Sponsoring a child has been something that I have wanted to do for awhile now. I've always gotten close to the decision and then walked away from it, for a myriad of reasons. I either couldn't afford it with only my part time jobs, I wasn't sure who to sponsor with, or I wasn't sure who God was leading me to sponsor. Boy? Girl? Young child? Young teenager? Africa? India? Or some country I have never heard of? All I knew was that one day, I would be able to sponsor a child and I couldn't wait for the day. I've known about Compassion International for awhile now. They are a big supporter and leader in the sponsoring and advocating for children. Shortly after I started this blog, Polished Arrow, I became a Compassion Blogger. It's wonderful being able to join in with other bloggers and advocate for the sponsorship of children around the world. Yet, even when I became a Compassion blogger, I still felt like I couldn't write and blog properly for the support and encouragement of sponsorship, because I wasn't yet a sponsor myself. Well, that all changed last November, when the wait was finally over. Over the past year or so, I've been hearing and seeing the country of Bangladesh pop up in various places. Whether a small whisper in my head, something in the news, a t-shirt tag. The more I started thinking about it, I just couldn't get Bangladesh out of my mind. Then, last year when I started my full-time job, I decided that now was the time to start sponsoring. I couldn't wait any longer and started searching through Compassion's website every night, pouring over all the children. At first, I loved the idea of sponsoring a child that had the same birthday as mine. How special and incredible would that be to share that in common with a little one across the world. Then, I started searching by name. Then gender. Then age. There were so many! "Lord, just let me have them all!" I thought. When I felt like the Lord had shown me the child, I would click on another page and then I was certain that she was the one. No, wait, he is the one. Then, I searched among the country of Bangladesh. Narrowed it down to the girls. And there she was. The one that I felt the Lord was calling me toward. And I excitedly clicked on her picture, wanting to know more. Meet Sheuly. My new thirteen year old, friend and sister, from Bangladesh. Once I clicked on Sheuly's name and dedicated to sponsoring her, I was so excited and thankful for this opportunity. After I entered all my information, I went back through Compassion's website to search for her and she was gone! It was real! I was her sponsor! That night I think I read everything on Compassion's website about Bangladesh and the area that Sheuly lives in. And every time I got an e-mail from Compassion, I opened it wondering if it would contain just a little bit more about Sheuly and her family. When I got my information packet in the mail, I read it all, cover to cover, and just stared at her picture. I posted her picture on our prayer door in our apartment, where I see her face every day. And I put another on my nightstand. Then, I waited in anticipation for that first letter. One day, when I got home from work, there waiting for me in the mail, was an envelope from Compassion. I rushed up my tiny staircase, plopped down on my couch, and tore open the envelope. Inside was a sheet of paper filled with beautifully written Bengali words and sweet hand-drawn pictures. I read that letter over and over that night, eager to get to know her more. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to sponsor Sheuly. To get to know her and her family more. I'm thankful that the Lord showed her to me and that she is the one whom God wants me to pray for daily. I'm incredibly thankful for the pieces of paper that will be exchanged between the two of us. I'm excited to watch Sheuly grow and to see what this sponsorship brings for the two of us. Finally, the wait is over. Have you ever thought about sponsoring a child through Compassion? I highly encourage you to go check out their website and see which child the Lord may be placing in your life. Do any of you already sponsor a child? What is your favorite thing about sponsoring? Follow Me in 2015 :)
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