All of us bloggerfolk made it back to the States uneventfully…well, as uneventfully as one can when traveling between three airports in India before finally heading home. I am looking forward to taking today to unplug, relax, and reconnect with life back here in Nashville.
One of the things we did right before we left was sit around a table and simply talk about how the trip has affected each of us. Shaun told us a story about how Compassion International started.
Back in the 50’s, a preacher named Everett Swanson went to Korea. Driving through a town, he saw piles of war orphans huddled together to keep warm. The military would drive up to these groups and make them scatter, not wanting anyone to discover the huge orphan problem the country faced. The children that didn’t survive the cold were thrown into the back of military trucks like sacks of trash.
Obviously upset by what he saw, Swanson sought counsel. The key question someone asked him was,
“Now that you’ve seen what you’ve seen, what are you going to do about it?”
Swanson took that and began Compassion International. What’s great to see is now Korea isn’t a country where Compassion children are sponsored, but one that sponsors children – like the US, or Canada, or the UK, or Australia. It’s completely turned around. Some of Korea’s largest churches are pastored by people who grew up sponsored through Compassion.
If you’ve been around my blog at all over the last year and a half, you know I still talk about the Uganda trip, so needless to say, this is not my final post about Compassion or this trip. And for the second time in a year and a half, I’ve seen first hand what something as simple as around $1 a day can do in the life of a child.? It’s been an honor to take you on this journey with us as well.
To close out the series of posts for this trip, I’d like to leave you with this thought:
“Now that you’ve seen what you’ve seen, what are you going to do about it?”
I personally hope you’ll sponsor a child with Compassion.
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20 responses to “So whatcha gonna do?”
?Now that you?ve seen what you?ve seen, what are you going to do about it??
I’ve been wrestling with that question throughout the Compassion Bloggers’ trip to India. I’ve been a sponsor for several years, 2 little girls in Honduras, but I am asking myself how much more I can do. I know for sure that I will continue to add to my sponsorship by also providing a monetary family gift to both families each year, but this year, I feel a sense of urgency to provide that gift sooner. I will go without certain things that I have been wanting to purchase in order to make it happen.
Even though I write to the girls on a regular basis, I will write more often, send more pictures, more stickers, more scriptures… it’s the least I can do.
I will also pray about the trip I was planning on taking next January, as I feel that a Compassion Trip may be what I should be focusing on instead, even if it takes me longer to save the funds to go. I would appreciate prayers, so that I will know what God’s will is in this.
I can’t thank you enough for having been willing to share the experiences in India with us, it has made me look at my life from a completely new perspective.
JD – that is amazing. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
When I saw the title of your post I was thinking something along the lines of The Daily Onion. Instead I got a challenge. I am a Mission Pastor at our church. This past year I led a group of us to Niger. We saw firsthand, just like you, how little it takes to radically alter the daily realities of those living in desperation. And as a rookie mission leader I’ve really struggled trying understand “What?” What do we do after the trip? What do we do to stay connected? I’m kind of ashamed to admit that I never thought of this question. “What are you going to do about it?” I know it further proves that I’m a rookie at all this, but I’m learning. And think about this. As little circles of believers are transformed by this question…What is the larger ripple effect going to be?
Kenyon?s last blog post..Answering the BIG QUESTION
thanks for taking us along, anne!
I’ve been a sponsor for years, but reading the stories you’ve written (as well as your blogger-buddies) has really impacted me. I confess I’ve been a “send them the cash and basically forget about them” sponsor. Thanks to you and the others, I’m inspired to develop more relationship with the ones I sponsor. I also couldn’t help but add to our brood: Enid from Uganda now has a family in the US!
I’m praying about a missions trip in my future…perhaps to join my home church in our trips to Asia (we go about once every couple of years to perform a service project)…maybe through Compassion or one of the other organizations I sponsor through.
But until God gives me the go-ahead, I’ve decided to get more involved with the poor and suffering in my own community. I don’t have to wait to give of my time and talents here in my own home town…time to put my hands and feet where God has led my heart.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Anne.
Jen?s last blog post..Just Not So Sure Anymore
We’re hoping to add a 3rd child to our sponsorship family in the next couple of months.
