Monday mail call: perspective changed

After an overly busy weekend, I headed to the mailbox today, taking a small break from doing homework. On the walk there, all I could  think of was deadlines and projects. But then, I saw that beautiful cream-colored envelope with the blue letters that spelled Message From Your Sponsored Child in the stack of mail. I ran back to my house and plopped down on my bedroom floor, tearing open the treasured letter. It was a letter from my sweet Kendy.

She (through her mom) wrote about receiving the picture of my dog and how cute he was. But the next sentences hit me hard:

Kind Dionne, this month in our area, there was a hard wind and Kendy's roof  was damaged. Kendy was very scared, but she's grateful to Lord Jesus who keeps loyal to accompany her and her mother. 

Wow. I'd been worried about getting my schoolwork done, but never scared that the roof might cave in on me while I studied. Little Kendy and her mom have such a strong faith. Their letters constantly remind me to be thankful for each and every day, and praise God during my minor struggles, as they do during catastrophes.

Please pray for Kendy and her family, that the Lord will keep them safe.

God bless,

Dionne 


 By the way, I'm linked up with Blogging from the Boonies Monday mail call 

It's September already?

In the midst of returning to school, studying for ACT's, reconnecting with friends, and getting back into the swing of things, September appeared! Out of nowhere, one day it was August, then the next... September! Even though the weather is still very, Very, HOT, I can't help but envision all the wonderful fall-like things September brings. Leaves changing colors, Friday night football games, cinnamon tea, and new experiences. With the beginning of Fall, there are many opportunities to try new activities and change things up--just as the season is changing.

A new experience for me this September is participating in Compassion International's blog month.

Compassion International is an organization that is very close to my heart! Compassion is a child sponsorship program that connects loving sponsors to kids in need of love in third-world countries. But it is so much more than donating a little money each month to a child whom you hardly know. As a sponsor, you have the opportunity to correspond with your child through letters and pictures (and I know from personal experience how FUN it is to write and receive letters from your kids). Another amazing thing about Compassion is  they work on developing every area of a child's well- being: Physical, social, financial, emotional, and spiritual.

The goal of blog month is to get 3,108 children sponsored in the month of September. WOW! Imagine all the precious lives that can be changed this month...

So, since this is the month of September, the month of trying new things and change... why not start by changing the life of a child in poverty? It may just change your life too!

 If you feel that this is something you'd like to look into, hop on over to this link below, where you can find out more about sponsoring a child and see children in need of a sponsor today.
http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/sponsorship.htm


God Bless,

Dionne

Monday Mail Call

This week  I received TWO letters from Kendy, my Indonesian sweetie!

The first letter was a form letter about her dreams for the future. In this letter Kendy said someday she would like to fly in an airplane, meet the President, go sightseeing with her family, be a teacher and meet her sponsor in person. On the back was a very detailed drawing of a teacher (which I think her mom helped her with). She also mentioned that she and her friends decorated Easter eggs together. (I can just picture them all smiling and giggling as they dunk eggs into colored dyes).


The second letter made me cry:

Hello Sponsor. How are you? Here Kendy is well. She has great hope that Dionne is well too. She's grateful to Lord Jesus because He has given her a very kind sponsor like Dionne. She thanks Dionne so much for the money she sent. The money was used to buy Kendy church clothes and shoes.Good Dionne, the game Kendy likes is to play dolls with her friends. She always prays so Dionne will keep blessed and protected by Lord Jesus. Finally, she hopes that someday Kendy and Dionne will meet directly. God bless. Amen.
Love,
Kendy 

Introducing... Salif

It has been on my heart to sponsor a child since last summer, when I went on a mission trip and helped run a kids camp for the local children. I saw the need for love and attention, and when I came back home I was fired up to make a difference in the life of a child- right away. 

I wanted to rush into sponsoring a child, but I had absolutely NO money and my parents didn't think it was a good idea at the time. So I waited. Then this past winter, I again felt the urge to sponsor a child- a little girl from Uganda named Eron. I talked with my parents and prayed a lot for God's guidance. At that point my parents finally said "okay", but God did not. After getting the okay from my parents, I had a horrible night sleep and felt sick to my stomach about the decision. Alright God, I get it, not yet. 

