Three little lives

My daughter wanted to send toys to Guatemala, where the child we first sponsored through Compassion International lives. She since has settled to sending her stickers and drawing her pictures to comply with the rules. Both my daughter, Cate, and our sponsored child, Roselyn, are 5.

They're impressionable at this point. We hope God uses us to make an impression of hope on Roselyn's life, even from all these miles away. And I know God is making an impression on Cate's heart when we talk about Roselyn or the two other Compassion children with whom we share our lives through letters.

My heart melts when I hear my daughter, who has more toys than she plays with in a day, get excited about celebrating Roselyn's birthday with her own, giving up some of her own gifts for the sake of giving a girl she's never met in person more. {Our idea is to collect money for an extra donation as well as other goodies -- like stickers, greeting cards and coloring pages -- that fit in envelopes and the correspondence rules at each of our kids' birthday parties so each of our Compassion kids can have some extra celebration too.}

In addition to Roselyn, we sponsor and Jean, who lives in Ecuador will turn 11 the same time my son, Ben, turns 3. We also are a correspondence sponsor to Elvis, a 13-year-old boy who also lives in Ecuador. And, hey, I warned you that you'd be hearing more about Compassion International this month.

That's three little lives in two other countries that aren't the same because of what Compassion International does for their education, health, physical well-being, and spiritual life. I have friends who sponsor other kids. I read blogs by people who have visited these countries and shared stories of hope amidst the poverty they experience briefly.

I don't have those kind of stories for you. {But you can read some amazing stories from Tanzania, Ecuador, Philippines, Guatemala, Kenya, El Salvador, and others at CompassionBloggers.com.}

But I do want to remind you that you can make a difference in a child's life. It'll cost you $38 a month, but it's worth it. You'll hear from that child and be reminded that live is so much more than our little corner of the world. The changes don't stay in Ecuador or Guatemala; they come inside my home and heart too.

Sponsor a child. Really, it's priceless. {Clicking on that link will take you to a page of sweet, sweet faces. Consider this your warning: You'll want to help them all.}
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