Inti
Julie and I had the opportunity to spend a day with Inti Elizabeth Chincinguango Cordova this week in Ecuador. Inti is the little girl we have sponsored through Compassion International for the past four years. For me, it was my third time to spend time with Inti. For Julie, her first. For both of us, equally life impacting.
When you meet a Compassion child you are sponsoring, you are encouraged to bring a backpack filled with gifts for the child and her family. As a result of your sponsored child living in poverty, this simple backpack carries extraordinary significance.
Amidst clothes, a stuffed bear that Tabs made, a necklace and various other sundries, Julie and I included a bag of Werther’s coffee flavored caramel candies in Inti’s backpack.
While we were riding to a local park to spend the afternoon together (all of the sponsors and children were on the same bus—about 70 of us in all), Inti decided to open her bag of candy. Without taking a single piece for herself, Inti began distributing the candy to everyone on the bus. By the time she returned to her seat the bag was empty. Dismayed, I reached into my own backpack and pulled out a small pack of peanut M & Ms. I gave them to Inti. Our translator explained to Inti that they were a reward for her generosity. Inti then proceeded to open the M & Ms and pass them out to anyone on the bus who had not received candy from her first bag. And much like the first time, her candy was nearly gone when she returned to her seat. She had a single, green, peanut M & M remaining for her own enjoyment.
Out of my wealth I traveled nearly three thousand miles to be a blessing to an eleven year old girl who lives in poverty. Out of her poverty Inti showed me a life blessed with the wealth of being a generous person.
When you meet a Compassion child you are sponsoring, you are encouraged to bring a backpack filled with gifts for the child and her family. As a result of your sponsored child living in poverty, this simple backpack carries extraordinary significance.
Amidst clothes, a stuffed bear that Tabs made, a necklace and various other sundries, Julie and I included a bag of Werther’s coffee flavored caramel candies in Inti’s backpack.
While we were riding to a local park to spend the afternoon together (all of the sponsors and children were on the same bus—about 70 of us in all), Inti decided to open her bag of candy. Without taking a single piece for herself, Inti began distributing the candy to everyone on the bus. By the time she returned to her seat the bag was empty. Dismayed, I reached into my own backpack and pulled out a small pack of peanut M & Ms. I gave them to Inti. Our translator explained to Inti that they were a reward for her generosity. Inti then proceeded to open the M & Ms and pass them out to anyone on the bus who had not received candy from her first bag. And much like the first time, her candy was nearly gone when she returned to her seat. She had a single, green, peanut M & M remaining for her own enjoyment.
Out of my wealth I traveled nearly three thousand miles to be a blessing to an eleven year old girl who lives in poverty. Out of her poverty Inti showed me a life blessed with the wealth of being a generous person.
posted by Greg Nettle at 12:14 PM
5 Comments:
WOW! What Inti did was just like the story in Mark 12 where the widow gave all that she had...and though it's worldly value was less than a fraction of a penny, to God it was the most that anyone had given.
Pastor Greg,
This story made me smile inside and out! Thanks for sharing hers and your story!
IHL,
Richie
We have so much to learn from our children! Inti sounds like an amazing girl.
I've never seen the wealthy outgive the poor. A Haitian lady gave us her entire house for several nights. Where she went, I do not know. A Crimean Tatar fed three of us every day for a summer. I later found out that she fed us what would have been her winter stock of canned goods. (On hearing that, I made sure the family was well fed for that winter. But out of my wealth, I couldn't compete with her giving out of her poverty. Especially poor children seem to understand taking care of others first.
What a great experience, Greg.
This is AWESOME, If only more of us could have that big of a heart! That's how I would like to be with my things, What a challenge.
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