Spence Smith

One of the greatest moments is watching sponsors meet their sponsor kids and today was all about that. Angie, Melissa, Robin, Anne, Patricia, Shaun and Becky all met their kids today and we all had a blast with the great moments that happened.(That’s me and Angie’s sponsor child, Sangita, in the picture above.)

We took the kiddos over to Science City (think Mad Max for kids and parts of the Water World set that never made it in the movie) where we got to see Everest in a REALLY old IMAX theater. The only problem was the film looked really cold and yet… it was still 120 DEGREES OUTSIDE!!!

After the IMAX we went over to the 3D Science Show which I just couldn’t resist trying to fit in. (See Exhibit A below) I mean… this show had 3D glasses AND animals flying at your face!! Pete and Keely took pictures and made funny videos through out the day.

So… here’s the deal. It’s one thing to sponsor a child and write letters back and forth. But when you get the chance to meet your child!!!(Exhibit B below – Me and my sponsor child Verelyn from Peru) Wow!!! The letters come to life and you see your sponsorship dollar come to life!!

I love watching people meet their kids for the first time. I know those feelings and how you remember every moment.

If you can afford to go on a sponsor tour to meet your child or if you can go visit them on your own, then I would highly recommend you going for it. It’s an experience you will never forget.

But first… if you haven’t already… go sponsor a little one. You won’t regret it!

I know it sounds a little weird to say it like that but I’m big on seeing kids realize their dreams. I have met kids all over the world who have dreams…. Big dreams!!!! However… not so much here. Well… Not exactly.

For the past two days we’ve been meeting kids and their families. When you ask the kids what their dreams are they mostly give you a perplexed look. At this point our Compassion host tells us that kids here have to be taught what dreams are all about and that it’s ok to dream about what they want for their future. Seriously?? You would think dreaming could come naturally.

Like I said… I usually meet a lot of kids who are dreamers, but these kids are having to learn how to dream from scratch which tells me this… these kids really live in a world where there seems to be no hope and no future for them to count on. They know nothing else than what is happening right now in their lives and their future seems just nothing short of hopeless. Does this make sense to you?

So… Here’s what I did see that was very cool today. Compassion has a program for each child called My Plan For Tomorrow. This plan helps each child actually come up with goals and dreams for themselves. The child writes them down and works with a tutor or teacher at their Compassion project to realize their goals and dreams. This isn’t something the parents write for them… It’s all about the child and the child’s future. This is where the dreaming education starts and the confidence you see in kids when they know they can make it is awesome to see.

This afternoon Patricia, Robin, Anne, Melissa and I went to the homes of two girls who were both dreamers. Both wanted to be nurses and both had a look in their eye that said… I can do this.

Amazing… It really is amazing when you dig a little deeper and see how showing Christ through service affects the way a child processes life. Sure… they may be living in 110-degree heat in the poorest place ever but what do they care. It’s only temporary to them because they know they are going to make it and come back to help others make it too.

Now that’s paying it forward!

Once again, I am thankful to see that raising up dreamers seem to be a universal theme around the Compassion Projects I visit. These kids are creating culture and changing lives in the process, not only for themselves but for their families as well… and if you are sponsoring one of these kids they are going to make you want to dream big too.

When you sponsor a child, you are investing into the life of a dreamer that needs the chance and opportunity to dream really big… so go ahead… dream big and sponsor a kiddo.

By the way…. Just in case you need a good way to tell people to shut their cell phones in church, try this out below… The church we visited today seems to have it figured out:)

Today for The Sunday Post I want to feature the India Blog Trip with Compassion International. This friday I’m off to India with 9 other people. I’m leading this trip with Shaun Groves and we are in for quite a trip. The purpose of this trip is to take bloggers and show them our work just like I do for artists. Instead of coming back after the trip and writing about the experience-everyday we will come bck to the hotel and blog about what we saw THAT DAY! Our first blogging trip to Uganda was a huge success as well as the blogging trip to the Dominican Republic. Shaun heads up this effort for us over at CompassionBloggers.com.

Here’s the list of those who will be blogging on this trip.

Angie Smith

Anne Jackson

Melissa Fitzpatrick

Robin Dance

Patricia Jones

Keely Scott

Pete Wilson

Shaun Groves

and ME!