Left Behind

The mornings have been hinting of fall, with frost kissed grass and leaves greeting the children as they run out into chilled air on their way to the school bus. Even though the "cool" teenagers like our 15 year old son still insists on wearing shorts, most reasonable people resort to fleece, wool, or at least long sleeves and pants.

When our 10 year old told me she needed shorts for gym, I was grateful to have found a few on a clearance rack for $2. Finding shorts this time of the year is almost a miracle -- finding them for $2 is unheard of.

Shorts in hand, I glanced at the rest of the rack as I began to walk away, and that's when something caught my eye.

A bright red pair of boys' swim shorts.

And another.

And a blue pair.

And another blue pair.

And another.

And more.

Seven pairs of swim shorts in all, typically $16-20 at full price, on clearance for $2 a pair.

The images came swiftly to mind -- the older boys, the ones left behind.

Boys whose only possessions in this world are the clothes on their backs -- usually consisting only of a raggedy pair of underwear and sometimes a t-shirt.

Boys who could benefit from swim shorts that dry fast and as such, will keep them more comfortable.

Boys whose birth family income was less than $2 a day, leading them to the desperate decision to sell a child.

On Lake Volta, it is typically more common to rescue young boys, as they are more vulnerable and less valuable to the slave masters.

The older, stronger boys, stay behind with the slave masters. Slavery is often the only life they can recall. They don't remember the taste of freedom.

As I plucked the swim shorts off the rack one by one, I consider that sometimes, the difference we can make seems so small and seemingly insignificant... but even when we can not do much, we must not shy away from the little we can do.

I thought of our boys, age 13 and 15, for whom a pair of swim shorts mean nothing. For whom water means fun and play.

The contrast is stark as I consider the 7 boys who will soon be wearing these new shorts, compared to the 2 who take so much for granted. My heart hurts for these 7 boys, unable to fathom what will go through their hearts and ours, as we pull away from their boats, unable to bring them to safety... but perhaps my heart hurts just as much for the 2 who live unaware and who seem to me the two who are left furthest behind -- by their spiritual slumber.

From slavery to slumber, the harvest is plenty, the workers are few.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

As I continue to prepare my heart for the ways in which it will be broken in Africa -- I know all too well that it's already broken, beautifully yet painfully broken, and it's in that brokenness that I feel Him closest.

Local News

The situation of child slavery in Ghana was featured in one of our local newspapers this week, along with our fundraising efforts.

"When you come across something like that, it has such an impact... Your life changes in that moment."

It can be read here:

KV Style, Sept 23rd 2011

To help build the school for these children:

Paypal: (Chip-In Button on top of side bar)

Canadian Online Banking & more info: (Africa@beyondmeasure.me)

US Non-Profit Receipts:

Interlink Ministries

P.O. Box 460

Apple Creek, Ohio

44606

Do They Know?

It's universal -- no one wants to be alone -- we all long to belong to something bigger than us. Compassion children are no exception.

One of the questions I hear often through the OurCompassion community and from sponsors I meet, is whether or not those of us with multiple sponsored children have told our sponsored children that we sponsor more than one child.

Some of us have.

Some of us haven't.

We each have our own reason for sharing or not sharing, but I personally can't imagine them not knowing about each other.

All the Compassion children I met in Honduras begged to see photos of the children we sponsor, and it was interesting to see their reaction as they realized how much we loved each of our sponsored children -- it tells them that their sponsor loves them too.

Our Compassion kids know the names, ages and country of the children we sponsor. They appreciate being able to pray for one another, and some have offered to pray for God to provide financially for us so that we could sponsor even more kids. Such selfless, generous children.

Ato Sam in particular was quite excited to learn that we were helping "many children", and he offered to pray that God would increase our finances so that we could sponsor more.

God heard those prayers, and we began to sponsor the twins in Ghana, George & George. I shared about this sponsorship in a recent letter to Ato Sam, and his response was beautiful...

"Ato says he was happy to hear that two children who are twins are being sponsored by you and Tia. He says this afternoon, he was at the Project Office to write his letter, and something came to him that he became much happy. He says he was happy that you are sponsoring much children. He says he also wish that, in the near future, he can also be like you and sponsor some children.

Ato says he always prays for you that God should be your source of strength and any material that you will need in your good works. Ato says have you heard from George & George? Ato says which part of Ghana do they come from? Ato says he thanks you so much for sponsoring other children too."

Ato Sam will make one of the best sponsors someday... I am sure of it. In fact, following Ato Sam's footsteps, I've responded to him in a ltter that "It will come to pass Amen!"

