Archive - July 9, 2014

It was quite a drive out of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia today to get to a church which partners with Compassion. While the sights on the way were amazing, nothing could prepare our group of five Australians for our arrival and the welcome we received.

A throng of children moved towards us. A small girl made her way over to me, handed me some beautiful roses and said, “Welcome, we love you.” I only just managed to hold it together.

From that point on we couldn’t go anywhere without several children holding onto our hands as they chatted excitedly amongst themselves and with us. They were all children who are benefitting from the holistic child development offered through Compassion. We had the honour of being shown through the centre where they are receiving help to improve their physical, spiritual, cognitive and socio-economic outcomes.

The joy exhibited by the children was only part of the story. As we found out more and more about this particular centre, we were told that many of those who had graduated previously had moved from desperate poverty to living fulfilling lives. Three graduates have become doctors, four have become lawyers, others have started their own businesses and the list just went on.

The love the staff at the centre have for each child was obvious. The fact that they could point at photos of many previous graduates and tell us what they were now doing and about how many children they now had showed that this was no passing interest. They are fully invested in the very best outcomes for each and every one of the children they serve.

I wonder what potential is hiding in each of the children we met today. I wonder how different their lives would have been if they didn’t have someone somewhere else in the world who loved them enough to sponsor them.

I wonder what potential will remain undiscovered simply because there are not enough sponsors for every child who deserves a chance to be released from poverty. Will you consider sponsoring a child through Compassion today?

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Days like today remind me why I work for Compassion.

After some long flights I made it to Ethiopia last night. I’m here with some Compassion supporters to see what kind of difference is being made in young lives through churches that partner with Compassion.

Today was our first full day in this amazing country. We visited Ethiopia’s Compassion office and got an overview of the work here. Over 90 000 Ethiopian children are being released from poverty in Jesus’ name through Compassion in this country alone.

Next, we visited one of the churches that partners with Compassion to see first hand how lives are being changed and even saved.

After the church visit we went to the home of one young mother to the home she shares with her infant son. Her home was about the same size as my garden shed … and I have a small shed.

With a concrete floor and old corrugated tin sheeting for walls, this home is a very basic place for them to live and lay their heads. They don’t have much room but the area is still uncrowded. They don’t own enough to fill the space.

All the while as his mother told us her story, her son played with my camera, hugged some of his other visitors and generally lit up the room with his antics and an apparent love for life.

With tears rolling down her face, this mother told us that if it wasn’t for Compassion neither her or her son would still be alive today.

With tears rolling down her face, this mother told us that if it wasn’t for Compassion neither her or her son would still be alive today. Her tears weren’t the only ones being shed in that tiny room. None of us could help but be caught up in the story of this woman and her boy.

Days like today remind me once again why I work for Compassion.

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