Willow Creek Global Leadership Conference

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilage of representing Compassion International at the Global Leadership Conference. The conference, which was live in the Willow Creek Church in Chicago, IL, was broadcast live into over 200 locations across the country. There were several wonderful speakers who blew me away in what they had to say. A couple of the speakers truly changed how I viewed things when it came to faith and how things work in the world. The speaker who spoke on the trafficking of young girls for sex all over the world made me sick and made me want to change the world.

Anyway, between speakers and music performances, I was working in what was called the resource room. People came in on the breaks to get a snack, buy some books, and walk past the display I had about Compassion International, haha.

While most did just walk past with the occasional glance, I did have about 15 people or so stop by and ask questions about how Compassion works and what kinds of things they do to help children. Questions are great, I love questions, I'll answer questions about Compassion all day if I need to. Several people told me that they were going to do some more research about Compassion online and consider sponsoring. You gotta love those logical business people, doing the research first, haha. I definitely encourage that. I know they are going to find good things when they do.

After the two day conference, four beautiful children were sponsored. Three girls and one boy.

Two little girls from Asia were sponsored immediately after the speaker who spoke about sex trafficking. Both women were grandmothers who have grandaughters. They both shared about how they could never imagine that happening to their grandaughters and had to do something to help a little girl in another country. No child should have to be pressured into sex. I agree with them completely. I'm glad they are rescuing two little girls.

One little girl was sponsored by a man with two daughters. He told me that both of his daughters and grown up and moved out on their own. He said he felt like he needed to add another daughter to his family. He sponsored a beautiful young girl with braids in her hair, from Bolivia. What a sweet story. For some reason, my heart melts even more when men choose to sponsor. Compassion in men is very attractive. (Side Note, haha)

But, my very favorite sponsorship story of the conference was mother who came to the table. She said that she wanted to sponsor a little boy who is the same age as her son. We found two boys who were born the same year as her son. She left telling me that after the conference that day she was going to go home and get her son. They came back that night and her son chose a little boy from Indonesia to sponsor. He was immediately in love with the idea of sponsorship. He asked his parents, "We can only sponsor one?" I understand just how he feels, haha. The next day, the woman approached me and told me that night, her son disappeared into his bedroom for about a half hour. When he came back out, he was holding a box of toys and clothes that he wanted to send to his new friend in Indonesia. So sweet! The woman said she just didn't have the heart to tell him that he wasn't going to be able to send those things. She took the box and had plans to donate it to a local shelter. The little boy was just so happy.

I love Compassion International!