Thursday 12 July 2007

Child sponsorship

Child sponsorship and missionary sponsorship is something that I feel is so vitally important. Two organizations that I have the utmost respect for are Compassion and Gospel for Asia. Compassion is unashamedly a Christian organization and they promote a real relationship with your sponsored child. I think it's so important for our kids to realize how fortunate they/we are, and that with that blessing comes the responsibility to help others.

Our children love writing our sponsored child. They pray for him every single day and talk about him a lot. We have had the honor and privilege of receiving letters from him where he ends the letters signing "your son Jonathan" at the bottom. We have pictures he's drawn and he has artwork from our kids and pictures of us. We have had the joy of seeing the gifts he's received as a result of our investment in his life.

Some thoughts to ponder.....

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep you are richer than 75 percent of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful you are blessed, because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

If you can read this message you are more blessed than more than two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.


I highly suspect that everyone reading this meets the qualifications to be in the top 8% of the world's wealthy. We truly have soooo much. And with abundance comes responsibility to help those less fortunate, to share with those in need, to do something for the least of these.

And, quite frankly, I think we benefit from sponsorship even more if we have to sacrifice a bit ourselves in order to do so.

Gospel for Asia is another great organization. We sponsor 2 missionaries in India. With GFA, 100% of your donation goes directly to the missionary to support him/her first while they complete their training, and then while they are out on the mission field - a dangerous one at that. You can also purchase other items for any of their missionaries such as a bike, Bibles or even a church! I'd encourage you to request their free book - Revolution in World Missions - I've read it and it's an amazing read - I challenge you to read it too!

If you haven't yet, check out these organizations - it could change your life just as much (if not more) as those you are helping.

For interests sake - I added a poll to my blog today. Do you sponsor a child? (It doesn't have to be through Compassion).

1 comment:

Pamela said...

Thanks for sharing Tammy! I think I will add "sponsor a child" to the my 101/1001 list.

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