Friday, August 31, 2012

I CHOOSE TO INVEST IN ETERNITY

I choose to invest in eternity.  My passion is children.  And children in poverty.  I am poor myself, so I know what it's like to struggle.  How can I afford six children?  I sacrifice.  I don't buy big price items very often (and that's only through my income tax refund).  An Ipod?  I just bought one last year, and it took me until recently to actually enjoy it.  The newest cell phone?  Nope.  I do have a cell phone, but I am looking forward to downgrading.  A new tv?  Not me.  My small tv and ancient DVD player works just fine.  Clothes?  Thrift stores for my work clothes.  Clearance racks for my good clothes, the ones I wear to church and even to the grocery store.  Nor do I have a lot of shoes.  I own two pairs.  A pair of sandals.  And sneakers.  The newest and most expensive items in the store will not save a soul.  In fact, they will either break, get lost, get replaced, or get resold or donated in a few years.  I choose to store my treasures in Heaven.

Each child that I sponsor or correspond with is a soul.  A precious soul with so much potential.  I choose to invest in these lives rather than spending lots of money on material things.  The novelty of new things wears off quickly.  But these children are still in poverty.  They still have little to nothing of their own.  Their parents and caregivers struggle to provide a home and food. If they cannot afford food, how will they afford an education for their children?  It's simple; they don't send their kids to school.

I have been a child sponsor for eight years.  I have been a Compassion International sponsor for seven and a half.  I have been an advocate for about three.  And I love it!  I love Compassion.  

People who know me, even vaguely, will admit my passion is Compassion.  Give me a least a half hour with you, and you will know not only that I am an advocate, but also the names of my kids, how many I sponsor, how many I correspond with, how old they are, and what countries they are from.  Give me another half hour, and you will learn my personal nicknames for them as well as the story behind each sponsorship (okay, maybe it'll take longer that that).

I like Compassion for many reasons.  They teach children about Jesus.  They encourage sponsors to write about their faith.  Each child is given the opportunity to accept Jesus.  They aren't forced, and many kids choose to follow their parents' religion.

I also like the fact that the projects are in the churches in the community they serve in.  The families and the children in the program are invited to church, but it's not a requirement of the program.  Some of my kids have told me, "I do not go to church.  I am not a Christian child."  When I ask them about what they are learning in the project, their responses are usually about a Bible story.  One child even wrote, "I am learning that Jesus loves me."  What a powerful thing to learn; that Jesus loves you.  

Compassion brings the love of Jesus to these children who have so little.  They bring hope to these families; hope that their child will have a better life.  And some families even find their way out of poverty to where they no longer need Compassion's help.

My favorite thing about Compassion, of course, are the letters that I receive from my kids (even the one sponsored through another organization I consider one of my Compassion kids).  I can have a very stressful day at work.  And it all disappears when I see that cream colored envelope.  My day suddenly brightens, and I forget what had me so stressed out.  These letters that I receive only give me a glimpse into the daily lives of my precious kids.

And, of course, I write to them.  The online writing tool is awesome.  I love choosing and sending pictures as well as choosing the templates.  Sometimes it's very hard to stay with just three pictures.  The children love pictures, but with so many kids (I write to eleven altogether), it can get quite expensive to keep developing pictures.  Compassion has made it easier for me to send the same pictures to all of them.

When I saw that Compassion was looking for bloggers, that encouraged me to start my own blog.  What better way to start something new than to help another child become invested in eternity?  

There are assignments and prizes involved, but I'm not concentrating on that.  If I help a child on the website or through another advocate get sponsored, then Praise the Lord!  Yes, the prizes are great (to be honest, I'd like the gift for one of my kids).  But, over all, it's not important.  Investing in eternity is. 

I invite you to invest in eternity, with me.  Go to compassion.com and choose a child.  And, please, let me know.  It encourages me to know that I have helped a child get sponsored.  Also, please continue to check on my future posts.  

So, in closing, let's invest in eternity!