The night before I left my comfortable corner, I ran to Family Dollar. In less than half an hour I’d tossed $100 worth of gifts in my cart, enough to fill a large suitcase that I could carry to the poor children and their families in the Dominican Republic. But what I’ve learned yet again is that in […]
How to Spoon Hope
She greets us at the door with shy hugs. The kids leave and return with plastic lawn chairs to supplement the tattered gold sofa. She wants us to sit. There are no windows, so we strain to see, strain to hear her heart through the rhythm of the rain as it pulses on the corrugated tin roof, crescendos and […]
Compassion, Shaun Groves, and the Dominican Republic
As I wrote yesterday, I’ve been trying to learn a little about the Dominican Republic before leaving… tomorrow. Yikes. In my searching, I stumbled on these Compassion International videos with Shaun Groves. They’re six years old now, but I’m guessing not much has changed–except the children, one child at a time. You don’t have […]
To Know Their Names
I’ve been working out of my quart-size baggie since getting back from Haiti last month so I didn’t have to rethink and repack it. Today I’ll add a little more moisturizer and a little more foundation to the mini travel containers and set out my malaria med to start tomorrow. Friday I’ll say goodbye […]
Compassion International: The Wait is Over
“My friends have all received their sponsors, so my heart feels sad because I don’t yet have a sponsor of my own.” This video moved me to tears. I hope I’m not totally puddled when I get to share the stories of face-to-face meetings. In January, I’ll pack my camera and my laptop when I […]
Wow! Thanks! Help!
“Would you mind responding to me and including your personal email address? I have a very exciting opportunity I would love to share with you.” I stare at the email that came through this blog. It’s not spam. My heart thuds a little. Okay, it thumps hard. What? An exciting opportunity? Who’s not interested in […]
Kaitlin’s Wish
This video just puddled me. Maybe it’s partly because Kaitlin died just six months before my mom, stolen from earth by the same thief. But mostly because Kaitlin looked beyond herself and her own pain. She was given a wish, and she gave it away. She painted a beautiful picture with her last […]
hope, compassion and the son of god
Kenya calls me, tugs at my heart. And that year, 2012, Compassion was leading a sponsor tour over my birthday. I could meet Nduta, our sponsored girl. Perfect timing in my eyes. In MY eyes. But compassion isn’t confined to Kenya. It hollows hearts in the most unlikely places, at the most unlikely times–when your […]
Dear Sponsor
Dear New Sponsor, I’ve waited so long. So very long. I wondered what was wrong with me that nobody cared. I had almost lost hope. But then you reached out all the way across the world. You said you love me. And I cry. My mother cries, too. We cry because we are happy now. […]
Five Minute Friday: Compassion Wide
God, how is it that you’ve thrown my heart wide open for this young girl who lives on the other side of the world–in Kenya. This country, you created a love for it while I was still a child. I don’t quite get that. Out of all the places in the world–Kenya? Will I ever […]
