It’s been two and a half years since I boarded a plane to Tanzania. Two and a half years since I walked through the red dirt and cried, the images of abject poverty almost too much for my heart to comprehend.

It’s been two and a half years since a spunky toddler with a big, wide grin led me by hand with such confidence through the rocky streets that I knew she must frequently walk those paths alone.

Two and a half years ago, a little boy named Moses taught me the meaning of pride – the good kind of pride.

Two and a half years ago, I learned that Hope is Slow, and that is, perhaps, the most valuable lesson the Lord has taught me. I’m still grasping hold of what that means even today. Hope is so very slow, and I get weary in the waiting, but God in His Mercy is not bound by my impatient timeframe.

Hope may be slow, but it is alive.

The work that Compassion International does worldwide is humbling. I’ve seen firsthand the impact this ministry has on communities, the hope they are bringing to families living in poverty, and I have wept.

Hope is Slow.

Today, Compassion is participating in #GivingTuesday, and together you and I can help spread Hope. In this season of giving, when our hearts are soft and pliable, let’s join together and make a difference.

Today we have the opportunity to raise $25,000 so that Compassion can build a Child Survival Program in India. Did you know that nearly 1 in 3 infant deaths worldwide occur in India?

I didn’t know that either.

Hope is Slow. 

Over 2 million children under the age of 5 die each year in India. In the small community of Gujarat, where many of the mothers are teenagers, most do not have the resources needed to provide for their children.

Today we can change the lives of an entire community. We can reverse the trend of hopelessness, of illness, and of childhood death. Opening a Child Survival Program in Gujarat means:

– training and preparation for young moms to help care for their babies

– helping mothers learn to read and write

– giving children a safe place to learn and grow

– ensuring lifesaving medical care for babies and moms

– proclaiming the hope of God to families living in poverty

Today, as we step away from the blessing of Thanksgiving, and move into the beauty of Christmas, we have the chance to bind together and offer Hope. We can wrap it in love, and breath new life into a community that wonders if Hope is real.

It is real, friends, and it is actively moving through willing hearts across the ocean, and into the arms of young mothers who are more accustomed with fear than they are of Hope.

Will you join with us today? Your donation, no matter the amount, will change a life. Together, in just one day, we can make a huge difference. 

Changing the world is entirely possible. Like Hope, Change is Slow. It takes time and patience, and a lot of faith.

Won’t you be a part today? Will you give back according to the abundance of your riches? Will you place your stake in the sand today and declare that there is no place for hopelessness in this world?

To donate to Compassion International’s #GivingTuesday campaign to build a Child Survival Program in Gujart, India, click this link.

After you’ve donated, take a moment to share this on your social media channels. Help us spread the word so that we can link arms with others, and together we can make a huge impact.

Thank you, my friends, for being a part of a movement of Hope. You made a difference today. A big one.

Hope may be Slow, but it is Alive.