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Many of you graciously walked along with me as I journeyed with Compassion International through Calcutta, India. You were right alongside me so I know that you will rejoice when I tell you that as of today Compassion International has officially sponsored its 1,000,000th child!
1,ooo,ooo children.
On a way way way smaller scale, it is also an exciting day for the Compassion India bloggers, for the 900th child has been sponsored as a direct result of our trip to India a couple of weeks ago. Please know and rejoice that the LPM blog was a huge part of this effort. 900 children who look a whole lot like the ones below are being released from the tight grip of poverty because of the generosity of bloggers like yourself:
Oh man. I love those kids. They really do move me. Not everyone does. But they do.
To celebrate such a momentous occasion we are going to do something really fun.
Are you ready?
Oh, I love this.
If you followed along during my trip to India and your heart ached because you would have given anything to sponsor a child but you absolutely cannot afford it, listen up: Living Proof is going to give scholarships for ten of you to sponsor a child in East India through Compassion International. This is the way it will work: We will leave comments open for exactly one hour ONLY FOR SIESTAS WHO DESPERATELY WANT TO SPONSOR A CHILD FROM EAST INDIA BUT CAN’T AFFORD IT AND WHO WILL COMMIT TO FAITHFULLY CORRESPOND WITH THE CHILD CHOSEN FOR THEM.
At the end of the hour, comments will close. We will then do a random drawing of 10 names from those who participated and, after those selections, will post the winners right here. Each winner will then email us with her contact information (name, physical address, phone number, and email address).
It will then take several weeks, maybe even a month, for the winners to receive their packets in the mail. I want to repeat again that the ten winners will be entrusted with that crucial process of corresponding with the child. Each winner will receive the letters and updates about this child; in other words, ten of you will be the official sponsors of these children. The responsibility to correspond with the child will be left entirely up to you, not to Living Proof Ministries. In fact, the children won’t know who or what Living Proof is.
We are so excited. Ok, you’ve got an hour! You’ll know that the hour is up when you see comments being posted. If the comments are still at ‘0’ then there is still time!!! Disregard the time recorded below because it is usually wrong.
P.S. Don’t be discouraged when the comment line keeps reading “0 Comments” for the first hour. We won’t post them until all are in. At that point comments will close but we will then make them visible. You’ll be able to see that you are in the running and then we’ll do our random drawing from those.)
Cheers to the only Wise God!
Melissa
I would love to be included in this!!
Patti
TN
Oh my, I have really wanted to sponsor a child since reading about your trip! I hope I win!!!
I’m in! I’m unemployed and ready to sponsor!
Thank you LPM givers for allowing us to have this opportunity! My husband and I are raising support to start seminary in the fall. I’ve been torn over asking people to give $35 per month knowing that it’s the same amount that could be sponsoring a child desperately in need. I know it’s all the work of the Kingdom. I would be so honored to be a sponsor now and to love on a child, though the funding would be coming out of this one huge family rather than my own directly. Blessings.
I would LOVE to!
– Anne
please pick me! i’ve tried talking my husband into sponsoring a child from India through Compassion and we just don’t have the means to do it. I may not be able to contribute to their lives financially, but I pray daily for them all. Reading yours and a few others blogs during your trip there was heart wrenching, overwhelming, and tears streaked my face daily. These children are Gods children and need to be taken care of. I would love the opportunity to do more.
Thanks!
Is it too late?? I’d love to be entered!
I would love to sponsor a child, and I will as soon as I can see light at the end of the tunnel. If given the opportunity, I promise to steadfastly correspond with that child as well as pray for them and love them as my own. I really never wanted to win something so badly, in a good way!!!
Oh, I could just cry. I have wanted to do this so badly, but my husband was recently laid off for 4 weeks, and then had to take a job with a significant pay cut. There just isn’t the extra $30/month, but I know that one day, when there is (and that day WILL come), we will sponsor as many children as we can.
Bless you for doing this.
I would love to sponsor a child. I have 2 adopted sons but at this point right now, I just can not afford it at this time in my life. I may be able to contribute something in the future, but am more than willing to send correspondence to a child. I think after this period my sons will be moved to chipping in also. This is such a cool idea.
I would dearly love to sponsor a child and was moved when I read your posts. I checked it out online, but don’t believe my husband and I could afford it. We are newly married and have trouble making ends meet each month. Thank you for doing this!
Love you guys!
Emily
I know it’s been a few minutes already, but I would absolutely love to sponsor a child from East India.
