The day I left David and Esther Woods' home after meeting them for the first time, something which Esther had said in passing kept ringing in my ears, “Because I love Jesus and I know that He loves the poor, I want to do that in my small way.” In my small way.

David and Esther have supported Compassion for over 13 years and have sponsored over nine children during those years. They have been to visit their sponsored children on numerous occasions and continue to sponsor three children, 17-year-old Chandrabose, 6-year-old Rani and 20-year-old Fred. They also correspond through letter writing to children from Colombia, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Bangladesh.

Yet, what struck me about this couple who have lived in Chertsey for over 40 years was not the great quantity of their support, or their grand target of helping 1,000 children find sponsors in their lifetime.

What struck me was that little by little, conversation by conversation, they made the most of every small opportunity to share about what really excites them. And one of the things which enthuses them most of all is building friendships with children in countries and granting them opportunities which they wouldn’t otherwise have.

“To show Compassion means to involve yourself with your heart. Caring for the situation that the other person lives in and not just to care for it but do something practical about making a difference in their lives,” David reflects. “By supporting even one child, you’re doing something that will change her life. Her life will be marked for eternity by it and yours will too.”

Interested in joining Esther and David by becoming part of an incredible family of Compassion volunteers? Find out how you can make a difference in more children’s lives.

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