In Which I Cry Again ~ Compassion Blogging Trip {Day 4}

Since yesterday’s visit to Gidioni’s home, waves of tears have washed over me in intervals as I considered the impact of the family gift donations. Even what I consider to be a small gift can make a tremendous difference in a child’s family. My entire view of how we interact with our Compassion children has truly been altered.

Visiting the third project today was such an amazing encouragement. We visited {TZ-955}, a center that has been in place for over four years, with the kind of facilities the last two centers hope to someday have. Through one of the home visits, I was also able to see how a family gift donation was used to help a family better their situation ~ something that just sealed all that had been stirring in my heart after learning about how a family gift donation can help a sponsored child’s family.

Vision in Action

The Compassion child development centers that have been in place for longer periods of time often have educational programs in place such as computer labs, sewing classes and other similar areas that focus on practical living and important life-training skills that children need.

This center has a computer lab with 23 desktop computers and also 10 sewing machines to use when teaching the children life skills. They also have a rain water collection and filtration system that provides water for the surrounding community, so they do not need to rely on city for all water.

Seeing a Family Gift in Action

After touring the child development center, we visited the home of 9 year old twins, Kurwa {which means firstborn twin} and Doto {the second born twin} who have been sponsored for several years.  Because they are twins, both are allowed to be sponsored in the Compassion program (typically only one child per family can be sponsored in Tanzania).

Kurwa and Doto’s mother works selling fish in the market and hurried home to meet us. Their father, a house painter currently without work, was there to talk to us before she arrived and welcomed us into their home.

The daughter, Kurwa, is sponsored by a couple in Australia and she ran to bring us a stack of letters covered with stickers and pictures. Doto, the son, is sponsored by a man from the USA who is currently stationed in Japan. He also shared letters from his sponsor with us ~ some written online {you can find out more about about writing to a child online here}.

Both parents desire great things for their children. For them to be strong leaders {maybe even in politics so they can help others}. To do well in school. And also have good health. When we asked them how Compassion has made an impact on their family, this would be the point that the tears started welling up in my eyes.

Again.

Doto’s sponsor has sent the family a monetary gift each year through the Family Gift Donation {this is a gift given by the sponsor above and beyond the $38/monthly sponsorship}. Through those gifts, the family has been able to purchase the supplies that were needed to add plaster to the walls of their home and paint the walls. They still have a little more work to do, but said they should be able to finish the work this year if they receive another gift.

To see the physical manifestation of a family gift donation was such an amazing gift to MY heart, especially on the heels of yesterday’s home visit. It has been truly overwhelming to me to see how God has been hand-picking the places for us to visit and see ~ knowing exactly what our hearts have needed to feel and what our eyes have needed to see.

And this is where I start to cry again.

Honestly, you all, I cannot really even adequately put into words all that has been on my heart these last five days. All I can say is this ~ sponsor a child through Compassion International. Your $38 a month will help them with the basic needs that we so often take for granted.

Clothing. Food. Education.

And most importantly Jesus.

While there is a hope for a child’s physical future in the first three, the last one provides an eternal hope that cannot be matched ~ please sponsor a child today!