Marty and I sponsor the Bahay Paraiso Cancer Center through The Salvation Army. Basically this means that every month we donate $20 to this particular center in the Philippines and we help provide medical care, food, clothing and other supplies to the patients who are living at this center and have been diagnosed with cancer.
The cool thing is today, after sponsoring this home for a year, I received a report from the center. The first one! In January the center held a Salvation meeting that had an incredible impact on those in attendance. Patients who have no hope decided to put their hope and trust in the Lord. Others who believed strengthened their walk with Jesus.
The best part of all? Five of the patients from the Cancer Center were sent home because they were healed!!! God is doing incredible things in the Philippines!
Because I send $20/month to the Philippines I get to rejoice with my brothers and sisters in Christ when they are healed! I didn't do anything incredible. I didn't give up anything that I would have needed. Perhaps I miss out on a cup of Starbucks every now and again or a trip to McDonalds or the purchase of a new CD but I've never gone without. Please know I'm not trying to flaunt the fact that I sponsor a child. What I am trying to do is persuade others to join me. Currently there are over 400 names of children on The Salvation Army's list waiting for sponsors. Your money would provide schooling, food, shelter, clothes and medical coverage. There are a ton of other reasons to begin donating your resources to The Salvation Army's Child Sponsorship program - to help broken, needy families, to provide for children, to offer hope, to care for the fatherless, to defeat injustice. The rejoicing alongside them is just an added bonus. To see them gain a future is another added blessing. I hope you seriously consider sponsoring a child - no matter which sponsorship program you choose. Your gift is well worth the effort. Even if you never receive a report that five cancer patients were healed.
It's so worth giving up a White Chocolate Mocha.
To Healing and Sponsorship,
Joy
3 comments:
That is FANTASTIC! How can we find out how to be a sponsor? This is something I would love to do. I always see the commercials for the other charities and feel so guilty. I think this would allow me to have a better connection with the people that are benefiting from my small donation.
you know, whenever people say that you can sponsor a child for the price of your daily cup of coffee, i always get a mental picture of the starving children drinking starbucks. that actually might make a good ad campaign--showing a picture of a child in central america chugging down a venti frappuccino, with the tagline: "They don't need it. Neither do you."
seriously, though, that is really fantastic.
Thanks Joy -- You reminded me to take my sponsorship money for this month over to the youth dept. I keep forgetting ... but I'll do that right now.
:) Brooke
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