~The Gift of Sponsorship~

A few months ago, I felt the Lord calling me to become a sponsor! My family has sponsored a Guatemalan girl ever since I was a child, but I never thought God would be encouraging me to sponsor as well, at least not yet. After all, I'm only 15... how could I afford to sponsor without a regular income? After months of prayer and research about Compassion International, a wonderful Christian ministry, I couldn't deny how heavily my heart longed to sponsor, to develop a relationship with a child in need, to share with someone that there is hope and peace in the name of Jesus. I knew that this was God's will; there had been so many signs, through testimonies of other sponsors and Compassion videos of sponsored children that brought me to tears.
I began sponsoring Gloria in April. She is 16 years old and lives in an area of Colombia with a higher risk of exploitation and abuse. She lives with her mother who is employed, her father who is sometimes employed, sister, two brothers, and two cousins. 

After I sponsored Gloria, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would sponsor another child. I had to earn babysitting money to save for future trips and internships, and knit scarves for my trip to Cambodia, right? The thought never even crossed my mind to sponsor two girls until a couple months after Gloria, when again, the Lord was speaking to me in ways that were beyond me. 

You see, as much as I try to plan what happens in S4S and life in general, the Lord always surprises me with ideas better than what I ever anticipate.

I realized that I do have enough, plenty actually. I have so much saved up in my bank account, enough already to pay for trips to Cambodia for the next three years of high school. I am continually adding money to those savings from babysitting as well. If I reach my goal of 70 scarves, I'll make at least $700, but usually more like $800-850 with generous donations. It costs $38 dollars per month for each girl, which adds up to approximately $1000 per year including Christmas and Birthday gifts. The money I lack from S4S sales, I will pay for with savings.  

So after weeks of prayer, God has led me to this humbling, beautiful place yet again; sponsorship. Maria is 15 years old, she lives in Honduras with her mother who is employed and her father who is sometimes employed, and she is one of 8 children, yes... 8! I felt the Lord calling me to sponsor her as I prayed for another child because of her large family and because she lives in Honduras, one of the most dangerous country's in the world according to homicide rates. I felt she needed prayer, love, support, and assurance that the Lord her God is with her always! 

She is beautiful, inside and out. She is precious in the eyes of Her Lord and in my eyes. I love her and Gloria, more than words can express! Thank you Lord for precious opportunities!
I will now be funding my mission trip to Cambodia with babysitting money, and using 100% of the proceeds of S4S to sponsor Gloria and Maria. 

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
~1 Timothy 4:12~

Visit Compassion International for more information:
http://www.compassion.com/
If you have any more questions about sponsorship, please feel free to contact me or Compassion!

*What is S4S ~ Youtube Video*

Check out the new video on the S4S youtube channel, it includes information about the mission of S4S, how and when it was started, how it works, and future plans/hopes. (Plus pictures/video of my scarves and such) 

If you have any questions, please feel free to check out the links below and contact information...

Contact: emily.clairelarsen@hotmail.com

Learn more- Social media:

S4S Website: http://emilyclairelarsen.wix.com/scarvesforservice

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EmilysMissionTripFunding

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scarves4Service

Hume Lake Christian Camps: http://www.humelake.org/

God bless, and thank you for all your love and support!

God is good! ~Jeremiah 29:11~ 1 Timothy 4:12~

Christmas in Cambodia

I’ll never be able to truly express in words how much my experiences in Cambodia have shaped me and led me to where I am today. In short, it has helped me grow closer to the Lord and experience such a joy and peace that is only from Him.

We arrived in Cambodia late at night and although I was exhausted, I couldn’t wait to wake up the next morning to get started and meet the kids! I didn’t really know what to expect, but I knew that the Lord had great things planned for the week!

The next day we set off to take a tour of the S21 concentration camps where the victims of the Khmer rouge were imprisoned, tortured and often killed. Although it was an extremely sad experience, it was also very humbling and showed me how far Cambodia had come since that dark time, how the people had such joy going forward despite all they and their ancestors had gone through.

After this, we took our first hour-long bus ride to the village we would be serving, with many more to come throughout the week. We traveled through the busy city of Phnom Penh and onto the dirt roads where various smaller villages were located, until we arrived to “Glory International School,” which serves the children of one of these small and poor, yet deserving communities.

Once there, we began to play with the kids inside the church building, and the more we got to know them, the more I began to sweat! I was suffocating in the Cambodian heat and humidity that the kids are so used to, but regardless, I was having the time of my life! I would do anything to be back there on that day, chasing those kids around as they ran up to tickle me from all sides, giggling and grinning from ear to ear. I was amazed at how joyous they were, how they were not afraid to hug and hold me tight even though we had only known each other for a matter of a couple hours. I knew that this love, so pure and true, was only possible through Christ, and this love that I experienced taught me more than any other worldly, materialistic, or romantic love ever could.

Throughout the week, we built two houses with the help of some Cambodian workers who built the base of the house and taught us how to hammer, saw, and construct. We spent most of the time we weren’t working playing games with the kids and just lovin' on them. Although I knew only a couple basic words in Khmer, the Cambodian language, I felt so connected to these children through the love of the Lord that it didn’t even matter. We communicated through hugs, kisses, smiles, and laughter. The minute my hands set down that hammer, they were happily holding a child’s hand, or carrying a baby. My arms were full, but my heart was even more full, in fact it was overwhelmed and overflowing.

The love of Christ is so deep, and there is no way of ever fully understanding this love on earth. However, I think that serving is just about as close as you can get. Looking into the eyes of a young child who you love so much, who you would do absolutely anything for, and then realizing the Lord loves that child 100 times more than you do; it’s unfathomable. My God is so good and gracious for allowing me to go on this trip and allow me to experience this love!

I brought back with me so many amazing memories, but one of my favorites was this: We were traversing through a Cambodian market and we came across a beautiful lady who was selling hand-painted postcards and portraits. She came up to me with a huge smile on her face and asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes, and her face lit up even more, as she explained to me that she was too. (Only about 5% of Cambodia's population is Christian, so it is very rare to come across believers.) This woman explained to me that these beautiful paintings of Cambodia's scenery and people were painted by talented artists with certain disabilities and conditions, and they earn their livings that way. As I listened to her interesting story, I couldn't help but notice the burns that scarred her face and neck. She was beautiful!! She was created by her Heavenly Father that loves her so much, regardless of her physical looks, which nevertheless were gorgeous. I learned a lot from her and her joyous personality, and now I have my wonderful portrait of Cambodia in my room. What a wonderful memory of this country and my brothers and sisters in Christ there! God is good, and His love is definitely growing in Cambodia!

I am overjoyed to say that I will be going back to Cambodia this December, the day after Christmas! We'll be staying for a little more than a week, and we'll be volunteering at the same school in the same village as last time. I am so excited, and I will be updating you guys on the planning, funding, and more on my Facebook page. Like it for more information and regular posts.