Until The Whole World Hears

Reposted from Teagan's Travels (April 2011)

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” 

Mark 9:36-37 

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great night and not as disappointed as we are that Rory McIlroy didn't win The Masters!! Still, we had a good weekend here and I am so grateful for all the sweet comments that you guys wrote after our post introducing you to Pascaline! I promised to follow up with more information on why we chose to sponsor through Compassion International so here it is! But first, a little inspiration from the Casting Crowns. They are my favorite Christian band and their Until the Whole World Hears is a favorite song at the moment.

Isn't that an amazing, inspiring song? It reminds me that in our world there are places where there is little hope, much darkness and people who have simply never heard of Jesus Christ. I believe we have a vital role to play in at least getting the message of his love, the salvation and hope He offers to them. I try to do this as a sponsor and advocate for Compassion International. Compassion is a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. The organization was founded in 1952 and today it helps more than 1 million children in 26 countries. Now I am no scrap booking Mama, my friends. But here I have started a scrapbook to capture the pictures and letters we've been receiving from Pascaline.

There are many wonderful organizations out there providing sponsorship opportunities but what stands out to us is that Compassion tackles poverty one child and family at a time. This is different from other groups that bring programs in at a community level with the intention that they will one day impact local families. By changing the lives of individual children by attacking poverty from several angles the organization has found these kids often go on to facilitate change as adults in their villages.

And a former auditor I also like that more than 80 percent of all their expenditures go to program activities for our children. Plus their finances are independently audited on at least an annual basis both here and in country offices.

Sponsoring a child costs $38 a month. It's a commitment, but please know that these kids NEED us and the incredible difference it makes in their lives is invaluable. The children Compassion International serves receive, among other things: the opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about Jesus; educational opportunities and help; health care, hygiene training and supplementary food if necessary; a caring and safe Christian environment to grow in self-confidence and social skills; personal attention, guidance and love. In some countries this includes AIDS prevention education and mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria. The Child Survival Program also helps provide moms-to-be with vital prenatal care and focuses on getting newborns through the first critical three years of their lives with proper nutrition and vaccinations.

As I said in my previous post, this has been such a rewarding experience for us that keeps giving back. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please see the Compassion International link I have provided on the side bar of my blog. I would love to answer any questions you may have and to hear from other sponsors on their children!

Blessings, Michelle!