The One With Compassion

Another Installment from Kapchorwa.

One of my cousins in rural Uganda works for Compassion International-- for those of you who don't know what Compassion is it's a child sponsorship organization. They range from small children and you can even sponsor students to attend a university- there are some students here on campus sponsored.
Well, I had the privilege of chatting with him and asking him questions, it was amazing to be on the receiving side. My little 6 year brother is sponsored. As lame as this sounds, I never thought much about the sponsored children. I saw them as a poor little kid who had nothing to eat and I pitied them. But my eyes were opened. Benja is a happy, healthy little boy who loves doing little boy things just like any little boy in America. He is human, not a picture. I never realized how much brings into a community when a child is sponsered. It provides schooling for a child, thus paid teachers. Gives clothes, thus seamstresses. It gives a healthy amount of food, thus more for the farmers. And the cycle continues. Yes, the community recieved a push from peeps in America, but now they can sustain businesses and have money for the necessities of life. The economy of the local area recieved a major boost from the outside and I cannot tell you how amazing this is to see!!

Along similar lines, it's not just the West helping those in need. It's the ones who need that are helping! Every Sunday, my mother goes to a "party" with fellow women of the community. I had the honor to attend while in Kapchorwa. Each woman brings what money they have left from the week and puts it together and it provides schooling costs (school is not free here) for one of their children. Since not all kids in the area are sponsered, the community takes care of them. With the little money left over each week and instead of keeping it for themselves or saving it, they pull it together and do this amazing thing when they have little themselves. I was/am so blown away by this. This is the body of Christ in action!


Another Kapchorwa installment to come later. And one with pictures-- it won't let me add any today.

Peace.