Oscar’s Story

Here is a wonderful story from Compassion Bolivia.

Which Kitchen Would You Choose?

Since my photos of housing in Haiti and the Dominican Republic — compared with homes in the U.S. — were so popular, I thought I would show you another contrast.  Which kitchen would you choose for your own home?  

Kitchen in Haiti

Here is one we visited in Haiti.  It was basically just a fire pit behind the shack they lived in.  

Kitchen in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice that even this advertisement of a fake kitchen in the U.S. has more food on the shelves than the one in Haiti! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen in the Dominican Republic

Here is a home we visited in the Dominican Republic. We were stunned to find out that the large group of children in this home, including Oscar, hadn’t eaten all day, because there was no food or propane. You can read about our response to this situation here.

My Kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t help but compare this photo of my kitchen — with all the food you see in the cabinets, fruit bowl and (unseen) refrigerator and freezer — with Oscar’s home.

Would you be willing to sponsor a child in need? Click here to see the beautiful faces of children awaiting sponsors. We just learned that many children have waited for more than a year. You can make it possible for them to never go to bed hungry again. Imagine that!

 

 

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!

A great wall often exists between the rich and the poor.  Poverty is not a pleasant sight, and is not an easy problem to solve.  Many people would rather build walls around it than look closely at the complexity of the poverty wheel.  The wall needs to come down so we can see that 30,000 children are dying every day from preventable causes.  Who will speak up for them?  See here bright faces of children that have been rescued, because they have a sponsor through Compassion International.

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  Speak Up For Children In Need!

80% of Pastors have never given a sermon about poverty.  Why?  Don’t they know that we need the poor as much as they need us?  We need their joy, contentment and prayers.  Without them, we die in greed, as Compassion International’s President, Wess Stafford, has said many times.  Bringing down this wall will help us deal with our own greed, materialism and selfishness.  We need the wall to come down, too.

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  We Need Deliverance As Well!

I was in a poor home in the Dominican Republic recently.  Several children crowded around us in the tiny home, and never once begged for anything from us.  They smiled for the camera, hugged often, chased the bubbles we had brought for play, and told us their dreams.  It was not until we asked the mother what she fed these children that we discovered they had no food in the house; no propane.  They had nothing to eat.  I immediately asked our guide, “If I give you some pesos, will you feed these children today?”  You may want to read the rest of the story here.  My point?  People readily give when the need is right before us.

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  Reveal The Needs!

More than 10 million children die every year from preventable causes, such as malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and diarrhea.   Most of these children die before they reach their 5th birthday; in Haiti, they often don’t even name a child until he reaches this milestone.    Six million children under five die every year from malnutrition.  Compassion’s Child Survival Program is addressing this issue.  Mothers need to be educated about the dangers of untreated water, mosquitos, lack of proper hygiene and poor eating habits.  They also need financial support for food, safe drinking water, medications, clean linens and clothing.  Social workers visit the homes, assess the needs and educate care-givers on these topics.  It’s an outstanding program, and it works.

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  Speak Up For the Little Ones!

Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria alone.  A malaria net through Compassion’s Bite Back Campaign costs only $10.00, and it WORKS.  Imagine how many children can sleep under one net, and how far your support can reach!  We can end the threat of malaria completely in our world — it’s only a matter of time and financial support.  

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  Rescue Children From Malaria!

One of the greatest losses of children dying from poverty is the benefit they could have been to society if they had escaped the cycle of poverty.  Here are young adults that were given the opportunity to reach their potential.  Through child sponsorship they were given an education, meals, immunizations, spiritual discipleship and health care.  They followed their dreams, received education through University studies, became servant leaders and now want to give back by helping others in need.  These are some of Compassion’s Leadership Development Students in the Dominican Republic.  Soon they will be Teachers, Doctors, Accountants, Diplomats, Engineers and more.  They will change their society for good.

Child Advocates — Tear Down This Wall!  Bring Healing and Purpose To Those In Need!

Meeting Junior

In a continuation of the story about our trip to the Dominican Republic in January, I need to tell you now about visiting our sponsored children, Junior and Francisco.  Nothing could have prepared us for what happened.

We spent a whole day with both boys and their mothers.  I didn’t realize Junior would be much taller than me now; he had been so small five years ago.  His mother, Rubia, came with him as she did last time.  Rubia and I are fast friends now — we’ve cried together, hugged and shared our concerns for our children.  Unknown to me until that month, Junior was leaving the Compassion project, and we would not see each other again.  I had known all along that he was special to me, but I had never dreamed I was just as special to him.  He cried nearly the entire day that we were together.  His mother and I cried just as much.  He and I cried on each others’ shoulders most of the time.  It was a very bitter-sweet reunion.  I told him I would never stop praying for him, and that God would fulfill his plans for him, wherever he goes.  Junior was especially sad that we would not be able to write letters to each other any more.  So was I.  You can imagine how difficult it was to part ways that day, but how grateful we all were that God had brought us together again one last time.

