A Christmas Prayer

Dear God & Father,

'Tis the season that many are disputing over what to call this season, how to celebrate it, or if we should even celebrate it at all.

We are busy putting up lights, mounting trees, buying presents, preparing rich foods, sending out greeting cards, going to parties, and lining the pockets of retailers.

Meanwhile, many are doing other than celebrating this season, because of losses, family dysfunction, illness, trauma, or hardships.

I hear it said that the term "the meaning of this season" is a canned phrase, but it really is not. What would it be like if we really experienced this "true meaning"?

I pray for all of those who are mourning losses this season, whether it is the death of loved ones, jobs, friends, homes, or simply the death of dreams, that they will be given the reality of Your Son and experience Your comfort in sadness;

I pray for all of those who are contending with illnesses this season or with pain, that You will give them perfect peace and heal them. Strengthen their families who care for them and guide their health care providers;

I pray for all those living with secrets and family dysfunctions which seem magnified at this time of the year, that they will find peace through trusting the Prince of Peace, make peace with each other and embrace the Truth that will make them free;

I pray for peace for two hurting communities especially at this season, namely the Black community and the community of police officers, who are now often at odds with each other. Help them to find peace with each other and cease hostilities through trusting the Prince of Peace and making peace with each other:

I pray for the many lonely people this year, that each and every one of them will find true community and never be without a friend;

I pray for all those many who have little money or material goods, whether here in the West or on the other side of the world, that they will meet You and know You as their Provider.

I pray for all the homeless, that they will meet Jesus, Who as the God-Man on Earth, was Himself homeless and one of them;

I pray for all those many who are oppressed, that they will meet You and place their hope in You as the One Who will come to their aid and personally vindicate them;

I pray for their oppressors, that these individuals will be convicted of their sin and experience Your mercy;

I pray for all those traveling, that You will give them safety throughout their travels;

I pray for so many of us Westerners who are distracted by all the holiday festivities of this season, that You will get our attention, remind us what this holiday (and all 365 days of the year) are about) and give many of us Jesus;

Want to be an answer to this prayer? Sponsor a child! Visit here.

Thank you!

Lisa DeSherlia

The photo at the top of this post is provided courtesy of Compassion International.

You Can Save A Baby's Life Today!

This holiday, most of us here in the West will be spending lots of money on clothes, electronics, toys, and other goods for our families and friends. Many of us are already doing this. You have no doubt heard the outcry about the consumerism that is rampant specially during this time of the year. I'm not going to get into a tirade against that here.

In the population-dense country of India, which you probable already rightfully and mentally associate with extreme poverty, countless children will not only have no presents to open up on Christmas Day. Many children in India will not even live to see their first birthdays. According to Compassion International, one in three infant deaths happens in India.

That is tragic. Behind every dying or dead baby are parents with broken hearts. But this can be prevented. We can be the solution! We can give a gift that keeps on giving every day of the year, 365 days a year.

Please go here, to learn about a new Child Survival program in Gujaret, India, or to sponsor a child in India.

These images are courtesy of Compassion International.

Mooching, Poverty and Giving

As of this writing, I have been reading a book about mooching. Mooching? The premise of this author is that many of us in the US and in the UK are moochers. We think we are entitled to get, get, get while others work for our goods. We want something for nothing. The commodity here? Money. Government money. Taxpayer dollars. What inspires us? Grabbing hold of all the freebies that Big Government is all too happy to hand us, courtesy of the taxpayers. Agreed?

We need to be clear on what programs are actually welfare and what are not. In the US, programs such as Food Stamps, Aid for Families of Dependent Children (AFDC), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and Medicaid are means-tested "welfare" programs. That is, they are based on documented need. They are not "entitlements." Other programs are considered "entitlements" and are not welfare and are not based on financial need, but on other criteria. Social Security Disability (SSD)is for those who have documented disabilities that prevent them from being gainfully employed. Social Security is an entitlement for anyone 65 and over. Veteran's Benefits are for those who have served in the military. Survivor's Benefits go to those who have lost spouses or parents. The programs exist for different needs and situations.