Then, I hosted a Compassion Sunday this April. Four children were sponsored by church members and I was ecstatic! However, there was one little boy who was always looked over. He had been waiting an ENTIRE YEAR for a sponsor, and at the age of six that had to be hard! For the two Sundays I had the packets displayed, I always put this little's boy packet front and center. When people came to look, I mentioned this little guy, who had been waiting a long time. But there were no takers. 

The deadline for turning in sponsorship forms was quickly approaching. I was waiting on one church member to turn in their form. While waiting, I prayed to God about this little boy, that someone would sponsor him and end his wait. Then an idea struck... I could sponsor him. I had recently gotten a summer job and had money saved up in the bank. God seemed to be screaming 'yes' this time! I was set on my decision, but had failed to run it past my parents yet. When I told them I wanted to sponsor this boy, they were quick to say no. But God was able to change their minds, and they knew it was something I really wanted to do.

So on Friday, May 18th, I officially sponsored Salif!

I have more than enough

I've started to write this blog post several times and each time I quit after the second sentence. This past week I "fasted with the poor" so to speak. I ate only rice, beans, chicken and bananas.

At first, I was really excited about this venture because I hoped to gain some kind of amazing perspective into the lives of the poor, the lives of children like Luisa, Ulrich and Kendy. I thought, "hey I could even post on my blog about how hard it is to eat the same thing every day for a week."


 But I found guilt instead.

The whole seven days I ate my beans and rice I was counting down the days until I could eat chocolate cake again. I didn't gain perspective on God's love for the poor. Even though I was eating the food most commonly eaten by the poor around the world, I was sleeping every night in my warm bed, showering every morning, wearing clean clothes, and eating three square meals a day- not worrying about when I would eat next.

Maybe I won't ever know what its like to be truly hungry. I may not be able to sympathize with the poor, but I know that I have more than enough, and I could be doing so much more. God calls us to help 'the least of these' not 'eat rice and beans to sympathize with the least of these'. This experience may not have been what I originally thought it would be, but it was definitely a wake-up call to do something.

God bless,
Dionne

Compassion Sunday

Through the Compassion Sunday I hosted at my church last week, four children were sponsored! These are the beautiful children that still need sponsors...

Jhonn from Bolivia

Ufitimana from Rwanda

Handri from Indonesia

Gilbert from Ghana

Fatima from El Salvador

Salif from Burkina Faso (been waiting 11 months for a sponsor)

Daniel from Honduras

Jonathan from El Salvador

Pierrette from Togo

Jhoselin from Bolivia

Anushiya from India

Tuhin from India (been waiting 11 months for a sponsor)

Antonela from Ecuador

Ernesto from Guatamala

Please pray that these children will find sponsors soon and if you are interested in sponsoring one of them, let me know. 

God bless,

Dionne

The story of my correspondence kids...

To continue from my previous post, I'd like to share how my two correspondence children, Kendy and Ulrich entered my life. I first heard about correspondence children here, on peoples' blogs. My imaginative mind thought maybe the term 'correspondence child' was some kind of secret Compassion bloggers phrase. When I found out it meant writing to children who don't receive letters, I was very enthused! 

I prayed over the idea of corresponding with a child, talked with my parents, and decided it was a good idea. So, one afternoon I picked up the phone and nervously dialed Compassion's number (I'm not a fan of talking on the phone). I was connected with a lovely Compassion representative and when she asked the reason I called I managed to say all in one breath, "Iwanttoknowhowtobecomeacorrespondencesponsor". I image she had to think about what it was I was trying to communicate with her, but she figured it out and was very helpful. A few weeks later, I got my correspondence child's packet. I cried when I saw this beautiful face...

Four-year-old Kendy from Indonesia was the little girl God had chosen for me! If I hadn't already been sold on the ministry of Compassion, this precious face was the deal breaker.

A few months later I called to correspond with another child (I'd gotten better at phone conversations, so I don't think it was quite as painful for the Compassion representative). I was told there was a long waiting list, but they would add my name. The next day I logged onto my Compassion account and saw this little guy...

Seven-year-old Ulrich from Burkina Faso! Besides being the cutest thing, he is very funny! His first letter was full of so much personality! He informed me "I am 8 years old and I like eating beans." 

Both kids have taught me a lot. Kendy has shared (through her mom who writes her letters) her heartache about her dad living far away for his job, breaking her only doll, but also the joy she receives when going to her project and the hope of Jesus Christ. Ulrich has reminded me that kids are kids, even poor children in a drastically different culture than mine. Each child has a unique personality and something important to say.