Different worlds..... or are they??

I don't know if I have ever posted twice in a day; I suppose I may reiterate that I have a snow day today! :) After checking my campus mail box which is typically uneventful (expect for the occasions when I get Scott's mail), I ripped into a new letter from the child Scott and I sponsor through Compassion International. First, if you don't know about Compassion or are looking for a way to partner in ministry, check out www.compassion.com. I am planning to send off my application soon to be an area rep. and will be giving more details about specific sponsorships during the MercyMe concert in the Tri-Cities at the end of March. This is a worthwhile cause and one that is so reliable.

Anyway, we've had Mwimi for about three years now, since the end of the first year we began dating... and it's been more fun than we could have ever imagined. I'm dying to head to Tanzania and meet him! One amazing thing about Compassion is that you stay very well-informed about your child. You receive report cards detailing his/her progress, drawings, new pictures, and letters pretty often, and you may respond online for an even more efficient and convenient means of communication. Today our letter was in response to the birthday gift we sent Mwimi through Compassion, which was a mere $10 extra... and Mwimi's translator wrote this: "He says he thanks you so much for the birthday gift. He enjoyed it so much and bought paint and materials to work on their house. Also they bought sugar..." This was an instance when I had to do a double-take. Did I seriously just read that this ten year old boy had just spent his special birthday gift for house materials and sugar? I was reminded that Daniel's and my ideas of luxury are so different. I can't imagine using birthday money at the age of ten (or 21!) for materials and ingredients. I was reminded that Daniel probably gets the "poverty in spirit" idea much better than I ever will (Matthew 5:3). Deep down, Daniel's heart and my heart are both vacuums waiting to be filled every day with the Spirit... and I can't help but think that maybe Daniel's birthday spendings would be a little more kingdom-like than mine.

This year, God has made me increasingly aware of the world's needs and of my own selfish ambition and (to put it correspondingly to my current study) our culture's Babylonian mentality. Yesterday morning, a woman for whom I have the utmost admiration and respect reminded me, "Allison, when you become aware, you're responsible." How true. With every inch of greater awareness, I have a tremendous God-given responsibility. May I never neglect it.