But many people, especially those who subscribe to the conservative viewpoint, tend to see most government programs as "welfare" and agree that we are a "nation of moochers." Much of this is because people who subscribe to the conservative viewpoint disagree with their liberal counterparts about what the government's role in meeting needs should be. In reading the book I have been reading, I wonder if the author changed the names of the "welfare recipients" and "moochers" whom he mentioned by name. It is my hope that he did. As a Christian, I know that we are not to be "moochers" or to have the reputation of being such. We are told that, "If a person won't work, he should not eat." Where the rub is is determining if a recipient of benefits cannot work or will not work. In many cases, even when a person looks able-bodied and so should go get a job, he or she may have an invisible disability that makes getting or holding a job very difficult. Can this person be considered a moocher?

What is the opposite of a moocher? It is a giver. Who can give? Many people labor under the notion that we must have a lot of money to give. Many believe that small financial gifts do not count, and that the "big givers" matter more than the "small givers." But in my Bible, Jesus heaps praise on a destitute widow who dropped two mites in the collection basket. She may have not thought her gift was worth much. But Jesus, seeing the sacrifice that was involved in her gift, lavished praise on her.

I have switched from mooching to giving. I do this because, as good as it is to provide both government "safety net" programs and private aid efforts, we must not neglect those in developing countries. In developed countries, especially the US, the poor usually experience what has been called "relative poverty." But most people in developing countries experience what is called "absolute poverty." While we can do very little about the sea of need in those parts of the world, we can make life better for one child and his or her family. Consider sponsoring a child.

The above two photos are courtesy of Compassion International, Inc.

What the One Percent Can Do About the 99 Percent

Who are the "one percent"? About two years ago, the senior Pastor of the congregation I belonged to preached an unforgettable sermon. His sermon came during the time that the national budget was the center of political debate, and there was strong opposition to Wall Street and to greed and corruption in politics. The terms "one percent," "99 percent," and the 47 percent" were being tossed around passionately. One political party was calling for substantial cuts to three federal programs that many in the US use to survive. This Pastor, early in his sermon, declared, "As a Pastor of this denomination committed to focusing on preaching God's Word and staying out of political debate, I know you feel strongly about matters of current debate, particularly entitlements. I feel strongly about these matters though I will not speak to them. But I will speak to one thing. are hearing about the 99 percent, the one percent, and the 47 percent. In light of this world we live in, let me share one fact with each of you sitting in this room. Each of you are the one percent!"

How Are We the One Percent?

That sermon was offensive. I felt rather offended, and I'm sure some others in the auditorium also took some offense. The offense comes from our conception of who the "one percent" are, and what our culture tells us they are. That tough sermon we heard came at a time when many in the US were protesting corporate greed and corruption woven in politics. And many of us are struggling financially and are not "living the high life. I don't remember the Pastor mentioning this in his sermons, as he preached with what I thought was unusual passion. I felt rather offended because of my fixed income, because I cannot go out and buy things when I wish, and because I forgo things that many others around me enjoy. But the Pastor's thrust was valid. He was place all of us in the parish, including me, on a scale where we had to measure ourselves with the world. And on that scale, each of us, including me, had to admit that we are among the world's wealthy. This is also true of those who live in Western Europe, or in most areas of the developed world. It may be to a lesser degree than the US wealth distribution. We are blessed to live in a country where we have great wealth, even if we ourselves may have limited access to it. By default, we have and enjoy many things that so many in the Third World would consider luxuries. Many times they have never even heard of these things. My Pastor did a stellar job of driving the point home. On a world scale, we in the US are the "one percent."

Where Does This Uncomfortable Fact Leave Me?

I'm not trying to put a guilt trip on anyone. We are all in the same boat. Facing an inconvenient truth. Many of you may be facing unemployment, foreclosure, or lacking health insurance. These things are great hardship. But, in Third World countries, everyone, except the wealthy, corrupt authorities, suffers lack of access to even the potential to access clean drinking water, decent food, and they usually live in very substandard housing. As bad as economics may be in the US or other parts of the developed world, there is always the potential for our economy to bounce back and for for us to find jobs, housing, or health insurance. Or the potential is there. If it were not for caring, dedicated relief workers, people in the Third World would have no access to the basics needed to just survive. Believe me, this inconvenient truth is unsettling for me, too. I may live in a modest house in "the wrong neighborhood." But in Africa, people live often live in tiny mud huts. I may not own a smartphone. But in Africa, telecommunications are unknown. I may long for a laptop computer with more advanced features and was not secondhand. But in Africa, computers are an unheard-of luxury. I may not have the freedom to buy what I want when I want to. But in Africa, people live on pennies a day. So when I measure myself with citizens in Africa, I'm among the one percent.

What Can We Do About the 99 Percent?

