Cookies and dirt don’t mix. Or, they shouldn’t.

We live in a country where any one of us can go eat a cookie whenever we want to. Most likely, this cookie will be a decadent and sweet treat…one of countless varieties on store shelves and in pastry cases. With the amount of money we make, we could probably purchase, let’s say, around 50 cookies in a day, and still afford real meals and gas etc.

Well, we’re freakin lucky here. Not because we should eat that many cookies in one day, but because there are parts of this world where having the freedom and resources to even eat a single meal each day is an unknown concept.

In Haiti, the food prices are soaring faster than our gas prices. These are people who live on, in most cases, less than $2 a day. That’s less than a Starbucks drink, and that’s their entire income for the day; and that money probably needs to be stretched further than we know ($2 for food, clothing, transport, water, housing, etc).

Because of this dire situation, many Haitians (and people living in other impoverished areas) have resorted to eating dirt.

Yes, dirt. Eating dirt.

There’s a problem here.

People are taking what little food resources they do have (a little butter or oil etc) and mixing it with dirt to make “cookies”. They do this so their stomachs dont ache as badly. People are eating dirt so their hunger pains are lessened. WHAT!? How did Haiti get like this? How are thousands of people all across the world in this same situation? When did people forget to look out for one another…to share what we’ve been given?

It’s a huge problem. It’s only one of the problems. It’s a heartbreaking issue. It’s God’s children neglecting eachother on so many levels. It’s overwhelming. It’s wrong.

It’s a chance for us to make a difference. It’s an opening for change in the way we all live, think and spend. It’s a reason for our hearts to grow.

So what can you and I do about it? How are we supposed to create any change?

Sponsor a child. From any country. There are hundreds and thousands of children who need sponsors. That translates into hundreds and thousands of families whose lives would improve by you helping one of their own. That leads to hundreds of thousands of communties that would begin to succeed and change. It isn’t only tangible support, but showing that you care enough about someone you’ve never met to give of yourself to see their lives improve. And it all starts with one. One decision made from heartbreak that will create hope. And hope spreads like wildfire.

Learn more about the issues in Haiti through Lori’s blog about the Rescue Center. You can donate to help them help the people of Haiti.

Pray. It does wonders. Pray for the country, the people, the government. Any country, any people, any government. We are all in need in our own ways.

Spread the word and show others how easy it is to make a difference. Use what you’ve been given.

Trust me, you’ve been given more than enough.

22 year old buys skirt from QVC, and cries over her sponsored kids!

I just bought a skirt off of QVC. I think I just aged about 50 years. I might be the only 23 year old to ever buy anything from QVC. But I have to say, it was just so cute! And after a day out and about with the girls, and NOT buying any clothes, I feel it was atleast a little justified. It’s a cute yellow color with dots…We’ll see how this goes.

It’s also past midnight and I’m super tired. Hope I’m not totally disappointed when I get it on April 9 (according to their handy dandy delivery estimater!)…

Don’t judge me.
It was pretty.
And they have a free return policy thing.

If this was a real conversation, I’d be embarassed. But only a little, ’cause I think I’m gunna like it.

And on a more serious note, I got my sponsor packet from Compassion… I cried when I opened it. Just thinking about how I have given them hope, and am helping to lessen the load on their family, that’s amazing. And they know my name, and I know theirs. Prayer, crossing oceans, crossing language borders, crossing age gaps, joining hearts. Amazing, right?

I’ll be praying for my sweet little kiddos in my possibly cute/possibly ugly QVC skirt!

That’s right, I just talked about QVC and sponsoring children in the same post. ‘Cause my mommy raised me right!

What did you do this morning?

I chose 2 kids.

What!?

For quite some time now I’ve been thinking about sponsoring a child, but was lazy about it, or unsure of who to sponsor through.

Today I made a difference in this big world by making a big difference in the small worlds of 2 children.

I will introduce you to each of them.

Jully is my little boy. He lives in Kenya with his grandmother and 2 other children in the family. His grandmother sometimes works as a farmer. A farmer. Can you imagine your own grandmother working SOMETIMES…and as a FARMER? And working to support 3 children. After losing your children?

Kenya is also an area affected by HIV/AIDS. The thought that maybe this opportunity will help steer him away from situations that put him at risk of contracting such a thing makes me so hopeful. Which is part of why I think sponsorships work. Aside from practical help for the child-which then takes some of the financial burden off the family, allowing them to better support the other family members- it offers a child across the world a new kind of hope. A hope that someone across the world saw their photo, their eyes, their smile, and read their story, and felt Compassion for them. A stranger, reaching out because they saw a need. Imagine that. Imagine if that’s how everybody lived. That’s how Jesus lived. That’s how I want to live.

This little boy with big beautiful eyes and a look of disappointment in the way his life is turning out now has some hope. Not because I’m amazing, not because his grandmother isn’t hard working (I have no doubt that she collapses into bed each night exhausted from physical labor and emotional stress), it’s only because I realized I could do it. $32 a month to make a difference in the life of not only Jully, but his grandmother, siblings, and community. Maybe even the world. Maybe he’ll become someone who continues this chain of change in this sad world. I hope so. I pray so. I hope to be one more person who encourages him to become a man of God. A man who treats others as God calls him to. A man who WILL make this world a better place just because of his presence in it.

I saw his photo and read the little information that the website provides at this stage, and immediately had this image of his grandmother. Jully has been waiting for over 6months (not sure of exactly how much longer) to be sponsored. This means that for atleast 6 months Jully and his family have been watching other children get sponsored and wondering why no one has chosen him yet. That broke my heart. It broke it more than once. Hopefully it will never be the same.

I pictured his beautiful, tired, worried, hopeful grandmother hearing that Jully had been chosen. I pictured her smile, her tears of relief, the hugging that would happen. I want her to know that even if they struggle, she isn’t the only one supporting him. I want to give her a tangible piece of God’s support.

And all it took was for me to say that I can shop less, be more mindful of how I spend my money, and use what I’ve been given for the good of someone else. Is that something you can do? I understand what it’s like to be broke. And for years I wasn’t able to do this, but now I can, and I love that God blessed me with this job so that I can do things like this. And even if you can’t do it alone, $32 a month is not a lot of money if you pool together each month with friends, family, bible study group, co-workers..whoever feels the same way.

Pray about it. I pray that through these children, the love of God in this world, in their communities, will be seen and felt and noticed. I pray that someday there will no longer be a need for organizations like this.

But until then, there are people like us.

I’ll introduce my other child later, I think this post got long enough and I want to let you stew in those thoughts for a while. See what you and your bank account can cook up. (get it? stew, cook up? anyways…)

Do you have a child?

If you are like me and have been considering sponsoring a child but can’t decide who to go through, you should check out this guy’s blog. He works for Compassion but gives a very clear and even comparison of each organization’s differences.

I myself have finally decided to commit to sponsoring a child. And I’m going to do it through Compassion because I like knowing that the money directly helps THAT child. But I totally agree with both ways of doing things. And someday when I make more money I hope to sponsor more than one child, through more than one organization.

Let’s be The Church, people!

Do you have a child? Share about him or her in a comment…if there is anyone out there, that is.