A Little Less Lonely

through the eyes of a Compassion sponsored child... all characters are totally fictional.

I look around the small and empty house. My aunt and all my older cousins aren't home. They're never home. They're always out doing drugs or "working" - but they never seem to earn enough money for anything.

A familiar loneliness settles in my heart, ready to haunt me though the evening.

I sit on the floor, and then I remember the photo and letter that they gave to me at the centre today. I take them out from the bag that they also gave me at the centre.

I hold the photo tightly and look at the pretty girl with smiling eyes and long brown hair.

The teachers at the centre call her my sponsor. 

All I know is that because of her, I can go to school, go to the doctor, and I'm not so hungry so often anymore. My auntie, who I've been living with since my mama and papa died, looks less worried and bothered over me nowadays, and I think maybe the nice girl in the picture has something to do with that. Auntie has three kids of her own, and most times I just feel like a inconvenience to her.

There's a letter too. I try to read some. 

Hello Gabrielle!

Gabrielle. That's me. 

My name is Kari, and I am so excited to be your sponsor. I am 16 years old and I live in Canada. 

At the church, they helped me to find Canada on the map. It seems very far from Uganda. 

How are you? I hope that you are doing well. How is school? Do you like school? I am in grade 11. I like going to school. My favourite thing to learn about is music. How about you, what do you like to learn about?

I can't wait to write back to her and tell her that my favourite subject is math. My tutor, Rachel, said that she would help me write a letter back to Kari tomorrow, on letter writing day. I'm excited just thinking about it - finally I have someone to write to on letter writing day! I don't have to just sit and watch the other kids tomorrow.

I keep reading the rest of the letter. She says she has an older brother and that they both live with their parents. She plays the guitar and likes to sing worship songs at church. 

Soon I get to the end of the letter.

Please write back soon! I can't wait to get to know you. 

I'm surprised that she wants to know about me... She cares about me? No one cares about me.

Always remember that Jesus loves you and is always with you, and I love you too! You are so beautiful and God made you special and in His image. -Kari

I read the words three times over. 

No one has told me that they loved me or that I was beautiful since my mama and papa died. 

And the part about Jesus loving me and being there for me... They say stuff like that at the centre.

I read the words one more time and really let them sink in... 

And I realize I don't feel so lonely anymore.

---

Would you be Kari to a Gabrielle out there? Yes?

Please click here to start the amazing journey called child sponsorship. 

The relationship you build with your sponsored child is so priceless and could honestly save their life.

The letters you write bring encouragement, truth and love into their life - things they may not be getting from their family. 

I can't stress enough how life-changing child sponsorship is - both ways.

The goal for Compassion blog month was to see 3108 children sponsored. With one week left, we're 1102 children away from that goal... Would you pretty please help us reach that goal? There are so many amazing kids waiting for a sponsor just like you. Kids with dreams, hopes, goals and amazing futures... And you can be a part of that! What a blessing it is the God gives us the opportunity to pitch in and help build his Kingdom.

One last time: Sponsor a child! I promise you won't regret it! :)

More on child sponsorship:
What is Sponsorship?
Meeting Florianlyn
Six Months, One Day {A Reflection on Meeting Florianlyn}
10 Reasons to Sponsor a Compassion Child

Freedom

The tears almost fell as Dr. D'Souza spoke of the slavery and oppression of the Dalit people in India.

Every time I hear the numbers, it still shocks me. 

27 million slaves. 

13.5 million of them are under the age of 18. 

21.6 million of them are sexually exploited, most of the rest forced into unfair and/or brutal labour. 

27 million hearts, dreams, souls, lives. 

How I take advantage of my freedom. 

How I don't even consider it a gift, but merely an expected right.

But shouldn't it be just an expected right? Shouldn't every human being expect to be free?

As I finished listening to Dr. D'Souza speak about his dream of freedom this morning {Side note: PLEASE take 15 minutes to watch him speak, so inspiring, informative and moving! Watch it here.}, I take a glance at my Twitter timeline. {Yes, we tweet at church. Cuz my church is cool like that.} This is what I found:

Here's what Galatians 5:13 says:

God thing, huh?

It reminds me of one of my favourite quotes, the words of Nelson Mandela:

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

It's as if Nelson Mandela was quoting Galatians 5:13 in his own words...!

We are called to freedom. All of us. And we are not free until we respect, enhance, love and serve.

And so then, none of us are free. Because I'm not respecting the freedom of about 40 people. Yes, I have 40 slaves working for me. You probably have a few too, even if you (like I did) don't know. Check this out to find out how many slaves you have working for you. You might be surprised.

For me, my freedom will come when I can go into any store, not just a fair trade store, and buy chocolate, coffee or a t-shirt that was made under fair wages. Freedom will come when I can live freely knowing that no other girl is being chained to prostitution.

Until that happens, I'll strive everyday for freedom. I'll strive everyday to love, serve, respect and enhance.

Because that's my calling.

Confessions of a Broken Teenager

previously titled "A Letter to God". ;)

  Dear God,

  I have a confession to make. A couple, actually.

  I'll get right to it.

