Passions of the Soul

Letter from a former sponsored child

The following excerpt is taken from a letter written by Ruzamba Niyomwungeli, a 24-year-old graduate of Compassion's Child-Sponsorship Program.  Written in Kinyarwanda, it was tranlated in English at the Compassion Rwanda country office.

I cried in my neighborhood, but no one listened to me.  I called to my neighbors because of hunger, but there was no boon coming to me.  I was sick in my bed, but no one could render a service.  But not far from God's hands, a sponsor, a parent, came to me from the far country that is beyond the sea where my eyes could not imagine a thought  What a blessing and love.  God I am too special in your eyes.  Thank you God.

You can read the entire letter here.  Then, if you would like to sponsor a child, you may click on the widget, in the left sidebar, or go here.

A challenge for you!

On Compassion's blog is a post about listening.  Read it, and then consider this challenge:

For one week (not less than one day!), listen to yourself, your spouse/significant other/family, listen to people around you wherever you are, wherever you go.  Listen for conversations, questions, statements, comments--anything that you would not hear among people who live in real poverty.

I read the post on Compassion's blog and immediately thought about some of the conversations at our house having to do with vacations.  Vacations give us a break from work and, depending on how we plan them, a chance to catch up on some rest, time to just sit and reflect, time to go deeper into God's Word, to watch in leisure as boats and sea planes go in and out of a bay...as we plan to do in June.  Vacations give us a chance to have some fun, whatever that means to an individual:  rock-climbing, surfing, deep-sea diving, kayaking, fishing, skiing...fill in the blanks for yourself.

But the poor never get a break from their poverty.  Even the children who are registered in a Compassion-assisted student center continue to live in their poverty. Yes, they receive a good meal, every day that they are at the center, as well as education assistance; health care, and nutrition assistance, as needed; a safe place to play and develop social skills; a life skill, which will enable them to provide for themselves and their families; many opportunities to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and to learn the Word of God; and so much more.  Most of those who are sponsored will exchange letters, periodically, with their sponsors and receive small (to us) birthday and Christmas gifts.  But they go home to a very small structure, often very shaky, which typically houses far more people than can reasonably be accommodated.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is enough.  Anything more than that is more than we need, and we have a responsibility to share.  So take the challenge, thank God for all that you have and remember that, as we say at my church, "We are blessed to be a blessing."

As Kenya calms...

I'm about three weeks late with this reference, but--having looked over the list of prayer requests at this link--I believe every one of them is still needed.  Please continue to pray for Kenya, for all of God's work going on, over there, including Compassion's.  Pray also for all Kenyans who participated in the violence, that their hearts will be changed through Jesus Christ and they will participate in peaceful resolution, instead.

Praise!!--I have received a letter from Rebecca!  She and her family are okay, and she is continuing her studies at the university.  Thank you, Father!

Better news on Allie!

You can read about her latest venture out for a little fun.  My word, she's cute!  But she, Charity, Bryon and Susan still need our prayers--always. 

Prayer needs and praises, updated

Reading some information about my friends' grandbaby, I realized I hadn't updated the requests and praises, lately.  So...

Ken is about half-way through his radiation treatments and is doing very well on them, with few of the anticipated side effects.  That's a praise!  He still has the remaining treatments to go, of course, and prayers for his continued endurance, lessening side effects, and gaining strength are needed.

Ken and Jeannine's newest grandbaby, Abigail, is making great strides, better than expected, for one born so darned early.  We praise God for bringing her along as well as He has and is, and pray that He'll keep her from getting any more infections, while in the hospital.  Also, issues of optimal weight gain (without use of a feeding tube) and breathing are factors in when she can come home.  If weight were the only factor, it appears that she would go home very soon, as she is at just under 5 lbs., now.

So many things are possible with a preemie as young as Abby, but God knows how to grow babies to be strong.  I keep hearing that children who were preemies have strong personalities; with a body to go with it, Abby could be one formidable little girl for her mommy and daddy to deal with! :o)

Different family:  Miriam, who was supposed to have had back surgery last Friday morning, was surprised to learn on arrival at the hospital that it had been rescheduled.  At this point, she is to report at some unearthly hour like 5 a.m. this Friday morning!  Please keep her in prayer, too.

Little Allie continues with various therapeutic modalities.  She no longer looks like a little baby, either!  She, Bryon and Susan, and Charity all need continued prayer.

One of the Compassion Advocates on our team is Hans, who is getting ready to graduate from college.  Hans has been fighting a recurring gastrointestinal problem for several months, and it has defied every doctor he has seen.  Please pray that God will heal Hans and given him the strength and presence of mind that he needs to finish his coursework and graduate.

And then there is Kenya.  Compassion's children are scattered all over, so many of them displaced by the violence that has robbed them of homes and belongings.  Compassion Kenya continues as best they can to care for all of the children who can be located, but conditions are even more heartbreaking than usual...which is saying a lot.  If you want to help, you might consider making a donation to Compassion's Disaster Relief Fund; in a comment section, you can specify that you want your funds to be used to help in Kenya, although there are other areas in need of assistance, as well.  And, of course, if you want to change the world for a child in poverty, in Jesus' name, you can do that here.  While you're praying for Kenya, please remember Rebecca, who is in the Leadership Development Program, there, and whom we sponsor.

