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Today we get to spend the day with Carolina. Last August we were encouraged by someone to begin sponsoring a child through Compassion International. We could have just sent our name in to the organization and get assigned a boy or girl, but Ecuador was on our minds. We went to the Compassion website and did a country search thinking we would narrow down our options significantly.
It is difficult to look at picture after picture of beautiful children, everyone of them needing assitance to attend school and receive some of the basic necessities of life. How does one ¨pick¨ a kid? What is the criteria? How were the five of us going to decided together?
In the midst of wrestling through these questions with our kids, our oldest said ¨Hey, look, it is that girl´s birthday!¨ In that moment we all agreed that we could give Carolina a fun birthday present.
So, today we get to meet her. Kim and I are a little nervous. We realize that relationships like this one with Carolina are often skewed. We are seen as the Givers and she is the Receiver. The rich Westerners are making things better for her. It is always more complicated... and potentially more beautiful.
We have much to learn today. I hope we ask good questions and have ears to hear. I hope we can love on her with our presence and not just the money we contribute from afar each month. I hope we can learn about her context and know how to enter into it for a brief moment of time and in the future. I hope today that Carolina is the Giver and we are the Receivers.
It is difficult to look at picture after picture of beautiful children, everyone of them needing assitance to attend school and receive some of the basic necessities of life. How does one ¨pick¨ a kid? What is the criteria? How were the five of us going to decided together?
In the midst of wrestling through these questions with our kids, our oldest said ¨Hey, look, it is that girl´s birthday!¨ In that moment we all agreed that we could give Carolina a fun birthday present.
So, today we get to meet her. Kim and I are a little nervous. We realize that relationships like this one with Carolina are often skewed. We are seen as the Givers and she is the Receiver. The rich Westerners are making things better for her. It is always more complicated... and potentially more beautiful.
We have much to learn today. I hope we ask good questions and have ears to hear. I hope we can love on her with our presence and not just the money we contribute from afar each month. I hope we can learn about her context and know how to enter into it for a brief moment of time and in the future. I hope today that Carolina is the Giver and we are the Receivers.
1 comment:
LUCKY!!!! how awesome that you get to actually meet your compassion kid!!!! praying that time with carolina is sweet and real.
:)
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