Compassion International: Hopes and Dreams

     As kids we dream about the things we would like to do when we grow up.  We know what we would like to be, where we would like to live, and what we will do for fun.  We imagine our future selves at work and play.  

     When I was a child I wanted to be like Miss Kitty on the TV show Gunsmoke.  But if I couldn't be Miss Kitty, then I was determined to be a teacher.  To that end, I marked every piece of paper that crossed in front of me with a red pen.

      When I was in third grade my teacher assigned our class the task of writing a poem about a place that we would like to vacation.  I knew immediately that I wanted to write about Florida.  I could practically smell the salt air, the fresh oranges, and feel the sand between my toes.  I labored over my poem for hours considering carefully what word could possibly rhyme with orange.  The first stanza of my poem went like this:

Florida is the land I would like to see
Where oranges grow upon a tree.
Where oceans make a lot of noise
And little children play with toys.
Yes, Florida is the land I would like to see.

     There were at least two more stanzas as poetic as that.  They have fortunately been lost in the mists of time.  My girl friend copied a poem about Hawaii out of an old Highlights magazine.  Her poem went up on the bulletin board with a big red A+.  Mine did not.  I was crushed.  But a few years later, my dream was fulfilled when my mother won a trip to Florida for the family.
 As parents we have hopes and dreams for our children.  We offer prayers for their futures.  That they will be kind, happy, smart, healthy, and eventually self supporting.

     For the month of September Compassion International has set a goal of getting sponsorship for 3,108 children who live in poverty.  Sponsoring a child costs as little as $38 a month.  When a child receives a sponsor he/she will receive the opportunity to hear about Jesus, education, food, health care, and more.  You will change this child's life.  You can write them letters and they will write back to you.  It is a beautiful way to live a ministry, and to participate in something bigger than yourself.
      Please take a minute to watch the video below where mothers share their hopes and dreams for their children.  Please prayerfully consider if you can sponsor a child through Compassion.

             If you decide to sponsor a child, or if you already do so, leave a comment with his/her name and country.
          We sponsor Jimi in Indonesia.