How Jesus Brought in the New Year

(*An obvious repost)

First let me say, “Happy New Year!” Last night (New Year’s Eve) I came home from church about 11 PM and intended to plop in front of the tube and watch that inane ball drop out of the sky, but got on the computer instead. Looking back I see God was guiding my steps.

I logged on and eventually (11:46 PM) stumbled upon a message from a woman named Sarah on my profile page. It read (in part), “My heart has been touched very largely by the spirit of God tonight - that I sponsor a child… I need you to help me fulfill my last wish for 2006. Can you tell me if there are children in any of the countries that compassion assists/covers, whom are crippled or in need of help because of disability, including hunger? My daughter is disabled, and to think that she might be a child in one of these countries, who is hungry as well, is too much to explain the depth of my feelings. I want to help children like her - ones who have not passed yet, who are in need of quick help”

I heart began to race - I had 14 minutes to find this person a ’special-needs’ child to sponsor (I didn’t figure out until much later that Sarah was in Colorado and I had over 2 hours to fulfill her ‘last request for 2006, but I digress).

In a short time I had directed Sarah to the Compassion website and well (as they say) the rest is history. Here is Sarah’s story (shared with her permission from a post she left on the MySpace Compassion Group):


(I am a new member of this group! My name is Sarah, and I have two children - Lily and Leo. Lily is three and is disabled. She is very smart, and very happy! Leo is a four month old - on his way to good trouble!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sarahwww.thelilyfoundation.org

My Compassion Story:

Tonight I didn’t make plans to go out. I went to church, then went to lunch with friends and visited a few other friends, then came home to be with Lily. Tonight, God had something planned!

I watched the Anderson Cooper interview with Angelina Jolie and was heartbroken over each of their stories, and Anderson’s coverage on children suffering from hunger in Africa. I know I am not the only one, nor is this the only time that someone has felt compelled to do something for a child after seeing such stories. However, it was strong. I could hardly eat my dinner afterward without thanking God for each bite after I saw that interview.

So I got on MySpace and looked up “Compassion International”. I found them, and clicked on the first advocate I could find - he was online. I told him that I had heard of Compassion International through the church I attend here in Fort Collins, The Vineyard, on a Sunday when the focus was on children and speaking up for them. I was busy presenting/helping launch a Special Needs Children’s program at the church, and didn’t think to sponsor a child. I said that it was now on my heart to do so, and that I had one preference -= that the child have special needs.

I requested this because I can’t imagine children like Lily doing well in a country where even food is sparse. I wanted to be of aid to a child who would get some of the things that Lily does, despite the fact that they do not benefit from American resources.

He wrote back! He told me to go to the website and select a child with special needs by clicking on the choice on the left hand side of the screen. That was my only preference, out of all the children and all the countries Compassion covers. There were 30 children. There had to have been more at some point however, I knew in my heart that some of them probably died - because of larger vulnerability when hit with disease and hunger.

I browsed through the kids photos and was struck by one. It was a little boy, and he was SMILING. This big cute grin. I thought “Lily smiles almost all the time despite her disability, and here is this sweet boy who is REALLY in a worse situation and he is smiling!” I clicked on him and read on - his daily chores, his age and that he is crippled in both feet. When I got to his country, I knew right then he was my choice for sponsorship. He was from Brazil - Lily is half Brazilian/Portuguese. WOW. God is wonderful!!

I even called my boyfriend to share my story, and this is what he said.
“Many people are out on New Year’s Eve, spending $20 - $30 on drinks and here you are, sponsoring a child on the last day of the year!”

Are you moved at all? — > COMPASSION site HERE