Cooking for Consolatte

My aunt and I have gone to the Casting Crowns Concert every year they have been in Nacogdoches since I have been in school down here, and at each concert, they give a short but effective segment on World Vision. Now I have thought and thought and thought about sponsoring a child but I always talk myself out of it saying we can't afford it right now. Especially with one income and me a full time student. With my lent decision and cooking a lot more at home, I broke it down and the little $35 a month commitment that they ask for is usually less than we spend eating out one time at Chili's. Really? How many times a month do we eat out? Surely we can sacrifice one. So beginning now, I will be dedicating one meal a month as my Consolatte Meal. My money is automatically withdrawn from checking account on the 25th of each month so on this day ( or one really close) I will cook for Consolatte.
Consolatte is a young girl in Burundi Africa living with her parents, one brother and 3 sisters. Her parents both farmers struggle to make ends meet and struggle to feed their children. She is also my sponsored child. Consolatte and her family live in a post war country that is also highly influenced by the HIV virus. As I sit here on my laptop, watching TV and eating a sandwich,it is very hard for me to realize, how truly difficult survival is in a country like this. I mean things like not having clean water and food were things of the past right? Surely they don't still happen today? Thinking about my own life and how blessed I am it is hard to imagine a 6 year old, like Consolatte, carrying water 6 miles to support her family, or going to bed hungry because their family can't afford something to eat or draught has caused their crops to die. Again, I thought these were problems of the past and surely technology had caught up to them by now. Well this is not the case and World Vision takes these situations and teaches these families how with God's help they can rise above their circumstances and again become self sufficient. Implementing new farming techniques and installing clean water wells so that the children who drink the water do not become sick and infested with parasites. In Consolatte's village, World Vision provides a clean water well and education on how to stop the spread of the HIV virus. They also provide education both in academics, and how to be self sufficient. Well worth my $35 a month.
On my World Vision welcome video it says that " Everyday American's spend 1 Billion Dollars dining out" can you imagine the type of impact that could be made if everyone gave up just one meal eating out and donated that money to World Vision? I invite you to pray on it and see if your family too could dedicate one meal a month to a sponsored child.Trust me, I think you will find it well worth it!