My Pastor was not preaching that hard-hitting sermon in context of child sponsorship. He was not issuing any fund-raising appeal for world missions or asking anyone to go to the Third World to do relief work. But the sermon was very motivational toward any of these. If you happen to be affluent or even wealthy, there is nothing wrong with owning some or much wealth. If you came by it honestly! Where we go wrong is when we move from owning money, assets or wealth, to allowing these to own us. Scripture condemns this vicious sin from cover to cover. Greed has been spawned countless murders, all fraud and other white-collar crimes, and has destroyed countless friendships and marriages. Worst of all, it drives us away from God. I call us to do something that is the opposite of greed. To consider committing a portion of your income to a suffering child in a Third World country. If you already sponsor a child, more power to you! These children, their families, and their communities, look to us in the developed world to help them. They are not asking much. They are asking for nothing more than $38 or so a month to save and help individual children. Doing this also benefits that child's family and community. You can put a smile on the face of a precious child you may never meet in this life.

What will you do?

All photos are courtesy of Compassion International.

You Can Be A Hero To A Child

Heroes.

We all use this word to laud those whom we admire for their virtue, their integrity, their courage, and their convictions. A TV network has a yearly show that is devoted to recognizing those whom the public most votes for as the ones considered heroes. We link this word with certain groups of people. We tie this word with military troops, veterans, firefighters and police officers, those whose occupations put them in positions where they may have to risk their lives to save the lives of others. More and more, ordinary citizens come to the attention of the media when they do lifesaving acts for others. We hear their stories, maybe wondering what we would have done in their place.

I remember when Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus, and Michelle Knight were rescued. Charles Ramsey, who freed Berry to call authorities and get her little girl out, has been hailed as a hero. Since then, Berry's little girl, who alerted her mom to a way to leave that house of horrors, is now being hailed as a hero also, according to more recent stories. That bookkeeper, Antionette Tuff, who risked her life and prevented a potential gunman from shooting anyone at her school, is being recognized as a hero. All of us, whatever our walk of life or value systems, of course, properly admire and praise these individuals. And we should. Yet I do not think God wants or needs us, as citizens or human beings, to depend on certain groups of people or select individuals, to develop the virtue of courage, the practice of putting others' needs before our wants, even at personal expense. After all, this is what the all time greatest Hero, Jesus, did for each of us, when He died to set us free from the power and penalty of sin.

Many, maybe most of us will never find ourselves in situations where we will find a house where women are being hid downstairs and chained, as Berry, Dejesus, and Knight were for a decade. We are unlikely to be confronted with a person with a gun, who can kill us or others around us. Yes, the sad possibility is always here in a fallen world, that we can at any time be in a position to be a Charles Ramsey or an Antionette Tuff. But God will not hold us accountable for opportunities that we never had, to exhibit qualities that He wants to see in our lives. But all of us can still put others' needs before ours, even at our own expense. We can save lives. You no doubt know about child sponsorship and that countless children, families and communities around the world face absolute poverty and great need. You may feel overwhelmed and wonder what can you do? Well, I have good news for you.

You have no doubt seen TV or Internet ads by many child sponsorship nonprofits. All promise to provide sponsored children with food, clothing, shelter, and maybe education. So how does Compassion International stand out from the rest? Whether we are Christians or not, this nonprofit should appeal to us because Compassion is an openly Christian nonprofit as they offer those children they serve personalized spiritual care. No, they do not require the children, families and communities they serve are never required to be Christian or to become Christians. They just work to get rid of material poverty and spiritual poverty through meeting the total needs of children and families. And they have many more children waiting for sponsors who will commit money and time to save them from great poverty. They, their families, and communities are looking for heroes.

Will you be a hero?

Each of these images are courtesy of Compassion International.

Give A Child A Gift That Gives All Year

What Is the Problem With This Time of the Year?

It is that time of the year, the time when those of us parents are hitting the stores to buy our children the gifts they may have wanted all year long. In this digital age, we parents are buying our children, at ever-younger ages, devices like iPods, iPads, cell phones, even Smartphones, tablets, even laptop computers. We want them to have all that their peers have! After all, our children may wail, "But Mom and Dad! All the other kids have one! Do you want me to be left out?" We don't want our children to be left out! Aside from the safety issues of getting these devices (aside from regular cell phones) in light of them running data that can make minors vulnerable to predators, there's the sheer material this all teachers our children. Yes, my spouse and I can relate to this, as we are dealing with these same pressures to get "the best" for our daughter.

