Think of Me...a Letter from Rwanda

To wrap up Compassion International's month long campaign we've been challenged to write from our sponsored child's perspective.

Here's my letter from Pascaline, a young girl from Rwanda living within the ghostly shadow of horrific events that rocked her country just a few years ago...

Dear Brian and Michelle, 

Think of me....

My parents worry about the rebels rebuilding in nearby Congo. What will our future hold here? Will we have to relive the tragedy that still haunt our parent's dreams? How can my generation change the story? 

I'm just a little girl and sometimes life seems so harsh. We've no electricity. No running water. When you sponsored me, I borrowed the dress you saw me in so I could have a nice picture. 

My shoes, yes, you noticed they were torn but they were the only ones I had to wear in this mountainous region. At the time, I couldn't manage a smile and you were drawn to that. You wanted to give me a reason...

Think of me... 

Since your sponsorship, life has gotten better. We have a new roof on our house! Jesus delivered a cow that provides milk and an additional source of income. And we received a potato crop that also helps us so much. 

Think of me...

I get to go to school now. We learn of Jesus and his love for us which I share with my family. I have a great time with my friends and also get health check ups and vaccines. 

Think of me...

When they deliver letters to the children in my development center my heart beats faster. Will I get a letter from you today? I love sending you drawings I've made. But it really makes me feel special to get your words...to know you think of me. To see the artwork from Teagan and Isla, the stickers and Bible coloring pages. 

I don't feel invisible anymore. I believe God made me special. That He is with me in this place. He's providing a future through you, through Compassion International. Never stop thinking of me, of my friends. We are a world away but we need you. Please promise me you'll try. 

In Jesus' Name, 

Pascaline

BE THE HERO

Let God use you and your family to change the lives of these precious children forever. Our goal is to gain sponsorship for 3,100 children. For $38, the price of a dinner out once a month, you can provide food, clothing, healthcare, Christian education and so much more...a future. 

Visit Compassion International’s Sponsor a Child page. Pray over which child speaks to your heart. Perhaps they share a birthday with your child? Maybe they live in a country where AIDS is rampant? Or perhaps they are in an area you’ve always wanted to learn more about? Ask God to help you make a commitment as a family to change this child’s life.

In Jesus' Name, 

Michelle

Pinterestingly Compelling Philanthropy

I am so bummed that I got a virus on my computer last week because two things I LOVE came together to change our world... 

Compassion International wrapped up a week long Pinterest party on Sunday. The non-profit's bloggers shared pictures of our sweet sponsored children in an effort to continue to spread the word during this month long campaign to rescue 3,100 children in the poorest countries of the world from a life of poverty. 

I may be late to the party, but I did create a board for my sponsored children and wanted to share some pictures of my girls with their sisters in Christ. They are such a part of our family's day that Teagan recently asked for a map to Pascaline's house. 

Over the years Pascaline's family has had a new roof put on their house, received a cow as a source of food and income and a potato crop as part of our sponsorship. We love knowing that not only she benefits but her family as well.

Being sponsors has allowed us to give our children an appreciation for the blessings we have while prompting them to conserve water, electricity and food out of respect for Pascaline and Elibie. 

We have also enjoyed getting to know more about where the girls live. In addition, we also include Dahrling, Bethlehem and Jimmi in our daily prayers. They are Compassion children sponsored by others who have touched our lives. 

Would you please take a moment to pray over these children who are waiting for sponsors? And if God is prompting you to sponsor, please know it will provide the most tremendous blessings for you and your family!

In Jesus' Name, 

Michelle

Blogging for Compassion: Be the Voice

Would you chose to be a hero today?  Could you let your mouse lead you to a new, great, big role that promises to change at least one life, not to mention yours....forever???

One Christmas morning Brian and I became sponsors of a little girl in Rwanda named Pascaline. Our hearts ached from another round of fertility treatments that ended in miscarriage. We believed God called us into the sponsorship experience so we could take a break. Reset. Focus on someone else's needs for a bit. And in the process? Our sponsorship, in Jesus' name, would bless them. 

But God is so good and always full of surprises. We quickly realized that we were the ones being blessed! Our partnership with Pascaline's parents is so powerful. So moving. It healed our hearts and continues to provide daily joy half way around the world from her little village! We are truly family. Forever connected in a powerful love based in Christ's love for us.  

I quickly signed up to be an Advocate for the organization. Recently, we recently began a new sponsorship of Elibie, a sweet little girl from Burkina Faso. 

Today, using my blog to help change the lives of children around the world has enriched an already tremendous blessing!

Compassion is a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. The organization was founded in 1952 and today it helps more than 1 million children in 26 countries.

In my opinion? Compassion International provides the best and most effective means for making real change in the lives of children devastated by poverty!

Challenge: Be the Voice!

Use your blog to speak up on behalf of children in poverty. 

You can sign up to blog for Compassion here. 

Blessings! Hope to see you back here for Tuesday's Destination: Inspiration Linky Party!
Michelle

Introducing...

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am so excited to introduce you to someone special. She's the newest member of our family as our second sponsored child via Compassion International. We are already feeling so blessed!

