I have 3 daughters... well sort of ! Now before those of you who know me personally go off half-cocked, wondering if I've been messing around on my wife, let me explain. I have two biological daughters whom I love dearly. They teach me so much about a father's love. Sometimes I wonder if there's enough room in my heart to contain the overwhelming affection I have for my girls. Recently though, I've been really inspired to love another "daughter." I have always had a passion for Rwanda. A few years ago I watched Hotel Rwanda and it left an indelible imprint on my soul. Then I watched the HBO special Sometimes in April. I wept for days. I couldn't eat or barely even sleep for 3 days. I was gutted by what I'd discovered about the genocide that threatened to wipe out a whole nation.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
What's in your wallet?
Then I reconnected with a young pastor that I'd met while I was in Uganda who happened to be, yes you guessed it, Rwandan. He shared with me about so much that was going on in the country and about how his generation had inadvertently become the "elders" and leaders of that society because the genocide had wiped out the majority of his father's generation, and those that were left were maimed or incapacitated in one way or another. Elders? This young pastor was in his late twenties! My burden further increased and I determined that The Well would one day make a trip to Rwanda and invest in any and every way that we could in the lives of those precious people. We have yet to make that trip though all the planning and preparation are at an advanced stage.
So a few months ago I took a small first step in the direction of Rwanda. I adopted a young 12-year old girl through Compassion International. I specifically chose her because I wanted a child that was about the same age as my youngest daughter (who is 11) so that I would be mindful of the different stages of life she is walking through. Her name is Jeannette and she is the most delightful little girl you could ever hope to set eyes on. She lost her father during the Rwandan civil war and is now being raised by her mother and her grandmother. Why am I sharing this? Because my life has been impacted by this young lady as I pray for her and play a small role in ensuring that her future is filled with hope. I have no doubt that your life would benefit significantly from investing in the life of someone else. It costs $32.00 a month ($1.00 a day) to support a child through Compassion. So I ask you... what's in your wallet?Sponsor a child here.
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12 comments:
A little clarity from my post:
I have had a running joke on my blog about John Tesh. I sort of consider him the David Hasselhoff of Christiandom. (It all started here http://mindshatter.com/jordan/category/sacred-vs-secular/)
Secondly, my grandmother has a cooking show on the Christian television network...Thus the Martha Stewart reference.
I have an adopted daughter named Aurelia who lives in Peru. I'm saddened every year when I receive a picture of her - each year she looks more miserable than the year before and I wish there was something more I could do besides sending money. I can't imagine having to troll through garbage dumps to find "treasures" that will bring in money to contribute to the family income. What a responsibility for 12 year old! When my boys were 12, I couldn't even get them to take the garbage out. I know that God is working though and I just cling to the hope that one year, I'll receive a picture of her with a little smile on her face.
Hope,
I hear you... we recently received a new picture of the 9 year old girl we sponsor and she looked more pained than the picture the two years before.
Joseph,
Hopefully we'll be able to have a Compassion Sunday sometime in the future at The Well. :)
May the Lord bless you and Jeanette; may His plan be fulfilled in you both.
cd
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&friendID=43501683
Jordan, I knew that 'cos I had actually read that post. I was "head scratching" because you made out "sincerely" that the gift of the CD was better than the gift of the car and sounded so convincing that I was wondering...
Hope, I said a prayer for you and Aurelia when I read your comment.
Hope C., you'd better believe it. What a joy that would be to have tons of people sign up to "adopt" a child in need and shower them with prayers and love.
Dave, thanks so much for joining the conversation and for your kind prayer.
Joseph,
what a wonderful thing to do! I live in a country that has millions of people living in poverty. Seeing adults and children digging/searching in garbage dumps is a daily reality. Close to my house there is this huge container, where all the families in the neighborhood place the trash to be picked up later by the city´s cleaning system... and 24hr a day you can see people there looking for something (to eat, to dress, to use, to sell, to recycle,...). Sad but true.
Alison, I can identify with the visual picture you paint since I'm Nigerian by birth and this goes on a lot in my part of the world too. If I can do something small to make a difference in one person's life, that would be one less person that would have to forage for food in a dumpster.
tv digital, thanks for joining the conversation. Your congratulations are appreciated.
Kim and I have been discussing adopting through CI or similar organization. It's a no-brainer, really. We just need to do it.
It's like you said Joey: Just do it!
Joseph,
with all do respect, and please dont take me wrong, make sure any association you use to help those kids is reliable. I hate lacking faith in people, but there are soooooooo many problems regarding them... I mean, the money never reaches the kids, fake pictures, fake companies...
Alison, your concern is well founded and appreciated. I should tell you though, that there is not a more reliable organization to support kids through than Compassion International. Click on the hyperlink on my blog and visit their web site. They are a fabulous organization that I am well acquainted with especially since their offices were literally across the street from my home in Colorado Springs when I lived there.
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