that comes from Christ and a more secure future.

Anyway, to get my thoughts in the right place, I spent an hour or so listening to and watching videos that Compassion had put up on Vimeo and Youtube, looking especially for videos that talked about the impact sponsorship had on a particular child's life.  I wanted to be moved before I wrote my assignment.

A funny thing happened, though.  In watching the videos, in looking at the pictures of the children still waiting for sponsorship, and in carefully considering what I wanted to say to encourage my friends and family (and anyone else who ends up on this page) to sponsor a child, I myself was moved.

I began crying.  A lot. My heart was breaking for the thousands of children who need Jesus, hope, and clean water.  I have sponsored children with Compassion since I was 19 - Fatima in El Salvador, Omar in Mexico, and now Michel in Mexico.  Omar's family moved away from the Compassion center and no longer participates in Compassion-sponsored programs.  When he moved and we said our mutual goodbyes, Compassion asked me if I would consider continuing my sponsorship for another little boy in Mexico.  I readily agreed.  But this morning, looking at the faces of these precious children around the world who need hope, my heart broke.

I turned to my husband while we were eating lunch and asked him, "Can we sponsor a second child?"  Now, money isn't exactly flowing into our pockets these days.  Things have been very tight lately, and money has been a concern.  But we started thinking about what it would take to save up $38 in a month.  A few less meals eaten out.  Eat off of $1 menus rather than the full menu.  Get coupons to save money at the grocery store.  This past weekend, I saved $44 on groceries. That's a month's sponsorship. The more we thought about how easy it would be to save up the money, the clearer the answer was.

So let me introduce to you our two beloved children: Michel and Rebecca.

 

Michel is 6 years old and lives with his mother in a coastal village in Mexico.  His mother makes pinatas and is only occassionally employed.  His parents were never married, and so his mother is on her own to care for Michel.  He should be starting school this fall, and he is very good at coloring (if the pictures I've gotten are any indication)!

 

Rebecca is the newest member of our family.  Since my husband and I do not have children of our own yet, these are our children.  Rebecca is four years old and lives with her mother and 4 siblings in northern Ghana.  I fell in love with her at first sight.  She and her family live in a very poor area, with the average adult earning less than $10 per month.  It is also an area that is affected by AIDS/HIV, and Rebecca's father is no longer supporting or living with the family.  She has been waiting for a sponsor for 410 days!  Over 1/4 of her life she has been waiting for someone to love her and her family.  I am so honored that my husband and I get to be her sponsor.

 

So these are our kids.  I've never met them in person.  In fact, Rebecca doesn't even know that she has a sponsor yet.  (Though I already wrote her and sent pictures!)  But I am praying that God gives me His love for them and their families.  They are my children, now and forever. 

 

Will you join me?