You all are amazing, you know that!?! We had 104 people apply for a scholarship to sponsor a child in East India through Compassion in a one hour period of time. That is incredible.
So, here it goes. Our winners were chosen by Random.org:
8- Sara @ 2:46
15- Lindsay @ 2:49
75- Laurie @ 3:23
58- KrisPT @ 3:12
48- Melody @ 3:07
44- MiMi @ 3:05
103- Tera @ 3:42
17- Living in His Arms/Jennifer Dayton @ 2:50
76- Laura @ 3:24
37- Stef Layton @ 3:00
Congratulations, Ladies. And thank you for your willingness to write and to love a child in East India. Now please send your full name, physical address, home and cell phone number, along with your email address to [email protected] and we will get this ball rolling!
Since we are talking about India and Compassion right now, I thought I’d leave you with a few final memories of mine. Patricia Jones, one of my fellow India-bloggers, told us on our last day in Calcutta to walk away with one “snapshot” from the trip. One very vivid picture that could sum up our experience. Well, I need to have two. I know, I’m overly verbose if not just downright rebellious. You should have seen me in Middle School. It wasn’t pretty. I’ve always gotta walk over the line, just a little bit. Sorry, Patricia. By the way, I miss you. And everyone else from the trip.
Deep breath.
So here are my two snapshots:
Here I am at one of the Compassion projects hanging over a little boy reading a passage from the Gospel of Matthew in Bengali.
I cannot tell you how many times I asked the children what their favorite thing was about their particular Compassion project. The vast majority of the time it was something along the lines of, “The stories about Jesus.” I would either say or think to myself, “Mine too. Mine too.” I wanted to tell them that even though I live a “lavish” life in America, I would feel completely and utterly hopeless without those stories that tell me about Jesus Christ. Scripture didn’t just change my life once. It still changes my life on a daily basis. There were so many barriers that kept me from fully relating to the children I encountered: the sheer difficulty of their daily living conditions, the language barrier, and the cultural divide. But the hope of Jesus Christ revealed in the Scriptures is something with which I can relate. I’m convinced and have been for many years that I couldn’t handle the difficulty of life without the hope that is ministered to my soul when I read about Jesus.
These beautiful Gulmohar trees with their brilliant orange blooms are scattered here and there throughout the lush green landscape in Calcutta.
The Gulmohar trees represented to me just a little glimpse of beauty in a city full of so much pain and so much ruin. They reminded me something akin to a voice calling out in a desert. A little spec of hope. A tiny brush stroke of color. Just when you are tempted to think there is no beauty left in this world, nothing to hope in, little to look forward to, God paints a brilliant orange in your grim and gray horizon. Life is really hard. The really tough truth is that living is much harder for some people than others. The injustice is hard to stomach and it takes a lot of guts to stare it in the face. As I’ve been back home I haven’t done the whole typical “hatred toward greedy America” spiel- and I have people like you to thank for it. I couldn’t lose hope even if I wanted to. I couldn’t lose hope because every single day since I’ve been home I’ve gotten a new letter or email from someone who is giving up his or her life for the sake of another. People who are speaking on behalf of those who don’t have a voice. Those who would never be heard even if they screamed as loud as they could. I’ve heard from people who are honestly being the hands and feet of Jesus to a truly broken world. People who make me want to follow Christ better and harder.
There really is some good out there, isn’t there? I want to be brave enough to face the suffering in our world but not at the expense of recognizing the light shining in the darkness. And there is light shining. Its pale reflection is seen even here in something so silly as a little dinky blog. I see it. It might be dim compared to the overwhelmingly dark background but I still see it.
Let His Kingdom Come,
Melissa
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Awesome
Ya know, as a Mother of 3 teenagers I sometimes worry that all the precious moments I've spent "speaking Jesus" into their lives is not impacting them. They do talk about the Lord but are still sooooo consumned with THEMSELVES. But, then I read your post Melissa (plus the comments) and I'm encouraged that even in the depths of poverty & dispair God reveals himself through…. creation, people, scripture etc,etc. His spirit is active and alive and therefore I have hope for my 3 teenagers that God will do a work in their lives and praise his name like you have done.
what a WONDERFUL , wonderful undertaking… Melissa: let Kingdom come, indeed! wonderful! Congratulations to all the winners! as a fellow “madrina” as “my” Chilean children call me, I cannot impress enough the importance of writing to the children OFTEN ! they will treasure each and every letter you send them forever!!!
maria cristina
Melissa-yes…there is still some good out there-some days harder to see than others. Your posts always bring me to a quiet place within myself before God. Thank you for sharing your heart and thoughts.
Be blessed because I am!!!
Jennifer
Just checking in to say how excited I am to head to Laramie tomorrow afternoon! See you there!
Melissa,
I must say I’m GLAD to hear you were a rebellious middle schooler! I’m raising quite a little iron-willed middle school sassy pants right now.
Gives me hope when I see how wonderfully you’ve turned out! ;0)
Melinda
http://www.parentingconfessions.com
this “dinky” little blog is such a lifeline for me. Don’t underestimate how it ministers to people.
Some days, dearest Melissa and siestas, this dinky little blog shines brighter than anything else on my computer! Thank you for sharing from your heart and the beautiful pictures from India.
This dinky little blog=mighty tool of God. Don’t doubt it.
I just have to share how INCREDIBLE I think it is for LPM to sponsor the sponsors! I could go on and on about that. Wow.
Currently, we(my family) are in a financial crisis, but one of the commitments we will not change or give up is our Compassion sponsorship. I am posting anonymously because I want not one smidgen of His glory on us for that…we are in a mess because of bad decisions, pure and simple – sin. But I do believe God will bless our commitment to Him and His precious children. Making a difference for the Kingdom is much more important than the cable bill or the cell phone, or whatever else we may need to give up.
I am so thrilled for the new sponsors as well as those sweet 10 little ones!!
Melissa – You realize of course that your trip is having ripple effects of high-tide proportion, right? Bless you, sweet girl!
Melissa, I just read about this and what an incredible thing you just did for these 10 families!!!!!! So awesome!!!!!!
What a wonderful story. I love the part at the end about your little blog. I know much light will shine fromt this source.
Mrs. Melissa, I’m gonna have to come back and read your posts, gotta go to work-pics are great as before!:)
katiegfromtennessee
Thank you so much Melissa. Your words and stories are beautiful.
Congratulations to the winners!
I just recieved a letter and picture from my Compassion child today. My whole family couldn’t wait to read it. She is a blessing to us. Thank You LORD.
That is amazing that those women can sponsor those children this way! I’m still working on my husband to let us donate…praying here…I love your pics, I feel the same way about the Lord. I know that without Him, there is no hope, and with Him, all hope abundant! He makes me function:) Life is hard, but He has overcome this world. In Him, I can fight the good, noble fight, finish the race, and PRAISE THE LORD! keep the faith! There is good here, you are right:) He is it. He’s the bright orange that breaks through the gray and black!
Blessings to you Mrs. Melissa! ((HUGS!))
katiegfromtennessee
Thank you Melissa for the reminder that no matter how much darkness seems to surround us, that the only thing to hold onto is Jesus.
HIS glory is shining through the blog community, no doubt..i see it
Hey Melissa,
I just had to revisit this particular blog today. I just got news yesterday that the boy I sponsor in Ethiopia lost his mother. Today is his 7th year birthday and he is celebrating it without his mom today. Please pray for Eyasu and his family.
-Christy