It's Saturday, and Compassion Projects throughout the country of Kenya are filled with children...if Monday through Friday are the regular season, Saturday is Compassion's Super Bowl.
Saturday is when the children spend extended time with the project staff and continue their journey through the 4 areas of wholeness championed by Compassion: spiritual, economic, social and physical. We spent the day at a Maasai Compassion Project an hour outside of Nairobi and after the 300 children greeted us at the gate we were able to see this Super Bowl in action. Incredible!
Shaun Groves and I sat in the back of the morning bible class and were rocked by what we learned. Check out this short video; and yes, we were talking in class! (guess some things never change, ha!) I didn't realize that God created everything with His voice, except us. He created us with His hands! God transfers His image through His touch. My simple moment of observation turned into an unexpected moment of worship alongside 8yr. old Kenyan students.
The highlight of the day for me came when I had the chance to meet two students, Benson & Alice, both registered with Compassion and both still waiting for sponsors. Knowing that they are not yet sponsored changed things for me; I don't know if that's good or bad...it was just different. It was hard.
How would I feel if I was one of 300 children who hadn't been picked? How would I feel if I watched my friends get letters from their sponsors wondering what was wrong with me and why I wasn't getting any of my own? I don't like feeling left out. I struggle to believe I'm worth anything when I'm overlooked. And I can't imagine Benson & Alice being immune to the same.
Let's help, let's get them sponsored!
Will you sponsor Benson and/or Alice? Click on their picture below...and if you do sponsor please leave a comment on this post - I'd like to send you a framed picture! Here is today's Dakika Moja (one minute) video featuring Benson and Alice...
Dakika Moja - Episode 4, The Power of 2
Benson Metian (left) & Alice Tumuti (right)
(this is easy, click on their picture below and follow the simple steps to sponsor Benson and/or Alice...)
Remember, when you sponsor please leave a comment so I can send you a framed picture!
LV
Thank you for giving the names of 2 specific kids to pray for for sponsors. I’m a Child Advocate with Compassion and usually have a child sponsorship packet on hand, I find it an incredible blessing to be able to pray for the future sponsors and for the kids while they wait for their sponsor!
Praying that the Lord gives all of you His words as you attempt to describe all you are seeing this week and also praying that the Lord stir in the hearts of those He’s calling to sponsor Compassion kids!
Comment by Kristy - Mar 06, 2010 @ 07:09 PM
I could not get the link to work.
Comment by s - Mar 06, 2010 @ 09:40 PM
Kristy, thank you for praying…and thank you for paving the way for so many kids to have a chance at sponsorship. I have been absolutely blown away at the effectiveness of what Compassion does; it’s hard to deny it when I see it first hand day after day after day. I am praying with you…
LINKS??? I am so sorry. I have tried it again on my end and it works for me, but let me do this..here is the direct link for Benson, http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/waystosponsor/ChildBio.htm?Child=KE6300120&referer=109123. And here is the direct link for Alice, http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/waystosponsor/ChildBio.htm?Child=KE6300021&referer=109123.
Does that work? I just woke up and was praying that there would be sponsors for both; maybe this will help. We can do this!
Comment by LV Hanson - Mar 06, 2010 @ 11:33 PM
s,
The link didn’t work for you because someone had “reserved” the children for sponsorship. When a commits to sponsoring a child, he or she then has 60 minutes to finalize the commitment. Until the commitment is finalized, the child is not available for anyone else to view. The unavailability lasts for 60 minutes.
In this instance, the person did not follow through. The children are visible again.
The links do work.When you use the link, i If the child has truly been sponsored, you will be presented another child biography to view. If what you see is that the child is unavailable, it means someone is considering the sponsorship.
Comment by Chris Giovagnoni - Mar 06, 2010 @ 11:35 PM
Thanks Chris! Benson and Alice are available once again…I’m looking for an African frame this week for the pictures of these two and will send them to you when you sponsor. Let’s make this happen!
Comment by LV Hanson - Mar 07, 2010 @ 12:37 AM
Thank you! I se that Alice is sponsored now! Praise God! When I click on Benson, I get a page that tells me to refresh. I will keep trying! Thanks again!
Comment by s - Mar 07, 2010 @ 01:23 PM
hey! I checked and Alice and Benson have both been selected but have yet to be sponsored. When someone selects a child they have 60min to complete the sponsorship and during that time the child is unavailable to anyone else. Keep checking, and if you select a child please do so only if you are serious about sponsoring them. It’s been an emotionally crazy day, and the fact that people are pursuing Alice and Benson encourages me more than you know. I can’t wait for that comment letting announcing they have been sponsored…and our entire team will celebrate with you!
Comment by LV Hanson - Mar 07, 2010 @ 02:33 PM
I had that happen last night too. There might be a technical problem on Compassion’s end. It tells you to refresh the page if you click on to actually sponsor the child.
Comment by Robert James - Mar 07, 2010 @ 07:16 PM
I have emailed Compassion about the refresh problem…hopefully it will work for somebody if not me!
Comment by s - Mar 07, 2010 @ 08:25 PM
I think the problem is, like most internet savvy people, we automatically think to click on a picture to enlarge it. That’s how most websites are set up. But on CI, when you click the picture, that puts the child on hold. The person who clicked probably doesn’t even realize it. I did it, too, when I first went to the website.
If you have any pull, please encourage the CI people to rethink this. Imagine how children would’ve been sponsored if they appreared to still be ‘available’. Thanks so much! - Stephanie
Comment by Stephanie - Mar 07, 2010 @ 10:25 PM
hey everyone! I talked to Shaun and CI is aware of all this, in fact they have been redesigning the website which should be finished later this year. For now please keep trying, and if you click on the profile of a child and it takes you to another child that means the child you initially selected has been sponsored. I was told that a few children have been sponsored through the Catalyst blog in the last 24hrs, I will check to see if Benson & Alice are part of that group. More updates soon…thank you for all of your interest and shared desire to see these two sponsored!
Comment by LV Hanson - Mar 07, 2010 @ 11:32 PM
LV-
What project were you guys at with the Massai kids? One of our sponsored kids is Massai. He lives near Jothka.
amy
Comment by Amy Younkins - Mar 08, 2010 @ 10:38 AM
Looking forward to the update on Benson and Alice!
Comment by s - Mar 08, 2010 @ 05:31 PM