I received a letter from my sweet Buli, my Compassion child, this weekend. She’s 6 now. Growing up. Her translator started the letter with these words:
Buli danced.
It’s my 2nd year to be a part of this little girl’s life. She lives in India. Mom is a day laborer. Dad is too. This means that they work as they can find work in the streets of India. Dad pulls a rickshaw, and carries water at other times. He is over 50. Buli asked me to pray that her dad’s health would get better, sharing that his long hours and heavy labor is taking a toll on his body.
It’s been my privilege not only to support Buli, but to be an advocate for Compassion. I’ve seen firsthand how this monthly support feeds a child, educates a child, and lifts hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty in the name of Christ.
Compassion is child-centered, which means that if a sponsor sends in an additional amount at any time and designates it for the family, a Compassion worker will work with the family to address a significant need. The compassion worker is responsible for spending 100% of the donation to go to that need, benefiting the child and her family where it fits best.
My small donation–the amount of a couple of large pizzas and soft drinks–bought three chairs for Buli’s family.
When Buli walked into her small dwelling where Buli, her mother, father, her older sister and her young family, lived and saw they now had a place to sit, she danced.
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40
I think that sometimes faith is not so much in the lifting of our hands or even the attendance in our churches, though I treasure both of those things, as it is lifting the heart of a child with hope.
If you wish to learn more about Compassion International, or you or your family desire to sponsor a child, I’d love to invite you to see the faces of other waiting children from all over the world.
This is a view of Compassion through some of my Proverbs 31 Ministry sisters’ viewpoint:
Wonderful post! I too sponsor a little girl named Kris Ann and she has been truly a blessing to me. I began sponsoring her at one of the worst times financially for me and my husband as he was unemployed, but just as the Bible says, God has provided more than we need. At She Apeaks, 2 of the girls at the table began sponsoring children (they said) due to my enthusiasm! Oh how I wish I could do more!!