We cannot afford to add anything to our budget right now . . . but I know we can certainly keep in touch with a precious little one. May God give you wisdom as to who you will choose to be one of those ten sponsors. I would love to be one of the chosen.
Thank you so much for a life changing experience for our three children.
All I can say is that I so want to do this. I cried as I read the posts, and cried even more when I knew I could not commit at this time. But I knew if it were in His plans He would make a way for me to do it. I would absolutely correspond with this child…it would be an honor.
kat
Oh, I would love to be chosen to love on one of these kiddos! What an amazing opportunity!!!
I would love to sponsor a child from India. I am a single mom with 3 children and am currently unemployed, so have been unable to financially “swing” this sponsorship, but really felt the Lord speaking to me about these children through your posts about your trip. I know that no matter how hard we think we have it, these children are in such terrible conditions. I would be honored to pray for one of them, correspond with them and encourage them.
Thank you for the opportunity, and regardless of whether I am picked, I am filled with joy that LPM is feeling called to this mission.
In His Glorious Name,
Lindsay
Mom of 8 Grammie of 3. Fulltime ministers for 28 years. Without any income since Nov. Felt God call me to wives event thru this blog now wondering if He is knocking again. He faithfully sustains and expands our family. Always room in our hearts for one more.-Terri Allen (long time blog reader-1st time responder.) no fancy blog name!
Wow, what a gracious opportunity! Thank you for the chance to bless a child. I love their smiles! I would love the opportunity to be picked. Me and my 3 kids would love the chance to correspond with a child.
Jennifer Davis
I would love to sponsor a child but never could on our budget. What an awesome idea!
I have been praying for the opportunity to sponsor a child … would be honored to be picked!!!
This is a beautiful thing 🙂
Thank you for doing this. Thank you so much.
Not sure if my last post made it so let me try to send it again. I would love to be a part of this!
Patti S.
TN
I followed all the bloggers throughout the trip, longing to be part of the hope for a child in India. I have prayed for a breakthrough to be able to sponsor a child now, instead of having to wait till my financial situation is better. Selected or not, I will continue to pray for the opportunity to be a sponsor and for Compassion to continue their strong mission for children. Thank you so much for bringing the world of these children home to me, they haunt me, I long to help.
Debbie
Portland, or
Melissa,
I live out of the Houston area and would love to help out LPM ministries. If ever you come across a project that could be done long distance, (assimilating list from siesta’s for anything) or anything you guys think of let us know. I know there are many people such as myself who have been touched so much by LPM and would like to give back a little any way we could. Financially, that is not always possible as a single parent. But time is always possible.
I love you guys more than you will ever know. Will be praying for your mom’s trip to Wyoming this weekend!
Jan Witt
P.S. I think this is a way cool thing you are doing with Compassion International Scholarship with bloggers.
Melissa & Megan
Sulphur, LA
My heart ached.
Susan
England, U.K.
Oh, I would love to be blessed with the opportunity to be in the life of one of those children. I sponsor other children through World Vision and Gospel for Asia and was crushed that when I couldn’t make it work within our budget to sponsor one more through compassion… even wrote about it on my blog on April 30th, take a looksie
http://lucypayne.blogspot.com/2009/04/compassion.html
Melissa, my husband and I would love to sponsor a child. God has been burdening my heart for them since I read your blog post. We are going as missionaries to Japan next year and would love for our young daughter to grow up sponsoring a child.
Blessings,
Shiona Howard
I want to be a part of this so very badly! Unfortunately, I fall into the category of not being able to make the payment. But oh how I clicked on so many of their little faces and so often still do.
This is such a wonderful idea. I would love to correspond with a child but cannot afford the sponsorship. So wonderful!
Don’t count me…just stopped in to cheer with everyone! this is positively amazing and I overjoyed at God’s people’s response!!
Praise you Lord!!
I was *just* talking about this with my friend Rachel today. She was telling me about how she has been a CI sponsor for several years and my heart ached because I, too, want to be able to sponsor a child (actually, it would be great to sponsor more than just one!!). But I’m afraid to pick up that financial commitment at this point in our lives. My husband lost his job middle of last year and it took five months to find something to “replace” it. Although the replacement is merely an internship and doesn’t pay enough to even support our family but somehow…GOD!!!!…we are managing!!!
I would love this opportunity (I know this is randomly picked though). Please random generator, PICK ME, PICK ME!!! My kids would love to help write letters too! Bless you for doing this!!
