"The family that prays together stays together."
When my daughter was a small infant, I read this bummer sticker. It has never been far from mind. Prayer is the glue that holds us all together. It's communication with God, a direct connection with the maker of the universe.
The older my children get, the more mature their prayers become. I have tried to emphasize prayer daily with my kids. Before school each morning, we write in our prayer journals. We enjoy attending church prayer meetings together. When we hear of a specific need, we stop and have a prayer meeting in our home. Anything that touches the heart, we pray about it. I have been so blessed to see this growth in my children. From the oldest to the youngest, prayer is a huge priority. Prayer is at the center of it all.
We have specifically "adopted" three children for a reason. I have three kids of my own. I wanted each of my kids to have a connection with a child, their own special friend. I will say I did it for selfish reasons too. Compassion and World Vision has been laid on my heart. I crave being used by God to make a difference. I won't be giving up my three "adopted" children completely to my kids. I plan to share.
This week my kids have each "adopted" or chose their own brother/sister. I explained to them all the things they could do for this new sibling.
• Write letters
• Share their favorite Bible verses
• Buy, with their own money, small paper gifts to mail
• When they make a fun craft or paper at church, they can send it
• Draw pictures
• Send photos
• Write stories for them
• Make paper crafts
• They can PRAY
I have been extremely touched at how serious they have taken this new role. I don't need to remind them to pray. It has come about without my help. Each day one of my children has always brought it up, and encouraged the others to participate. We are praying together as a family more than ever before. I am so pleased with how things have been progressing. I know that God is going to do amazing things in these children we've been given. They are prayed for over and over again by my family.
When you agree to sponsor a Compassion child, you will receive a welcome packet in the mail with your child's information and picture. One of the things they include is a bookmark with a prayer list suggestion on the backside. It has something to pray about every day of the month. We have found this to be extremely helpful. It keeps you from praying the same thing every day. In the beginning there were a lot of prayers that went, "Help Aberu to have a good day. Help Yeabsira to sleep well. Help Meyli to have enough food and clothes." With this list my kids have begun to get a bigger picture of the needs and things to be thinking of. Their prayers have changed drastically, and deepened.
This would be a great thing to use to pray over your own children with! It covers all areas, and each day gives you something to target. I know sometimes it can be a challenge to know what to pray about. This solves that for you.
Day 2 - to trust God for everything
Day 3 - to do well in school
Day 4 - for the Compassion center leaders
Day 5 - for his/her family
Day 6 - to resist negative peer pressure
Day 7 - to practice good hygiene
Day 8 - for good nutrition
Day 9 - for strong friendships
Day 10 - to develop a tender heart
Day 11 - to learn God's word
Day 12 - for protection from natural disasters
Day 13 - to use good social skills
Day 14 - for a bright future
Day 15 - to develop his/her skills and talents
Day 16 - to learn from the center programs
Day 17 - to make wise decisions
Day 18 - for safety in daily activities
Day 19 - for freedom from fear
Day 20 - for patience and perseverance
Day 21 - to resist temptation
Day 22 - to always tell the truth
Day 23 - for the desire to follow God's will
Day 24 - for good sibling relationships
Day 25 - for physical health and strength
Day 26 - to honor his/her parents
Day 27 - for a spirit of hope and joy
Day 28 - to grow closer to God in prayer
Day 29 - for comfort in sadness
Day 30 - for stability for his/her family
Day 31 - for solid self-esteem"
-Compassion International-
I believe God gave each child to our family for a reason. It was so easy for my kids to match up with their "adopted" sibling.
Gabe wanted Aberu because she is the same age as him, and he's excited about the challenge she poses to him. We are not allowed to talk about Jesus or anything spiritual with Aberu. She is in an area of Ethiopia where this could be a security risk to her and the center where she is at. However, we can still show her the love of Jesus without using His name. Gabe has a drive in him to tell the world about Jesus. It seemed most appropriate that he "adopt" the child who potentially still needs to meet and accept Jesus.
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| Gabriel has "adopted" Aberu |
Ariel knew immediately that she wanted to "adopt" Meyli, our three year old from Peru. She had an instant connection after seeing her sweet little face. My daughter has always shown an interest in little ones, and they love her back the same.
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| Ariel has "adopted" Meyli |
Yeabsira is five years old, the same age as Zechariah. They were the perfect match! I have been most impressed with Zechariah's heart for this sponsorship. He is the child who has brought up prayer the most. Every day he excitedly brings me his calendar and asks for explanation of what to pray over Yeabsira. Zech is also the first to bring up Yeabsira when we are praying over dinner. He has passionately put action to this adoption process.
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| Zechariah has "adopted" Yeabsira |
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” — Matthew 21:22 NIV
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