by Compassion International, $38 a month gives each child proper nutrition, clean water, an education, and most importantly the opportunity to learn about Christ. Right now there are approximately 1,718 children that still need to be sponsored.
Here in America we tend to take for granted what we have. Things that other people need and don't get. Simple things like clean water and food. But as much as a problem as lack of food and water is a problem for other countries it also hits home here in America, more than most people would think. The following are facts that encompass both other countries in need and our own.
- Approximately 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This is around 5,000 deaths a day.
- The average person in the developing world uses a little more than 2.5 gallons of water each day for drinking, washing and cooking. Whereas the average person in the developed world uses 13 gallons per day only for toilet flushing. (Americans use 11.5 more gallons of water than people in third world countries JUST flushing the toilet daily)
- More than 9 million children under age 5 die every year, and malnutrition accounts for more than one-third of these deaths. Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
- 14 million children in America go hungry every year. (Still think that it doesn't happen here)
- Approximately 143 million children in the developing world (one in 13) are orphans.
"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"-Matthew 19:24"
Basically we are greedy people. What's worse is whether we realize it or not we foster that idea and teach our children that it's okay! (I realize quite well that I'm not a parent and have yet to have an experience with a child wanting for something, be it a toy or something along those lines. But I was a child not that long ago) The other day my brother was watching Teen Cribs on MTV. While I won't sit and fault anyone for doing well in life and making money, I do see a big problem with a lot of the kids of these people who are well off. They want for nothing. If they want it they get it and that's the end of the story. There is no working to earn it, its just here you want this have it. These kids are spoiled incredibly. I guess it's their right as parents to bestow upon their kids the money they worked to earn, and its their business how they spend it. But I just don't see how this is helping their kids at all.
Growing up I might have wanted for something but I never needed for anything. Now I can tell you as a little boy I probably didn't like not getting everything I wanted, but now I thank my Mom and Dad for teaching me that you can't have everything you want. It's definitely helped me in the long run, now at 20 I'm a lot more tight with my money. If I want something I sit there and decide how much I really want it before I buy it. Maybe it's just because I see now how much that helped me in the long run that I sit and shake my head at these kids I see on T.V. with their parents money. More money than they know what to do with, just blowing it.
Then I get to thinking about children like Diana who need just $38 a month to get what they need to live. That just makes it worse. With some of the things these kids have they could sponsor almost all of the kids on Compassion International for a month. If my math is right (which it's probably not cause I'm not really good at math.) It would cost $65,274 a month for every child on Compassion International to get what they need. Now for most people that's a lot of money, but sponsoring just one child wouldn't be that hard it's only $38. You could even do it as a group of friends or something like that.
These kids that live in Africa or Central America or Asia who grow up so fast they don't know what it's like to be a kid, that's one of the things that hits me hardest. Maybe that means I'm a really weird person because I guess meeting their needs is more important than them being children, but if it does I guess it does. It just doesn't seem right that these kids are growing up so fast because they have to survive that they don't know what it means to be a child. To not have to worry where their next meal is going to come from or whether or not they are going to be safe when they sleep, or be warm when it's cold. Children are innocent, they should stay that way. They should be able to spend their days stretching their imaginations and learning and playing. Not working or trying to find food. Many of the children have to do just that, they have to work to help their families so they can eat, both here in America and in other countries.
I'm one of those people who still goes down the toy aisle on occasion and looks at the toys. That's when it really hits me how much these kids are missing. Things that they won't be able to get back. I was walking around Target last night and walked down the toy aisle. Happen to come across the remakes of the Power Ranger toys that I grew up with, the original ones. And it was just kind of like a slap in the face. These kids won't ever have that. They won't get toys to play with, they don't have the money for food and clean water and the medicine they need, they certainly don't have the money for toys, even if they were available.
I guess all in all our college group sponsoring Diana has been a huge eye opener for me and I really wanted to share just the way this stuff has been getting to me because of her. No it's not a light fluffy subject but none of my notes are, or at least I don't think that they are. I thank you for reading this and hope that you gain something by reading it.
1 Samuel 16:7-Jared
Have I told you lately : I love you :)
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