Compassion: It begins with a child. It begins with you.

It's 7am.
Me - I'm dragging my tired body out of bed. I worked late last night.

Shaking off sleep, and remnant threads of depression luring me back to the seeming safety of a bed. Bringing this 'vessel' of me, what feels like a bag of bones to the bathroom vanity - I'm praying 'Your will, not mine, be done'. And I put on the coffee. I make oatmeal ... delicious.

Getting up, to look more like my Lord. Who compells the body to move - the mind to think - the heart to beat and love.

He wills that I move, and asks 'will you take me at My word - whatever I say?'

Today, and every day before this - get up. It's Sunday so I will go to worship with other Christians in the morning and later head to work with a nice big coffee for the evening.

Great still - it's September 26th, and here at Following After You we are briefly partnering with Compassion Canada's Compassion Sunday.

Even though I'm nervous, deadly apathy terrifies me more. I have felt its wasting tug. And it's siren song that bids to give up life - that life to the full promised by Christ.

I have been sponsoring a child through Compassion Canada for five years in Jesus' name.

Slum you see here was my home during the summer of 2006. It is home to over 2 million people.

That red soil - burdened with raw, flowing sewage are as much a reality as the floor beneath your feet now.

The limited, unclean water and lake-fish, sitting for hours beneath unbroken sun and clouds of flies, are as real as the meal you last ate.

In this place of poverty and places similar around the world though, God does His restoring work - beauty building in the broken: in the material lack of developing nations, and in the lacks of my own heart that many comforts other than Christ pacify.

It was in 2006, that I held Pauline in my sight - and then in my arms - and then on my lap as we ate a meal together; the small Kenyan girl whom I'd only know just over a year, through letters, photos and crayon drawings.

It is my great honour to be acquainted to this young girl and to sponsor her through Compassion. I am one of many in her community supporting her as she grows: assisting with her needs of food and water as they grow scarce, the provision of healthcare, education and a knowledge of the loving and compelling God, Jesus Christ. With a lessened burden from school costs and supplemental food, Pauline's mother was able to go to school for early childhood education and is now serving in her community.

Poverty. It is overwhelming, insurmountable by our human desire, incomprehensible and at worst, deadening. Daily, my call is to confront the Lord with my own failure to partcipate. Sponsoring a child was an intimidating prospect when I first began as a university student.

But, the sisterly bond that has grown between Pauline and I over the years - as I know the joy of the Lord who drew us both into our friendship, timidity no longer lingers.

This is opportunity. Life, and joy and:

Compassion: It begins with a child. It begins with me. It begins with you.

in Jesus' name.

For more wanderings, thoughts, prayer and information, please visit: http://www.compassion.ca/