there are no coincidences...

many miles away from here

lives a little boy

who is very much

a part of my heart

when prayers are said

for my own children

he stands among them

and receives the same

in a world

where money is

the insatiable hunger

his letters are my gold

my soul's alarm

resounds within me

and i know

a letter will await me

it's happened four times now

and each time

i am no less amazed

than the last

yesterday was such a day

the alarm inside

the familiar envelope

news from a distant land

his mother's familiar handwriting

ran across the page

so glad to see it was hers

after two letters of someone else's

our family rejoiced

that their family was well

a few of us prayed

right then and there

later that night

news of an earthquake

in a neighboring country

felt far and wide

warnings of a possible tsunami

quickened my heart

trying to recall

just how far inland he lived

with God

i feel there are no coincidences

he has his hand

in everything

my golden letter

written in october

my soul's alarm

telling me to pray

just in time for an earthquake

and questions of safety

there are no coincidences...

please join me in prayer

heavenly father

we ask that you place your hand of peace

on the people who need you

especially the people involved in the earthquake

please be with the ones

whose questions won't be immediately answered

be with the ones who need your grace

please father protect them

in jesus' holy name

amen.

hope

I've spent the last hour reading blogs from the Compassion Bloggers who have traveled to the Dominican Republic this week. I knew that they were going and have been praying for them. Yet I hesitated to read their blogs because I knew they would make me cry. And they did. Because there is so much need there, so much poverty. But I was surprised to see how much hope Compassion gives these children. I saw so many beautiful smiles and loving hugs. It struck me that these are just regular children, looking for love. While it made me sad and happy at the same time, it made me want to shout from the mountains that Jesus loves all these little children. It made me uncomfortable with the excess that is our country. It amazes me at how little it takes to make such a big difference.

I'll be honest. I applied to go on this trip to the Dominican. Our family sponsors a little boy there and I was interested to see where he was from. I wasn't picked - it wasn't my time to go. I was disappointed but God has truly revealed some things about my motives in the last few weeks. I understand it so much better now. I wanted to go for me. And the truth of the matter is, I have to want to go for them. Because it is all about them. About showering them with the hope and love of Jesus Christ. Sometimes that's all these children and their families have.

I know there are skeptics out there who wonder if the money really goes where it says it will and if the children really benefit. Trips like the one to the Dominican prove to me that it's all as Compassion says it is. But more than that, I challenge you to place it in God's hands. Because to me, acting out of fear by doing nothing robs God of the chance to show just how mighty He is.

So, please, go look at the pictures. Go read the blogs. Most of all, cast your fears aside and sponsor a child. Give hope today.

really real

Sponsoring a child through Compassion International had been on my heart for awhile. There just never seemed to be money in the budget to do it. I'd go through the pages of children on Compassion's website and feel the pinch in my heart that I couldn't help ALL of them, let alone just one. I mean, we were rebounding from having two mortgages for two years and it just wasn't feasible. Or was it?

The entire time we were under the crunch of having both mortgages, we were never late on them. Every time I was at the end of my rope and thought we wouldn't make it, God stepped in. Every single time. Out of nowhere, we'd receive a check from something odd or a reprieve on something that was due. He was faithful. So after much prayerful consideration and discussion, we decided to be faithful to what I thought He wanted us to do. We sponsored a child.

A couple of months ago, I introduced you to Julio. I explained all of the reasons that I felt our family could use this experience, including my kids learning that others didn't have it so lucky. I also wanted to share the God-hurt I feel in my heart for people in need, especially children. I chose a child the same age as my youngest so that it might be easier for him to make a connection. But in all that, I don't think it was really real to them.

Then, last week, we got a letter! Written by his mother, it gave a better picture of who Julio is and what he likes to do. But most of all, as my husband said, it made Julio real. He watches TV, goes to school and plays baseball. Just like my kids do. He has a mommy and a daddy, a sister, and a brother on the way. My kids identify with family. Now that he is real to them, they notice the picture I put on the refrigerator door months ago. They high five the picture as they pass by. And yesterday, my son told me that Julio looks like a little boy on his soccer team. That tells me that Julio is real to him. And that makes me excited!

Because these children are real. Each child has only one sponsor. That person is able to make a real connection with the child and make such an impact on a child's whole life! That is huge. To learn more about what a sponsorship would mean to a child, click here and read about the objectives of the program. It's so much more than just meeting their physical needs. It's helping them become viable members of their society and breaking the chain of poverty. It's about showing them who Jesus Christ is and what He has done and will do for them.

Maybe you are tired of reading about this on my blog. I'm sorry. I just can't think of these little children who have no control over where they were born or whether they have money or not. I can't stand by and let them go. Some of you have said that there are children in our own country that need help, and I agree. But there are programs out there for the children here. Sponsoring a child may be the only hope for some of these children in foreign countries. And some of them have been waiting more than six months for a sponsor. Imagine them looking at the other kids and knowing they have sponsors. It's just too much for me.

If you have reservations about sponsoring, spend some time on the Compassion website or email me. I'd be glad to try to answer your questions. If I can't answer them, I'll get the answer. All I'm asking is that you think about it. Pray about it. Don't do it because I want you to, do it if God says to do it. Because ultimately, we are all real to Him.

If you already sponsor a child, blog about it or leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to pray for all of these kids. And if you choose to sponsor a child, I'd love to know that too! If you can't sponsor a child right now, could I ask you to at least pray for Compassion International and the children waiting for sponsors? Thanks. Getting off my soapbox now...

Oh, and if you feel the need to get on your soapbox every now and then (and who doesn't?), you can sign up to blog for Compassion too. Just click here.

julio

Meet Julio. He's 5 and from the Dominican Republic. He lives with his mom and dad and one sibling.

He's also the newest member of our family. Well, kinda. We are sponsoring him through Compassion International. I love their motto: Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. How cool is that? By committing to give monthly, we help ensure that Julio will receive medical and dental care, be able to attend school, and be given at least one balanced meal a day. Most importantly, he will be involved in a program that will teach him about Jesus Christ.

For a long time now, I've had it on my heart to sponsor a child. Ever since I was a little girl, I've felt the God-hurt of compassion when I see people suffering. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I want to reach out and put my arms around them and help them know it's going to be okay. The children are what touch me the most. They have no control over their circumstances, nor do their little hearts understand what is happening. Luckily, they are resilient but that doesn't mean it's easy.

I think that if I hadn't got married and had a child so young, I would have ended up in some foreign country loving the daylights out of some kids. That's actually still a dream I have. I hope one day to have the financial resources to be able to go on mission trips. Right now, it just isn't feasible monetarily but someday. There is no fuller feeling of Christ than loving and working hard in His name. Sometimes God has to take our mistakes and make blessings out of them. And I am blessed for the road I've taken, and I wouldn't trade my daughter for all the love in the world. I'm just saying that I have always felt the pull of these kids.

I hope to make this a family project. It takes you out of your comfort zone to think of another's needs. My kids need that. They forget or don't care about how blessed they are. Unfortunately, they are materialistic. Common for a kid, but worth working on. What better way for them to understand than to show them an actual child who they can pray for and write letters to? Julio's favorite activity is baseball and that will go over well here. I also picked a child close to my son's age so it would make it more real for us.

I'm not saying this is for you. But I do ask that you think about it. We are so incredibly blessed and we could, in turn, pass that blessing on to another family. That's what being a follower of Christ is all about.