Hi Friend!
I want you to know that no matter how old you are or how much you have, you can make a difference. Here’s my story to encourage you! My name is Grace. I'm 13 years old, and I have helped 56 children find sponsors through Compassion International. And I’m just getting started!
My story with Compassion started in 2018 when I was just 9 years old. One day, my family got a pamphlet in the mail from Compassion that talked about an event called Compassion Sunday, and I was immediately interested. I read about this opportunity to impact more children in poverty than I had ever imagined! By hosting a Compassion Sunday event at my church, I could encourage other people to sponsor children too. I asked my dad, “Can I do this?” I think it shocked him a little bit. He was so surprised that I would want to speak in front of hundreds of people at our church to help kids in need! After the initial shock wore off, he was immediately supportive of my idea.
That April, I hosted my first Compassion Sunday event. I spoke in front of 300 people during four services, and 28 kids were sponsored! I loved hosting my Compassion Sunday event so much that I decided to do it the next year, and 28 more kids were sponsored. In just two years, I was able to get 56 kids sponsored! During the pandemic, I hosted two online Compassion Sunday events. It was a different experience, but I wanted to take any chance I could to help more kids!
Hosting a Compassion Sunday event is so important to me because it’s a way to help those who can’t help themselves. Just like Matthew 7:12 (NIV) says, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Here in America, we are so blessed and live very comfortable lives. Now imagine taking 90% of everything you own away. That’s all that most of these kids have. That’s why I think that we should give to those who have so little.
My family started sponsoring a little girl named Gabriela when she and I were both 3 years old. We have practically grown up together! Gabriela lives in El Salvador and has the biggest heart. So when I hosted my first Compassion Sunday event, I made sure I talked about her during my presentation. I shared about something I created called the 3,739-Mile Mission. That’s the number of miles Gabriela’s house is from mine. Since my first Compassion Sunday event, that number has always been significant to me. It reminds me of Gabriela and all the kids who haven’t been sponsored… yet. That's why I have a goal to get 3,739 kids sponsored during my lifetime. I know it’s an ambitious goal, but my dad always told me, “You’re Grace; you can do anything!”
If you are thinking that hosting a Compassion Sunday event sounds fun, but you don’t know if you should, I highly recommend that you do. Hosting a Compassion Sunday event can make a big impact. Whether you get two kids or 200 kids sponsored, it doesn’t matter because you’ll have changed those children’s lives forever! They have now been released from poverty in Jesus’ name because YOU decided to host a Compassion Sunday event. If the idea is on your heart, but you are a little bit scared, that’s OK! New things can be scary! But you should take that first step. For any of you who are movie fans (like me) and have seen the movie “We Bought a Zoo,” you know that the main character's motto is, “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.” If you are nervous to host an event, just have 20 seconds of insane courage and take the first step. I promise you that you won’t regret it!
Love,
Grace
P.S. Take your first step and learn more about how to host a Compassion Sunday event!