My Week With Compassion

As promised, I am entering the blogger world in an attempt to share what God is teaching me here in Ecuador.  If my thoughts appear to be somewhat random and scattered, it is probably because they are.  The first week of my experience in Ecuador was with Compassion Canada.  The course was designed to introduce the students to holistic child development in the context where it happens: in the lives of children and families experiencing love of God through Compassion Projects.  The contrast between where we were staying and studying (Peurto Lago Resort) and the projects and homes that we visited increased the shock value 100 fold

Waking up each morning in a clean, warm, dry bed and being able to order a filling meal from a menu seemed almost greedy or gluttonous after visiting a home where 5 kids shared one bed with no mattress and ate breakfast only if there were leftovers from the night before. 

The week was full of conflicting thoughts, questions, and emotions:  What makes me so fortunate as to not have to experience the poverty other face?  What would it be like to scrape out an existence everyday, wondering where the next meal will come from?  How would I handle it if I was expected to provide for Leah and Lena the same way that the young fathers I met had to for their families?  On a personal level, my heart was broken several times and teary eyes were a daily occurrence. 

Academically, I was challenged to recognize God's heart for children and to see them a valuable people who can teach me about faith, hope, and love.  As we walked through the Bible (with our textbooks close by) our professors helped us realize how much God cares for children and how he used them to accomplish his purposes.  They also dedicated a significant amount of class time to discussing how children around the world are exploited and abused.  I had to purposefully pay attention to the stories and statistics as I noticed how easy it was to numb myself to the injustices that too many children face everyday.     Fortunately, it was impossible to close my eyes to those realities while we were on the home visits.

 I purposely tried not to take pictures of the hardship.  It was hard to take pictures as I felt like I was a tourist from my rich world, making a spectacle of those who are less fortunate.  The families in these pictures are all benefiting from Compassion's programs. The young mother in the top right is part of the Child Survival Program -- Child Survival Program  Each of the families in the other two photos have a son in the Child Development Sponsorship Program -- Child Development Sponsorship Program

I will be digesting this experience for a long time to come and the stories attached to these pictures will never be forgotten.  Ask me about them sometime over a coffee.  I'll be glad to share them.