So many faces

I was perusing the Compassion website last week and looking at so many sweet faces of children who need sponsors. There were so many that it was overwhelming to me, and I sat right there and just started crying. They ranged in age from 3 to late teens, and are in a variety of countries. Some children are smiling; others are not. I do remember seeing one little girl (don't remember what country) who had this mischievous "impish" look on her face. She was smiling a secret little smile, like she had something up her sleeve, and I wondered if she was just one of those children who are happy all the time.

A few things I noticed along the way, though...

...most of the children from Togo were not smiling. I had never heard of Togo, so I looked it up. It's a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west and Benin to the east. The population, according to a website I found about Togo, is about 6.8 million, and it's also one of the poorest countries in West Africa. Breaks my heart. I wonder if the Togo children will ever get sponsors. Do some people look through the pictures and choose only those children who are smiling, or who fit a certain mold? I pray not!

...I noticed that most of the children are standing there very stiff, maybe smiling for the camera but still uncomfortable looking, with their arms straight at their sides, their feet together, and their back straight. I would much rather see them relaxed, smiling naturally, with a light in their eyes. But, I imagine that they're told to "stand straight and tall" for their pictures. Their little hearts are probably hoping that someone will see their picture and decide to sponsor them, but not quite believing it will happen.

...for some pictures, the background behind the children is very telling. Some are standing in front of trees, bushes, and fields, but quite a few of them are standing in front of buildings, which are probably either the Center that they attend or maybe it's their town or village in general. The buildings look old and in need of repair; the streets are dirt or mud. Although some streets are paved, even those need to be fixed. For the few pictures that show inside a building, the furniture (if there is even any at all) is old and scratched up.

In summary, there are so many children who need sponsors. Wish we could sponsor all of them!

In His grace,

Sharon