Compassion makes the heart expand

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from my new sponsored child (through Compassion International), a beautiful young woman named Allen who lives in southern Uganda. She wrote that she wished to visit America so she could see "my place," that she was thankful I had chosen to sponsor her, and wrote of her family and favorite things (her favorite food is fish). Her favorite Bible verse is Hosea 6:1, which says, "Come and let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up," (Amplified). When I got to the very bottom of the page, I stopped and stared, and began to cry. It was then that I knew the Lord had specifically directed me to this young woman. For what purpose, I do not yet know, but it was clear the Lord had done something special. Why was this part of the page so important? Because it is where she had written her dream for the future.

Her dream is to be a nurse. Just like me.

Praise You, Father.

[[Revelation Song]]
Worthy is the
Lamb Who was slain,
Holy, holy is He.
Sing a new song
To Him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God almighty,
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore you!

Clothed in rainbows
Of living color;
Flashes of lightning
Rolls of thunder...
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To you the only one King!

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name!
Jesus, Your name is power,
Breath and living water!
Such a marvelous mystery!

Having Compassion

For about a year and a half, I have sponsored a child through Compassion International. Her name is Scarle, she is six-and-a-half years old, and she lives in Peru. According to the info on my sponsor account, the average monthly income in her community is about $96. Lately the Lord has been challenging me to expand my faith and take on a second sponsorship (something I've wanted to do for a while but have been afraid to do because of my extremely unpredictable income). Last night I took the plunge.

I wanted an older child who'd been waiting for a long time for a sponsor, so I did a search. Only about half-a-dozen faces popped up, and one in particular drew me. She was the only young woman who showed up in the search. Her name is Allen, she is seventeen and lives in Uganda. She is in about seventh grade (when I was seventeen, I was in the middle of a challenging high school curriculum!) and the average monthly income in her area is $3. Yes, I said three dollars a month. That's less than I pay for a Starbucks cup of coffee, which only lasts about half an hour if you drink it slowly! All I could think was how incredibly privileged we are here in the United States, that we'd spend more on a single drink than some people make in a month. Incredible! I can only imagine how far my measly $32 per month will go in Uganda. From what I could tell, Allen has been waiting since at least last December for a sponsor, and I am glad to be able to meet her need. I just wish I could see her face when they tell her she's been sponsored.