MORE UPDATE:    I previous wrote about Tom and Karen, and her journey through diagnosis, surgery and treatment for endometrial cancer.  She finished her chemo' treatments sometime in January, I think, or early February.  Tom and Karen like to come to Arizona, now and then to do some hiking on snow-free ground, and this is their weekend to be in Tucson.  They came to church, this morning, so we got to visit a little bit afterward.  Karen looks great, and as far as they know, she is free of cancer.  They will appreciate prayers, however, as she will have a three-month checkup in April.  Praise God for having brought her through treatment as well as He did!

More old friends

I held a Compassion Sunday, today, at the Vineyard Christian Community, in town.  Aside from the opportunity to talk about Compassion and about child sponsorship, I also reconnected with some old friends from the mid- to late-70's.  That's always neat, and I really enjoyed visiting a bit with Sandy, and with Phil (they are not a couple).  But even more special to me was to reconnect with Aaron, whom I first knew when he was 18 months and for a few years afterward.  He was such a neat kid, a truly precious little boy, and I've often wondered about him and his younger brother, Kevin.  Aaron isn't a little kid, anymore, and he has a little girl about the same age that he was, when my first husband and I became friends with his parents.

I did get to see two child packets picked up, the children sponsored.  And I had ended my presentation with a brief invitation to join the Advocates Network, with four people coming to inquire about that.  The last one introduced himself as a friend of Wess [Stafford, our president and CEO]; he must have thought I was barmy, or something, because on hearing he was a friend of a man I hold in such high regard and with such affection, all I could do, at first, was stand there and smile at him.  Then I realized I really ought to say something.  Anyway, Jerry is going to join the Network, and I'll be delighted to have him on the team.

So...I hope your day was as good as mine! :o)

A little compassion, please!

For me, that is.  What else can you say for someone who truly would lose her head, if it weren't well attached?

This is a very busy and active week for my work with Compassion.  On Tuesday, I met with a pastor of a church that has never partnered with Compassion, and left with a willingness on the pastor's part to pursue a couple of options for partnering with us.  I don't expect the board to take both options, but I hope they will take one of them.  Either one.  The praise is that the pastor has an open heart and mind, and a definite belief that children are the foundation of a growing church.  He's right, and thank you, Lonnie.

Today, I attended a luncheon of the Tucson Association of Evangelicals.  It was my first time, but it won't be my last.  I had been told I wouldn't be able to speak to the group, but that it was a good place for networking.  That's true.  I talked with two or three pastors and got agreement that I could call each of them about a time when I can tell them how Compassion wants to come along side a church in a partnership.  I also talked with another church leader who is eager to hear how his church can partner with Compassion.  And there was a man from Family Life Radio who knows about Compassion and wants to talk about how the radio station can partner with us!  Much to be thankful for, and I am!  I exchanged cards or contact information with each of these people.  I put each card inside the plastic sleeve covering a pocket calendar that I carry in my purse.

God handed me each of these contacts on a silver platter, and what did I do?  I lost the platter.  I have no idea where my pocket calendar is.

It isn't in my purse.  It isn't in the black Compassion bag in which I carried some literature, Wess Stafford's book, and a DVD or two.  I had nothing else with me.  It isn't in my car.  It isn't in the fellowship hall of the church where we met and ate (the wonderful secretary went over to check; it wasn't there.  I called the vet's office, where I met Bruce and Bailey (an emergency visit), and it isn't there.  The only other stop I made on the way home was at a postal contract station, where I dropped off three FedEx packages, and I left my purse in the car, when I did that.

That calendar has utterly disappeared.

How to drop from a real "high" to being totally bummed.  Drop with a thud, as it were.

Updates on two babies

Abigail, the newborn/preemie I told about before Christmas, is coming along, breathing with apparatus in her nostrils, now, rather than with a tube down her throat.  Other areas of development are coming along, some more slowly than others.  She is, of course, still in the hospital and still in need of God's care--and her parents are very aware of His presence.  I'll re-read Grandma Jeannine's letter and come back with more specifics, if I see that I blew past something notable.

Ali/Allie's grandfather posted the recent progress report.  It, too, is mixed, but overall it's good news.  This is the first time, I think, that I have seen her diagnosed with quadriplegia, but physical therapy is helping.  She is still visually impaired.  Bryon and Susan credit all progress to God, in answer to all of the prayers being offered for Allie.

Updating

If you're following Ali's progress, check this out.  You'll notice a change in the spelling of her name; with the adoption in progress, this is the time to do that.

My known-her-since-kindergarten friend, Jeannine, has brought me up to date on her husband's choice of treatment for prostate.  Surgery did not get all of it.  He had decided to enter a clinical study, but then they learned that he had been turned down.  The only other option they know of is radiology and hormone therapy, but two doctors are supposed to talk to each other, and neither has called Ken, yet.  Meanwhile, he's feeling very well, and his last tests showed no new signs of cancer cells.  They're happy about that, of course!  Still...since he's not really out of the woods, they'll appreciate our prayer support.

Miriam told me something about a recent visit to the specialist for her back, but I'll have to find that, again and put it in here later.

  A new request, though, from me:  My sponsored child, Denisse, in the Dominican Republic, is in one of the 19 Compassion-assisted projects that have been affected by the flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Noel.  That's all I know! I kind of assume that she and her family probably lost everything they had, as many have done.  It could be months before I know how she is, and that's really hard.  My friend and supervisor and his wife sponsor a boy in Peru, whose project and community were impacted by the earthquake down there in August; they still don't know how he is, and now I know how they feel.  Please pray for these children and their families, the churches that serve them and run the projects, and the project staff.

Recent reports on Baby Ali

Go to Bryon's blog, scroll down to the October 18 "Ali Report," read that and then go up to the two posts on October 23.  Such good news!