And that is, seeing God move.
When I was in Ecuador with Compassion International I saw plenty of people in great need. So many that it could have overwhelmed me and made me feel that as just one person, I couldn't possibly make any impact. But not only did I see great need, I saw God at work in big and small ways meeting those needs.
And I saw the Compassion team at work. From the sponsors here in the States, to the Compassion staff workers, to the pastors and volunteers in the local Ecuadorian churches they partner with, I saw people making a difference.
Me with a young boy in Ecuador. He was shy but after ten minutes together
he climbed up on my lap. He just needed love.
he climbed up on my lap. He just needed love.
They are each just one person, but together with Christ, they are transforming lives. As Bill Hybels is fond of saying, "The church is the hope of the world."
I'd encourage you to spend some time thinking about what motivates you in your work. And as much as it's up to you, supply yourself with that motivation frequently.
*I'd also like to ask you to follow this link today and choose a child to pause and pray for. The choice is yours. If God leads you to sponsor one - terrific! But I assure you, even just your prayers can make an impact.
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful
results."
~ James 5:16 b
If you'd like to be entered to win a copy of my book It's No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know, leave a comment here or on my Facebook page telling me the name and age of the child you chose to pray for today.
I'll draw a winner for the book before noon on Monday. Thanks for stopping by and may God bless your work!
I chose Mbonimpa Ronald to pray for today. He's 19, and from Uganda.
ReplyDeleteI chose Nadia Colque from Bolivia to pray for. Thanks for inspiring me to be more grateful and to share! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI am praying for Courtney. She is 5 years old, soon to be 6. I met her and her mother last week on our Mission Trip to Guayaquil, Ecuador. This was my first trip, and I am believing not my last. We saw 69 come to know Jesus, and through Jesus, the vision of a Pastor in a community to have a church is now reality. (In the 5 days that we have been gone, the new church has met twice!) We had an opportunity to do a little sight-seeing our last day, but God was not finished. A young lady that had been ministered to in the community was in the iguana park too. She saw our Pastors, and again asked questions about Jesus. She did not openly received Him in her heart, but I know that she is thinking about it. I pray that all of the seeds we planted will flourish for Him!
ReplyDeleteWow, Dianne - praise God! That news makes my day.
DeleteI attended SheSpeaks 2012 and now have Sompong Boosue in my life to pray over and for. Yes we have choices in our lives - the choice to fully accept God's Love for ourself and to share HIS love then to all we meet. Many are so desparately awaiting a glimmer of love and we have it to give because He Loved Us First. Blessings to all to share Him thru our lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for Christiana Torkpo. She is 5 years old and lives in Ghana. Praying that she feels God's love and grace always and will continue to grow throughout her Christian journey.
ReplyDeleteI am praying for Carlos Daniel Requejo Gonzales. He has been waiting for a sponsor for 269 days. I prayed that the words he hears when he goes to church activities will speak to his heart and fuel his desire for God. I also prayed that TODAY he would be sponsored. Thank you for your words of encouragement and for sharing your own experiences so that we can refuel our own passion.
ReplyDeleteI prayed for Kasim in Uganda who shares the same birthday as my grandson, 12/24. I Los lifted up Josue in Honduras who shares my birthday, 05/29. I pray God will touch their lives in a special way & pour His blessings out upon them.
ReplyDeletePraying for Mariem Mint Mohamed Moustapha today! Thank you for your words of encouragement today and for sharing your experiences!!! May God continue to bless you, your family & your ministry!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for encouraging us to pray for the children of Compassion International. My husband and I sponsor a young girl from Bangledesh, Lishtina, and I need to make an effort to pray for her more often. I love hearing about all of the wonderful things that Compassion does for children around the world. It is hard for me to look at the children on the website, because I want to sponsor them all! But it is a good reminder that we should always be in prayer for these children. It is also a reminder that we are so blessed to live in a place where we can raise children without worrying about AIDS or exploitation, where our children do not have to perform hard labor at young ages, and where we do not worry about where our next meal will come from. I have chosen two additional girls to pray for - Ester, age 12 from El Salvador and Rashmi, age 8 from Sri Lanka. Thank you again and God bless!
