There is a seven-year-old boy living in a hut in Uganda who holds a piece of my heart.

In a recent letter to my husband and me, Pascal wrote, “I would like to become a farmer so everyone in my village has food.” He hopes to visit America some day so he can drive on “good roads.” 

Makes you stop and think doesn’t it? 

Compassion International is a Christian humanitarian aid organization dedicated to the long-term development of children living in poverty around the world. This holiday season, I’d like to share two ways you can give the gift of compassion ~ through child sponsorship and gifts from the Compassion catalog.

Child Sponsorship ~ When you sponsor a child through Compassion International, you become the single sponsor of a specific child. You get updated pictures and profiles of your child and can exchange letters. Your monthly donation of $38, as well as birthday and Christmas gifts, can be automatically withdrawn from your bank account. (Trust me, you won’t even miss it.) Your donation helps your child’s local church provide medical care, education, nutritious meals, and other needs. More importantly, through your sponsorship, children like Pascal receive God’s hope and love. To find out more about sponsoring a child through Compassion International, go to http://www.compassion.com/Child/Sponsorship.                               

Compassion Gift Catalog ~ Gifts in the Compassion catalog range from income-generating livestock, education and training, shelter, food, and water, mosquito nets, vaccinations, bicycles for transportation, textbooks and Bibles, vegetable seeds, and fruit trees. Gifts may be purchased for as little as $10 dollars. Last year, we honored my mother and my late father (a dentist) by purchasing dental kits in their name. It is a thoughtful gift that gives to the actual recipient, as well as the person in whose name you give. Free customized gift cards are available. To order from the Compassion Gift Catalog, go to http://www.compassion.com/catalog.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama

Think On These Things ~ Alicia