Jonesbones5

This morning we had some fun with some Compassion Kids.

This was a great moment for our blog team just to stop, have fun and decompress!

At 5:00 pm I wrote – It’s an hour before the last sunset I will see in El Salvador. We are still sitting in front of Compassion project in Santa Maria and I feel sad that we have to leave because there is so much need. Hurricane Ida was wicked to this area, and today was the first day that rescue workers were able to get food and water here.

Heroes

I have seen so many things today, and I am trying to wrap my head around all the emotions and stories.  It’s  difficult.  In one day I went from playing soccer with Compassion kids, to going to a poultry farm and watching a chicken get his neck slit, boiled, plucked and gutted, to seeing the ruins of a home of a Compassion child and her family.

I had new experiences today that my brain is trying to process.  For example, I was at a point of desperation for a bathroom break and used a cliff side makeshift outhouse in the area of a landslide. While doing my thing, I noticed the ground beneath me was very unstable and I feared going down the side of a cliff, or having the hole beneath me cave in.  Luckily, I safely made it through the moment!

Seeing all the erosion, the destroyed homes, hearing helicopters hovering in this area, made me keenly aware of the fact that 20,000 people in this village are in the middle of a crisis.  Crops were destroyed, livestock drowned, roads were ruined, and homes were ruined.  A town near by was completely buried by a mudslide and the 500 people in this town are still missing.  Obviously we know what happened, but until they can dig through the mud and find people, the government will not make these numbers public.

But today, with all these experiences, one little boy sticks out in my head.  He is a Compassion Child in the Santa Maria project.  I noticed his arm was wrapped up as if it was broken.  We asked the boy what happened and he looked at us with sad little eyes.  The boy simply said, “I climbed a tree because I wanted to see the plane, but then I fell out of the tree.”

Then, a little tear streamed down the boys’ cheek and he hugged his mom. It was obvious to me that this young boy carried a bigger burden then just an injured arm.  I then watched as he and his mother walked over to get water and food supplies from the project workers. I looked at the weary faces of these Compassion project workers who had been working around the clock for 6 days to care for families.  Then I watched a project worker bend down and tenderly hug this little guy.  I humbly realized who the true heroes were.

I am a sponsor … but today I met heroes.  I am just happy that I can be a part of this amazing ministry.

If you would like to help with the disaster here in El Salvador, you can make a donation by clicking here.

Check out Shaun Groves video of the hurricane.

I continually am amazed at these children!

Want to sponsor a child?

Check out the Compassion Child Survival Program

Check out my other blogger friends.

Hello, my name is Patricia and I am a blubberer.

I don’t know why I even bothered to put on any eye make-up today, because I certainly cried it all away. The mascara smearing down my cheeks is far less attractive then just going without makeup at all.  Oh well, I will live and learn.

I think this trip is my 10th trip with Compassion, and I still blubber like a baby.  The first thing I do when I start to cry at a Compassion project is look around to see if any other Americans are joining me in my emotional state. It was a relief to see that Kelly was joining me.   It’s a pride thing I guess, but God made me soft.  In other words, I cry at sad movies, I cry when I see someone else crying and I cry at Compassion projects.

Today, we went to a Compassion project and were greeted by 200 of the sweetest, most affectionate kids in the world.  Seriously.  These kids poured on the love.  Roses at the door, hugs, kisses, smiles, even the boys hugged.  This particular project was started 5 years ago and has never had any sponsors come to visit.  We were the first group and that was pretty cool.

The kids sang songs, did a little skit and shared some stories, but then they asked us to come up front so they could all gather around us to pray.  200 Compassion kids prayed for me today and I felt like God had wrapped me up in His arms and told me He loved me.  Each smile, each hug, and every kiss felt like it came straight from Heaven. I blubbered.

After the project visit we went to Dr. Marco’s house.  Dr. Marco is only 12 and lives with his mother.  Now, he hasn’t quite made it through medical school yet, and for now he is still working on the 7th grade, but I am confident this boy will do great things with his life.   In addition to becoming a doctor, Marco wants to be a preacher and a teacher.  He dreams of helping children just like him, and when he does become a doctor, he wants to come back to his neighborhood and be the doctor at no charge.

If you had met Marco at the project or on the street, you would never imagine the conditions he lives in. He boldly stood up today and read from the Bible in front of all 200 kids and us.  He was beautiful.

His smile, his confidence, his infectious personality does not lead on to the life he is living.