ReplyDeleteI am and will be praying fervently for Oliver, age 3. She is a precious girl who lives in Aids-ridden Tanzania. Thank you for encouraging us to view the link to these children and quickening a desire to help them. My heart breaks for their needs and I will continue to pray for her and the others I read about. I will also pray about sponsoring Oliver or another child if she is chosen by someone else. She has won my heart though. Thank you, thank you. Olive in TN
ReplyDeleteI am praying for Caleb, an 8 year old wonderful boy.
ReplyDeleteI am praying for Denzel, a five year old boy from the Dominican Republic.
ReplyDeleteI chose to pray for Sarai from Nicaragua. She is three years old. I wrote her name down and will continue to say prayers for her.
ReplyDeleteWhen I clicked on the link to pray for a child, I noticed you could sort them by Longest Waiting -- which just broke my heart. I immediatey saw Gad from Indonesia who has been on the list for 361 days. But what I saw first was that he was born 2 days after my oldest son -- he was born September 27, 2002. I'm hopeful that Gad is an active young boy like my son Hunter, who has a smile that could light up a room, who loves to play with his friends, who is an independent soul who loves his family and is getting to know the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI pray that Gad is no longer on the Longest Waiting list and if I searched for him tomorrow, he is a sponsored child.
Your comment touche me.
DeleteI have and will continue to pray for 3 year old (will be 4 tomorrow) Carlos Daniel Requejo Gonzales.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for Odi Odilon Yao Sozouhoin, a sweet five year old boy from Togo. He lives with his father, mother, and three siblings. He enjoys playing soccer and group games.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging article.
I pray in general for all these children and especially for Rikki Robinson. He is a young man about to enter adulthood. I pray he loves the Lord. I pray he is strong and becomes a leader in his family, following God's plan. I am also praying for a missionary friend who had to leave Tansania due to physical danger. She is now in Kenya deciding what to do next. May the Lord speak clearly to her and guide her.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for Lina Marcela Largacha Garcia, a 9 year old from Columbia. Today is her birthday and it seemed especially appropriate to pray for her today. I've seen in the last few months what God can do when people pray in the life of my own daughter who is 4 months old today. I saw a miracle happen for her and I pray that God gives a miracle in little Lina's life, whatever it is she might need. I don't know much about her, but God knows her every need.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for Deysi from El Salvador. May the Lord guide her and be with her and her family as she grows.
ReplyDeleteI'm am praying for all the children to get sponsored. Looking at all of them just breaks my heart. I wish I could sponsor them all. Daniela from Bolivia touched my heart I will be praying for her and her family.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to pray for Martha, age 11, from Bolivia. She has been waiting a long time for a sponsor. I will also continue to pray for Richlove,age 8, our sponsored child from Ghana. It's hard to see all of the waiting children on the website and know that I can't sponsor all of them. But I can spread the word for others to sponsor, and most importantly, I can pray for them all.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sponsoring, Michelle. "Richlove" - what a great name!
DeleteWe began sponsoring an 8 year old boy, David from Togo Africa a few months ago as a family. We prayerfully considered who we chose and chose David mostly because he was an orphan. He is close to our sons age and this has been a tangible way for him to understand his many blessings. It has been far more valuable than I could have imagined for each of us. We have received several letters and photos and are so blessed by this new relationship in our lives. We pray for David throughout our days as it has been placed on our hearts. The neatest thing is seeing our son with a new found awareness for his brother in Christ. Thank you for reminding me to stop and pray today. I also visited the link and have been looking for a sponsor "daughter" and chose Yelkis from Nicaragua to pray over today. I have also been praying for a new bible study for the fall and would be blessed to receive your book. Many blessings to you and your ministry! I just love Proverbs 31
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