Indonesia truly is a beautiful country. Well, I can’t really say it’s all beautiful because I’ve only seen a small segment of this diverse and densely populated area, but what I’ve seen is remarkable.
Being comprised of thousands of islands and having a population heading towards a quarter of a billion, I’m sure it would take years to get a true taste of what Indonesia can offer.
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 17,508 islands. – Wikipedia
Yesterday our group travelled for several hours on flood damaged roads, through urban areas and leafy forests, to visit a rural area where there is a small church with a very big heart.
The church partners with Compassion to serve the local community, seeking out the poorest of those within its reach to provide practical help. They do this through Compassion’s Child Survival Program, helping mums and their babies, and through the Child Sponsorship Development Program. Both of these programs are truly releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.
Where do you turn when you are a single woman whose parents have passed away and you discover that you are pregnant as the result of being raped?
We met such a woman yesterday. She makes just 30 cents a day by making false eyelashes for a local business. She told us yesterday about the hope that she has found by being part of the Child Survival Program.
Her son is now two years of age, and while she still faces many struggles, she knows she can depend on the help of her local church whenever there is a need. The church’s partnership with Compassion means that if there is a health issue, like there was a couple of months ago when her baby was weak from diarrhea, there is medical help available. Most of us wouldn’t consider diarrhea to be a major problem, but in many parts of the world it is a major cause of death among young children.
One of the great things about the Child Survival Program is that the mums who take part not only learn about better nutrition and childcare for themselves, they are spreading the message to dozens of others in their area, so the reach of Compassion’s work just keeps on multiplying.
There’s so much more I could say about this one small church and how their partnership with Compassion is making a major difference in their community. Their 76 year old pastor still travels by motorbike, with his wife, to preach at five churches every Sunday. The love he has for his people and the community they serve is clearly evident.
This is just an incredibly small snapshot of all we saw and the stories we heard yesterday. I wonder what today will bring. I can assure you that when you partner with Compassion, your giving is making a real difference in the lives of real people.
Why not consider sponsoring a child through Compassion today, and you too can help to release a child from poverty in Jesus’ name.
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