MY COMMITTED CHILD

Sorry for the picture of a picture.  I don't own a scanner, so this will have to do.

This is Eugene from the Philippines.  He's the one who started this whole madness of sponsoring.  He is 18 years old today, so what better way to celebrate his birthday than to blog about him?

I have been sponsoring Eugene through Child Fund for eight years now, shortly before he turned ten.  I call him my committed child.  I am committed to him, not to the organization.  For about a year, I was debating whether or not to stop sponsoring him.  The Lord convicted me it would be him that I would be rejecting, not Child Fund.  And,  I couldn't do that to him.  I am more committed to him than ever, and my hope is to continue to sponsor him until he graduates from the program.

Since his second letter, I have been his Aunt Stacey, and he is my nephew Eugene.  Sometimes, I actually remember to start out as Dear Nephew Eugene.  But I always sign the letter as Aunt Stacey.

I can't believe that my once adorable little boy from the Philippines is now an adult.  He is in his third year of high school.  His goal is to graduate.  I pray he will.  He only has a couple more years left. I know he is able to finish.  It will be a huge honor and reward for him.  Not to mention, it will be for me, knowing that I have helped him complete something.

I look at this picture, and I still wonder where the little boy went.  I am so proud of him.  He is beaming self confidence, isn't he?

Eugene has had a tough few years.  A couple years ago, he dropped out of high school to help take care of his father.  His father had throat cancer and had surgery.  The surgery didn't help, and his father died in March of 2011.  This picture was taken sometime after his father's death, which is why he looks so sad.  I do have a couple pictures of him smiling and looking so happy.

Eugene credits his father as the one who led him to Christ the year before.  I am glad that his father was a good influence on him.  I am even more pleased that Eugene belongs to the Lord.  I look forward to meeting him in Heaven.

I'm not exactly sure what Eugene would like to do after high school.  At first, he wanted to be a pilot so he can go to many places.  Now, he admits that being a pilot is not in his ability.  I keep praying for guidance for him in his decisions.

I can't wait until October, when I will receive his updated photo and progress report.  I'm sure I will be even more shocked to find out he is a man and not a teen boy.

How did I sponsor him?  What was it about him that I chose him?  I didn't choose him.  I chose the region, Asia, and that was it.  I saw an ad about Christian Children's Fund (now Child Fund), and called them to sponsor a child from Asia.  They sent me Eugene.  I admit, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a girl.  After all, girls from the Philippines are simply beautiful.  The more I thought about it (it took only a day), the more I realized that this was the child the Lord wanted me to have.  How could I say no to him, simply because he was a boy?  So, I sent the response card back and sponsored Eugene.  And, I am so glad I did. Eugene has been such a blessing and encouragement to me over the years.  He truly is my nephew, and I hope to continue the relationship with him long after he graduates from Child Fund.

MY PROMISE CHILD

This is Niphaporn.  Isn't she beautiful?  She lives in Thailand.  She is 11 years old.  I also call her my little beggar.  

Each of my children I have a nickname for.  Niphaporn is my promise child.  

The first girl that I sponsored through Compassion was Esther (Lupita she liked to be call) in Mexico.  Esther loved art, and every letter I received from her she included a picture on a separate piece of paper.  I sponsored Esther for four years, until right before she turned 9.  Compassion called me and told me that the project Esther attended was closing.  They had seen an financial increase in the community and were having a difficult time finding poor children and families to help.  So the church decided to take over the care of the few remaining poor.  Even though this is great news, I was still heartbroken.  I grieved Esther like my own daughter (I have no children by the way).  Even today, I still think about and pray for her.  

A few weeks before I lost Esther, I was on the Compassion website and discovered a blog about Thailand.  The blog opened up my eyes to the child prostitution problem in the country.  My heart was broken.  I wanted to help a girl in Thailand.  My thoughts remained on Thailand, even after I lost Esther.

Compassion offered me another girl in Mexico.  Without really thinking about it, I agreed.  I even seriously considered saying no.  Losing Esther just hurt too much.  Almost two weeks later, I received a last letter from Esther.  Her letter made me cry.  She asked me to help another child the way I helped her.  Her last request was not for continued prayer for her and her family, but it was for another child.  How could I say no to that?  That day, I called Compassion and asked them NOT to send me the girl in Mexico, but instead wanted a girl from Thailand.  I didn't specify age.  I knew that the girl they sent me would be the one that the Lord wanted me to have.

Two weeks later, I received her packet.  Niphaporn is only a few months older than Esther.  In fact, she was the same age as Esther when I lost her.  She also has the same interests as Esther did.  So, I couldn't resist this precious tomboy from Thailand.

A year later, my hours at work got cut dramatically.  I had to give up three of my five sponsorships.  I was devastated.  Giving up three children was the hardest thing I ever had to do.  My life was involved in these kids.  Yet, I gave each of them up to the Lord and begged for Him to send the new sponsors quickly.  Sponsors who would write, who would love them, who would commit to seeing them through.  I asked three people on Our Compassion, an online community of Compassion sponsors.  Two of them agreed to sponsor a girl.  I was able to continue my relationship with them.  I was blown away. I am still in awe of the Lord.  I gave them to Him, and He returned two of them to me.  I hadn't even expected that, but God is the God of surprises.  Niphaporn was one of them I  had to give up.  I promised the person that I would take over her sponsorship again once I was able to.