What Can We Do About This?

This past week, at our worship service, the sermon topic was titled, "It Isn't Your Birthday!" In other words, we behave as though this time of the year were our birthday (I'm not talking about those who DO have birthday at this time or on Christmas Day). It's reflected in how, with astounding frenzy, we hit the stores in search of the best deals. There's nothing wrong with wanting to show our love for family or close friends by giving them gifts. But don't we take it too far and get into materialism when we lavish our money on family or friends, giving our children toys or items they may enjoy today but be bored with tomorrow? In last week's sermon, we were challenged, "What is on Jesus' wish list? What kind of gifts would make Him happy?" I do not think any of us who have even a casual knowledge of the Person of Christ or the Bible, would have trouble answering that question. In Scripture and in the life of Jesus, God reveals Himself as a giving God and that He wants us to give, every day of the year. At this time of the year, this means that He wants us to focus on what we can give, give, and give.

How Does Helping Fight World Poverty Figure In?

As many of us parents, guardians and others in in North America and Europe seek to lavish gifts on our children to give them what our culture has convinced us, is "a Christmas they must have," there are countless children throughout Asia, Africa and other parts of the world whose only thought is to survive. Many times, they don't have access to clean drinking water. This leaves people, especially children, vulnerable to deadly diseases of all kinds. So many of these people don't know if they will have anything to eat today, or if they can feed their children. Fathers often can't provide for their children, and can't send them to school. Women often can't read and can't get any pre-natal care during pregnancy. Celebrating on birthdays or holidays with festivities or gift-giving, is often unthinkable. Precious children start out with hopes and dreams, which their harsh circumstances soon cruelly crush to hopelessness. That is, if many even survive. Many children don't even live to see their 5th birthday. As most of us know but feel uncomfortable thinking about, many of these children die of starvation before them.

How Can Child Sponsorship Combat World Poverty?

When we sponsor individual children, this allows relief workers to focus on a sponsored child's physical, social, emotional, and developmental needs. The child gets an education and is motivated and empowered to become a responsible and contributing member of his or her community and giving back far more than has been poured into them. Child sponsorship also helps the child's family and entire community as child sponsorship nonprofits serve their sponsored children's families and communities. When we sponsor a child, he or she is given hope, help and knows that they are cared for. This empowers them to much better development and their families are given hope in knowing that often tremendous struggles to provide for their own child are being assisted by others who also care. The family and community of the sponsored child also get help as an extension of the help being provided to the sponsored child. Reaching out in love to a child in this way is a wonderful way of showing a child and his or her family that someone truly cares.

What Is So Special About Compassion International Child Sponsorship?

We all know that there are many child sponsorship nonprofits, and you no doubt have seen many TV and Internet ads appealing to you to sponsor a child, with displays a pictures of individual children and contact information for the nonprofit. Aside from the sad fact that funds donated to too many of these nonprofits may be mismanaged and that many of them may not even reach those children, many seem to focus mostly on basic physical needs. That is better than no help for these suffering children. Compassion International is unsurpassed not only in their financial ethics and accountability, in my opinion, they focus on the complete development of their sponsored children: physical, social, material, emotional and spiritual. Compassion also serves the child's family and whole community. If you feel moved to share your love with a child in need at this time of year and give a gift that gives all year long, I encourage you to consider Compassion child sponsorship. If you simply are curious about this or want to spread the word, visit here.

The above images are courtesy of Compassion International.

An Appeal To Help Typhoon Victims In The Philippines UPDATED

If you have followed the news, whether on TV, radio, Internet or any other means, you no doubt have heard about the massive devastation in the Philippines that was caused by a typhoon. Yesterday, throughout the past night and no doubt now as I write, the death toll has risen to over 10,000 people. That is, 10,000 people are believed to be dead. Many, many people have lost their homes and their jobs or businesses, going without food and water in waiting for help. There are many people who are still missing. Over 1,000,000 people have been affected by this killer typhoon. This adds up to many grieving families, many families who are anxiously waiting for word about missing loved ones, and devastated individuals crying out for relief. This killer typhoon has been much worse, in terms of the extent of damage and lost lives, than any storm that we have suffered in the US, including Hurricane Katrina. (I'm not talking about the impact on individual lives from any weather disaster as one life lost is one too many). If you can help at all, you are encouraged to do so.