Elibie

Elibie is a sweet girl who lives in the country of Burkina Faso and she will be seven years old in May. She does not currently attend school but helps her family with child care and running errands for them. For fun Elibie likes to play with dolls, group games and hide-and-seek.

She lives with her father who at times is employed as a mason and her mother who sometimes gets work as a cleaner. Where she lives houses are typically constructed of dirt or cement floors, mud or brick walls and tin roofs.

The regional diet consists of maize, beans, rice, chicken, beef, guinea pig, fish and bananas. Common health problems in this area include malaria and meningitis. Most adults are unemployed but some work as day laborers, farmers, market traders or in domestic services and earn the equivalent of $33 per month.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in western Africa. It's slightly larger than Colorado. With a population of 13 million, it is one of the poorest countries in the world having few natural resources, fragile soil and an unequal distribution of income and prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

About 50 percent of the population is Muslim, 40 percent practice indigenous religions and about 10 percent are Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. 

We pray that through our sponsorship, Compassion International will be able to free Elibie from the chains of poverty. I love how this organization tackles poverty from several angles, one child at a time.

Call to Action: Change the Story

Today, you have the opportunity to sponsor a child of your own for $38 a month, the price of a meal out...or a little over a dollar a day per month. Touch the life of a child in Jesus' name. Listen to God's soft, quiet voice leading you. I promise you won't miss this money but it will have such a HUGE impact not only on your sponsored child but on their entire family.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Here are some of the children waiting for sponsors....

 Ceasar, (age 6) Nicaragua - waiting 358 days for a sponsor

Mebelyn (age 4) Honduras

Olnise (age 3) Haiti

As a former auditor I appreciate that Compassion International has been around for 60 years now and has received the highest ratings for financial accountability by independent auditing agencies. Charity Navigator has credited them with having the most consecutive four-star ratings in the nation.

Please comment if you are already a sponsor or if you decide to become one so we can pray for you and your sponsored children! Congratulations to Jim and Maureen who sponsored Bethlehem today from Ethiopia! What an amazing journey you've embarked on. And I know that little girl will be spoiled to bits by you!

In Jesus' Name, Michelle

Meet Our Pascaline

April is a very special month in our house this year as we prepare to recognize Easter on Sunday, April 24th. Aside from all the gorgeous spring pastels and fun activities including egg hunts, dinners with family and pictures with one super decked out bunny, Easter is a time of celebration for us as the holiday proclaims Jesus Christ's victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. It's been so easy for me to get distracted during this busy time but I don't want to miss the reason for the season which is the wonderful gift he has given us and to thank him for blessing our lives so fully.

Speaking of busy, did I mention, just in passing mind you, that we welcome baby #2 and also look forward to Teagan's second birthday this month?!? Perhaps. But today I have to share with you that we also celebrate the birth of a VERY special little girl named Pascaline, a little girl we affectionately refer to as "our Pascaline."

For a few years now we have been blessed to sponsor Pascaline through an amazing organization called Compassion International. The goals for our sponsorhip have been to release her from the crushing oppression of poverty while introducing her and her family to the love of Jesus Christ.

Our adopted little girl was born on April 25, 2003 and is in the equivalent of our 1st grade. Over the years we've learned more about her through letters and pictures. Pascaline attends school, Sunday School and church where she likes to sing in the choir. She helps her family out by carrying water and gathering firewood. In her free time she likes to jump rope and play games with a ball. Lately she has also been learning to make sweaters. She lives with her father and mother as well as an older brother and sister. She also has one more brother who is living far away at the moment.

Her father and mother have jobs at times helping to farm local areas. In recent years our Christmas gifts to them have been used to buy Pascaline and her family her clothing, a pair of shoes, a potato crop and a cow! They tell me soon we will have a picture of this cow and I can't wait to see it for this is a very special cow indeed...one that promises to ease the burdens this family has with poverty by providing additional food as well as a source of income!

Have you ever been in a situation where you thought you were helping someone else out, only to find you received the bigger blessing? That's what happened to us. Her family showers us with continuous prayer especially during times such as when Brian's father was critically ill and we had to return to Ireland for a month and when they learned I was pregnant with both children. Most of all we feel we are in a true, impactful partnership with Pascaline's parents to give her the best future possible, one that is full of hope and promise.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child it costs less than $40, the price of a meal out per month. Choosing to sponsor a child is so rewarding and can be fun as you focus on either a boy or girl from a specific country or a child that shares a birthday with your children, just to name a few examples. What a great way to introduce your children to a geographical area and how other children live around the world. My hope is that one day my little ones will meet their sister in Christ either on this side of the world or hers. Besides getting sweet updates from Pascaline which include pictures and artwork several times a year we love sending her post cards from our travels, letters, coloring pages, bookmarks, letters and stickers.

Perhaps one of the cruelest tricks poverty plays in the lives of children is telling them no one cares, that they aren't special and they can never escape a life of desperation. As a mother I can't imagine how powerless I would feel if my children where in this situation which makes my bond with Pascaline's mom all the stronger. I am going to share with you in a follow up post why we chose to sponsor through Compassion versus other, also worthy organizations that provide similar sponsorhip opportunities. I belive Compassion International is doing some amazing things in Jesus's name and can't wait to share. Have a great Saturday everyone!!