Was Someone's Prayer Answered Last Night?

Over the past week I have been reading the blogs from a group of Christian bloggers who travelled to Uganda with Compassion ministry. Their stories were heart warming and very moving, as they related their experiences. Some left me in tears. For those of you familiar with Compassion, this organization gives you the opportunity to sponsor a child in some other part of the world and to release them from poverty in Jesus' name.

We had always said "someday" we would do that. We would pick a child "someday" when there was one Colin's exact age (you can even search by b-day). Last I checked, "someday" isn't even a day on a calendar, and I felt God tugging on my heart for us to sponsor a child. Now. God didn't promise to love me "someday." He doesn't provide for me "someday." He loves me today. He provides for me today.

We researched various countries. We even reviewed various children's biographies. We found a young boy who lives near Comayagua, Honduras, which is very near to the area where I worked in missions one summer when I was in college. I even drove by there from Tegucigalpa on my way to San Pedro Sula (what a wild bus ride, but that's a story for a whole other posting!)

So with some prayer and the simple click of a mouse, we have adopted Hernan through Compassion. I looked at Matt and commented that I wondered if little Hernan went to bed at night praying for someone to select him. Were his prayers answered last night? I know ours were.

I am excited to get to know our newest "family member." To see his picture posted on our fridge. To send him a birthday present (his birthday is 5 days after Colin's, though he is 4 years older.) To pray for him and show him the love of Christ through letters sent to him. And perhaps someday to meet him in Honduras.

I am humbled that we have the ability to sponsor a child -- I know many of you have done this for years, and I applaud your commitment to fighting poverty in the lives of children around the world. And for those of you who have had a tugging at your heart, I would urge you to listen to that tugging and to make a difference.