I told him they were very poor and many lived in homes where the dirt was their floor and that they had roofs that would let in the rain (it was raining in Singapore that night). Caleb asked if they had stores. I told him that they probably did, but that they didn't have any money to buy supplies they needed to fix their homes or build better ones.
He said, "Can they get packages?" I told him maybe they could. He said he wanted to send a package with our money so they could buy some wood and fix their houses. So, today, as a family, we're going to find a place for Caleb to send his money, the money he has been saving in a little jar for such a time as this. We'll let him fill an envelope with the money labeled "Giving," to give to others in need, and we'll "mail" it to Guatemala. (In reality, his daddy and I will give online since we know sending cash in the mail isn't the best way.)
We don't want to just tell our kids that it is important to give to the poor. We want to involve them in giving. And when they are older, we want to involve them in serving others. We want to purposefully, intentionally, seek out ways to serve and bless and share Christ with others.
This is why we sponsor (so far) two children through Compassion International. We let Caleb choose his own child this last time, and he chose a boy in Kenya who's name is Victor, and Victor just turned 5 this September (just like our Caleb). Victor lives in an area ravaged by HIV (unlike our Caleb).
One day I hope to visit our Compassion kids. We get their letters and write them, too, but seeing them face-to-face would be such a joy. I don't know if that will happen this side of Heaven, but I pray someday that will be a reality for us. To see and touch our other kids. The kids God has given us in this special way.
There is a group of bloggers with Compassion International right now in Guatemala. Ann Voskamp wrote about meeting her sponsored child, and I had tears in my own eyes at her joy. Please go read that post and consider how you can help release children from poverty in Jesus' name.
5 comments:
Jenn- You are such a great mama. Thanks for inspiring me with this story this morning. I love that little Caleb's heart.
This is an awesome post, Jenn. I know when I got a letter from Amos in Kenya (also an HIV-affected area) saying he is praying that we will come with our son to visit him, I really started thinking about that. He is 12, so maybe it will be possible before he turns 18 and exits the Compassion program.
Can you share more about the envelopes and how much money you give your kids? I haven't really thought about that much yet, but it seems like you have some wonderful ideas! :-)
Love you! We leave Monday for the Lower 48 to visit our families, so we'll likely be out of pocket till mid-October. Have a great month!
It truly is a joy to see our children have compassion for others! How precious that you involved him.
It will stick with him for a long time!
Here's what my friend told me about Mike's:
it's the sokimex gas station on russian blvd at the intersection of russian blvd and st 271. it's on the side of phnom penh towards the airport. his phone number is 012 633 971.
You'll have to tell him you read about his Burger House on my blog! :)
You truly are an inspiration as a mother and your children's compassion is remarkable. Thank you for sharing this!
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