I've been back home for a week. Now, how can I possibly convey, to anyone who hasn't been there, what the conference I attended is like?
The conference (Compassion International Advocates/Church Leaders/Sponsors) was, as always, like a slice of heaven, in that all these people of diverse backgrounds share one mind, one heart and one purpose in being there. There may be some church leaders who do not personally sponsor a child through Compassion (yet), but everyone else in attendance does. In another context, I know we would have differences of opinion, some strongly expressed, perhaps; we represent diverse religious backgrounds, but all worship one Lord. But at the conference, we don't concern ourselves with politics or religious or social differences. We worship together, pray together, eat together, laugh together, cry together. 
We form friendships that span the continent--no, beyond that, as some attended from Hawaii (hi, Barb!) and Alaska. We swap stories about our sponsored children, our experiences in advocacy, tours we've been on, and more. We meet in smaller groups for breakout sessions, learning from each other about this ministry we share. We listen as changes are explained; as visiting LDP students or graduates, or graduates from the Child Development through Sponsorship Program (CDSP) tell us their stories; and as visitors from country offices address us. And--always a favorite session--we listen to Wess Stafford unfold more of his heart, his vision, his hopes for this ministry, challenging us to stretch more, to do more, because the children depend on us.
Our visiting "national" speaker, this year, was Compassion's country director for Tanzania. Emmanuel Mbennah is also an Anglican priest, so he celebrated the communion service for us on Saturday morning. I actually choked up; the one part of my Episcopal "phase" that I miss is the liturgy (Rite II, the "Great Thanksgiving"). It bears a lot of similarity to the communion services in the church of my childhood and youth, because both are based solidly in scripture. But that liturgy was important to me, while I was in that church, so it was especially nice to worship through it, again.
I also took an opportunity to speak to Emmanuel and his wife, Ruth, about my sponsored child Tausi, in Tanzania. I had fully intended to take her picture with me, but in my frantic preparations, failed to take it off the wall. But he took down her name and area of TZ. And I had someone take our picture, which I need to print and send to Tausi and to the Mbennahs. They were so gracious.
We heard three LDP graduates from Uganda, one at a time, tell their stories. Every time I meet an LDP student, current or former, I am so impressed. I'm telling you, the CDSP works, and the LDP works. Only graduates of the CDSP can apply to the LDP, and not all who are eligible actually get in. Yet. Sponsorship of an LDP student is currently $300/month, and it's an incredible investment, for those individuals or churches who do it.
What really lit up my day on the last morning was a rare opportunity for me to sit and chat with Wess Stafford for maybe 15 minutes! Woo-hoo! Just us, no one else standing around, waiting to be next. Wow! If you've never met him, heard him speak or read his book, you have no idea how special that was, so you can take my word for it or dismiss me as a "groupie." I don't care. The compassionate heart of the man goes so deep, and I would sit at his feet and learn from him, if I could.
That same last morning, we listened to Olive, one of the three LDP graduates, tell her story. When she got to the part about her mother's death, when Olive was only 8 years old, she began to cry, the pain of that loss still cutting like a sharp blade. When she had finished speaking to us, Wess was called up to lead us all in prayer for her. He went up the steps to the stage, dropped to his knees, grabbed Olive's hands and pressed them to his forehead. I know he was weeping for her, as many had been doing. When he stood, he put an arm around her shoulders; she stood with her head on his shoulder, as he prayed for her, for all of the students.
If you think I'm being hyperbolic, or that Wess Stafford sounds like a weak man, you don't know strength. Read his book, and you'll realize the kind of strength he needed, just to survive, as a child.
Well, I've done my best, and it isn't good enough. If you're a sponsor who would like to be more involved with Compassion, send me an e-mail; unless you're in southern AZ, I won't gain anything except the joy and satisfaction of telling someone about child advocacy, the Compassion way. If you're an advocate and haven't been to a conference, start planning, now, to go in 2009. Sorry, there will be no national conference in 2008; instead, the first ever international conference will be held in the Dominican Republic, and I really want to be there!! Join me!
Granddaughter Cassia Patricia, commonly known as "P," reached a new milestone, this week: She started kindergarten and rode the 
bus. We miss so much of their growing up, living so far, as we do, but at least Jeff and (Bruce's daughter) Cathy send photos, fairly often.
of him and Cassia, they don't look all that short, but to his mom, they do. She's the one who counts!