Sadly, since I wrote this short post a couple days ago, there has been more devastating storm damage. There have been one or two hurricanes that have hit specific areas in the country. The latest hurricane is estimated to be even more devastating than Hurricane Katrina. It has been impossible to get aid to many of those in the Philippines because that country consists of remote islands. All the additional damage adds up to, you have guessed it. Many more lost lives. Many more lost homes, jobs and businesses. Much more trauma and fear. In all of this, countless children have been affected. So many have had their innocence taken away from them by what they are suffering. Many have lost loved ones, many may be orphans. Saddest of all, many of those killed by the typhoon and by later hurricanes have been children. Their need seems so overwhelming, with the difficulty of getting aid to these unfortunate victims insurmountable. But we can all do something. We are not being asked to save them all, or even most of them. But there are options for helping in small ways that should be far more accessible to us. We just need to know what our options are and be open to them.

Here are some options. Educate yourself about the crisis at "http://www.cnn.com/"/> at CNN News or at some other trusted news source. Then spread the word, using all means available to you. You can give. No amount is too small to help and no amount is too large, either. You can sponsor a child in the Philippines. Yes, I know that this is the end of the year, meaning a strain on financial resources, because of preparing for holiday festivities. Yet despite our financial pressures, we often can cut out some of our wants to free ourselves to give to help meet the dire needs of these typhoon and hurricane victims. If such a disaster happened to us of the magnitude of its impact on the Philippines, wouldn't we want people to come to our aid in any way that they are able?

You can educate yourself at CNN News.

You can visit here to find out more.



The photo at the top of this post photo is courtesy of MorgueFile.com.

The photo at the top of this post is by mensatic.

The photo at the top of this post can be found here.

Being Part of the Solution to World Poverty in a Simple Way

We in the developed world are living in a time where many items that did not even exist decades ago, are considered needs, not luxuries. We feel constrained to provide them to our growing children because "everyone else has them." We want our children to "fit in." We feel the need to "keep up with the Joneses" and to "run the rat race." Even those of us who may have low incomes often receive "entitlements" or other help that assists us in moving in or near to middle-class living. The things that I'm talking about that have become, in the eyes of many, needs, consist of technological gadgets. I'm talking about computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads, tablets, and other gadgets that were unheard-of decades ago. Computers? Many of us have laptops, even if just for basic Internet services. Most of us have cell phones. Even many low-income people use what are inaccurately called "Obamaphones." (This was a service started, I believe, under Former President Bill Clinton and funds come from extra billing to users). My own daughter said the other day, "All the other kids have iPhones!" To which Daddy and Mom said, "No they don't. There are many of your friends who don't have iPhones." Purchasing an iPhone is outside of the means of our family, anyway. But this is another story!

The pic above shows what is all-too typical of the pitiful living conditions of those families and individuals who live and suffer in developing countries. These many, many people have probably never seen a computer or a cell phone, let alone more "fancy" gadgets such as iPods , iPads, Tablets, or the link. That image is not pretty or comfortable but it represents what billions of impoverished people in the developing word suffer daily and contantly. You may have no doubt seen images of starving children with extremely thin limbs and unnaturally bloated bellies. I have seen them. The media ought to cover these kind of situations but doing so makes for poor entertainment, it's depressing and uncomfortable and their ratings would plummet. Plus, there is the cost of travel and many of these countries would put journalists at risk because they tend to be or have "hot spots" with harsh governments. But because we are closed off from what is going on in so many of these countries and areas of the world, it's easy to be uninformed as to what is going on and to the extent it all is going on.



When I was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1960's and 1970's, starving children were often used by adults to get children to eat foods full of nutrition that we did not like. Since I always was (and am) a very picky eater, adults often admonished me, "Eat all the food on your plate; think of all the starving children who won't get any food to eat today" or "Eat your vegetables; starving kids would like to have broccoli or spinach." These kind of admonitions are well-intentioned, but starving children are not helped by what we eat or by our not wasting our food. Cleaning one's plate has been proved to be counterproductive to appetite and weight management; we should not waste anything based on the sheer fact that these things are given to us to be used, NOT squandered. We are familiar with the concepts of relative poverty vs. absolute poverty, and that the poverty of those in developing countries on the continents of South America, Asia and Africa fall in the category of absolute poverty. No, I'm not minimizing the abject poverty, and numerous other sufferings that so many in the developed world are experiencing, and who need our help. Charity "begins at home," after all. The focus of this post is on our responsibility to those on the other side of the world. Yes, we need to take care of our families first and others "in our backyard" first. Yet we may not realize that it doesn't cost much to help fight poverty on the other side of the world.



