Compassion Sunday ~ Part 2

Part 2 of Compassion Sunday consisted of gathering again in the evening for a sponsor appreciation/development event. This was an open invitation to all in our church and we were thrilled that several non-sponsors came as well. We promised pizza so maybe that was the appeal. 

We were hoping 20 people would come, and were pleasantly surprised to have 60 sign up!

Our friend, Alex Mutagubya of Uganda (formerly sponsored child and current pastor in Uganda), was in town and agreed to come and share his story with us. What a blessing! Alex is the first formerly sponsored child I met in person and meeting him made a big impact on me. I was so happy that my church family and friends could have this opportunity. 

He share his story - what it was like for him growing up in poverty, how Compassion gave him opportunities he would not have had and what he's doing today. Then Kevin fielded some questions and continued the conversation with him.

We also wanted this to be a fun time, so we planned several games. One game was to see if people could identify the 26 countries where Compassion works. Another was to see if people could correctly place the African countries where Compassion works on a map. We had races with chopsticks to see who was an expert at picking up dried macaroni and beans and transferring them from a bowl to a cup. We also had a skit where Anthony was Steve's arms and he fed him spicy Asian food.

Finally we had a short time of sponsor development and more questions were answered. I think sponsor development is such an important part of advocacy. I really want fellow sponsors to get the most our of their investment. We talked about letter writing and developing a relationship with your sponsored child.

It was hugely successful and I look forward to next year's event! Maybe you can come : )