Jonesbones5 
Moms just like me
I have sat with many moms and listened to their stories. Moms just like me wanting something good for their kids. Moms concerned about their children’s well being. Moms who pray for their children with hopes they will grow up to be strong.
Yesterday, as I sent my children off to school, I breathed a prayer for my girls.
“Oh God, let them know You are with them all through this day.”
Isabel’s last words in the car right before I dropped her off for school were, “I am nervous. What if I can’t open my locker?”
After school we heard stories from the day. Each girl shared about their friends and their teachers.
Bedtime rolled around and Grace began having a stress attack. “Mom, I did not practice my instrument enough. I have a lesson tomorrow and I feel like I don’t know what I am doing. I have so much to do for school too.”
I heard her voice quivering just a little bit, I could see she was exhausted from her day and her new adventure as a cross-country runner.
“Grace, it’s ok, just go to sleep. You just need sleep.”
Morning came too soon. All my girls were tired as they tried to find their way in the new routine. Milk spilled, a bowl was broken, and we were rushed to get out the door.
15 minutes after dropping my girls off, the first phone call came. I listened to a stressed middle-school voice say these words, “Mom, I forgot those papers on the counter. I need those papers.”
My husband ran out the door to the school to deliver the papers and I breathed a prayer.
“Calm her heart God. Help her know You are there.”
Don’t you just want the best for your kids? When you see them stressed, when you hear their stories of feeling left out, or when they worry, doesn’t it just get your heart?
Today I was reminded of some mothers I have met recently. I thought about the mother in Peru who questioned herself. “Did I do the right thing for my son?”
She had a chance early in his life to give him up for adoption but she didn’t. Now her son is a strong, young man who serves with her at the church. He is a leader, but they are poor. His mother wanted to know if she should have given him up for adoption.
“I love him, I want what is best for him. Maybe I did not provide enough for him. He could have grown up in America and would have been rich.”
One of the ladies on our trip assured her that indeed she did the right thing. He is loved, he is cared for and he is an amazing child. God meant for him to be with her.
I have met mothers who weep for their children. They yearn for a better life for their children. They want their children to have enough. I have heard the gratefulness of a mother who received help for her children through Compassion and her tears came in the way of joy because she knew her kids would be ok.
Today I thought about the numerous mothers with whom I have sat with and witnessed their tears as they told stories of wanting the best for their children. Moms just like me.
My kids have enough. They have their stresses, their anxiety, their many concerns, but they have enough. I can sleep at night knowing my kids are safe, have a full belly and have nice clothes to change in to as they get ready for school. My kids have so much that we even pay someone to teach our daughter to play the bassoon. Next week I will be going to Guatemala, meeting some kids and meeting their moms. Sponsoring a child with Compassion allows a child to get what they need and to have enough. It allows a child to go to bed with a full belly and to wake up and be able to change in to a nice outfit for school. It allows a child to get the help they need with difficult homework so that child can be successful in school. It allows that child to make friends in a safe place, and be surrounded by people who bring hope. Most of all it allows a child to know that God is with them so a mother’s prayer can be answered.
Often, when I think about Compassion, I think about what it does for a child, but today I was reminded what it does for a mom.
I hope you will travel with us next week by reading these blogs.
And of course you can sponsor a child and be that answered prayer to some mom out there!
Here is a picture of my sponsored child, Remya, with her mom. Amazing women!
7 Comments on “Moms just like me”
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Thanks for visiting our blog. Here you will find stories of our family, our travel, our faith and our mission. We are on a journey to serve Christ and to journey through this life.
Jonesbones5 
Thank you Teena, I appreciate your prayers and support.
following you and praying.
Hugs,
Dear Jill,
I am giving you the award for the “comment that made me cry.” Thank you so much for sharing your stories. Obviously the hand of God was in your most current sponsored child connection. Wow!
Patricia
I was thinking about this post again this morning, and was reminded of my visit with David (LDP student in Peru) and his mom last week. She was expressing her gratitude to me, explaining that she wants a different life for her kids than she had (actually several moms I met expressed this!). I hugged her, crying, telling her I admired her as a mother. I asked her to pray for me as a mother. Her son David, has such a heart for God, such a desire to serve God in all he does and THIS is what I want for my children. She has relied on God and raised her children to love God with all their hearts. This was so significant to me.
I often find myself thinking of the Mothers of our sponsored children. I daydream about spending an afternoon with them. Sharing conversation about our beautiful children. I hope that they know we’re helping, not out of pity but out of love.
Truth be told, my own three daughters have been changed (along with our entire family) in the last 15 months since we sponsored our first Compassion child. As our Compassion family had grown from 1 to 6, we’ve all gained a perspective that has changed how we look at life. Since we shared that many of our children’s families live on less than $100 a year, I’ve not heard one word about wanting an American Girl doll, or wishing we could go to Disney. We all see needs and wants in a very different light.
We’re all eagerly awaiting the blog posts from this upcoming trip. I’m also praying for all of you. Safe travels….
Wow … great post. Great reminder … and great perspective.
Although we’re still grieving the fact that summer is about to come to an end for us, too (the girls start school on Tuesday), this helps put a lot of it in perspective. And I’m not even a mom.
I can’t wait to follow your trip next week.
Last week I had the privilege of spending the day with my LDP student and his mom, and my CDSP student and her mom. I also was able to sponsor a new child on the trip…I had a child packet in my hands and asked a staff member to help me locate the boy. The woman I asked looked at the picture and with tears in her eyes said, “That’s my son.” I knew this was the child I was supposed to sponsor. I had the privilege of getting to know not only Emanuel, but also his mom and was able to pray with her before I left.
Moms just like us….love it!