Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole and her 6-year-old daughter, Noelle. Last September they decided that they wanted to make a difference in the lives of children in poverty in new and powerful way. But before we tell you how, let us tell you why.
Nicole has had a heart for the ministry of releasing children from poverty for a long time. Sixteen years ago, when Nicole had just graduated from college, she sponsored a young girl through Compassion. And her sponsorship has never stopped! To this day, she is still sponsoring the same girl. Plus, Nicole and her family began sponsoring another child along the way.
Nicole’s care for children living in poverty is no secret. So, when she was presented with an opportunity to help more children in poverty, Nicole went for it. It was called Compassion Sunday.
Compassion Sunday is a day set apart for people to speak up at churches across the country on behalf of children living in poverty. Each year on Compassion Sunday, sponsors connect thousands of children living in poverty with new sponsors — members of their church family!
Nicole’s church hosted a Compassion Sunday event at her church five years ago. She helped at the event, but she did not lead it. So, this year, when her pastor said that someone could host a Compassion Sunday event at their church, Nicole stepped up to lead it.
“I’m usually a person who says, ‘It doesn’t hurt to just try and see how it goes,’” says Nicole.
Originally, Nicole planned to host her Compassion Sunday event in the spring. But, just as it did for many other things in life, COVID-19 put a stop to her plans. But Nicole didn’t give up. She waited until September, when her church finally opened its doors back up, and moved forward with her Compassion Sunday event.
In fact, the pandemic served as extra motivation for Nicole to host a Compassion Sunday event. She learned about the disproportionate impact that crises like COVID-19 have on children living in poverty. This made Compassion Sunday just that much more important.