Compassion

This is the sweet boy that I sponsor through Compassion International.  His name is Kenneth.  He just turned 8 and he lives in Nicaragua.
My history with Compassion is a long one.  I have been a part of sponsoring kids through Compassion since I was in 2nd grade.  My church at home sponsored a child that was a year older than me until he was 16 when he left the program. 
I then had the pleasure of researching the next two children that my church/youth group would sponsor.  A 14 year old girl from Africa, and a 5 year old boy from India.

Sponsoring a child through Compassion is $38 a month.  By providing $38 a month, you are giving a child a chance to survive and thrive.

I toured around the country singing and dancing for Jesus with a group called the Young Continentals for 12 weeks in middle school.  We were a partner with Compassion.  Every night I shared the gospel and asked people to support a child, and yet I wasn't willing to let the Lord work in my life and provide.

I look back at all of the time that I could have spent pouring into a child, supporting a child, and it makes me sad.  I always told myself "You're a middle schooler, you don't have money to do that." or "You a freshman in college, you really don't have any money." 

I can truly tell you that supporting a child through Compassion has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.  Even though I was an advocate for so long, I never imagined how a relationship with a child would affect me personally. 

Kenneth has asthma.  He lives in Villa Nueva, Nicaragua where most adults earn an equivalent of $68 a month and are unemployed..
The $38 a month I proved is half as much as his mother makes. 
A sponsorship allows Compassion to:

• Provide Kenneth with Bible teaching,
• A Bible,
• Medical check-ups (especially necessary b/c of his asthma problem),
• Nutritious food,
• Hygiene education,
• Special celebrations,
• Recreational activities,
• Tutoring,
• School uniforms,
• Shoes, 
• and Academic support.
• Also the local staff will provide monthly meetings and evangelistic home visits for Kenneth's mom.  

So much for so little on my part. 
It's not just Kenneth that thrives from my support.  My heart has been greatly touched.  One of the great things that we can do with our sponsored children is write letters.  When was the last time you wrote a letter?  Not an email or a memo or even a Christmas card, but a letter.  There's something about seeing the words that your child has written in their own language.
Letters between Kenneth and I take about 3 months to process, be shipped, and then actually received.  I'd like to share with you the last letter I got from him. 

Hello dear sponsor Kaitlynn!

May God bless you.  I'm very thankful for writing to you again.  I hope that you are in good health and your family, praise God.  Now I'm in 3rd grade.  I feel very happy because I was congratulated at the project because I'm very intelligent.  I had medical check up and I did very well and we're being given foliar extract to avoid anemia.  there will be a dental C.I.V from the project.  We're going to be taken to a clinic specialized in teeth.  Have you taken foliar extract?  Are you afraid of going to the dentist?  We are taught more about God at the project and about how to protect the animals.  The teachers of the project teaches us about the clay from which we were made and that God shapes our lives like clay.  Do you know the clay?  Has God shaped your life?  I close this letter with much affection.  I ask you to always pray for me.  Here, I'll be praying for you.

Your child,

Kenneth

By the time I was finished reading this letter through, my eyes were no where near dry.  You see, this child has captured my heart. This little 8 year old boy has already gotten to the heart of the issue.  Do you know the clay?  Has God shaped your life?
Yes.  Yes I know the clay!  God has indeed shaped my life!  It's a never ending process, but yes I'm living it.

If Kenneth can have such faith in his circumstances, shouldn't our faith be so much more abundant?  I believe that there are many of us who really can support a child.  I'm asking you to step up.  I'm asking you to impact the life of a child around the world in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. 

My stopping block before was fear.  The reason this post has been sitting in my drafts for over a month was because of fear. 

It's simple.  It's strange.  It's obvious.  We. can't. live. our. lives. in. fear.  Truly.  It's something I've struggled with for a long time.  Fear of many different things.  Tonight I'm letting the love of the Father drown out all the fear.  His love is enough to reach across eternity and provide me with $38 a month.  His love is enough. 

 


{Thanks for reading.  If you'd be praying for me?  Drowning out fear in my life is going to be a multi-step process back to the Father.  Handing over the reins again is going to take time.  I'll be coming back here to share my thoughts, journey, and whatever the Lord puts on my heart. Is there anything that you need prayer for?  What is especially hard in your life right now?  Sweet dreams and until next time -Kaitlynn }