I want in the drawing. I loved reading all of your posts from India. We have 6 children of our own and it is hard enough trying to meet all of their needs but I would love for my family to get to correspond with a child in India. It has been on my heart for quite some time now to sponsor a child through compassion but like I stated we just can’t afford it right now with all the need of our family. What a blessing LPM is to offer this for 10 special families and children. Whom ever gets chosen I’m sure will be blessed!
~Beth from California
would love to sponsor another child. I already sponsor a child from Haiti. I picked her using the date May 4th. On May 4th 2006, I had a wreck that nearly took my life and 3 surgeries later and at least 1 more to go needed something to celebrate that date vs the anniversary of my wreck.
I sent cards, pictures, little goodies monthly and would love to do another one but financially can’t with my medical bills. I would love to do this.
Connie Terry
Austin Texas
I would absolutely love to do this!
Melissa I cried each update you posted. I have wanted to sponsor a child for a long time, unfortunately my husband is not in agreement. I am selfishly asking my name to be considered – because he can afford it. I even started selling Discovery Toys – for this purpose – to raise my own $ to support a Compassion child – but am having a horrible start in getting any interest in buying.
I do not “deserve” a spot – but would love on a child if chosen. I have two of my own – 6ys and 20 months, boys, I would have tons more although, again, my husband is not in agreement. So there is a lot of love in this heart of mine!
Thank you for the consideration!
Stef Layton
I would absolutely love to share the love of my Jesus with one of these precious children of His. I’ve searched our budget and we just don’t have the extra funds right now, but I have prayed for a way to minister, and this just might be the way. I know that if it is meant to be, I will be chosen and will promise to correspond with that precious child.
Praying for all of us,
Mary Beth
My husband & I have been desperately wanting to sponsor a child, but funds are very limited indeed. I sponsored 2 children once through Compassion via my accountability group and it was so touching to receive letters from them and to feel their heartbeats and their breath through those letters! It's such a rewarding experience! We'd love to do it again!
I would so love to be a part of this, and am not already because of funds. I am a mom of 4 boys, and how amazing it would be for them to be able to see and correspond with a brother or sister in India??? In the meantime it teaches them about compassion. Thank you, beloveds, for this opportunity. I hope you consider me. May God so richly bless you all today.
I would love to sponsor another child. I have one in Bangledesh, but the budget is very tight these days. I so love to send pictures, cards, stickers, coloring pages—but not more than I love receiving letters! The child I sponsor now draws sweet crayon pictures on the letters that are sent to me.
I would certainly love praying for and corresponding with another child!
The opportunity to do this would thrill my heart beyond belief! Nancy
Count me in! I would love to take on the role of prayer warrior and to correspond personally.
Blessings ~ Lis
OOooohhhh!!! Sign me up!
I want one. Desperately.
This is wonderful. I used to have a child from Indonesia(i got him in college), unfortunately I had to give him up a few years ago. We are on a tight budget. We are church planters in NYC with 3 small kids of our own and we raise our own support so there’s just no line in the budget for a compassion child. I think about the sweet one I had to give up all the time. I hope to be able to sponsor a child again and I would love my 3 kids to grow up knowing and sharing life with a child in India.
Melissa,
We would love to sponsor a child! I was very moved by your stories and the pictures of the beautiful children. My 15 year old daughter, Melissa, wanted to go there and adopt all of them! Thank you so much for this opportunity! Love all of you guys!
Joan DeKoekkoek
I hope I made it!! I was so excited emailing your blog address to my husband (because I’ve been bugging/praying for him to let me sponsor a child- money is tight) that I didn’t actually realize there was a time constraint on this! I thought it was just a plea to get those last ten sponsors- and I was willing!! Again though- my husband has been so hesitant because we are really strapped for money (as so many are) and he hasn’t felt like we could afford it. Anyway, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to correspond with a child there!!! It would be the greatest honor! My kids would love drawing pictures and learning about another country, and teaching him/her about Jesus!
That sounds wonderful! I’d love to be a part of it.
(I’m really concerned that the word verification that I had to put in to post this is “haters”)
Ok, I want to be counted in. I am an empty nester and could be blessed and hope to be a blessing to one of these children. Jackie
Wow! What a blessed opportunity and I feel so grateful that I managed to check the blog at the right time! It would be my humble joy to correspond with a child from India. Thank you for sharing your heart and making it ours, too!
Just wanted to shout out that I received my packet in the mail TODAY for my little girl from India, Nikita! I’m looking forward to getting to know her!
Anita
Valdosta, Ga
(just a shout out – do not include me in the drawing)