Compassion

I know everyone who reads our blog has seen the horrible images of what's going on in Haiti. The part that breaks my heart the most are the children. There were so many orphans in Haiti to begin with and now so many more children are without homes and parents. For several months, we have been sponsoring a little boy in Peru through Compassion. Compassion is a WONDERFUL, reputable Christian organization doing great things all over the world. They are a huge charity with a personal touch. The times I have had to talk to a representative, it has been a great experience. They are all so dedicated and nice. The day after the earthquake hit, I received an e-mail from Compassion updating everyone on the conditions in Haiti. Sadly, I believe they were unable to locate some of the sponsored children at that time. I tell you all of this in case any of you were wanting to help a Christian organization benefit Haiti. I just added a link in the right hand corner. The donation doesn't have to be much, $10, $20 - every little bit helps.

Now, about our Alexander! I heard about Compassion from David and Betty Cummings. They sponsor a little girl, in Ecuador I think. (Betty, if I'm wrong, let me know.) Then I watched a report on CNN about Compassion and their work. For about six months, it seemed everywhere I turned, I was hearing about Compassion. I prayed about it, John and I talked about it, and we decided to sponsor a child. It's $38.00 a month. I know in this economy that's a lot of money, especially with a small child in diapers! We tithe EVERY paycheck, no matter what is going on in our finances - WE TITHE. Since Compassion is a Christian organization dedicated to taking care of children and leading them to Christ, we decided to take the $38.00 a month out of our tithe. You wouldn't believe what $38 can do in Peru. It helps send Alexander to pre-school, buy his clothes, helps him receive medical care. At Christmas we made an additional donation to Alexander's family, which consists of Alexander, his mom and little sister. The money doesn't go directly to the family, it goes to their case worker. The money we sent at Christmas went to make much needed repairs on their home. We get updates from Alexander, with the help of his case worker, and he draws us the prettiest pictures with his crayons. Today at lunch, I was telling John about the Compassion children in Haiti who were unaccounted for, and we both agreed that we would be sick with worry if that had been Peru and Alexander's case worker couldn't find him or his family.

When Betty was telling me about Compassion, she said one reason they wanted to sponsor a child, is to teach McKenzie and Matt about having compassion for others. Betty and David want their kids to recognize the needs of other people. And that's what we want for Jack. Also, at lunch today, we were telling Jack about the Bible verse "Love Thy neighbor as Thy self." And we explained to him that it didn't just mean the people next door. It means people everywhere. I pray everyday that Jack will have a compassionate heart and a giving spirit. That is one of the best lessons I ever learned from watching my parents. So, if you feel led to help in any way, please do.

Below is a picture of our Alexander. His name is Alexander Omar Zapana and he turned 4 on September 25. He loves to draw and play soccer with his friends. He lives with his mom and 2 year old sister. He also loves to eat pudding!! Isn't he the cutest thing??!! For those of you who follow the blog www.kellyskornerblog.com you might remember a post she made in November about going to Ecuador to meet the child she and her husband sponsor. We would love to meet Alexander, maybe one day!!