Our First Child...

So I would like everyone to meet our first child... Ngenzi.  Please forgive the smatters of nonsense through this blog, but I'm writing through tears...

Do you ever have those moments... the moments when you realize that you may have it bad, but not as bad as you thought?  That was me over the weekend.  Doug West, a Compassion International Child Advocate, came to our church on Sunday and spoke about his own experiences with sponsoring a child in Africa.  It wasn't until this moment that forgotten memories came to the surface.

When I was growing up my parents sponsored a little boy from Rwanda.  I don't remember his name, but I remember writing him and sending him a soccer ball every year for his birthday.  Whenever we wanted to send Compassion money to buy him something (because that's how it works :), my Mom & Dad made us take money out of our allowance/savings like we would for any other family member or friend.  This boy wasn't just someone that my Mom & Dad sponsored, he was apart of our family.

I've changed my language about this boy... Ngenzi isn't a child I'm sponsoring... he's a child I've adopted.  In my heart, he's my kid... I want to take care of him and make sure he has a better life.  The high school kids I used to work with will tell you this... they were my kids.  I took care of them, and I promise to take care of this little boy.  If I don't, who will?

We have so much compared to other nations, and we have the opportunity to help in a real and tangible way.  Compassion is an organization focused on relieving poverty one child at a time, and they have a real and true cause with real and true results.  We hear so many times about the charity work that celebrities do...  You may not receive world wide accolades, or notoriety; but you will change the life of a little boy or girl in a way that will be unforgettable to them.  If you have $40/mo, or even if you don't... investing in a child is so much better than going out to eat on a Friday night.