Windy with a Chicken
Last week Karen and I had the previlege of being invited by Compassion International to go to the City of Quito, Ecuador to visit the homes of some of the poorest people on earth. It was life changing for Karen and me. I saw dignity in poverty. Yes, there was tremendous physical lack in the homes we visited but Compassion Ministry had caused a hope for a better future to come to the families we met. The Ministry of Compassion International is simply amazing. The goal of this Ministry is to rescuse children from poverty and share the gospel with them. What hit me between the eyes was the fact that I was seeing in action the VISION OF NVCF WHICH IS TO REACH THE NEXT GENERATION as God’s Family! God does have a way of reinforcing his will in our hearts. What I saw in the strategy of this organization gave me hope for the things we have started supporting in our after school Kids program and Science, Art and Math Camps (S.A.M.) I had a chance to see a complete and well thought through Biblical Strategy of raising up poor children from birth to College age. Believe me I was taking lots of notes.
The first home we went to after arriving in the City of Quito was that of a single mother with five children living in a cinder block home ten feet by about twenty feet. The mother had successfully been able to get her youngest son (3 years old) into the local Compassion Ministry project that was being runned by one of the approved local churches. Watching her son being fed and weekly taught in math, science and scripture by a tutor who came to the house… she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. This lead to all five of here children coming to faith in Jesus. As we visited with this wonderful family, our hearts were turned especially to the second youngest child named Windy (about 5 or 6 yrs old). Windy had just been approved to enter the local Compassion Child Development program. But she had not been sponsored yet. Each child must be sponsored for $38 a month to actually get the school supplies, medical help and the food the program offers. We noticed a chicken out in the front yard. One of our team asked Windy if the chicken had a name. She said yes, it was here pet and the name she told us was translated “my little chicken.” Karen and I were touched by this young girl and we have already inquired if we can sponsor her. In our time in Ecuador, we had the opportunity of meeting adults who had been sponsored through Compassion ministry as children and today they have become people of great influence in their communities for Christ. We want this for Windy and we hope we can in a small way help her. In time I hope to get packets from Compasion International of other children for our church family to look over and pray about sponsoring. If God permits we hope to return some day and see our “Windy with a chicken” grown up and becoming a fine Christian young woman of influence in her community.
I must say in closing, I am still processing all God allowed us to see and experience in Ecuador. I know it has challenged us to not only believe for Windy and others like her but to dream of what God can do here for Single Parent Families and low income children in our own Community. Please pray for Windy and here mother and here sister and three brothers.
Pas. Dan