All four are images of children outside the gate... and they are the reason why our family tirelessly advocates for Compassion.
If you are a reader of blogs, you might recognize a couple of the images above. Yes, I "stole" them off of Ann Voskamp's and Shaun Groves' blogs! ;)
But... they aren't just any random images... they are from two specific blog posts that have touched the very depths of my heart.
The top left image is from Shaun Groves' blog. In his blog post, written while in the Philippines and entitled The Other Side of the Fence, Shaun writes...
At that moment that child development center may have been the happiest place on earth. And I was honored, amazed to just be there.
Then I saw them.
One.
Then two. Then a whole crowd. On the other side of the fence.
We’ll never lift every child over the fence. Heartbreakingly true.
But what about one more?The bottom left image of the girl in the tattered purple dress is from Ann Voskamp's blog. In her blog post, written while in Uganda and entitled How to Be Beautiful & Have a Beautiful Home & Life, Ann writes...
A little girl named Nancy stands in these purple threads between Beldesmond and Nigarulu.
I had asked their names and they had whispered them and their eyes seared me alive with their faces.
Nancy in her royal robes torn and we’re Esther inside the palace and who in this blasted world will sacrifice their blatant palace prestige for the worth of this child God thought of and dreamed into being, this girl with these eyes and dress and named Nancy.The top right image is from our family's trip to the Philippines in 2014. These children are our Florianlyn's cousins and neighbours... they were fascinated by my boy's Rubik's cube! These are children who aren't registered in a Compassion child development centre... children who could be if there are people willing to sponsor them.
The bottom right image is from our family's trip to Guatemala this past summer. I saw him right when we were leaving our Esperanza's Compassion child development centre. He stood there, across the road and right beside our vehicle, longingly looking at the children inside the gate... inside the Compassion project that we just visited. It was heart-breaking for me to just leave him standing there.
Recently, Beth Moore and Living Proof Live came to town! Our entire family {including our two brave men!} was at the event to represent Compassion Canada. I say our men are brave because the event was attended by about 5,000 women! #AFewBraveMen :)
Even though being there pretty much wiped out most of our weekend, after a full work week... and then waking up on Monday morning feeling like there wasn't a weekend and time ran way from me, I would not have it any other way!
Because, you see... 90 children who were once outside the gate found loving sponsors at that event... and they are now inside the gate!
90 children released from poverty in Jesus' name!
90 children who will not only be released from their physical poverty, but who will also have the opportunity to learn about Jesus and His great love for them! #TheDifferenceIsJesus
I would give up any weekend, in fact any day or any thing, just to see one child freed from extreme poverty to live the life God intended him/her to live!
Friends, can I encourage you to consider the children who are still outside the gate? Check out Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell's video and hear them talk about why they love Compassion's ministry:
Friends, if God is speaking to you about releasing a child from poverty in Jesus' name, please click here and welcome one child who is still standing outside the gate to life inside the gate --- to abundant life that can only be found in Jesus.
Trust me, it will change your life! It has mine... :)
Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. (Mark 10:14)
About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.
