My goals recently has been to try and feel better (excercising, dieting, taking more time for myself, etc...) I have been secretly saving up for a new outfit and maybe even a new way to boost my current diet. All of that changed this weekend at the women's conference.
A couple of the speakers talked about being physically and spiritually exhausted and how scripture tells us we (as earthly beings) can combat this exhaustion. I took notes and began to look over them during one of our breaks. Funny thing is that exercise, shopping, and diet pills were not on that list. I don't believe that any of these things are bad for you and I know they can actually make you feel better but I believe that moment of feeling better will be short-lived and that the Bible can offer more longterm solutions. I am not going to quit running or trying to take better care of myself, I am however going to incorporate a level of spiritual care that I have been neglecting.
I am in the process of trying to organize and print my notes from this particular session. I want to condense them into mini points so I can put them on my bathroom mirror to help refresh and revive my spirit and body everyday.
On into the day we had the opportunity to watch a short video about Compassion International. Incase you've never heard of it, it's a Christian sponsorship program for needy children all over the world. I've seen their commercials before and heard people talk about it. I even have a couple of friends who sponsor children. I have never actually seen or heard from an adult who was sponsored as a child until this weekend.
I can't even remember her name or the song she sang but I can remember her saying she was 8 yrs old when she was sponsored. But I remember this: she said before that time she had never seen a mattress, worn a pair of shoes, been to the doctor, been told about Jesus, or even that she mattered. She said she had no sense of value or self-worth until she was sponsored and introduced to Jesus through Compassion. The only picture running through my mind at that time was Camden. I kept seeing her cold, hungry, and alone and I got a nagging in my stomach and heart that would not go away. Then I thought of our pets (cats and dogs) and I realized that our animals were being cared for much more so than these children of God. So of course when they asked if anyone wanted to sponsor a child my hand went up and they brought me a packet with a little 7 year old girl from Bolivia named Carla.
I don't recommend sponsoring a child without first discussing it with your husband....:)
Carla is now a long-term part of the Sheffield family and I can't wait to start writing her letters and when the kids get older letting them do so as well. I explained to Camden on Sunday that there was a little girl named Carla who didn't have many toys or clothes or money for food and that our family was now going to help her with these things. She immediately asked to go see Carla, so I explained to her where she lived and that it was too far to go but we had a picture of her. She looked at her picture and then went to go play. That night after Camden said her prayers I asked her if she wanted to pray for Carla and she said "no". So I said I would and I just prayed that someone would take Carla to church and introduce her to Jesus. Camden then offered a prayer of her own "God, please help Carla with her bills, Amen". I know it's not the sweet little prayer everyone was expecting but I believe God heard my child's honest request and will answer it according to His will. Kids keep you on your toes.
In the weeks and months to come you will get to hear and hopefully see more about Carla and her family. If you want to learn more about Compassion and the work they do visit their site at http://www.compassion.com/
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Compassion for Carla
My goals recently has been to try and feel better (excercising, dieting, taking more time for myself, etc...) I have been secretly saving up for a new outfit and maybe even a new way to boost my current diet. All of that changed this weekend at the women's conference.
A couple of the speakers talked about being physically and spiritually exhausted and how scripture tells us we (as earthly beings) can combat this exhaustion. I took notes and began to look over them during one of our breaks. Funny thing is that exercise, shopping, and diet pills were not on that list. I don't believe that any of these things are bad for you and I know they can actually make you feel better but I believe that moment of feeling better will be short-lived and that the Bible can offer more longterm solutions. I am not going to quit running or trying to take better care of myself, I am however going to incorporate a level of spiritual care that I have been neglecting.
I am in the process of trying to organize and print my notes from this particular session. I want to condense them into mini points so I can put them on my bathroom mirror to help refresh and revive my spirit and body everyday.
On into the day we had the opportunity to watch a short video about Compassion International. Incase you've never heard of it, it's a Christian sponsorship program for needy children all over the world. I've seen their commercials before and heard people talk about it. I even have a couple of friends who sponsor children. I have never actually seen or heard from an adult who was sponsored as a child until this weekend.
