As this reality was shared with our students at CIY a couple weeks ago, they were given the opportunity to respond by sponsoring a child through the ministry of Compassion. The ministry of Compassion is "releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name."
In the past, our students have sponsored children as a group, but that takes little real commitment and develops very little connection, so I told our kids if they wanted to do this, it was up to them individually. Instead of our group supporting one child, about half a dozen students each are now sacrificing $32 a month from their part-time jobs or allowances to sponsor children.
Here are some comments from one of the girls, who now sponsors a little boy in Bangladesh (she wrote this for our gruop devotions one of the nights of our trip in AZ)...
...my spiritually moving story is about the boy I decided to sponsor. Out of the few I scanned on the table, he was the only one I felt I needed to sponsor. I felt a connection with him, as in a special bond. I feel I need to support him. I feel a love for a little boy that I don’t even know.
I don’t want this boy to grow up in poverty and without food. I can’t give him everything. I can only give him what he needs and tell him about God.
We can’t be tempted into thinking we can do it all. God will show us what to do, how to do it, and when it needs to be done. God wants us to follow Him.
That is why I do what I do. Students loving outside of themselves becuase the love of God compels them to do so... The "love for a little boy that I don't even know"... The desire to do something, anything, to help someone else...
She's right. We can't do everything. My sponsorship of a child or two is not going to end world hunger. But it'll make a difference to a few.
Go make a difference.
(the link to Compassion might be a good place for you to start)
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