Vimla - better than I

Somedays, well most days, I go out to get the mail and am disappointed that I even walked out to the mailbox because all I find is junk mail.  Yesterday was a jackpot day where there were several interesting things to open (they all come in one day, don't they?) and one was a letter from the girl I sponsor through Compassion International.  She is from India and her name is Vimla.  We've written back and forth for the past few years, but I've never written as often as I should.  And I'm sad to say that sometimes the only time I pray for her during a month's time is in the second when I'm checking my online banking, and see that my financial support to her for the month has cleared.  How sad.  From what I can gather from her letters, she prays for me more than I pray for her.  It makes me disappointed in myself when I let (make?) myself reflect on that fact...because she probably needs more prayer than I do.  Maybe that's an assumption of her surroundings versus mine, but in anycase I am proud of her, and wish I was better.  One thing she said at the end of her letter sent a thud to my chest.  She asked if I had any specific prayer requests, and said that she would pray for me.  It was so precious that I took a picture of it to share with you.  Look at the last line in the second picture.

The thing is, I know that she will pray for me.  Oh, the beautiful hearts of children.  I recently read, Too Small to Ignore by the CEO of Compassion International and it pricked my heart in a way that ironically...I can't ignore.  I took a lot of notes when I read the book (I know, you can make fun of me if you wan't but I'm a note taker), and two of the ideas come back to my mind often.


*Listen to children.


*Every encounter you have with a child is a divine appointment.


I could go on a long tangent here about how people cut off children from speaking, and don't ask them questions about what they care about...and how it's hard to get people to volunteer to work in the nursery or teach sunday school...or how we say children are our future instead of see their importance now...but I won't. ;)  I'm just as guilty of these things - or at least of doing them with a good attitude.  And if I give without love to back up my actions, I'm like an annoying clanging cymbal, right? (I Corinthians 13:1)


Now, sorry to be bossy, but please reread those two points.  They could change a child's life.