Sparking Compassion

The month of May was Missions Emphasis month at our church. One of the Sundays focused primarily on Compassion International. Both John and I have heard about Compassion through the years. In fact, my college roommate and I sponsored a child for a while during college (the sponsorship ended when the child's father found a job and he no longer needed sponsorship). We've talked about sponsoring a child, but have never done anything about it.

But then on that particular Sunday, something stirred again within us. A stirring we couldn't ignore. We looked at each other and we knew that we'd be going to the table outside the sanctuary and choosing a child to sponsor. Our only criteria was that we wanted a child who was somewhat close in age to one of our own kids. We found a little boy named Frank from Rwanda who is nearly a year older than Brennan.

There is definitely excitement surrounding this decision to sponsor a child. We have Frank's photo on our refrigerator as a reminder that there is a little boy halfway around the world who needs our prayers, our friendship, and our sponsorship. And what a great teaching opportunity for our kids!

Now, I will admit, the most I know about Rwanda is that there was a devastating civil war. So I thought I'd share some basic facts about this country that's home to our sponsored child.

Rwanda Fast Facts:

• Kigali is the capital
• Nearly 10% of the population suffers from HIV/AIDS
• Approximately 900,00 children have been orphaned by war, genocide, or AIDS (nearly 30% of all Rwandan children!)
• Soccer is the most popular sport
• The evangelical church has flourished in the post-war years, aided by an increased missionary presence and support ministries such as Christian radio and the JESUS film
• The average person in Rwanda uses roughly 4 gallons of water per day. The average person in the United States uses roughly 152 gallons per day. Yes, you read that right. It definitely makes you think! (Thanks Data 360 for the info!)
  

Prayer Points:

• Continued reconciliation and healing from the past civil war
• Discipleship and heart transformation to take precedence over seeing numerical growth in the church
• Church leadership--godly men and women need training and Bible study materials to step into positions of leadership in Rwandan churches
• There are many ministries already working with orphans, AIDS victims, and women at risk, but there is still great need for more help with these different populations

(Thanks to Operation World and 24/7 Prayer for the great information!)