Sometimes, we have to stop and see beautiful things, because we live in a difficult, complicated world.Often, I find beauty in things that make me laugh, like llamas who need braces or cows that look like they are exasperated. In my work at Compassion, I see a tremendous amount of poverty, and poverty is not pretty. It makes me tired and often emotional to the point that I can actually go numb.

However, in the midst of poverty, I find the most amazing and beautiful stories that remind me of God’s grace. I get to witness the power of relationship between a sponsor and a child, and see the impact a relationship has. I don’t bring people overseas to shock them with poverty, or to introduce them to poverty tourism, or to overwhelm them with guilt.

I bring people overseas to see something beautiful.  I want people to see God’s grace in the middle of something that might seem hopeless.

I want them to see Jesus.

Just keeping the record straight.