An Advocate for the Small

*Today is my turn to write for the 40 Day Fast, a collaborative effort of 80 bloggers sharing ways to change the world, initiated by Inspired to Action.
Writing alongside me today is Mike Paschal.


"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute..." Proverbs 31:8

The questions on my mind are these:

Do we value children?

Not just our own.
But ALL the children of this world?

Do you spend time with children?
Do you even like children?
You know the ones who are sometimes too loud in church, the ones we think are a little obnoxious or not smart enough to be of much value, the ones who scream on airplanes;
the ones who can't speak for themselves and depend on an adult to feed, dress and care for their every need.

I have to say that I love my children and most other people's:)
But honestly, it doesn't always mean I want to be the church nursery volunteer wiping snotty noses or show patience to a a child crying in the theater.
Sometimes tending to children feels more like an obligation than a blessing.

Lately, I've begun to realize that my perception of loving and valuing children was limited and selfish when I read this excerpt from Too Small too Ignore by Wess Stafford;

"Children may be ignored by government, church, and mission- but not by Satan or God Almighty. Given this frightening warfare between heaven and hell, it is all the more ironic that children are seemingly so unimportant to us adults. While all of heaven stands and cheers whenever a little one is born, and all of hell hurls itself at its destruction, we glibly go about our lives and ministries oblivious of the raging battle or the strategic importance of the children around us day by day. What is to be done? It begins with the very next child God brings across your path. Every child you encounter is a divine appointment. With each one you have the power and opportunity to build the child up or tear the child down."

EVERY CHILD YOU ENCOUNTER IS A DIVINE APPOINTMENT.

I've never thought about it like that before.
What amazing perspective from a man who was physically and emotionally abused as a child for most of his school years.
He is now the president of Compassion International, an organization that my husband and I and near a million of others around the world support.

We are to be advocates for ALL children:
The ones who wander our streets, invade our malls and loiter in our parks.
The ones abused and abandoned.
The ones in Africa sick from dirty water.
The ones in Haiti dying from starvation.
The orphans in Bulgaria lying in soiled beds deprived of touch and basic needs.

Little girls like Raquel in the Dominican Republic.
Raquel is doing well because of Compassion International.
We sponsor her for $32 a month.
We write her letters. My kids pray for her every night.
Her entire family benefits from Raquel being included in the program.
She is ours...sort of. Until she no longer needs us.
My husband (Robbie) and I were blessed to meet her on a recent trip to the Dominican. We sat under her make shift roof with her ten brothers and sisters and prayed with the family.
It was not a home fit for any child.

But because of Compassion her health is tended to, she is fed, she receives an education and learns about our Savior.
She comes home and teaches her siblings all that she has learned (her mother told us this.)
Her family is cared for by the local church partnered with that particular Compassion program.

We saw that one is enough.
Because one does not stay one for long.
She influences all those around her, her family, her friends, her future spouse, her future children, her community, her country and on and on...

One is just the starting point, the springboard that hope jumps off of.

And when Raquel is old enough to not need us anymore, she has a history of support, love and letters from us.
Sponsored children keep their letters- forever.
The words we all write to these children are treasures to them.

Like Alicia, our hostess at a restaurant in the Dominican.
A beautiful young lady who was in the Compassion program most of her life.
Now old enough to be enrolled in college, studying multiple subjects, working in a nice restaurant, changing her community.
When she heard a group of us from Compassion were coming to eat at her restaurant, she brought all the letters she ever received from a young American girl who wrote to her and prayed for her year after year until they both grew up.
Amazing.

Be an advocate for those too young, too sick, too oppressed to speak for themselves.
Look for little divine appointments running all over your city and the ones that live in lands you may never step foot in.

Sponsor a child today.
Don't forget to write your child...it doesn't have to be profound.
Just short notes as often as you are able to let them know they are seen, heard and loved.
Here are just a few children waiting to be sponsored...Click on the above link to select one of these children. If you do sponsor a child, tell us about it in the comments.

( B&W photos courtesy of Ryan Booth.)