I know this video has been making the rounds, and maybe you’ve seen it already. But for those of you who haven’t, take the time to watch this. It’s a long video, but trust me, it’s worth it. This was a moment at Catalyst last week where a Compassion child, now grown up, shared his story about how he was so impacted by the fact that someone chose to sponsor him. Then he meets his sponsor for the first time. Grab a tissue, you’ll need it.
I sponsor a child in Uganda through Compassion. Sometimes I think, “Is this really worth it? Is this really making a difference?”
Then I see something like this, and I’m reminded that yes, sponsoring a child is worth it. And it does make a difference.
Some of you might remember my post about the first letter I got from Epesu, my Compassion child in Uganda. Over the weekend, I got another letter from him and I thought I’d share it with you.
This letter included an updated picture of him and his family. He’s such an adorable little boy. His birthday was last month, so when I sent in my contribution, I included some extra money to be used to buy him a gift for his birthday. The money was used to buy him a goat and he’s very excited about. You can see in the picture above that he’s holding the goat’s leg like one would hold hands with a person. The letter goes into detail about how excited he is about the goat.
Because he’s only four and reading and writing skills for four year olds are limited, he isn’t actually the one writing the letter, although his personality comes across in the words that are written. My favorite part of the letter reads, “Joshua Epesu says that he had never owned a goat in his lifetime but he thanks God that he has received a goat from you, moreover the goat is very beautiful and I like it, says Joshua.” My heart smiles when I read this because I read this and see a four year-old boy. Not a child in a village on the other side of the world, but I just see a four year-old boy. I’m so thankful that God told me to sponsor him because it has been a blessing in my life to just be a part of his.
This letter was literally an early Christmas present for me.
Dustin
p.s. The reason I’m posting updates about my sponsorship with Compassion is because this is a part of my life that I take joy in and I want to share this with those who read this blog. It is also to show and tell of my experience with child sponsorship in the hope that it will inspire others to sponsor a child. If you would like to sponsor a child through Compassion, go here.
Starting today, six bloggers are traveling with Compassion to the Dominican Republic to witness first hand what life there is like as well as the work Compassion is doing down there. They will be telling stories, posting pictures, and sharing videos of the experience and the atmosphere in hopes that it will inspire readers to sponsor a child.
This is a really cool thing that Compassion is doing and I strongly urge you to follow along for the next six days as these bloggers share the story of these children. All of the posts related to this trip can be found here.
Yesterday I got my first letter from Epesu, my Compassion child. It came on a special “first letter” stationary that has some information on him and his life that I would like to share with you.
First
Notice the drawings in the picture. A flamingo, a man and woman, a basketball, another bird, a car, a hut, and the purple building I think is a church. Also, the giraffes on the side of the page are colored in. Adorable, right?
Second
His parents are both 24 years old, he will be four in just over a month, and he has a brother who is 18 months. That’s just a very humbling fact that jumps out at me. I am completely honored to be a part of their lives in helping Epesu as his sponsor.
Third
Epesu needs healing prayer for a complication in his left leg. I don’t know any more than that, but I’m praying for him and I ask that you would pray for him too.
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