In one of our posts last month I wrote about a Christian relief organization named Compassion International (there’s a link to their website somewhere in the right hand margin of this blog). Victoria and I deeply respect both their mission and leadership. Since our oldest children were very young we’ve sponsored Compassion kids throughout their growing-up years until they eventually “age-out” out of the system and matriculate into some semblance of self sufficiency. Some of our children have had more than one Compassion child assigned to them in their lifetime because the Compassion kids successfully complete the program as designed. It costs $32.00/month/child (when we started over 20 years ago it was $18.00/month), which is really no sacrifice at all, and there’s usually some means of regular communication with them that occurs about every three to four months by way of “snail mail” hand-written letters. The correspondence almost always has to be translated because English isn’t usually their native tongue (our assigned kids were/are from various parts of Africa and Southeast Asia). Likewise, our own kid’s letters back to them were translated into their language. About every three to four years we receive an updated picture of them that we give to our children to look at and pray for if they think of it (which probably happened less than we would have liked). One of the things we enjoy most about this organization is the balanced use of funds that are directed to their physical needs (food, shelter and clothing), education, and spiritual nourishment with the gospel.
Month after month funds are given and letters are written. Life cruises by and before you know it you find out that the child you’ve sponsored for so long is finished and now ready and prepared to move on with life. Sometimes you wonder what happened to them and what they’re doing, thinking that you’ll never have a chance to make contact with them in this lifetime. You hope they’ve placed their faith and trust in Jesus as their Savior so you might one day meet them in glory. But in this high-tech day and age of rapid communication and quick internet connections, you never know what’s going to happen. In fact, just this last Christmas season I decided to enter the 21st Century and join Facebook, that “seven-degrees of influence” community of users that reconnects you to people from your past you never thought you’d ever talk to again. Childhood friends, high-school connections and college buddies are jumping out of the woodworks and I’m now enjoying sharing a small piece of our later-lives together. My own children became some of my very first “Friends” on Facebook. The search engine is so robust that if you type someone’s name into the “search” bar, every name that even closely resembles what you’ve typed shows up if they too are members of Facebook. There are literally millions of people all over the world exchanging communications and pictures with one another, growing by almost 10,000 people per day (I once read).
Wouldn’t you know, on the other side of the world this networking system has now reconnected us with one of our Compassion children? She found Annie through Facebook, and Victoria and I have also befriended her in Facebook. We were so excited to hear from her, and to also know that she’s a Christian and appears to love Jesus. I share some of her guileless quotes below: (I have no idea why Blogger shows this stinkin' HTML stuff below; I can't get rid of it.)
- "Well, some years ago, I knew Annie through compassion colorado. I was looking for her since 3 years ago and God give me the way to found her through facebook, oh, i'm so glad! I wish I can meet her someday to say thank u, to have a friendship with her and family. I always pray for this."
- "Hi, I'm so good. Well, I was finished my undergraduate in 2007. February last year I'd a job, be a teacher in a school which is name Charis National Academy. But on May 2008, i was sick (typhus) and should taking a rest 3 months. So, i'm resigned from the school. And on November 2008, my aunty was calling me to lived with her, so i'm far away! I lived at Papua Island now. And still looking for a job, How's ur life? I'm so glad when see the picture of Austin's wedding. Congratulation. Jesus loves you. Thanks for your love since 11 years ago, and your family. I miss Annie so much. Sorry if my english isn't well."
- "Hi Tom! I'm so excited could found Annie and V and You! How's great our Lord.. How are you? I could see ur face when I was 17 (7 years ago!) through the pict which Annie sent to me. Sorry if my english isn't well. But I'll always learn to speaking english well. And I wish that we will meet someday. Gbu"
Pretty sweet, huh?
“Christina, welcome back, and we hope and pray that we will have the honor and joy of meeting you face to face someday soon. What a gift to know that God has met you and stayed by you all these years on the other side of the planet. We are excited to hear more about what God has done and is doing, and to stay connected until we reunite either here on this temporary resting place or in our eternal dwelling with Jesus.”
Warmly in Christ,
Tom (& Victoria)
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