Over a year ago, I was able to take over her sponsorship.  I fulfilled my promise to the person as well as kept my silent promise to Esther.

The last year, Niphaporn's letters have started to ask me to come to Thailand to visit her.  I wrote that we should pray and see what happens.  Her last letter, as any normal child, sweetly explained that should I be able to be away from work, please come to Thailand and she will be my tour guide.  My little beggar!  

Niphaporn is very active.  She likes swimming and playing group games.  She also enjoys school and the development program.  She looks forward to being a teacher, so she can help her village.  I'm sure if I visit her (I'm not planning on it), I will have a hard time keeping up with her.  

Niphaporn lives with her stepfather and her older brother.  Her mother died in April, so she is very sad.  Because of the child prostitution and slave trade, I pray that her stepfather will keep her in the program and not sell her to a brothel.  Niphaporn recently wrote explaining that she received Christ.  Praise the Lord!

For my birthday earlier this year, I sent Niphaporn a family gift.  A few months ago, I received an extra picture of her with her brother.  It was the very best birthday gift I have ever received!  I was so excited to receive an extra picture from her.  It is now in a frame where everyone who walks by can see it.  Her family (her step father by that time) got her some clothes, some toothpaste, some food, some shampoo, and many other things.  For just the little bit that I sent!  I was amazed how far $100 went in Thailand.  It was this letter that told me that her mother died of cancer.  I was grieved, but I was happy.  

I am excited to continue to watch her grow up into a beautiful woman of God.  

I CHOOSE TO INVEST IN ETERNITY

I choose to invest in eternity.  My passion is children.  And children in poverty.  I am poor myself, so I know what it's like to struggle.  How can I afford six children?  I sacrifice.  I don't buy big price items very often (and that's only through my income tax refund).  An Ipod?  I just bought one last year, and it took me until recently to actually enjoy it.  The newest cell phone?  Nope.  I do have a cell phone, but I am looking forward to downgrading.  A new tv?  Not me.  My small tv and ancient DVD player works just fine.  Clothes?  Thrift stores for my work clothes.  Clearance racks for my good clothes, the ones I wear to church and even to the grocery store.  Nor do I have a lot of shoes.  I own two pairs.  A pair of sandals.  And sneakers.  The newest and most expensive items in the store will not save a soul.  In fact, they will either break, get lost, get replaced, or get resold or donated in a few years.  I choose to store my treasures in Heaven.

Each child that I sponsor or correspond with is a soul.  A precious soul with so much potential.  I choose to invest in these lives rather than spending lots of money on material things.  The novelty of new things wears off quickly.  But these children are still in poverty.  They still have little to nothing of their own.  Their parents and caregivers struggle to provide a home and food. If they cannot afford food, how will they afford an education for their children?  It's simple; they don't send their kids to school.

I have been a child sponsor for eight years.  I have been a Compassion International sponsor for seven and a half.  I have been an advocate for about three.  And I love it!  I love Compassion.  

People who know me, even vaguely, will admit my passion is Compassion.  Give me a least a half hour with you, and you will know not only that I am an advocate, but also the names of my kids, how many I sponsor, how many I correspond with, how old they are, and what countries they are from.  Give me another half hour, and you will learn my personal nicknames for them as well as the story behind each sponsorship (okay, maybe it'll take longer that that).

I like Compassion for many reasons.  They teach children about Jesus.  They encourage sponsors to write about their faith.  Each child is given the opportunity to accept Jesus.  They aren't forced, and many kids choose to follow their parents' religion.

I also like the fact that the projects are in the churches in the community they serve in.  The families and the children in the program are invited to church, but it's not a requirement of the program.  Some of my kids have told me, "I do not go to church.  I am not a Christian child."  When I ask them about what they are learning in the project, their responses are usually about a Bible story.  One child even wrote, "I am learning that Jesus loves me."  What a powerful thing to learn; that Jesus loves you.  

Compassion brings the love of Jesus to these children who have so little.  They bring hope to these families; hope that their child will have a better life.  And some families even find their way out of poverty to where they no longer need Compassion's help.

My favorite thing about Compassion, of course, are the letters that I receive from my kids (even the one sponsored through another organization I consider one of my Compassion kids).  I can have a very stressful day at work.  And it all disappears when I see that cream colored envelope.  My day suddenly brightens, and I forget what had me so stressed out.  These letters that I receive only give me a glimpse into the daily lives of my precious kids.

And, of course, I write to them.  The online writing tool is awesome.  I love choosing and sending pictures as well as choosing the templates.  Sometimes it's very hard to stay with just three pictures.  The children love pictures, but with so many kids (I write to eleven altogether), it can get quite expensive to keep developing pictures.  Compassion has made it easier for me to send the same pictures to all of them.

When I saw that Compassion was looking for bloggers, that encouraged me to start my own blog.  What better way to start something new than to help another child become invested in eternity?  

There are assignments and prizes involved, but I'm not concentrating on that.  If I help a child on the website or through another advocate get sponsored, then Praise the Lord!  Yes, the prizes are great (to be honest, I'd like the gift for one of my kids).  But, over all, it's not important.  Investing in eternity is. 

I invite you to invest in eternity, with me.  Go to compassion.com and choose a child.  And, please, let me know.  It encourages me to know that I have helped a child get sponsored.  Also, please continue to check on my future posts.  

So, in closing, let's invest in eternity!