My Rwandan daughter is now the same age as I was when I sent my first sponsorship check in. She's tall and always wears a Mona Lisa style smirk like she knows a secret. I just love her.
It's funny how my history has become entwined with Charlotte growing up. Since becoming her sponsor I've gotten married, moved all over including Africa, and had my first child. As she has grown so has our family and I'm glad that I've been able to share my life with her family half way around the world.
Time and again I receive simple letters full of gratitude and updates about what season it is and what her family is growing. They are never flashy, but I read between the lines and realize that her life is different because I chose to use my meager resources differently. My willingness to be her sponsor was an invitation to the very Light of God.
When I decided to be a Compassion sponsor I remember having friends who questioned and discouraged me about it. I'm glad that I didn't listen.
There are places where only you can shine light. There are people that only your two hands can reach out toward. They are across the road and down the aisle and on the other side of the tracks or the world, but they are all within your reach.
Charlotte is a shining light herself now. I know that she's going to be a beacon in her community wherever God takes her.
This is my small story as a Compassion sponsor. It's not a plea for sponsorships- although I'm a big advocate for the work that Compassion does- but what I am asking is for you to look around and find big and small ways to chase light out into the open. Use your God given creativity and the opportunities that show up in your daily life to find those in darkness and shine the Light of God into their lives.
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