Go Into All The World: Compassion Insight #6: The Gift of Blessing Families With Joyful Experiences We Take For Granted

For me, the focus of the Compassion sponsor visits I have done has always been to see the child’s home and Project. As an Advocate, my main desire is to give other sponsors a look into the reality of poverty and the way Compassion works.

However, on many of the visits I have been given an added blessing – I have been able to take either the child or the whole family out to restaurants, malls, amusement parks and zoos. The normal policy is to take the child and one parent, but many times I offered to take the whole family. Such a small price for me to pay for such a memorable experience for them. These are experiences that many of us in the developed world take for granted as normal family activities, but for these families it was often the first time, because they simply couldn’t afford it.

Quite often the enemy was in my ear about the real benefit or value of such an activity, and sometimes I got sucked into believing him “So what? You go out for a couple of hours, exposing these people to an unfamiliar culture, maybe get their hopes up unrealistically that they might do it again one day, and then they return to their poor hopeless lives.”

I have to say, there were times when the disparity between what I saw in their home and community, and the different universe that was the mall or other place we visited, really smacked me around.

Probably the biggest example of this was when I visited Olga in Mexico. We visited her two-and-a-half-wall house with no running water, then went to a mall 30 minutes away. I’m telling you, it may as well have been a different planet! As we rode around on the little mall train, looking at shops filled with everything imaginable in unimaginable quantities, even I was in culture shock!

We had lunch and then went to a video game arcade, where there was a huge jumping castle. My translator managed to convince the guy in charge to let me go on with Olga, and I tell you, I cannot describe the pure excitement, joy and delight Olga displayed as we bounced, jumped, ran and slid for (what felt like) about 30 minutes, and I certainly exhausted my aerobic capacity. That Jumping Castle was a “temple of joy”. She even brought on the teddy bear I had given her as a gift and started throwing it around! A highlight for me was when we were having a go at the inflatable punching bags that were part of the jumping castle, and each time I punched them I said “punch, punch, punch” In her excitement, Olga tried to copy what I was saying, but it came out as “woosha-woosha-woosha.

I had a similar experience in September 2013 when I visited Laura in Colombia. They live in South Bogota, which is apparently such a dodgy area it took us five tries to get a taxi to take us there. Gangs, violence and robberies are a huge problem (the kids actually got robbed of everything including their shoes one day on their way to school). As they are from a fatherless family, Laura’s 14 year old brother is the man of the house. I took her mother, sister and brother out to a mall, and we also went to an amusement game place. The big hit this time, though, was the bumper cars, and of course I was the target. The privilege of giving these three kids an afternoon of pure “kid enjoyment”, considering the reality of their daily lives was priceless, and I was so thankful to be able to do it.

I visited Yeymi and Josefa in Guatemala, and mealtimes were fun. Their answer to KFC is Pollo Campero (Chicken Country), and because it was the kid’s choice where we went to eat, I ended up having it three days in a row! Lucky I love fried chicken.

My third visit in Guatemala was 10 year old Mayra. Because she lives 9 hours away from Guatemala City, it was decided to bring her and her father to Guatemala City for a day at the Zoo. The previous two visits had been quite harrowing in terms of what I’d found out about their home situations, so I was hoping for a nice easy day of fun and enjoyment. It was clear right from the start that this wouldn’t be the case. She was nervous, cold, tired and anxious. As we walked around the zoo, seeing so many magnificent animals up close for the first time, it was clear both Mayra and her father were in culture shock. She did not smile or say a word the whole day, despite much cajoling and encouragement from both me and the translator.

During the day, a sickening negative attitude built up within me, reacting to my guests not responding how I had hoped. With God’s help I was able to overcome it and see the experience for what it was: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for two people to escape the reality that was their lives, and just enjoy themselves. I did not find out too much, but from what I was told, Mayra did not smile because she doesn’t really know how. There’s not much cause for smiling in her life.

On my January trip, the third-last stop was Ecuador, and it was a day of JOY! Jacqueline is six, and she is the most animated, talkative, affectionate little person I know. I’ve had some kids who haven’t said a word all day, well this one didn’t stop. We went to an outdoor amusement park high in the mountains (I’m blessed not to get altitude sickness) called Volcano Park. To be a part of this day was just incredible, as I watched what we consider to be normal childhood moments experienced for the first time. Trampolines, giant slides, rides that do nothing but go round and round, waste-of-money sideshow games. It was all new for her and it was all fantastic!

It was so good, in fact, that I came back in September and we did it all again.

In April, on the group tour to the Philippines, the highlight was definitely the Child-Sponsor Fun Day at the end. All 12 sponsors on the tour had our sponsored children flown into Manila and we spent a few hours at Manila Ocean Park. Because I had three kids (plus parent and Project worker), it was a big group, and I did my best to spread myself around, as well as try to have conversations with the adults. It was the kids (and probably some of the adults) first time out of their community, first time in a plane and first time in Manila. We had a great time walking round looking at all the sea creatures and finished off at Jollibees restaurant, where instead of burger and chips, they have spaghetti and rice. Spaghetti is my worst food in terms of eating in public, and, as I was the “centrepiece” on a table of females, I tried my darnedest not to spill any. Fortunately I was successful.

Without doubt, the most significant and profound events of my life thus far have been my last two birthdays, spent in Brazil with my Compassion kids. God has placed Brazil on my heart above the other countries and I have sponsored 12 kids from there in total (currently 7). As part of my visit in September 2012, I arranged to meet all ten kids at a special park, with swimming pool, wildlife, horses and soccer field.

I also felt compelled to invite all parents, caregivers and siblings, no matter the cost (got about 30 out of 50 family members there).

It was a fantastic day, though there were a few little hiccups, like stomach pains, not being able to withdraw money, and being left alone with a park full of Portuguese-speakers while my translator went to the bank.

It was only while reflecting about the trip later on that I realised what a gift from God it was, being able to give these kids (and parents) a break from their harsh realities to have a day of fun. I have been blessed, and I wanted to bless them. Simple.

It cost a bundle, and I sacrificed a lot to be there, but the bottom line was I wanted to give these people a taste of the lavish, extravagant love of God. Unearned, undeserved but given freely. In return I was also blessed - an awesome teenage band who I had met a couple of days earlier at a Project visit came and surprised me at the park by bringing all their gear and playing some tunes.

I have already shared about my favourite Project visit, BR329 New Life Project. When I confirmed I was coming back to Brazil in 2013, there was only one place I was going to spend my birthday. Once again it was a sacrifice, but God blessed me beyond all ridiculousness and it was a day of incredible joy that I believe will be hard to beat. To see the impact that God is using me to have on people, and the gratitude and thankfulness that was flowing from that, is beyond words for me.

To paraphrase Ephesians 3:20, God is indeed able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us.

The Love of God is the only thing that motivates me to do what I have been blessed to do.

And now...more pics :)

Allison in Mexico, first restaurant visit (and yes, she did eat that whole plate!)