100,000. . . and 1

The other day I received a letter in the mail that was both encouraging and discouraging. The letter came to our home from our friends at Compassion International. It was an unapologetic "ask" for gifts towards Compassion's Unsponsored Children's Fund. The encouraging part is that Compassion is standing ready with over 100,000 unsponsored children in need of sponsors. I love Compassion. The discouraging part is that while Compassion stands ready, over 100,000 kids are still in need of sponsors. I'm committed to doing whatever I can to "connect the dots" between a potential sponsor and an unsponsored child. You can click on the Compassion banner ad at the left of this blog if you believe God is calling you to become a Compassion Child Sponsor.

But I would be remiss if I stopped there. This past weekend Lisa and I had the privilege of traveling to Toronto to spend time with our Canadian friends at the Canadian Youth Workers Convention. We had a blast doing ministry and being ministered to. One of the absolute highlights was meeting a young man who had set up a modest booth in the convention exhibit hall. Jared Henriques is 18-years-old. He was selling some T-shirts he had designed. . . some pretty cool T-shirts I might add. I asked Jared about his little company - Pocket Change Apparel - and he went to on to explain to me that all - that's right, ALL - the proceeds from the sales of his T-shirts go to support Compassion's Unsponsored Children's fund. 18-years-old. I was blown away. Jared's stated goal for Pocket Change Apparel is to "share love, transform lives, and foster generosity."

This morning as I unpacked my things I found Jared's card. As I thought about Jared I was reminded of the words God spoke to his people through the prophet Amos. . . "Let justice roll on like a river. . . "

Thanks Jared, for being 1 who's spurring the rest of us on to make a difference in the lives of 100,000!