I can't even remember her name or the song she sang but I can remember her saying she was 8 yrs old when she was sponsored. But I remember this: she said before that time she had never seen a mattress, worn a pair of shoes, been to the doctor, been told about Jesus, or even that she mattered. She said she had no sense of value or self-worth until she was sponsored and introduced to Jesus through Compassion. The only picture running through my mind at that time was Camden. I kept seeing her cold, hungry, and alone and I got a nagging in my stomach and heart that would not go away. Then I thought of our pets (cats and dogs) and I realized that our animals were being cared for much more so than these children of God. So of course when they asked if anyone wanted to sponsor a child my hand went up and they brought me a packet with a little 7 year old girl from Bolivia named Carla.
I don't recommend sponsoring a child without first discussing it with your husband....:)
Carla is now a long-term part of the Sheffield family and I can't wait to start writing her letters and when the kids get older letting them do so as well. I explained to Camden on Sunday that there was a little girl named Carla who didn't have many toys or clothes or money for food and that our family was now going to help her with these things. She immediately asked to go see Carla, so I explained to her where she lived and that it was too far to go but we had a picture of her. She looked at her picture and then went to go play. That night after Camden said her prayers I asked her if she wanted to pray for Carla and she said "no". So I said I would and I just prayed that someone would take Carla to church and introduce her to Jesus. Camden then offered a prayer of her own "God, please help Carla with her bills, Amen". I know it's not the sweet little prayer everyone was expecting but I believe God heard my child's honest request and will answer it according to His will. Kids keep you on your toes.
In the weeks and months to come you will get to hear and hopefully see more about Carla and her family. If you want to learn more about Compassion and the work they do visit their site at http://www.compassion.com/
A couple of the speakers talked about being physically and spiritually exhausted and how scripture tells us we (as earthly beings) can combat this exhaustion. I took notes and began to look over them during one of our breaks. Funny thing is that exercise, shopping, and diet pills were not on that list. I don't believe that any of these things are bad for you and I know they can actually make you feel better but I believe that moment of feeling better will be short-lived and that the Bible can offer more longterm solutions. I am not going to quit running or trying to take better care of myself, I am however going to incorporate a level of spiritual care that I have been neglecting.
I am in the process of trying to organize and print my notes from this particular session. I want to condense them into mini points so I can put them on my bathroom mirror to help refresh and revive my spirit and body everyday.
On into the day we had the opportunity to watch a short video about Compassion International. Incase you've never heard of it, it's a Christian sponsorship program for needy children all over the world. I've seen their commercials before and heard people talk about it. I even have a couple of friends who sponsor children. I have never actually seen or heard from an adult who was sponsored as a child until this weekend.
I can't even remember her name or the song she sang but I can remember her saying she was 8 yrs old when she was sponsored. But I remember this: she said before that time she had never seen a mattress, worn a pair of shoes, been to the doctor, been told about Jesus, or even that she mattered. She said she had no sense of value or self-worth until she was sponsored and introduced to Jesus through Compassion. The only picture running through my mind at that time was Camden. I kept seeing her cold, hungry, and alone and I got a nagging in my stomach and heart that would not go away. Then I thought of our pets (cats and dogs) and I realized that our animals were being cared for much more so than these children of God. So of course when they asked if anyone wanted to sponsor a child my hand went up and they brought me a packet with a little 7 year old girl from Bolivia named Carla.
I don't recommend sponsoring a child without first discussing it with your husband....:)
Carla is now a long-term part of the Sheffield family and I can't wait to start writing her letters and when the kids get older letting them do so as well. I explained to Camden on Sunday that there was a little girl named Carla who didn't have many toys or clothes or money for food and that our family was now going to help her with these things. She immediately asked to go see Carla, so I explained to her where she lived and that it was too far to go but we had a picture of her. She looked at her picture and then went to go play. That night after Camden said her prayers I asked her if she wanted to pray for Carla and she said "no". So I said I would and I just prayed that someone would take Carla to church and introduce her to Jesus. Camden then offered a prayer of her own "God, please help Carla with her bills, Amen". I know it's not the sweet little prayer everyone was expecting but I believe God heard my child's honest request and will answer it according to His will. Kids keep you on your toes.
In the weeks and months to come you will get to hear and hopefully see more about Carla and her family. If you want to learn more about Compassion and the work they do visit their site at http://www.compassion.com/
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