Compassion

Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. -Webster's Dictionary

I don't know how many of you read The Pioneer Woman's blog, but she is constantly giving away things on her blog. Gift cards to Lowe's, Amazon.com, Kitchen Aid stand mixes, knives.... you name it, but it always has to do with something in her life. A couple months ago, her husband and two older children took a trip to the Dominican Republic to visit the children that they sponsor. Everyone in her family sponsors a child, but it's so much more than writing a check. You write letters to your child and pray for them and their families. It's a responsibility. P-Dub (as she refers to herself) didn't feel her family could take on any more children when it came to that responsibility, but they are fortunate enough to have more to be able to give. That is why she chose to give away 10 sponsorships to her blog readers. Now for those of you who need me to do the math, that's about $4000 a year.

Well, I was lucky enough to be one of the people who got to be a sponsor.

After I submitted our names, I started to panic. Mostly, what were we going to do next year? I can't imagine committing to someone and letting them fall by the wayside. I should have known the people at Compassion International had thought of that. They partnered us with a girl, excuse me, young lady who is turning 18 this year.

I only got my packet a few days ago, and I've written her once. Already it's changed me for the better. There's someone on the other side of the world who's waiting to hear from me, who is happy that I'm part of their life. I've never met her, but I worry about her and wonder about what the future brings. I'm already figuring out how we can pay for a sponsorship for next year. If we just skip one dinner out a month, it'll more than pay to help change this child's life.

Today on the radio, they said it was The Day of Compassion. I invite you to stop over to their site and learn as much about them as you can. http://www.compassion.com/

I've never won a stand mixer or a gift card, but I think I won the best thing she ever offered.