Gal pal post vol 3 edition 7

Gal Pal PostVolume 3 Edition 7
Extended Service Edition
Quote of the Week
On the Flip Side: Jessie’s Trip to India

Quips and Quotes:
“Never Give up, This may be your moment for a miracle.” Greg Anderson

On the Flip Side:
[Patty’s notes: I really wanted to give Jessie the opportunity to tell her story. I hope that all of you are inspired and if one goal you could make this year is to find one way to help. I have found that we can all do a little more…]

Heartbreaking. Humbling. Life-changing. If I had three words to sum up my recent trip to India, those would be my choices.

On June 17, 2005 I stepped onto the airplane for that long awaited moment. The opportunity of a lifetime was about to happen. I was about to embark on a journey that would forever change the way I see the world and life as it is. I was on my way to India to meet Lal Prasad, the child I had been sponsoring through Compassion International. For the next two weeks of my life, I would get a glimpse into his world.

I hadn't slept at all the night before my departure. I was awake with anticipation and excitement. Many thoughts weaved themselves in and out of my mind as I lay awake staring at the ceiling. What was his culture like? How would I be accepted? Was he as excited about meeting me as I was about him?

When I stepped off of the airplane, I was in for the biggest culture shock of my life. I was not prepared for what the next two weeks had in store for me. Our flight landed very early. As we exited the airport around 6 a.m., I was immediately surprised at how many people were standing around outside the airport. There were people lined up everywhere, people laying on towels on the ground, people driving cars, riding bicycles, honking horns, etc.., We were greeted by Compassion staff who had been waiting there for hours for our plane to arrive. They waved and smiled when we arrived. I could sense their enthusiasm. We all piled onto our bus for a brief ride back to the hotel.

We had not been on the bus for very long when the depth of the poverty there became very evident to me. Lining the sides of the roads were people living in tent like structures. Children were running around in the dirt and trash without shoes, and many without being fully clothed. People were sleeping wherever they could find a shady spot,and many laying right out in the open. I knew this was only the beginning of some of the things that I was about to see.

The next day, we visited a Compassion project and did several home visits of children who were sponsored. I was appalled at the living conditions. Most of the homes we visited consisted of either one or two rooms. An entire family, and sometimes extended family lived there. None of them had any source of indoor plumbing. The day I was there it reached 110 degrees and very high humidity. I couldn't imagine how somebody could survive in these extremes without any drinking water in their house, and certainly no air-conditioning. Most of them didn't even have a bed in the home. Despite these conditions, all of the children greeted us with smiles and laughter. They seemed pretty content with what they had.

I met many children and visited other projects, but I was still impatiently waiting to meet that one special child. Throughout my trip, my anticipation grew much greater. The day finally came that I met my child. Lal and his father had come 9 hours by train to meet me. Lal was very quiet and didn't speak much, but I knew that this was a very special moment for him too. After I met him, he pulled his backpack out and opened it up. He pulled out a stack of papers. He had kept every single letter that i had ever written him since I have sponsored him! I was at a loss for words. I felt a lump in my throat as I fumbled through the letters. It was at that moment that I realized the impact of my sponsorship had on his life. I knew that he was at a loss for words too. The only way he knew how to express his affection for me was to reach over and take my hand. He did not want to let go of my hand for most of the day.

Some of the images I saw in India keep flashing through my head. I don't want to let them be forgotten. It was there in a place 10,000 miles from home that I learned some of the greatest life lessons. I came back home faced with the question "When is enough enough?" At what point do I have enough things, enough material possessions to be content with, enough money to be happy with? Why is it only human nature to want more of what will not make us happy? Why is it so easy to only focus on self? And why can't we reach out and help those who don't have enough? Why is it that we have money to spend on movies, going out to dinner and entertaining ourselves, but don't have the money to help others?

I was challenged with a whole array of emotions as I asked myself if I was doing enough to help those who are lacking. I was forced to ask myself "Is there something more that I can do to take care of those who are in need?" I knew that I had to address these pressing questions that were heavy on my heart. Towards the end of my trip I talked to my husband over the phone. I knew that he must have been going through some of the same internal turmoil that I was. He suggested that we get rid of our cable TV and use that money to sponsor another child. I knew what needed to be done. I left India sponsoring five-year old Simran. If anybody were to ask me "Is it worth it?" Every time I see her picture and smiling face-yes, she is worth every episode of Trading Spaces that I will miss.

To learn more about the work of Compassion around the world click here:http://www.compassion.com/sponsor/index.asp?referer=60710

Jessica Hoffman

Editors note:This was Jessie’s way of reaching out to others and doing something great. I think that if Compassion is not for you, that is fine. Every one has a talent or dollar or time that they can give to help someone else. Remember “Service is our rent for living.”