Compassion International : Sponsor A Child

I recently posted about how I became a Compassion Blogger after attending a Beth Moore conference.  During that conference, the following video from Compassion International was shared.  Compassion had tables set up out on the concourse at the arena where the conference was being held.  Attendees were encouraged to pray and consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International.  As I write this post, Compassion has 1,172,170 children being sponsored through their organization.  To put it in perspective, according to the website infoplease, as of 4/1/10 the city of Dallas, Texas had a population of  1,197,816.  Imagine an entire metropolis where every single resident save 25,646 was being supported through a sponsorship program!

Now remember that almost 1.2 million children are being sponsored through Compassion International. September is Blog Month for Compassion International.  It is the goal of Compassion that 3,108 children get sponsored this month.  Not through the end of the year.  THIS month.  As a Compassion Blogger, it is my mission this month to help that vision become a reality.

Psalm 9:18 {NLT} says:

But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

This verse reflects the mission of Compassion International.  Per Compassion's FAQ page, In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an adocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

Compassion seeks people like you and I to fulfill their mission.  There are hundreds of thousands of children all over the world who are supported through Compassion International and many, many more who are desperately in need of someone like you to sponsor them.

Source: blog.compassion.com via Sarah on Pinterest

What is a sponsor?  Again, according to the FAQ page:

A sponsor is someone who has made the decision to personally invest in the life of a child in need.  Through sponsorship, children are able to participate in a church-based program that offers life-changing benefits that range from educational opportunities to health care.

Sponsoring a child is a monthly commitment of $38.  When you get to the Sponsor a Child landing page, you will immediately see the images of several beautiful children from around the world who are very much in need of your sponsorship.  There are children as young as three years of age waiting for someone to be their sponsor.  There are also older teenagers who are awaiting sponsorship.  You can view the images as they are on the landing page and scroll through screen after screen, or you can apply various sorting filters: youngest to oldest, oldest to youngest, longest waiting, or you can view children whose birthday is today.  Perhaps you have a specific area of the world where you feel called to help.  You can also sort by applying location filters to your search.  You can filter by country, gender, age range, and you can even plug in a specific birthday that you may feel compelled to help.  As I type this, there is a 5 year old boy named Fraicol in the Dominican Republic who has been waiting for 278 days!  I hope that by the time you visit the sponsor a child landing page that he is no longer on that list!

Source: blog.compassion.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Everyone is capable of making a difference in this world.  One of those ways, as you can see is to step up and sponsor a child.  Don't dismiss the idea immediately.  I would really encourage you to visit Compassion International's website and read up on the organization and what their mission is.  Visit the pages of the children seeking sponsors.  Don't just look at their picture - click on it.  As soon as you do, you will be able to see the full picture along with more information on that child - their age, country, the center that they are from, who makes up their family, their occupations, and what the child's favorite pastimes are.  You can also click on tabs to view more information on the community and country from which the child comes.  You might find a child in Rwanda whose family earns the equivalent of $5 a month!  Even if it's $100 a month - considerably more than $5 - it's still only $100!  Can you imagine having to support a family with so little income?
I've heard it said many times God doesn't call the equipped.  He equips the called.  So, if you don't think that you can be a good sponsor, I bet there's a chance you're wrong!  I strongly encourage you to consider making a difference for one of the children which Compassion is seeking sponsors for.  Maybe it's been on your heart for while and you know you want to but you just haven't done it yet.  Can I just say this??  Do it!  Be the change in that child's life now.  Maybe it's on your heart but you still haven't received confirmation from the Lord as to whether or not this is for you.  May I ask you to please prayerfully consider sponsorship?  Visit the sponsorship page.  Browse some of the profiles.  Watch the video I included at the top of this post.  See if something stirs within you to take action now.  I would just ask that you please pray over this - pray that God will reveal to you what He wants you to do, pray for these children who are so desperately in need of a sponsor, pray for these children who so desperately need to know Jesus, and pray that God will provide for them and protect them.

source: Compassion International

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