My Other Children

My youngest son and I were just looking at the photo on the refrigerator of the boy we sponsor through Compassion International. The boy, now a young man, will turn 21 and graduate this August! In the photo, he is smiling and standing confidently, much different from when we first "met" him at the age of 17.

Some people wonder why we can't just ship food to famished countries, or dig wells and build houses. The difference is clear: we can "feed a man for a day" or "feed a man for a lifetime." Some countries have grown too dependent on short-term missionaries. Others simply take advantage of visitors' generosity. Still others gladly accept help with physical needs, but don't want to hear what the foreigners have to say about their spiritual needs. On the other hand, sponsorship programs provide relationship, mentorship, and discipleship. Like medical missions, they can meet a specific need rather than a general need. And most importantly, they teach people to become leaders, thereby influencing the culture positively from the inside out.

In a recent study of sponsorship programs, Dr. Bruce Wydick of the University of San Francisco found that these programs made a huge difference in the lives of the sponsored children. Compared to their unsponsored peers, 27-40% were more likely to complete secondary school, 50-80% more likely to graduate from college, and 35% more likely to have white-collar jobs (with many becoming teachers and leaders of their community). 

These numbers (along with the information available on the Compassion International website) are very encouraging, since I most likely will never meet my "son" in person. But then it occurs to me, as I finish telling my son about his "brother" in India, that there may be a time when we can all be together. Someday, in Heaven, I hope to meet all my "children."