You have no doubt seen numerous appeals and ads, whether on TV, internet or other media, about child sponsorship. Some fine child sponsorship nonprofits seek to fight world poverty through child sponsorship. You know how it works: They partner with sponsors who provide sponsored children with basic needs for food, clothing, shelter and education. Families and communities are often helped. You who are reading this may already sponsor a child or even more. If you do, I thank you! And I'm sure that the child and his/her family do, too! What is unigue about a child sponsorship nonprofit like Compassion International? I think you need to just check and see for yourself. Don't take my word for it! The monthly amount of $38 is not too pricy and means that you may have to give up a Diet Pepsi habit or a few trips to Burger King. It may mean cutting expenses in other ways. Something to think about. You can find out more by going right here.

All images are courtesy of Compassion International.

A Simple but Huge Way to Put Compassion In Action

I'm sure that if you have followed the news, whether online or on TV, two months ago, you have been saturated with coverage of a baby. This baby is known as the "royal baby," and we were subjected to nonstop two-day coverage of every detail of this baby's birth. Who was he? He was born on July 22, 2013, to Catherine "Kate" Middleton and to Prince William Alexander. The day before, we were taken into every detail of the anticipated  arrival of this "royal baby" who is named Prince George Alexander, 8 lbs. and 6 oz.. I know that many people no doubt were fascinated with and entertained by this baby, born into wealth and destined as third in line for the throne in the British monarchy. But I wondered at all this saturation coverage of one very fortunate baby born into privilege. I could understand why citizens in Great Britain have been absorbed with this event, but I could not understand the worldwide fascination. I wondered, and still do, Where are our priorities?
What about all the countless far less fortunate, destitute, and hurting children throughout the world?
Why not focus on one of them and raise awareness of their need and our responsibility to help them with our time and yes, our money?

What about children like these pictured? Children who need the basics of food, clothing, medical care, education, and more? Let me give you some grim statistics.  Research bears out that all over the world, 21,000 children die of extreme poverty-related diseases. Every minute, 15 children throughout the world die in these ways. Precious children. Children with purposes and potential poured into them by their Creator. Most of us are aware of these heart-breaking, sad facts. We feel overwhelmed and helpless because we know that we cannot begin to save them all. So we throw up our hands and conclude why bother worrying about all these children we can't help?

You no doubt may have heard of child sponsorship. You know that child sponsorship is a commitment of time and money. Yes, I fully understand that all of us have many financial responsibilities and must commit our money to a budget if we want to know financial health. You know what, though? It does not cost much money to sponsor a child through good nonprofits. Surely many more of us can find room in our budgets to include a monthly child sponsorship. Yet I would not personally recommend any nonprofit. Some are better than others at meeting the needs of children and strengthening communities.

 

 

 I don't know if many of you have heard of Compassion International. You may have. You may have seen my recently-added Sponsor Me widget on the right sidebar of this BlogSpot. This badge easily links to this nonprofit that is a treasure trove of information about child poverty, the many countries where Compassion serves children and communities, their own blogs, and many external links to many who are spreading the word about this unique nonprofit. And what makes them special? Why does it cost a bit more to sponsor a child through Compassion than through other nonprofits? They provide food, clothing, medical care, educational opportunities. They partner with many local places of worship where they serve children, to address these children's spiritual needs. They provide their own online stationery, where you can email your sponsored child without having to pay postage; then they hand-deliver your message.

 

Don't just take my word for it but click the Sponsor Me badge on the right sidebar to go right to Compassion's site and find out what they do. There are so many registered, waiting children who would love to have a sponsor like you. You and I cannot save all these children. Nor are we expected to! But maybe we can save one or even more through committed, long-term child sponsorship. We are always talking about how the world needs heroes. We do! Most of us may not be heroes in the eyes of the world and in the dramatic sense like firefighters, military persons, law enforcement, and others. But we can be heroes in the eyes of a precious but hurting child who needs us. We can do this!

Most of us can. Talk about making a difference!

 

 

 

 

                        

You see those children above. Do you think they would be able to attend school without caring persons like you and me who are willing to reach out to them? Have you considered this personalized and unique way to make a lifelong difference in the life of a precious child in need?You Can Help A Child

All photos are courtesy of Compassion International.