Looking Up – Compassion Sundays
Dear Hope Church,
This week Hope is highlighting Compassion Sunday, a national event for churches to find sponsors for children living in extreme poverty.
I started sponsoring a child through Compassion when I was 15 years old and
have continued for over 35 years. I went to see my first child, Edmundo, in Guatemala when I was 18. A few years ago my family went again to Guatemala and saw Evelyn, the 14 year old girl we had been sponsoring for the past 11 years. For our visit, Evelyn, her mother and one year old brother traveled 7.5 hours one way on a chicken bus to come see us. It’s not a comfortable experience, but they did it to come meet us.
Evelyn was lovely and we had such a sweet visit. We talked and shared for four hours. Evelyn’s mom, Anna, teared up many times and expressed how much our sponsorship has meant to their family. Anna is a single mom of four children (her husband left her) and they live in a remote area where there are not many jobs.
There is so much I could share about our visit but, most importantly, it made me appreciate even more the help that sponsorship through Compassion gives to children and families. Evelyn is healthy, doing well in school, has friends, and became a Christian the year before. I saw the impact of Compassion sponsorship almost 35 years ago when I saw Edmundo and I saw it again with Evelyn.
One of my favorite parts of sponsorship is exchanging letters with the children. My family learns about their lives and they learn about ours. We get to encourage Evelyn and speak words of hope and truth.
Did you know that about 20% of the world’s children live in extreme poverty? Children in poverty are hungry most of the time, suffer from poor health, and receive little or no education. They are often neglected, abused, exposed to violence and many believe that their lives have no value, hope or future.
Compassion International is a trustworthy organization that has been around for more than 70 years. It’s a Christian ministry that meets children’s physical needs for food, clean water, education, and health care. The thing I love about Compassion Sponsorship is that each child is helped through a local church and learns about Jesus.
This week and next, there will be child packets of real boys and girls, like Evelyn, who need our help. Through the ministry of Compassion International, each of us has the opportunity to come alongside one particular child in need, and help change the course of that child’s entire future. Our monthly support is a small amount compared to the great benefit it provides. YOU can be the answer to a child’s prayer for a sponsor.
Please come visit the table this Sunday or next to sponsor a child and change their life and yours. You can also choose to sponsor a child right now, using this link. For a testimonial from a former Compassion child, watch this video.
Thank you!
Gayle Swayne