After being home for home for almost four months, where do I even begin?
I guess I would start with the faces in the photo above. The beautiful faces of children who were once forgotten but now are so dearly loved. Look at their smiles, stare into their eyes and see the joy that comes from knowing you are loved. As most of you know, from January 2012 to April 2012, I had the privilege to love on these children and see their beautiful smiles firsthand. Looking back at this blog I'm reminded once again of just how special each of them is.
Just the thought of these faces still brings tears of joy to my eyes as I remember their smiles, giggles, and hugs and my heart aches to have them back in my arms again. Since returning to the States, I have struggled with sharing about my experience at Sarah's Covenant Homes in Ongole, India and what my role is now in their ministry. When I was there, it was so evident, but since I left, it became a little more unclear. As I have asked God what He wants me to do (secretly hoping He would say to jump on a plane), He has gently reminded me that my role for now is to advocate on their behalf, to be their voice in a world that is so much louder than they could ever be.
Daily I am overwhelmed by the blessings that God has granted us in this amazing country. Look around you- our homes, education, jobs, cars, family, and friends- countless things beyond what we could ever imagine. And none of those things are bad. In fact, they're great! But I have to remind myself that with all we're given, we're not called to keep it to ourselves. Yes, you've worked hard for it, but what about those who can't work for themselves? What about those faces above who rely upon people like you and me to provide for them and care for them because they simply can't?
I wish it were not the case but the need at SCH is urgent and great. With 105 children, you can only imagine the budget that its operations require. Things like diapers, Pediasure, food, shelter, medical supplies, and staff do not just appear from nowhere. After scrutinizing the budget, the administrators of SCH have developed a budget of $200/month per child. I know, it sounds like a lot to me too, but then I think about the money that I have spent on myself this week alone and realize that it might not be so much after all.
This is where we come in. I don't believe that God has blessed us so that we can build up our bank accounts for a day down the road when we might need it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we're called to something much more than that. When visiting Mother Teresa's organization in Kolkata, I was convicted of the need to go out and find my own Kolkata in this world. And I firmly believe that is something that we are all called to. And in order to have a Kolkata, you have to be willing to invest in it. I know so many of you are already giving to wonderful organizations and you've found a Kolkata, but for those of you that haven't or you have room in your heart for one of these smiling faces, I beg and implore you to consider making SCH a regular part of your monthly budget.
Just this week SCH started a sponsorship drive with the vision of having all 105 children sponsored within the next 105 days (#105in105). There are three levels of sponsorship:
- 1 sponsor at $200/mo.
- 2 sponsors at $100/mo., or
- 5 sponsors at $40/mo.
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| Charlie |
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| Christina |
If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring one of these beautiful children or want more information, please let me know and I would be happy to tell you how! Or just visit their website: SCH Child Sponsorship. And PLEASE tell everyone you know! The more people SCH reaches, the better!
I look forward to praising God together at the end of these 105 days as we "thank God for His marvelous love, for His miraculous mercy to the children He loves" (Psalm 107:8).
***Also- an SCH volunteer has put together two AMAZING videos highlighting the wonderful things God is doing in and through it, check them out here:
***And one more thing- along with finding funding for the individual children, there is a tremendous need for things like Huggies diapers (Kimberly-Clark), Pediasure (Abbott Laboratories), and medical supplies that encompass a large portion of these costs. If you or someone in your life knows of a way to connect SCH with large quantities of these items at discounted prices, please let me know! :)
Sarah's Covenant Homes
SCH Child Sponsorship
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