compassion

 

i did a little light reading this summer.

the Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us?

& it completely wrecked me.

i picked up this book several months ago but life got busy 

 & it got returned to the library. unfinished.

then one of my good highschool buddies sent me copy

saying it had been a life changer for him.

life changer indeed.

i have never read a book like it

i actually started it months ago & trying to be all cool and a literary genius

i tried to read it simultaneously with a few others

but it grabbed my heart and attention.

i began to feel like an idiot for 'not knowing'.

for not knowing how millions, MILLIONS, of people live.

maybe i'm just too wrapped up in my safe & cozy

white slipcovered life of luxury

consumed with trips to target and playing my hobbies.

but now i know.

i may only know a little 

but i know

i know statistics

& i now know that while i may never be a world changer,

i can certainly change the world for one person.

one person at a time.

( i read 'kisses from katie' too which will also blow your mind. i'll share about that later)

i have followed compassion bloggers on various trips.

earlier this year i followed nester and her own life changing trip to tanzania.

i would lay my head down on my computer as the emotions just overwhelmed me.

i have a place in my heart for uganda.

i've been praying for months that somehow, someway

i'll travel to there.

many of our artisans are there & i want to meet them

hear their stories, take their photos &hug their necks.

there's also a special little fella there.

his name is brian...

 

i spent hour after hour on the compassion page

looking at the faces of so many beautiful children.

i figured we'd sponsor a girl

but as i looked only one little fella

was listed as living with his father only.

in an area with such a high percentage of HIV,

 i assumed maybe his mama had passed away.

well it was mother's day here in the states & i thought

clearly, he's the one we would sponsor.

meet brian, our little fella from uganda.

 

the day our packet of information arrived

i went to staples and printed his picture & made bookmarks for each of us 

i want us to commit to praying for him and his family every day.

a few weeks later our first handwritten note arrived from him!!!

 

we read about the ages of his sibling & with whom he lives.

he told us his favorite foods & what he loves to play.

and want to know another awesome thing?
now compassion has email set up

so you can email & send pictures!!!

 

he sent another letter last week

where the interpreter wrote that 

"brian and his family are thanking you for sponsorship and said that God should

bless you abundantly"....

bless me?

our little fella in uganda prayed that God would bless me?

how can that be?

i sat there all choked up and humbled

& tried to soak in the significance of those few words

and prayed that i will always carry the name of Jesus

& that brian will carry the name of jesus.

i prayed for his health & education

i prayed that God would reveal himself in a mighty way in the life of brian.

i prayed brian would be a leader in his community

and 

i prayed. one more time.

that one day i'll find a way to carry his name to uganda

& maybe 

just maybe

see the face of this beautiful child there

who prayed for me too.

Sponsor a Child