Introducing Compassion and Kimberlie

 

Before I continue with the story of my trip, I’d like to take a little time to introduce... first, the organization I was traveling with - Compassion International, and second, the child I was going to see - Kimberlie!

Compassion International is an international organization with headquarters in 13 countries around the world.  From those countries, there are sponsors currently helping children in 26 poverty-stricken countries.  With a mission of “releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name” their goal is “to release the children from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults”.  Compassion’s ministry to the children is, in their words, “Christ centered, Child focused, Church based, and Committed to integrity”. 

The really neat thing about this?  Even a stay-at-home American housewife like me can make a difference in a child’s life in a third world country.  To me, that’s an amazing thing to realize.  (and I hope I can show you how it happens, as I tell you more about my trip and the work that Compassion is doing in Haiti).

So, Compassion is the organization...with many people around the world helping over 1.2 million children.  Now, let’s focus on one of those children...  Kimberlie!

My husband and I became Kimberlie’s sponsors in June, 2011.  We’ve been sponsors with Compassion since 2004.  Then, after the horrible earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, Haiti had been on my mind.  So when we decided to take on another sponsorship, I already knew I wanted that child to be from Haiti. 

I started looking at children from Haiti who needed sponsors on the Compassion website When I saw Kimberlie’s photo and read her biography, I was pretty sure she was “ours”.  She was 8 at the time and her bio said she liked to “sing and read”.  I did not remember seeing another child with those two interests listed -  and having those same interests myself, it made me feel a connection with her.  And, of course, there was her sweet photo, too!

Soon our first monthly payment was on its way and Kimberlie was added to our Compassion family.  It didn’t take long for Compassion to mail us a packet of information with her photo, some prayer bookmarks, and a brochure with helpful hints on how to be a good sponsor.

In  early August, we received a very informative brochure about Haiti called “Step Into Your Child’s World”

Then on August 23rd, we received Kimberlie’s first letter to us.  I had already sent her some photos and letters so she could begin to know her new sponsors a little bit.  

Now, it was time for me to start preparing for my trip to Haiti so I could actually meet her in person!