Mia

One Sunday last fall I wasn't feeling well. The rest of the family went on to church while I rested at home. Caroline was so excited when she walked into the kitchen! Tom (our pastor) had begun talking about Compassion International and the children that are adopted by families through this organization. Caroline found a 5 year old that she wanted to support.

I don't mean to sound cold, but the idea of adopting a child was a little overwhelming for me. I mean, I have four children. Some Lots of days I am overwhelmed with my four children! How could I possibly take on another child? If we adopted Mia, it would really be me that needed to keep up with her. I would be writing the letters, I would be finding the gifts. I would be the one to remember her birthday. I would be the one making sure that she had her "needs" met by this family. I am really trying not to overcommit myself this year. I just wasn't convinced.

Fortunately, I have a husband with a heart of gold. He saw this as an opportunity to make a child's life better. He made it sound easy. He couldn't understand my hesitation. He wrote the first letter and sent in the papers with everything Compassion would need to connect us to Mia.

A month or so went by. We got a welcome letter from Compassion explaining exactly how our $32 a month would help Mia. I read it all and felt good that we had committed to support Mia. Yes, she is another child to pray for and another "thing" to remember, but I was feeling like we had made the right decision. Well, I hadn't made it, but in my mind, I knew that MH had done the right thing.

One afternoon, amidst our usual slew of Christmas Cards, I found an envelope with unusual handwriting. I opened the "airmail" envelope and found my very first encounter with this 5th child of mine. It began "Dearest Momma Andrea and Poppa (MH)" - the cold drained right out of my heart and I was absolutely overcome with warmth and love for this 5 year old girl who lives in Indonesia.

Two of the bloggers who I keep up with on a somewhat regular basis are on a trip with Compassion International this week. They travelled to Uganda to write about the children that they see. They are reporting on the poverty, the faith, the churches and the faces. You can read their accounts here and here.

Last weekend in Sunday School, we talked about how much Jesus loved children. I taught my 6 and 7 year olds a song that I remembered from my own Sunday School years - "Jesus Loves the Little Children". I explained that He loves us all no matter what we look like or where we live. He wanted to spend time with the children around him, even when the disciples thought he was too busy. Jesus never hesitates to adopt another child. I am so glad MH didn't either.

If you are a Compassion sponsor, share it here!