I just got back from El Salvador, a colorful and beautiful country. We had the chance to visit the work of Compassion International in several different student centers they run. But I never expected to be greeted with such love and enthusiasm. As our bus pulled up and our team stepped out, we found a crowd of smiling kids lining the dirt path that led to their project. They waved balloons and flags, and ran to give us hugs. With every squeeze, my heart melted more and more. We were their first international visitors, so they cancelled normal daily class and activities to greet us!
Now that I’m home I hold these images from 5 days in El Salvador deep in my heart. Because of the poverty I saw, I have had to stop and really think of how to respond. The first emotion is frustration – at the way people suffer because of situations outside their control. Another emotion I felt was gratitude – that my eyes could be opened and God would show me more of who He is through the experience. But the emotion that I felt overwhelmingly was love.
At a church we visited, we listened to the pastor share his heart with us. He explained that they face violence in their country with gangs and high crime. “But it’s not the absence of weapons that will solve the problem,” He said as his voice got louder. “It’s Jesus! Only He can come into a heart and turn the hatred into love. The gangs and criminals here need a heart change.”
That radically changed my perspective, and revealed something incredibly deep: In everything I do and say, love must be the motivation and determination. The world doesn’t need a change of appearance; it needs a change on the heart level.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
I didn’t see many smiles in the poor communities we visited. Little children watched from their door as we drove by. Their eyes spoke of hunger and need. We stopped at the top of an alley way to visit a Compassion-sponsored child’s family. It was like entering a jungle. Tall plants and trees covered the pathway. Dogs roamed looking for food, so skinny it was hard to look. The houses were made of mud, brick, and tin roofs.
Before the trip we thought about some items we could bring to give away. And I never thought zip-locks would go over so well! Its true how much we have in this nation and take for granted. Our 5-year-old sponsor girl was so excited to get zip-locks with little goodies inside that girls like. She held up the zip-lock and showed her mom. “Mommy, I can put my toys in this!” How many of us throw away zip-locks after one use?
It was a privilege to visit homes where Compassion children lived. They were smiling, and told of their gratitude for being so cared for by Compassion. They glowed as they told of their sponsor families in the United States, and what they want to be when they grow up.
This verse means more to me now that I have seen the prison of poverty, the despair it brings… “The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1
I encourage you to read all of Isaiah 61.
What matters to God is that we would be His image on the earth. His image is Jesus Christ, who poured out His life as a sacrifice so we could be in relationship with God. He humbled Himself as a servant. (Philippians 2:5-8) He showed us what love is. (1 John 3:16)
Seeing El Salvador has given me a new perspective. It’s my prayer that my eyes would continually be open to seeing the needs around me and being the image of Christ to the world.
-Becca
A Message About Compassion
The work of Compassion is truly making a difference there, and I saw that first hand. The blessings we all receive in America should be used to make their world a better, safer place. Then will be truly living out our purpose as Christians. Let us ask ourselves today, “What can I do to help?” First, pray for the country of El Salvador. Pray for the children Compassion helps to grow into godly leaders and change their nation for the better. Second, consider sponsoring a child through Compassion. There are 4,000 unsponsored children that Compassion is already reaching out to.
You can change a child’s life! Click HERE to begin!