Confession #1
  Sometimes, I wonder why. I see all the starving, the hurting, the broken, and I wonder, Father -- why don't you fix it? I know you can... So why not?
  I forget that you have a perfect plan. I forget that although I may not like it or see it, the brokenness is somehow part of that perfect plan. Your ultimate act of love and perfect plan to redeem the world involved a breaking. You said: "...take heart! I have overcome the world," {John 16:33} and I need to trust that.
  Truth is, God, I forget to trust a lot. And I know I need to trust more. After all, "faith" was one of my words for 2012.

Confession #2
  "Thank you" doesn't grace my lips half as much as it should. I don't thank you enough. I forget that a thanks-filled life is the only way to really live. I forget that everything is a grace from you. And I start asking why (see Confession #1). I start fearing. I forget to say thank-you.
  Here's what I'm most thankful for right now, God. Remember that "overcome the world" part from Confession #1? I'm so thankful that you include me in that. I'm so humbled and awestruck.
  Advancing you Kingdom has taught me so much. Investing in the lives of Happyness, Bell Bradley, Florianlyn, Rochelle, Moses, Frederic and Junior through Compassion has taught me so much.
  Each relationship has taught me so much. Rochelle, especially. She's taught me to be joyful in the struggle. She's reminded me to wake up each morning with the desire to do better than the day before.
  Sponsorship through Compassion has given me relationships that I'm am so, so thankful for, God.
  The fact that you choose insignificant people like me... Thank you.

  Thank you for grace, love and everything. I love you.

  As You Wish,
  Alyssa

---

He chooses you too, no matter how insignificant you feel, he chooses you. Isn't that beautiful? Sponsor a Child.

How Broken Do I Really Want To Be?

It's been a thought all week. Partly because of this song, but mostly just cuz I think too much sometimes. {Not that that's a bad thing.}

The thought first occurred to me this week at the worst possible time. 

It was my brother's birthday this week. So, we took our once-a-year trip to his favourite restaurant... Quite the shmancy place. 

And just as I'm digging in, this question poses in my mind: How broken do I really want to be? 

And sitting there in that restaurant, eating some pretty yummy food... I really didn't want to be that broken. Honestly, "empty my hands" was not really my prayer at that moment.

It's now overflowed into everything in my life... This question. Do I really want Him to empty my hands, fill my heart, capture my mind?

I might want the last two, but if that comes at the cost of emptying, breaking... How broken do I really want to be? 

But broken is beautiful. So shouldn't the question be: How beautiful do I want to be? 

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with a bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." {Luke 6:38 The Message}

This doesn't mean if you give away your Mazda, God will send you a brand new Porsche. Here's the deal: The brokenness is the bonus and blessing. 

And you'll find, the more you break, how much bigger your life feels. When you break, you realize how small you are and how big God is.

Breaking is humbling, breaking is hurting - yes. But breaking is freeing. Breaking means having faith that He'll fix you.

It's beautiful.

But breaking means nothing left. Breaking means poor, meek, persecuted, mourning, hungry and thirsty.

And doesn't that leave us with the question -

How broken do I really want to be?

---

This month is blog month at Compassion International.

Basically, a whole lotta us bloggers are spending a month convincing you that broken is beautiful. {Not that we don't do that all the time. ;)}

Can I encourage you to break just a little today? It doesn't have to be a lot, don't worry... Just whatever you're comfortable with.

You can stop on by this page on the Compassion website.

The rest is up to you... How broken do you want to be?

Choose a child to pray over. Pray that they find a sponsor, pray that they grow up to be a man or woman after God's own heart.

And if you feel like breaking a little more, call over your family. Huddle around the computer and find a child with the same birthday, birth year, name, or country of origin as you and/or your family members. Talk about God's heart for the poor.

And if you feel like breaking more still, sponsor a child. You really, really will never regret this decision.

Yes - breaking will hurt, but it's a promise, he will make you whole again, more whole than you've ever felt before.

So please, visit just one boy or girl looking for a sponsor, and the rest is up to you -

how broken do you want to be?

We Are His

Looking for something easy and quiet to do with the little cousins, I pull out a childhood favourite.

You Are Mine by Mac Lucado
Illustrations by Sergio Martinez

It stays with me long after the kids leave.

Punchinello, this little wooden creation called a Wemmick, chasing after toys, these boxes and balls. He needs more, more, more. 

Because the more you have the good-er you are, isn't that it?

And then someone stacks all their boxes and balls - all this pride - and stands a top it all, declaring the highest is the good-est.

Because the higher you are the good-er you are, isn't that it?

And I know that's not true but how often do I live that?

Sure, it might not be toys anymore, but how often do I chase more?

More awards, more playing time, more grades, more extra-curriculars, more credentials...

And how often do I stack all these things up and stand a top them, looking down and thinking, I'm good.

And how often do I want worldly success when I should really be chasing Kingdom success?

The words smile up at me, a reminder needed at 15 years old as much as at 5...

"You're special - not because of what you have. You're special because of who you are. You are mine. I love you. Don't forget that, little friend."

I'm His. 

How could I live for me? 

This life isn't mine. 

This life isn't for me to chase success, power or possessions for me. This life is for me to stop running, chasing, wanting and to start loving, thanking, giving. 

I'm His, and I wouldn't want to be anybody or anything else's... How humbled should we be that the King calls us his own, and uses us to build his Kingdom?

Why would I run from that, chasing all the pretty {but empty} things this world distracts me with?

You're special. You're special because you're a child of the King. Don't forget that.