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For over 25 years Proverbs 31 Ministries' mission has been to intersect God's Word in the real, hard places we all struggle with. That's why we started this podcast. Every episode will feature a variety of teachings from president Lysa TerKeurst, staff members or friends of the ministry who can teach you something valuable from their vantage point. We hope that regardless of your age, background or stage of life, it's something you look forward to listening to each month!
KALEY OLSON:
Hi, friends. Thanks for tuning in to the "Proverbs 31 Ministries" podcast, where we share biblical truth for any girl in any season. I'm your host, Kaley Olson, and I'm here today with my co-host, Meredith Brock.
MEREDITH BROCK:
Well, hey, Kaley.
KALEY:
Hello.
MEREDITH:
Good to see you today.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
Guys, we just got done recording an episode, a really special episode, um, with our friend Jennie Lusko. Um- she's sharing a little bit, um, about a really eye-opening experience that she had with her family, um, that I think is gonna bless you. I think it's gonna challenge you, um, to see the world differently-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
Um, from where you may be seated today.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
And so lean in, um, uh, with an open heart and an open mind to what she has to say today.
KALEY:
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And friends, before we let you listen to today's episode, we wanted to let you know that it is sponsored by our friends at Compassion International. Compassion is an organization that exists to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. When you sponsor a child, you ensure access to quality education, medical checkups, healthy food, clean water, and most importantly, the good news of Jesus, all delivered through a church in their community.
KALEY:
Compassion is changing lives of children, and it changes the lives of sponsors too. I can attest to that. I have been a sponsor for over 17 years, and just recently, my four-year-old son and I decided to sponsor a little boy that is literally the exact same age as my son. It was so fun for him to get to realize that they share a birthday, and I'm excited to get to watch my son see what it's like to be a part of another young man's story from across the world, and I, friends, would like to invite you to do the same, and you can sponsor a child today by visiting compassion.com/p31.
MEREDITH:
All right, friends, let's dive into today's episode.
KALEY:
All right. Well, we are so excited to welcome Jennie Lusko to the show today. Hey, Jennie.
JENNIE LUSKO:
Hello. I'm so glad to be here with you.
MEREDITH:
Jennie, it is just so good to finally have you join us on the podcast. For our listeners-
JENNIE:
Oh my gosh ...
MEREDITH:
who maybe haven't heard about Jennie before, which I can't imagine-
KALEY:
I know
MEREDITH:
who hasn't, 'cause she's just the best.
JENNIE:
I'm so well-known.
MEREDITH:
Um, I wanna give them a quick introduction 'cause they need to understand who they're listening to today. But everyone, Jennie, first of all, is a friend of mine. Yes. But she also, apart from being a friend of mine and a friend of Proverbs 31, um, she is the wife of Pastor Levi Lusko, and together they planted and pastor Fresh Life Church in Montana. Wow.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
What a place to plant a church. Um-
KALEY:
Way far from us southern gals over here in North Carolina.
MEREDITH:
Yes. Um, but God's country.
KALEY:
Mm.
MEREDITH:
Kaley, it's beautiful.
KALEY:
That's your neck of the woods. Your neck of the woods up there.
MEREDITH:
It is. It is. I love, I love the mountains. I love Montana. Um, Jennie is also a mom of five children, and along with being a mom and a pastor at Fresh Life Church, guys, she's also a podcast host. She is a bestselling author, and her new devotional just came out. "Fresh Mercies Every Day" is available right now. It includes 40 devotions that will help you build buffer in your spirit, which, whew, I could use that.
JENNIE:
Me too.
MEREDITH:
Uh, beauty into your days and breathing room for your soul. Guys, we're so excited-
KALEY:
Yeah
MEREDITH:
to have her here today. I think, Kaley, you have-
KALEY:
I'm excited too
MEREDITH:
a, a, a question maybe?
KALEY:
Well, I do. I kinda want you to educate us southern gals, 'cause I mean, I really am the anomaly here. Meredith grew up in that neck of the woods.
MEREDITH:
Mm-hmm.
KALEY:
Like up there I- Idaho. Yep. In the South we might say I-dee-ho.
JENNIE:
Yeah ... That's right.
MEREDITH:
Idahoe.
KALEY:
But you're, you're now here. Yeah. And you might have forgotten what summertime is like up there.
MEREDITH:
I, I, I'll never forget.
KALEY:
But this, I, I mean, but you don't get to experience it-
MEREDITH:
I know. It's sad.
KALEY:
like that anymore. You get humidity and mosquitoes, my friend.
MEREDITH:
That's true.
KALEY:
But Jennie, um, I've never visited Montana before, and since it's summertime whenever we're releasing this episode, I kinda wanna know, what are some of your favorite ways to spend the summer up there? What do you guys do?
JENNIE:
Oh my gosh. Well, it's magical. Uh, and we work really hard to get to the summer in Montana because our winters are long-
KALEY:
Yeah
JENNIE:
and cold.
KALEY:
No thank you.
JENNIE:
And sometimes they just keep, keep going, so it's like-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
we'll get a sunshiny day in April or even March, but then snow comes again, and then-
KALEY:
Wow
JENNIE:
it's sunshiny in May, but then it's rainy and overcast. And then finally, usually like July J- mm, J- June a little bit, but July, August, September are just magical months. And, um, it's warm, it's not humid, it's, uh, just beautiful. So we as a family, we love being outside, and I think even more so 'cause we moved here, uh, almost 20 years ago to start our church-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
Fresh Life. And we didn't really know what we were getting into. Like, we moved from Southern California-
KALEY:
Oh
JENNIE:
to Montana
KALEY:
It's quite the shocker.
