The least of these.

Compassion International is a really incredible organization with a worldwide ministry of reaching out and rescuing children from poverty in Christ's name. I got to begin sponsoring a girl in Haiti when I was in college and we now have a boy in Mexico also. Yesterday we had the opportunity to join with friends in sharing our experiences with Compassion. After the service, people had the opportunity to come and our experiences and then had packets for people to begin sponsoring children after the service. It's easy for anyone to become a sponsor on http://www.compassion.com/. For only $32 per month individuals, families or groups can sponsor a child. Unlike a majority of other organizations (and governments) who work in these areas, the money sent through Compassion isn't lost in the circles of war and druglords running the countries. 85 cents of each dollar goes directly to water, food, education and medical supplies for the sponsored children and their families.

The Yahres family, the Allens and the Leres working together on Compassion Sunday

One of my favorite songs has the following lyrics, "When I see pictures of tragedy, don't let it get old to me. When I see hunger and poverty, don't let it get old to me. Let my heart be broken. Give me eyes of compassion. Don't let my hunger diminish. But let me finish strong, I want to hear you say to me, 'well done' "

It's so easy to get so caught up with life right in front of me. I will never forget the life altering experience it was for me when I was 14 to spend time on a missions trip in a third world country surrounded by people with absolutely nothing. I don't ever want those memories I have to get old. I want hunger, tragedy and poverty to always make my heart ache.

There is a violent waterfall of poverty in the world, but I can at least take a cup and put it under the water fall. It may just be two children, but if we all put our cup under the waterfall in one way or another, it'd be a radical change.

I was challenged yesterday when confronted with this statement, "as Christians the question is not 'should we help the poor?' but 'HOW should we help the poor?'"