I Love Kiddos

Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, 

and He will repay him for his good deed.

When I was a young girl, I was always so enchanted with the idea of following my grandparents' legacies and having TONS of kids. Mom has 10 siblings and Dad has 8 - sisters!

Then, about twenty years later, I had my first… and my second…. and I have surrendered this dream in defeat. I have had to admit to myself that in order to offer my children the quality time, quality of life (organic is expensive!) and to be a 'sane' mommy (boy do we over-estimate our patience and self-less-ness BEFORE kiddos!) I think two will be just right :)

In the wake of this realization, God put it on my heart to sponsor a child through Compassion International. (The Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, social justice, and God's deep concern for both.)  We chose little Ismael, from Peru. Several months later, at a Mercy Me concert, I felt that call on my heart again…and so we chose Ira from Puerto Rico - and now we have two :) So this is my funny way of having more children!

The great thing about taking part in this program is that you correspond with the child. They love receiving letters from us, and we love receiving theres! The kids are close in age to Savannah…she asks them questions and they inquire about her and Adelyn as well. We hang their pictures on our fridge, pray for them, sponsor them and hold them in our hearts - we could even VISIT if we want to (gotta save up for that!).

It is not always easy to afford, and there have been a few times when I have thought, man, if we just had that extra money then ___ - but at the end of the day I feel good knowing that we are sharing some of the blessings that we have been given and focusing a little less on the 'wants' of our "me-driven" culture. And let's not forget the great message it is sending the girls.

If you feel compelled to "spread the love" and want more information on this ministry or how to sponsor a child, visit: www.compassioninternational.com. There is never a shortage of children who need help and have been born into much harder circumstances than most Americans.

Happy Valentines Day! Spread the LOVE!!

Is. 58:10. "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."