It must be amazing for a sponsored child to break the cycle of poverty, and in turn lift children out of poverty. Imagine how seriously they'd take sponsorship? It does happen.

It's my prayer that one day, all Compassion countries will one day become like South Korea, once a Compassion Assisted country -- now a Compassion Sponsor country -- until there are no more children to sponsor, as each child in the world will have been lifted out or poverty's grim grip.

The future is bright for these children, so full of hope.

It's such a blessing to witness God shaping Ato Sam into a leader for his community, his nation, and this world, to see it all unfolding from God's hand, to Ato Sam's life.

With Love, From Ghana: "Skuuk"

Meet Ginger.

Ginger may look like she's all "business", but trust me, nothing quite compared to her meeting the business end of a skunk a few months ago.

We had never experienced this before, much less with a golden retriever, known for their water repelling fur... how exactly do you get the skunk oils out of the undercoat?

Tip One: Immediately absorb as much of the oils as possible from the dog using paper towels, which you will then discard as far away from civilization as possible.

Tip Pew: Forget tomato juice. How many of y'all keep enough tomato juice on hand to float a large cruise ship anyway?

Tip Wheee: Skunks are nocturnal. Have the following supplies on hand in large quantities so that you won't have a midnight "run-out" after your pooch's "run-in" with PePe LePew. Peroxide, Baking Soda, Dish Detergent -- and these instructions taped to the inside of the cupboard door.

"You're paying attention, right?

'Cuz I doubt most dogs learn their lesson the first time. ." ~~ Ginger, 6

As you can imagine, it was quite an adventure, which we shared with our Compassion children in their letters that month.

Ato Sam's response was quite amusing:

"Ato says he was happy to hear from Jillian and the news that she shared with him about Ginger. Ato says from the story it seems Ginger was having fun with skuuk. Sam says Ginger smells bad but he says he believes that, in short time (I'd hate to imagine HIS definition of "long time", lol) the smell will go away. He says did you say it was not wise for Ginger to do that? Sam says Ginger did not know that this is what will happen. Ato says he believes Ginger will chase skuuk again, but it will take time for her to understand.

He says Jillian and you visited Rockwood Park to feed some wild animals? He says he is surprised about that and didn't they hurt you?"

Uhm, no, the chickadees and squirrels were very kind to us, especially since they knew we had seeds and nuts!

It seems as though we never run out of things to share with our Compassion children. Some just happen to be funnier than others!

What were some funny stories or responses you've experienced with your Compassion children through letters?

Go Ahead And Assume I'm 100 Years Old!

There's a sweet little girl at church, her name is Madison. She is our Community Pastor's daughter, and she was in the Grade 2-3 Girls Small Group I teach at our church. She has such a beautiful heart, I love her so.

When I shared with the girls what was happening with God's precious children in the Lake Volta area of Ghana, and how God would help them, Madison became one of our prayer warriors, always asking faithfully and with hope each Sunday how our fundraising was going: "Which percent are you at now?"

Her face always a mixture of pure belief and concern, waiting with anticipation, knowing He promised to provide, waiting to see how He would, understanding the priceless freedom for these children was held in the balance.

Our recent conversation stood out in my mind today. I had shared that we had just passed her age in percentage, that we were getting closer to 13%. She was excited, but I could tell that she knew that with less than 2 months to go, that meant God had some pretty big miracles up His sleeves that He hadn't shown us just yet.

I bent down as I spoke with her, so that we could see each other eye to eye, and we made the decision right then and there that since we were past her age in percentage, we simply had to start praying for God to help us reach MY age in percentage. She grinned, I grinned, we did a high five, and we went our separate ways, promising to keep in touch.

To young kids, parents are like, ancient, you know?

Yesterday, I broke the news to her that we were still at 12%. It's hard to know what went through her mind, but she looked deep in thought. I told her that God would show up, we'd get there. We had to keep our eyes upon Him.

A few days earlier, I had been interviewed by a reporter doing an article on what God was doing through us for these children in Ghana, and at the very end of the interview, she asked "So, I've got to ask, $30,000 is a big amount... do you think you can pull this off?"

This question always catches me off guard. I know we can't, I know God can, but how do you explain that? I shared the story of Nehemiah, and said we can't, but God can, and He will, we have to believe this, we have no doubt.

Yet the question still played through my mind over and over again long after the interview was over, until the answer came to me the following morning:

"God never asked us if we could do it... He only asked us if we trusted that He could."

The answer was an unwavering, rock solid -- YES!

