Compassion blogs Uganda

Compassion International has sent a group of 15 Christian bloggers to Uganda this week to see the Compassion projects, meet some of the sponsored children, and blog about their experiences while they're there. You might be thinking, as I initially did, that this sounds kind of gimmicky and maybe isn't the best use of Compassion's resources. But then I read some of their posts.

Two of the bloggers on this trip (Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer, and Sophie from BooMama) are ones that I've been reading regularly for the last year or two (I'd highly recommend both if you have a few spare minutes in your day!). I first heard about this trip from them as they shared how the Lord convicted them of the need to reach out of their comfort zone and be part of this trip. I followed along as they began their preparations, through the posts from various airports on the looong trip to Uganda, the culture shock, the jetlag, and their range of emotions as they look poverty and suffering face-to-face in the eyes of the children Compassion sponsors.

We have sponsored a child from India since shortly after we were married (he's now 14 years old). We receive his regular letters and occasionally remember to send him a short note as well. But to be honest, I don't think it's ever seemed that 'real' to us. I've been to various church-related conferences where Compassion was there looking for more sponsors, and I've read articles in the Compassion magazine written by those who have visited the children Compassion helps. But it has never seemed as personal and real as it has this week reading posts from these women (who I feel like I 'know' in a way). One of them even had been sponsoring a child from Uganda and was able to meet him in person and spend some time with him - an incredibly touching time as you'll see below. (Did you know that anyone who sponsors a child through Compassion can have this chance to meet their child - you contact them a few months before you make your trip and they will arrange for you to meet your sponsored child.)

I'd really encourage you to read the posts below, and even check out the Uganda blog trip main page at Compassion. They've sure made me rethink what an amazing thing it is to be able to sponsor a child. It's not just handing off some money to some faraway entity that hopefully goes somewhere to help someone - there is really a living, breathing, feeling child on the other end who, apart from your sponsorship, may be living a vastly different life.

Here's a portion of one of Sophie's posts that I think brought tears to a lot of people's eyes (full post here):

"...when we were just about to leave the project, a little boy - he was about 11, I’m guessing - ran up to me and started saying a name over and over. At first I thought he was introducing himself to me, so I smiled and told him my name. He shook his head - and then continued repeating the name.

I finally realized what he was saying, so I looked at him and asked, “Troy? Are you saying ‘Troy’?”

He nodded like crazy - with a smile so wide that I wondered if his face could even contain it - and as he looked me straight in the eyes, he said, “Yes. TROY. USA. Is my sponsor.”

And in that moment, it hit me. Troy - whoever he is, wherever he is - is that boy’s link to the world. Through his sponsorship, Troy bridges a gulf of human indifference that separates those of us with the means to help from the kids who so desperately need it. And while Troy has no idea, make no mistake: there was a child in a remote village of Uganda today who was shouting his name in gratitude.

I just think that’s extraordinary.

Every child needs a Troy. Every child deserves that.

Every single one."

And here are parts of Shannon's description of meeting her sponsored child, Dissan, along with a video of it from one of the other bloggers on the trip (full post here):

"Yesterday I met the boy we sponsor through Compassion...We all met at a well-known Chinese food restaurant (yes, I came to Africa to eat Chinese food), and the Compassion workers brought in the children. Dissan looked a little nervous, until I approached him. He saw the soccer ball I was carrying for him, and his face broke into a smile so big it could light up this hemisphere. He couldn’t even bring himself to put down the soccer ball for the first 30 minutes.

We sat down to eat, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. This was not only his first visit to the city, it was his first time to eat at a restaurant. He’s nine years old. We began to go through the backpack full of goodies I brought from home. His eyes nearly came out of his head. He couldn’t believe the clothes (they were a perfect fit) and his mouth hung open at the $1 solar-powered calculator. He must have said “thank you” to me a thousand times.

The Compassion worker from his project in the village made the four-hour drive with him, and she served as our interpreter. She and Dissan together told me his story.

He lives in the village, in a mud hut. Both his parents died last year, and the relative he was sent to live with is very sick. So is his six-year-old brother (Dissan is healthy). Because it has rained so much in Uganda the last few months, the front wall of their hut has washed away.

This boy, this precious boy with the golden smile, does not have parents, and he does not even have four walls.

...parting was terribly hard, especially now that I’ve seen mud huts in the villages and I know what he’s returning to. The interpreter helped me tell him that I love him, and that my family prays for him every night. He told me that he’s praying for us too. Imagine.

...I gave him a long momma hug, which he eagerly returned. I whispered in his ear the blessing I say over my own kids before they get on the bus each morning: May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you, may He be gracious unto you and grant you His peace.

And when he was gone, I hid my face in Sophie’s shoulder and wept.

When you sponsor a Compassion child, it is not a “symbolic” sponsorship. Your money is not going into some generic slush fund and doled out to a random group of children. There is only one Dissan, and he is ours. If we didn’t sponsor him, he wouldn’t have a sponsor unless someone else signed up. If you’re a child sponsor, and you want to visit your child in his home country, then they will arrange it.

Because there’s only one of you, and there’s only one of them. "

Oh, yeah...about this trip being a waste of Compassion's money... Just on the two blogs that I've been reading (out of 15), there have been an absolutely amazing number of comments from people saying that because of what they've read in the last few days, they've decided to sponsor a child. I don't know how many new sponsorships there have been, but these blogs get as many as 100 comments on a post, and there have been a lot...plus I'm sure there are many who haven't posted, but have been similarly inspired. And then there's 13 more blogs that are presumably having the same effect on their readers.

For myself, I've started to consider how we could perhaps sponsor another child right around Gavin's age, and then one close to each of the kids' ages as they get old enough (I believe kids usually enter Compassion's programs at around three-four years of age) - all from the same country, and then take a trip when our kids are older to actually meet our sponsored children. I think something like that could be life-changing for them.

And I sent our sponsored child a long-overdue letter yesterday.