Mindy and Francisco had a wonderful day together.  They had taken us to a ranch where we could look at various animals, use the swimming pool, play games, or have a picnic lunch.  We found out that Francisco’s family were Christians now!  Remember how the neighbor had said, “They need to know Jesus?”  Well, they did come to know Him, and the family was doing much better.  The father still could not do the small appliance repair that he had done so well before his accident (which severely injured his hands), but Francisco was learning the skills from his dad.  The most special thing to me about being with Francisco and his mother, was that every time she walked past me she would put her hand on my shoulder, or give me a hug or pat my back.  She knew I was the one that had gone home five years ago saying, “This boy needs a sponsor.”

On our way home from the day, after Francisco and his mother gave a tearful farewell to both of us, Mindy and I were riding on the bus and looking through all the hundreds of photos and movies she had taken.  We giggled to see Francisco jabbering away in Spanish to the camera and then running to do a cannon ball into the swimming pool.  We laughed about Francisco’s first ride on the back of a small burro, and watched him being thrown about in the swimming pool by the wonderful young man that translated for us.  But in a few minutes, I heard Mindy gasp, and she said, “I just deleted all my photos!”  We couldn’t retrieve them, and they were lost forever, except in our minds.  After a few moments, the only thing I could think of to say was, “God has just brought you down to Francisco’s level of poverty.  He didn’t have hundreds of photos to take home from this day.”  She liked that.  It was true.  Now, those memories stay in our minds even stronger, perhaps, than if we’d had her photos to review.

Finally, Mindy had said the whole week that she wanted to sponsor an additional older child.  Out of the child packets available to us, she chose Oscar.  I had been trying all week to get child packets in her hand for the projects our group was going to, but she randomly chose Oscar.  I found out our group was not going to his project, which was #247.  Our bus was going to another project 30 miles away — we were on the way, and the group leader was standing in the front of the bus describing the other project to us.  I was sitting in the back of the bus praying, “Take us to #247…please take us to #247!”  But then I remembered this wasn’t right, and I said, “No, Lord — You know which child Mindy should sponsor.  You take us to the place You want us to go.”  I opened my eyes, and our bus pulled up to Project #247!  I jumped out of my seat & exclaimed, “Mindy — let’s go find Oscar!” — and the rest of the amazing, emotional story is told on a previous post here.  Oscar was sponsored that day by Mindy, and his life drastically changed.

This week, we hope to see Francisco and Oscar again.  Can you imagine our joy and excitement?  I look forward to seeing Francisco and Oscar’s mothers again, if they are able to come.  The children are always accompanied by a Project Director, Pastor or Teacher when they come to visit their sponsors.  Sometimes a parent accompanies them as well.  It will be a very special week, indeed!  We will keep you posted about our activities this week — and share more photos!

Neighbors in Crisis: Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Let’s not forget our neighbors — Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Both countries are in a major state of emergency right now. Let me ask you a simple question. If you were sitting out a hurricane, which house would you rather sit it out in?

Housing in Greenville, NC

Housing in the Dominican Republic

Housing in Charleston, SC

Housing in Haiti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t place these photos here to make you feel sorry for these people. I place them here to make the point that these countries are in a very serious crisis right now. They have weathered not just one tropical storm, but three — Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav,  and Tropical Storm Hanna.  Meanwhile, Hurricane Ike is on its way this weekend.  In addition, the world is in a severe Global Food Crisis as well, and Haiti is one of the hardest hit areas of all.

When we were in the Dominican Republic in January, we met a family whose children had not eaten all day.  What would have happened to Oscar’s family if Mindy had not sponsored him on the spot?  His letters to her now tell about good meals at the project, support for the family, a tutor who works with him on his studies (this teenager had never attended school until now), and the fact that his baby brother (whom we felt would die shortly) was “doing better.” 

We were also in homes and Compassion projects near the border of Haiti, and then met some unsponsored children on the street.  When we asked our guides what theses children eat, we were told that when supplies are low, the mothers make mud cookies for their children.  Mud cookies are made of dirt, grass, salt and water, and are one of the worst items a desperate mother can feed her children.