And like JD … we are both keen for a trip to serve in the field. Our church is likely doing that itself next year (we have an orphanage in Thailand), but we both feel there’s more in store for us…
David?s last blog post..Worship?and some other stuff : 3 May 2009
Thanks for taking us along on your trip. It really meant alot.
Our family has decided to sponsor a child from India. We have chosen to just let Compassion choose the child for us. Cant wait for the packet to arrive!!
Welcome Home, Anne. Thanks for all of your updates.
I really would like to sponsor another child this year. I love the correspondence with our child so much. I look at his photo on our fridge and my heart melts for him every single day. His more recent photo is adorable and he looks happy. Hopeful, growing, sweet.
I am going to write him even more than I do. He enjoys our letters and pictures from my kids so much and every letter that he sends me, he tells us that he is praying for us. Imagine – him praying for us – 5 years old.
Last year, Compassion sent me a scrapbook and I have been keeping his letters and pictures in there. I need to get that scrapbook out and put it with our other family albums. Today.
My family sponsored Flora from Tanzania, she had been waiting for a sponsor for over 6 months…..and we will be choosing another boy to sponsor as well.
I’ve been wanting to this for so long…not sure what I was waiting for. Thanks for the kick in the pants!
I actually talked about your trip with 2 women in our church and one wanted info on how to adopt a child through Compassion so I quickly printed out the appropriate info from my computer and strongly pleaded with her to give it a whirl!
Both were unsure at first but I told them how much I personally have been blessed by sponsoring a child via Compassion.
Hopefully the one lady will follow through.
Rick Apperson?s last blog post..The Sky is Falling!
Trying to feed my own kids at the moment. We make meals for local families that have been laid off and try to help them with what resources we have. I did sponsor a lad in Thailand through Compassion when I was in college.
very cool to get to hear the back-story of Compassion. totally makes me love the organization more. thanks for sharing!
Crystal Renaud?s last blog post..Squealing Over Swine Flu
you have inspired me to seriously pray about what God wants me to do with my resources.
thank you for that.
Sarah Markley?s last blog post..Pouring Milk in Charity
glad you are home safe
Melissa?s last blog post.."It’s A Good Day For The Trees"
Thank you for all the blogs, and for putting yourself so close to these children, that you can’t help but do something about it too… And I will do my best to do the same.
As for that photo at the end (beautiful), is the girl in focus the same girl that is in the banner right beside it? They both look the same… thought that was interesting…
:)
Stephen Stonestreet?s last blog post..A Question for Compassion Bloggers
Anne – I can’t thank you and the other Bloggers enough for taking us along! My wife and I do not currently sponsor any children (until last night that is). We’ve talked about it for quite some time but never took that step.
Your blog posts, along with the others, helped prompt us to sponsor a child of our own. She is a 7 year old from India. Compassion said we would receive a sponsorship packet and sponsor number in about 15 days (can’t wait!)
This is a new experience for us and we looking forward to it!
Thanks again for letting us be a part of your trip… Welcome home!
Robbie?s last blog post..What did we learn from this?
We are prayerfully considering sponsoring a child through Compassion, but I was wondering does Compassion or an organization like it have a ministry or ministries for underpriveleged children in the United States? Working in a school system where over 1/2 of the children are on free or reduced price lunches I see a need for some type of ministry and I know there are many, many areas like this across this country.
Amy N?s last blog post..Home.
Anne-
Thanks for taking me on this journey with you. My husband and I sponsored a child tonight and we are so excited to get our packet.
Your blogs, pictures, tweets, videos, etc were very moving for us.
You Go Girl!!! ;)
Heidi?s last blog post..Compassion
Right this moment I’m thinking of all the junk and stuff that I have and can have and can do and what am I gonna do about the stuff and the things and where is my focus?? I still can’t get it clear in my head about the brokenness I felt as i read through each post. I’m still asking God to just change me. Renew my mind. Let me focus on serving….more intentional.
I’m tired. I know this is a bunch of rambling. :)
Fran?s last blog post..Are we helping them or hurting them?
Took me awhile to get to it but i finally sponsored a Compassion Kid… http://www.witharmshigh.com/2009/07/17/compassion-mocha-and-justice/ Many thanks to you and Pete for planting the seed!
Eric Ryan Jones?s last blog post..Compassion, Mocha And Justice