I told you how yesterday felt like a day of meeting long lost relatives, but I want to tell you today about the other children I met while with the Maasai people in their village. A few days before we left for this trip I went to my friends on my Instagram page and asked them to sponsor the eight children that still needed sponsors at this particular village we would be visiting. Let me tell you that within hours these children had sponsors, and people were emailing asking how they could also sponsor kids at this particular village. My Instagram friends showed up and took care of business!

Not only did I meet my child that our family sponsors yesterday, but I was also able to meet every single one of those eight kids and tell them that they now have a sponsor. I stooped down on their level, looked in their eyes, and told them that someone on the other side of the world cares about them. For some of them I handed them a photo of their sponsors and showed them the actual person that has declared they are interested in their life. It was one of the most memorable things I've ever done. I truly felt as though I was there as a representative for these families. I hugged them each and told them that someone cares for them. That someone is committed to praying for them.

They all had their mommas or grandmas with them, and they were overjoyed to hear the news that they were sponsored. You see, what this means for these kids is that they now have the opportunity to get an education, they get medical attention when needed, their families are cared for when emergencies arise, and they get social skills at the center every single week. It will literally change the course of their life forever.

These kids are all receiving something that they weren't receiving before, and that's engagement from the local church. Compassion funnels everything that their children receive through the local church. Imagine that with me; the church gets to be the church to the people in their communities. The local church is a place where people are being supported, encouraged, taken care of, and pointed to Jesus. I really like the sound of that my friends. It has been beautiful to watch this week.

If this little boy doesn't look proud, then I don't know what proud looks like!

These children will now receive nutritional food and medical check-ups. When Compassion selects children to invite into their program, they are looking for children that are the neediest of the neediest. Them being accepted into the program is life changing for themselves and for their families. Can you imagine the feelings you would feel if someone knocks on your door and says, “we see you” and “we want to help you.”

These children will also now be receiving educational assistance every year through the Compassion project. Sending your kids to school in Kenya isn't the same as sending them to school in America. There are school fees, book fees, and sometimes even uniform fees. Can you imagine the joy these parents experience when they discover that their child will get an education? Most parents I've met this week didn't complete more than a 5th grade education. Friends, this aspect is life changing for the child.

You see guys, here's the deal. Sponsoring a child through Compassion International is not just something “those people” do, it's something that we are all capable of doing. I've walked through the centers this week, I've met with the mommas, I've held the hands, I've seen the medical papers, I've sat in the homes, and I've listened to the transformation stories. When you choose to give something to these children, you are literally choosing to give to the least of these.

What I wish more than anything is that I could have had every single one of you that are reading this post with me yesterday when I met these children and told them that they had a sponsor. The joy in their eyes, the hope in their faces, and the love they felt from a complete stranger on the other side of the world was unbelievable to watch. If I could have bottled up each of those moments and kept them forever I would have.

So, would you consider this with me? I would never ask you to do something I wasn't doing myself. Supporting a child via Compassion International is a small way that you can make a big difference in a super hard world. No matter what twitter tells us, the papers print, or Facebook rants contain, we know this to be true – HOPE is found in the homes of these 8 children tonight. Will you help get 100 more children sponsored through Compassion this week?

Bring hope to a child today by sponsoring a child through Compassion. By sharing $38 a month, you can make a dramatic difference in a child’s life – and you’ll be empowering the local church in the process. Release a child from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Also, follow posts from Bri, Sophie, and Shaun this week.