There are people in Marco’s life that make fun of him.  They make fun of his faith and his desire to do well.  He has been dealing with some wicked stuff  but….

His mother supports him and is very proud.  His mother is an amazing woman and supports  the family by selling garlic in the market.  She is thrilled when she earns more than $2 a day.  When we asked her about the difference Compassion has made in her son’s life, she cried.  She told us how Compassion provided clothing, shoes, and school supplies, but then she wept as she shared about Marco’s new confidence and the hope he has in Jesus.

This is when I began to blubber again. Of course I was relieved to see my fellow friends Kelly, Scott and Dan were all blubbering too.

Marco’s mom began to share more of her story.  Its a difficult story that must be shared at another time.  I can say that this family is so poor ,they don’t even have a hole in the ground for a toilet because they can’t afford the tools to dig it.  Instead they carry their waste away in bags.  Hello..

Tonight I cried again thinking about the stories I heard today.  Stories of hope given through the generosity of people who decided to sponsor these children.  I think about Marco and his mom and their situation, and I am praying that God can provide Marco with a toilet one day.  I pray that he can go to school, go to college and help his wonderful mom, who works 7 days a week.  I pray for their family situation and Lord, you know their situation.  I think about all those hugs and kisses.  I think about those smiles and I think about my lunch companions and how they laughed at my Spanish.  Oh my, I must blubber some more.

Hi My name is Patricia and I am a blubberer.

Sponsor a child please!

Several staff in El Salvador, including the country director, told us that it was God’s divine timing that we should be in El Salvador 2 days after this hurricane.

Where are my army boots, where are my fatigues?  Oh that’s right, I don’t own these things.  All I brought was a computer, a camera and a few clothes. What a nerd.  How am I going to help in this state of emergency in El Salvador?  Needless to say, I felt humbled by such powerful and gracious words.

The country director shared passionately with us about this hurricane, with powerpoint and all.  His serious tone made me feel like I was at the hospital with a friend in crisis.  He is looking for help for kids and their families and we showed up and he said it was “divine”. Divine? Well, I do believe our bloggers will do their best to tell the stories and to paint the picture, but the divine only comes if our friends from home show up too.

I understand why you can’t afford to sponsor a child.

I understand that you support other charities.

I understand that money is tight.

I understand that you don’t wan’t to think about these things.

I understand our culture in America.

I understand you would rather give locally than overseas.

I understand being jobless.

I understand these things.

I work at a church with the poor in America and I would guess 70% of my congregation lives on public aid or under the poverty line.  There are families in my church who can’t afford groceries, yet will spend $200 a month on their cigarette addiction.  I understand why it is difficult to have compassion for such a family.

I understand living on a budget, and how difficult it is to come up with even a little bit.  When I got married, Stephen and I barely made it month to month.

I understand our economy is tough right now.  My husband and I just lost a lot of money.   All the equity in our home is gone from a failed investment. Had we not done this investment, we would only have 7 years left on our mortgage.  I understand the insecurity of giving to a charity during these times.

I understand that you give to other charities, but I ask you, do you understand how your money is being used?

I understand how hard it is to give to things that are far away and don’t relate to your life.  I understand complacency. I have been complacent too.

I understand the desire to be good, the desire to do something great with your life and the biblical call to care for the poor.  I understand how difficult this is, especially when its removed from our day to day living.

I understand.

When I think of a child in the grip of poverty; a child that is barefoot, dirty, and lacks nutrition and education, and I try to reconcile in my head all the excuses not to help, it is in that moment that I no longer understand.  For a child cannot control their circumstance.  I don’t understand why we sit back and wait for someone else to do something.  I don’t understand.

As I prepare for my trip to El Salvador with Compassion International, I have to stop and ask myself, what is it that I want?  Why am I going and why do I do this?

I do this so that you might understand the need.

I do this so that Little Wendy with her chicken in Ecuador will get a sponsor.

I do this for Wendy and her chicken, Karin, Remya, Hannah, Christy, Yeremy, and Marielba.

I do this because I have met children all over the world who have literally been transformed through the ministry of Compassion.

I do this because I want to understand Jesus.

I understand how easy it is to put something off, even if it’s nagging at you.  So everyday, I will remind you of the opportunity to sponsor a child.  I understand if you get sick of me reminding you.

So now that we understand each other, here it is.

Do you want to sponsor a child in El Salvador?  Ok…if you are not sure…look at these pictures and just think about it.

I understand.