Compassion in India

Edited: Sorry about the random spacing throughout this and especially in the quotes. I'm too tired to try and make blogger cooperate...

This stuff is just too good to pass up.

Right now there is a team of Compassion Bloggers on a trip to India. One of my favorite bloggers, Angie is on the trip so I've been keeping up with her posts, along with a number of other bloggers who are on the trip. Angie's posts have been so amazing and moving - I really hope you take some time to read her posts from the trip. Today's post entitled "I've Been Lied to and Ridiculed" is definitely worth it!

Rather than just telling you to head over there I thought I'd share a few quotes from some of her posts....

From "Name"

We went to the first Compassion project today and I can't begin to tell
you how it affected me. I have been mulling this post over, praying, asking the
Lord to give me the words I can't find. There are so many stories I want to
share, so many things God allowed me to experience, and it has challenged me in
a beautiful way.
It has been really easy for me to stay out of the water in a lot of ways, and my own cynicism has kept me safe there. But today, as we stood in a house made of bamboo and clay bricks and watched a woman tell us how Compassion had changed their lives, something in my soul settled.

From "Child Survival Program"

I looked over several of the wall charts, and as I did, I thought about
the way I have doubted organizations like this in the past because how in
the world could they keep up with thousands and thousands of
children?
And hanging on the wall in impeccable ink handwriting was
the undeniable evidence. It was so beautiful to see the way they care for
these babies, and as a result, the way families are impacted.

I was checking out a few of the other bloggers and wanted to post a few quotes and point you to their blogs as well.

This post is by Melissa (sorry about no last name) of Living Proof Ministries, I believe she is the daughter of Beth Moore (you know, THE Beth Moore). What she wrote her really hit home with me because her struggle with her own house match my own....

From "How do you like my house"

We kneeled around and listened to Kiran tell her story through a translator. Her beaming smile and joyous spirit were enough to distract from the oppressive heat. She told us about how she loves to study, how much she loves Jesus, and how she wants to be a teacher someday.
And then she asked us, her guests, with a genuine smile on her face as though she was taking us on a tour of her mansion:
“How do you like my house?”
Can you remember what it felt like to break up with your first love? Okay, now multiply that by about a million. It was like a dagger in my heart. I didn’t just want to cry. I wanted to completely lose it. But I joined in with the rest of the team, who were likely feeling the same way, and we all said, “We love it. It is beautiful.”
And I thought of the times that I’ve told my husband I don’t want to have a certain couple over to our apartment because our dining room table isn’t big enough. I thought of the times that I’ve been “ashamed” to invite friends into our home because it isn’t fancy enough or we don’t have enough chairs or our sofa isn't comfortable enough. The countless times I've complained about the paint color on the walls.
There I was. A Compassion sponsor. Being mentored by a Compassion child on what is really important in life. I realized that we often assume people are completely hopeless just because they don't have the material wealth that we deem necessary for a quality life. But sometimes those who are in the most difficult circumstances know best of all where to find hope. Kiran sure did. She had hope because through God's grace via Compassion International she has a safe place to learn, to get a hot meal, and to hear more about Jesus.

From the blog Without Wax by Pete Wilson post entitled "Looking into the eyes of bondage"

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”
“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”

“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”

anonymous....

Finally from Shaun Groves. He is a musician and spokesperson for Compassion and he is involved in organizing these trips. He also travels around and does concerts/speaking at churches (free) about Compassion. Matt and I have been talking with his "agent/friend" about having him come to our church. Right now they don't have a lot of contacts in the NE so if any other of my NE friends think your church would be interested let me know! I'm too tired to write much more, but definitely head over and check out his writings. He is so passionate about Compassion and how they save and transfrom lives in Jesus' name - it's contageous!

One of the reasons I love following these trips is it helps make the $32 a month that we send to our Compassion boy Henry seem more significant. It reminds me that Henry is a real little boy in Uganda who has the letters that I wrote him (not nearly enough) over the years. It makes writing a check each month (ok, so it's direct deposit, but we get montly statements) a whole lot more personal. When I read these posts it makes me prayerfully consider what else I can be doing to show Christ's love to those who have so little. It also forces me to confront my own struggles with feeling like I don't have enough and I realize I am rich in material items but so often poor in spirit.

I hope you will take the time to be challenged and touched. And perhaps even consider sponsoring a child.