I can’t help but think that these are some of our neighbors that Jesus spoke about in Luke 10:27:  “He answered:  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” 

How do we love our neighbors?  By coming to their aid when they are in crisis, in suffering and in desperation.  Here are several things you and I can do through the trustworthy ministry of Compassion International:

• Give to the Global Food Crisis Fund
• Donate to the Haiti Hurricane Response Fund
• Pray for the Projects and Country Office Staff in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
• Support the Unsponsored Childrens’ Fund
• Give to the Disaster Relief Fund

With that said, I do want to point out something that Ephraim Lindor (of the country staff in Haiti) said in a recent interview on the Compassion Blog.  This is what he was asked:  “How has the global food crisis affected children in Haiti?  Which would be the most important option for sponsors who want to help – to sponsor an additional child, to send a family gift to our child, or to send a donation to Compassion specifically for the food crisis?”   Here was his answer:

“The food crisis has affected most of the Haitian families especially the lower class with low income. Considering the unemployment rate (75 percent) and the lack of government capacity to respond to the crisis, we can assume that the children are the most vulnerable as many of them can no longer go to school and find food to eat as they should.

With that in mind, my personal opinion is that the best option would be to sponsor an additional child. The advantage of such a decision is that the child will have both, the opportunity to go to school and also to find food through the Compassion response to the food crisis program.”

 

So there you have it. The best response on our part is still to make that commitment to sponsor a child — support them financially, provide for their education, develop a relationship with them, and keep in touch through personal letters. If you haven’t sponsored a child yet, you need to begin with this crucial step. If you do sponsor children already, you might consider giving to the funds listed above, or sponsoring another child in need.

Finally, I would be glad to entertain any questions you might have about this ministry, so please let me know if you have questions.  I have sponsored children since 1988, and have been a volunteer Child Advocate since 1994.  I am convinced that this ministry is working with integrity, and that it works.

Sponsor Visits and Wordles

There was a lot of discussion this week on the Compassion Blog about sponsor tours and visits with children.  So I thought I would entitle this Wordle “Sponsor Visits.”  This visit relates to a trip that a friend and I took to the Dominican Republic this past January.  It was truly a life-changing experience for both of us, and if you take a close look at the Wordle, you’ll see why.  I have also blogged about the trip, so make sure you check out this story about Mindy and Oscar.  Click on the image to make it larger.

“Sponsor Visits” by Juli Jarvis  

I have some other good Wordles this week as well.  Here is one by David Ker called “Cyber-Psalms 1-27.”  This is a reference to the “Cyber-Psalms” he has been writing every week — check them out at here — they’re wonderful!

“Cyber-Psalms 1-27” by David Ker

Finally, I have another great Wordle from Alyssa of Plans for Hope.  This represents the Passion World Tour.

“Passion World Tour” by Alyssa

Please send me Wordles for next week!  Click the link on the right for instructions!

Happy Wordling!

Mindy and Oscar

I had the privilege of visiting some of the Compassion International projects in the Dominican Republic this winter.  One of the families we visited had 9 children living in a 2 room shack. The floor was dirt, the kitchen was outside and consisted of a wooden shelf and propane stove, similar to what we would use for camping. There was one bed for the entire family and a crib, although the toddler in it didn’t look like he would live much longer. Another baby appeared to be a newborn, but was actually 8 months old. When we asked what the mother had given her children to eat that day, she said “Nothing…no propane, no food.” I asked our guide if he would buy food for this family if I gave him some pesos. He agreed.

My friend, Mindy, sponsored one of the boys on the spot–Oscar, the 13-year-old. When we boarded the bus, unknown to us, all the other sponsors had taken a collection for the family and came up with 5,300 pesos! In the space of two minutes, God had multiplied the tiny bit I had given. With the money, we were able to purchase large bags of rice and beans, bottled water, bread, eggs, and many other items. We stopped by the Compassion project to leave the receipts for the purchase and to record the gift in the accountant’s books for this family. We were told that additional money from the gift would pay for bunk beds so that each child will have their own place with clean linens; they would also send someone to purchase some propane, and they would buy clothing for all the children. We were amazed to see how much about 200 American dollars could purchase.

They said that with Oscar’s sponsorship, he would now be able to start 1st grade, but that it would be very difficult for him, especially as a 13-year-old.  Instead, they said he would be tested to see what skill he is able and interested in learning, and would be placed in a technical school of some type. He’ll be able to attend the project for meals, tutoring, sports, medical attention, Bible lessons and other activities. And the whole family will benefit, because the parents will be able to take classes at the project regarding health, nutrition, food preparation and child care. We really felt this was a special day! Best of all, Mindy will be able to keep in touch with Oscar through the sharing of letters. Now Oscar has a real bright future!

Followup:  Mindy received a letter from Oscar this week.  All his statements confirmed what we’d been told in his home.  He said that he was now attending the project and was very happy and satisfied.  He said he was, indeed, having trouble learning, but had been placed in a special school, and had been given a tutor.  He named all 9 of his siblings (the very ones we met).  He thanked Mindy for choosing him and being his friend, and then he closed with a very important and exciting detail:  he said that “the little one is better.”  How thrilled we were to hear that things are definitely looking up for this precious family!  How amazing to recall real faces and personalities as we read his wonderful letter!

If you would like to do the same for a child in need, check out these wonderful faces:

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=44026