Reminding me of Blessings (including Boots)

Just in case you want to read a couple very well-written blogs re: a current trip in the Dominican Republic for Compassion International:

http://thebigmamablog.com/index.php/2008/11/06/its-a-bird-its-a-plane/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/2008/11/a_tale_of_two_houses.html

I know times are financially tough and I am not promoting these blog pieces in an effort to guilt anyone into sponsoring children if they can't afford to.

These blogs just remind me why we are sponsoring Eloisa in Mexico (Rachel's age) and Mary in Ghana (Kendra's age).

To whom we write and receive letters from. The process takes a while - for us, it can be up to 2 months for letters to be delivered. We write a letter, must post it to the US, it is then translated and then posted to S. America or Ghana. When these girls write to us - it has the additional stop of Mom's house in the US before forwarding on to us. I'm trying out the email option for quick, smaller notes (these are received in the US, translated and forwarded to the Compassion center in the local country) but really like to hand write most letters so that we can include a card or picture drawn by the girls-and it's just flat-out more personal. It also helps keep up my handwriting skills - which are deteriorating due to the computer.

Compassion works through local infrastructure - local people helping local people. They have an open financial policy - we know that our money is really used to help these children and their families. It is a non-denominational, Christian based organization striving to educate and care for children in poverty stricken countries.

It has been a great learning opportunity for Rachel and Kendra as well. As well, at school, all their fundraisers go to support Unicef and a school in Ghana - the children feel personally accountable to helping their 'classmates' in another part of the world. Especially with the Ghana school - they get pictures, letters, see what the donations have been able to do (clean water well, fence around school to keep out animals, play equipment, library books, a small bus as some kids were walking 5km to school - just over 3 miles, etc...). Efforts such as these do make a difference.

In spite of the current atmosphere of doom and gloom, these are examples of conditions we know nothing about. My poorest summer in college can't touch conditions in these countries - and conditions that do exist in our own (we have to look harder to see them but they exist). They serve to remind us how blessed we are even in times of cutting back and wondering what we can and can't afford - what we should and shouldn't spend. Most people in the world don't have those options. I'm not minimizing the difficulty many people are facing right now - just trying to say "think of your daily blessings."

And hoping that we will make a difference in someone's future.