Stories of Hope

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There seems to be so much bad news around at the moment so I want to share a few stories of hope with you. I’ve just returned from Indonesia where I saw hope in some really tough situations.

Together with a group of other Australians I met a single mother with three children. She collects garbage from 3:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. each day then goes on to whatever other work she can find as a day labourer. She sometimes gets casual work as a caterer. The family lives in a home owned by relatives but the relatives would like her to move so she has fears about their future.reddlineI sat in a small home overlooking a rubbish tip. The husband in this family used to be a truck driver but a traffic accident broke ten of his bones, including his legs, causing major injuries. Once the other driver saw the extent of the husband’s injuries he tried to hit him with his car again. He wanted him dead so that he wouldn’t have to pay for his extensive rehabilitation. The first news that reached the wife about the accident was that her husband had been killed. The immediate response of the three young daughters was to pray. Their dad is still recovering but very much alive.reddlineWe sat with another young mother in her home. Her husband is a day labourer. Their three year old son suffered from seizures when he was younger but has been well for the last six months. When she was about to give birth, doctors discovered the mother had a hole in her heart. They nursed her through the pregnancy with plans of surgery after birth. After much prayer from the local church, the specialists who checked her out after the birth found that while there are still some issues, there is no longer a need for surgery. Her son says that when he grows up he wants to be a doctor so that he can heal his mum.reddlineA mother of four children works as seamstress while her husband works a long distance away as a motor cycle taxi driver. It’s the only work he can find as they try to make ends meet. Their rent is around just $300 a year, but even that amount seems too much to pay for their tiny home, and even that amount is a struggle for a family living in poverty.

On the surface, these don’t sound much like stories of hope but all these families, and many others we met, have one thing in common. They are being helped by their local churches which partner with Compassion. Compassion is working to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name, but where children are released from poverty, the family and the wider community benefits. Compassion works with the local church to provide holistic child development.

Sponsorship gives kids safe places to play, the chance to see a doctor when they’re sick, education, and the opportunity to discover Jesus’ incredible love for them.

Sponsor a child. Give them a brighter future so they, and eventually their own children, can live free from poverty.

Sponsored children are more likely to grow up to be employed and be leaders in their communities and churches.

You can be someone who brings hope to a child, a family, a community and a nation. If you’re tempted to think that our world is a lost case and there’s nothing we can do about it, how about being an agent of change that brings hope where there only seems to be hopelessness? Please sponsor a child today through Compassion.



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He previously worked in radio for about 25 years but these days he spends his time at Compassion Australia, working towards releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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