the compassion experience

I can't remember how I heard about this intiative, but I think I saw something posted on social media about it.  Basically, this organization allows you to "experience another world without leaving yours".    The Compassion Experience is a project of Compassion International, which has been helping children for over 60 years in some of the most impoverished places on earth.  Their website states that there are 385 million children living in extreme poverty (defined as less than $1.90/day by World Bank) today.  That number is disturbing and heart wrenching. 

In order to advocate for these kids, the Compassion Experience was created to share some of their realities and allow visitors to catch a glimpse of what life is like for these children.  I signed our family up for a visit, but wasn't really sure what to expect.  Kevin had asked me if we wanted to invite friends to meet us out there in Burleson for the event, but I really wanted to focus on the experience with our kids and not turn it into a social activity.  Our kids had been acting pretty spoiled recently (especially about meals) as well, so I was really hoping that this would be eye opening for them. 

As we waited in the line, I read posters such as this and was appalled.  I really have such limited awareness of what is going on in other parts of the world, so it was really eye opening for me as well. 

 As we checked in, we were given headsets and took an audio-guided journey through the exhibits, which were made to look like home environments of real children who have grown up in extreme poverty. As we heard their stories, we moved from room to room.  These were real accounts of children, so as we heard about them being sponsored, we moved into a room which looked like their classroom setting.  Each story was one of hope, and it was humbling to see the way in which they lived and the gratitude they felt for the opportunities that were provided to them through this one-on-one sponsorship.

I don't know that my kids REALLY understood that this was real life for another child their age, but I think they understood that they have a lot!  Just seeing Brooke touch the walls in the home made me emotional.  We have been so blessed to bring our babies home to a beautiful, safe, clean home. 

 As we exited the first exhibit, a man greeted us, asked our feedback, and invited us to look at the pictures of the children needing sponsorship. It was slightly awkward because Kevin and I hadn't  really talked about this, but seeing the pictures of those sweet kids was such an emotional experience.  Many of the children were from Peru, which I could tell was tugging on Kevin's heartstrings.  I was pretty choked up, but I tried to explain to Brooke what those pictures represented.

 We walked away without sponsoring, mostly because we feel that we do a lot with charitable contributions for church, but I imagine that sponsoring a specific child and seeing their success and progression from poverty would be a completely life changing experience for both the child and the sponsors.

We had time to spare, so we went through the second exhibit as well.  We listened to the little girl speak about the mud doll she made since she didn't have any toys, and I knew I had to take a picture to remind Brooke about how much excess they truly have.  I really don't think kids appreciate what they have because they have too much. (This is something I want to really work on in our home!)

I feel so grateful that we had this experience as a family, and I would highly recommend it to other families as well.  It was a unique opportunity for my kids especially to realize that they are so lucky to have a home, food, water, education, toys, a soft bed, and basic healthcare.