Today, I received an email sharing that we had just received a generous, unexpected, blow-your-socks-off donation into our non-profit account at Interlink. I do not know yet from whom, aside to simply know it's from Him, through someone whose heart He has touched for His children.

46%!!!

How do you begin to process this? How do you find the words? It's times like these that I'm so grateful that worship and praise needs no words... Our love to Him transcends all languages, all situations.

Just a few days ago, my thoughts were on Nehemiah's story, stone by stone, Jerusalem being built in 52 days... today, these children are many stones closer to this school being built. God is bringing His people together, beyond measure.

We didn't do this, He did.

All we can do is continue to serve, believe, trust, worship, pray and praise God through Whom all the blessings flow...

AND...

Set the record straight with Madison: I'm 36, not 46, but if she'd like to think I'm 100, I'm cool with that. :)

With Love, From Honduras: Memories

It was a year ago that we met.

Bessy, Honduras, 2010

Although my mom and I had been sponsoring her since 2005, I had no idea what to expect on July 2nd of 2010 as I waited anxiously for my turn to meet our Compassion child from Honduras.

When our names were called, I came forward to greet one of the most beautiful girls in the world, and quite possibly the most shy too (except maybe my friend Jordan from Kidzworld!). It was as though time stood still. Meeting Bessy was easily one of the most memorable experiences of my life, in fact, the entire journey to Honduras was life changing.

Since my return to Canada, Bessy's letters to us have been completely different. First of all, she is now 9 and writes her own letters, but there is a deeper sense of connection and relationship. I love to read her reflections on our time together.

When I met her that day, she shared that her father had not yet accepted Jesus and did not share their faith. It was a bonding experience for her mother and I, since we both lived this reality in our families.

Bessy had been praying for a doll since she was old enough to pray, and when I gave her a doll that day, she cried with joy, and in her excitement, she shared something in Spanish with her mom, something I couldn't follow or understand. I asked our translator what she had said, and he spoke to her mom, who explained that although Bessy had always believed in God, she felt as though now she had proof that He answered prayers... she was holding the doll she had prayed for since she was very little. There wasn't a dry eye at the table.

It was with joy that I read Bessy's most recent letter to us:

"Dear Friends Docile (my mom) & Jolaine

I greet you wishing that the Divine light of God lightens your lives, always. I want to thank you for the letters, for the books and the stickers, for the photos and the cards. At the same time, I want to answer your questions.

My family and I are in good health, thanks to God. I liked the Bible you gave me. I like to read it because I learn many verses. My favorite Biblical verses are Psalms 23:1 and Philippians 4:13. My favorite materials are markers, pencil colors, books, notebooks with drawings and the pencils. I love to paint.

My family already accepted Christ as their only Savior, the last one who accepted Him was my dad.

In this moment, I haven't been able to get baptised, but I will do it because it is a commandment of God and we have to obey Him.

I'm doing well in school. Right now I am in 4th grade.

My favorite part of the trip was to meet you personally because I was able to hug yo uand to kiss you and to tell you how much I love you. We got home very well, thanks to God. I was a little dizzy and with nausea (she gets carsick) but the experience was very nice. I didn't mind the distance (12 hour drive) or discomfort - it was worth it because not all the kids have that experience.

My doll is called Docile to remember you more and I care for her a lot. My sister and I have been using the markers a lot and we like to paint. I also want to thank you for the scholar benefit I received at the Child Development Center and I was able to buy school supplies.

I wish to ask you: Did you like Honduras? Did you enjoy my company?

I ask you to pray for my dad that he has faith.

Goodbye with strong hug and kisses...

Bessy.

I'm trying to imagine what Ato Sam's letters will be like after November, as well as Tahameena's and the twins'... but if Bessy's are any indication, I'm really looking forward to seeing and hearing it through their eyes and words as well.

If you've visited your Compassion child, how has the visit impacted the correspondence and relationship since the visit?

Ten

Ten years ago today, at 00:16, an itty bitty little girl was born into this world, five weeks early and white as snow. So quiet and still, but even before she made her very first sounds, she had already answered her mamma's prayers.

Born the youngest of two older brothers, our world would soon become a sea of pink.

Today, a five foot tall girl is sprawled upon her bed in her "Daisy Chain" yellow room, red hair tangled wildly upon her pillow as she sleeps, pale freckles sunkissed across her nose. Days of being quiet and still long gone, as she sleeps to restore her energy before bouncing back into her busy butterfly life, chitter-chattering endlessly from morning 'till night.

