Yesterday at church during our Easter celebration, I felt God's prompting to sponsor a child from the Dominican Republic. I felt it would be such an easy way to thank God for his provision in my own life. A woman in our church started a ministry called "Hands of Grace" that sponsors children, provides medical/local needs, church planting, and microfinance loans to the Dominican Republic. A $35 a month sponsorship provides for a one child, quality education, food, Christian discipleship, medical care, and a chance for their family to break the cycle of poverty. After the service, I found her and leafed through photo after photo of children with bright eyes and big smiles. My heart gave a tug as I came to the packet of a little 3 year old boy named Luis Gabriel. His big eyes, face shape, and even his smile reminded me of my son Marcus. His profile said he loves to play, draw and paint, and LOVES baseball. He said he doesn't have a favorite food because he likes everything and loves the color blue. As I read these things, I felt a connection to him, since my husband and I like the same things!
This morning, I pulled out his packet again and read a little bit further on his profile. "Please pray for my family. Please pray for me as I continue to learn lots of new things every day. Pray for me a lot as I am in remission from Leukemia. Pray that I will continue to get stronger and stronger. Thank God that he healed me."
Wow. The thought of providing essentials for my own son on megar wages, and then facing the daunting task of providing appropriate healthcare for him to continue to live just shook me out of my own comforable world. What if being able to provide these things cost time with your child? And if you didn't, it could cost you the life of your child?
So often I get these ugly blinders on my heart. I spend so much time worring about providing non-essentials for my own son, and I don't have to think twice about his next meal, his education, or healthcare. I can spend $35 on a meal out with my husband when we have a stocked fridge and pantry at home. We live an abundant and blessed life. But what if living more abundantly meant sacrificing these non-essentials? Would I really miss out on something special? What if true blessings meant seeing a child celebrate his 4th birthday, and then his 5th birthday, and his 6th birthday, and 7th...
Enriching the lives of another family just deepened the joy of my own family.
If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please visit http://www.hgworldwide.org/