Remembering the prayers for a girl, for the sea of pink, I see God having answered those prayers as He always does, beyond measure, for the sea of pink was too mild a dream, too small to contain the outburst of color medleys He would splash into our lives through Jillian.

Happy 10th Birthday, my purple flamingo, my JilliBoo, my Cindy-Lauper-Junior, my God-loving, geocaching, singing, adventure and road-trip buddy extra-ordinaire. You live life beautifully -- to the fullest -- you have overcome SO much... you inspire me.

I love you so.

With Love, From Ghana: Creepy Crawlies

In a recent letter to Ato Sam, I had sent him an educational book on arachnids/spiders, and kind of joked that he must never show or mention this book to my husband, because he is deathly afraid of spiders.

Ato Sam's response had us all chuckling:

Ato says that he was amazed to learn that his father T is afraid of small spider. Ato says 'Are the spiders in Canada different from the ones in Ghana?'

I read this to T, who plans on writing back to Ato Sam that yes, spiders here are as big as dogs. Ato Sam will LOVE it if T teases him the entire letter, telling him of how horrible and huge spiders are, only to finish at the end with "teasing.. they're no different than in Ghana, I'm just afraid of them, just like you are afraid of snakes!" :)

Oh, the fun!!

Double Dose of Adorable!

My best friend and I share the sponsorship of these two precious twin boys in Ghana. It has been a truly delightful experience!

Their names are George & George. Wait, no, really, you read that right. And not only do they have the same first name, they also have the same middle name.... and the same last name.

Looking at them, I can see how that would come in handy. Who can tell them apart? Just yell "George!" and you know you've got the right one :D

George & George with their mother.

It has been comical to receive their correspondence since their letters usually get so mixed up -- we get letters from each other's twin as often as we get letters from our own twin. Even the Compassion staff gets them mixed up!

We received this photo along with a thank you letter for a family gift we had sent several months ago. With the family gift, George & George's family received two cocoa plants from the nursery to plant and harvest for income. They also purchased two suits for the boys to wear to church.

Although their names are the same, they do each have a nickname -- Panyin & Kakra. We learned this week that these names are common in this region for twins. One means oldest born, one means youngest born.

Either way, in any region, these two are the definition of adorable. We look forward to meeting them in Ghana in November and loving on them. We've introduced them to the beloved Curious George books, and look forward to bringing them each a giggling Curious George stuffed animal to cuddle with!

Have you received sweet letters from your Compassion child lately? Do share!

Stone By Stone: 52 Days

Once upon a time, there was a man named Nehemiah who had learned that Jerusalem and her walls had been destroyed. This caused him great anguish, and he immediately fasted and prayed, offering his life to the Lord that the city may be rebuilt, restored and protected from the enemy, for He loved the Lord's people so.

The Lord led the way, providing His faithful servant with His blessing, a team of supporters, and provisions at each step of the way. Once in Jerusalem, the Lord continued the provisions in spite of growing discouragement from the enemy.

Alone, Nehemiah knew he could never rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and bring redemption to this broken city, but Nehemiah knew God would never leave his side. Indeed, God provided many hands to raise the walls, stone by stone. Day and night, they worked tirelessly, one hand working, one hand raised to defend against the enemy’s attacks, each doing what he or she could, providing just enough for God to complete His work through them.

In 52 days, the unthinkable happened... the walls were raised, Jerusalem was once again protected and safe, and God’s name was glorified through the efforts of all who had faith, believed, and did what they could.

____________________________________

Hundreds of years later, there were three women named JD, Tia and Debra, women who had learned that the lives of children sold into slavery in the Lake Volta region of Ghana were threatened. This caused them great anguish, and they immediately responded with prayer and fasting, offering their lives in obedience to the Lord that these children’s futures may be rebuilt, restored and protected from the enemy, for they loved the Lord's people so.

The Lord led the way, providing His faithful servants with His blessing, a team of supporters and provisions each step of the way. With months until they would travel to Ghana, the Lord continued the provisions in spite of growing discouragement from the enemy.

Alone, the women knew that they could never build the school the children needed and bring redemption to these broken spirits, but they knew God would never leave their side. Indeed, God provided many hands to raise the funds, dollar by dollar, prayer by prayer. Day and night, they worked tirelessly, one hand working, the other raised in praise of the Lord and against the enemy’s attacks, each doing what they could, providing just enough for God to complete His work through them...

With 52 days left, the unthinkable WILL happen – the funds WILL be raised, these children will have an education to provide them with protection and safety from the snare of slavery and poverty, and God’s name will be glorified, as in the days of Nehemiah, through the efforts of all who had faith, believed and did what they could.