JENNIE:
in the, the dead of winter. Like, for me, like I grew up in California. Levi grew up in Colorado, so he knew what he was doing. But for me, I'm like, "Okay, I got my UGGs. I got my- ... my, you know, things that I think I would need," and I was so wrong. But we didn't really know what we were getting into when we moved here to Kalispell, Montana. And then over the years, we've just fallen more in love with it, and we have Glacier National Park, and we have hikes and mountains, and it's just stunning.
JENNIE:
So we, in the past couple years even more so, have brought our kids on hikes, and we've done like, um, just these incredible long hikes that we, that lead us to these lakes and, and icebergs and glaciers, and it's just like, can't even describe it. But so we love to do that together, Levi and I-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
and then also as a family. And then we just, we have lakes here and, um, and then we have a, a, a youth conference that we put on in the summer for-
KALEY:
Oh, fun
JENNIE:
youth groups, but then also like families will bring their, their youth, 6th grade to 12th grade, and, um, it's called Movement Conference. Anyways, it's just, like that is a gem of our summer as well, but we are just so grateful that we get to live here.
It's the best.
KALEY:
I love that.
MEREDITH:
I love Montana. I really do. Um-
KALEY:
Maybe we should go.
MEREDITH:
We should. We should just-
KALEY:
A retreat.
JENNIE:
Come visit.
MEREDITH:
Just do a field trip. Um, one thing, Jennie, that is so, 'cause living, having lived in the Northwest myself, um, and like mountain, uh, area, and then moving to the South-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
one thing, you said something about your summer. You said, "We have these lakes." And the stark difference between a Montana lake-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
and a Southern lake, there's, it's, there's really no comparing it because I have-
KALEY:
Yeah
MEREDITH:
a picture in my mind of the lakes in Idaho, that when you venture into a lake in Idaho, you better get ready That water's so cold, you're not gonna be able to breathe-
KALEY:
Yeah. I bet.
MEREDITH:
At all. Like, it is like, uh... it's like a cinder block hitting you in the chest, it's so cold.
KALEY:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
The lakes in the South, I remember in my brain thinking, "Okay, here we go. I'm gonna get in the lake. Here I go."
KALEY:
It's like bath-
MEREDITH:
"Here I go."
KALEY:
They're like bathwater.
MEREDITH:
And jumping in and being freaked out that it was bathwater.
KALEY:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
It was like, "What's growing in here?"
KALEY:
And it's funny, I-
MEREDITH:
What is growing in this lake?
KALEY:
I just have this idea that maybe southern lakes are more muddy-
MEREDITH:
Oh, yeah
KALEY:
than northern lakes.
MEREDITH:
Oh, way.
KALEY:
And I just, I just am not a lake girl. Oh, man. Like, take me to Florida beaches.
MEREDITH:
I am now.
KALEY:
That's what I am.
MEREDITH:
I am now. I do love, whether it's a northwestern Montana lake or if it's a, it's a South Carolina lake, I enjoy a lake day, guys.
KALEY:
Wow.
MEREDITH:
But okay, okay.
JENNIE:
Same.
MEREDITH:
Enough chitter-chatter about lakes.
KALEY:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
Uh, talk-
JENNIE:
We could keep going.
MEREDITH:
We really could. Um, but-
KALEY:
We could lead this into a teaching.
MEREDITH:
I, you know, I referenced Jennie and our friends. I follow along, you know, she lives out in Montana. I live in North Carolina, so it's, you know, it's the way we keep up-
KALEY:
Yeah, nostalgia
MEREDITH:
with one another.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
KALEY:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
It's through the 'Gram, guys. Yeah. You see what's going on in people's lives.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
And Jennie, I think it was last summer or the, maybe the summer before, you'll have to let us know, but I heard that you and your family took a really big trip-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
to Bolivia, and you went with our good friends, Compassion International, and during that time, the Lord really did some remarkable things in your life, and I just wanted to hear about it. I wanted to hear about your experience, um, and what you learned and how your perspective-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
changed on that trip. So would you mind sharing that with us for the next little bit?
JENNIE:
I would love to. Well, I am just so, so honored, so excited to get to just share a little bit of what God was doing in my heart and in our lives as a family as we got to visit three of our sponsored, our Compassion sponsored children. And I will just start by saying last summer, we also went to the Grand Canyon. We took our family to the Grand Canyon, and in my journal, I wrote, "Grand is too small a word, and so is canyon.
JENNIE:
It's just stunning and so surreal." And I would just have to say that... And, and literally we went a week before from the Grand Canyon, the week before we went to Bolivia on our f- it's our, it was our first full family mission trip. We brought our kids.
JENNIE:
Levi and I actually met in the midst of our, our missions. Like I, I was in a missions internship at his church, and we got to serve in missions together and lead a mission trip together before we were ever dating, um, with the youth group. And missions has marked both of our lives, so for us to be able to bring our kids with us and experience this with them was life-changing.
JENNIE:
But I just have to say that grand would we- would be too small a word to describe this experience with, with Compassion. Um, and our trip was very short, and it was very sweet, but it was stunning, and it was surreal. And basically, I actually never thought that I would ever get to meet our sponsored children, and I think it just seemed like such an impossible thing, and it seemed like our worlds were just so far apart that it was like, "Oh, well, I'm just content to see a picture of them, write letters, like, just pray for them. Like, I, I'm, I'm content with that."
JENNIE:
I just never thought, I guess, that it was even a possibility. And so when it became a reality that we would be meeting not just one child but three of our sponsored children at the same time, and I think I'm kind of like a, um, an unaware person for the most part. And I, I think I just didn't know what we were getting into, um, because Compassion International, our friends there, are just the best. They planned it. They helped us figure out, um, wh- where, how we were gonna meet our children and, and so I just thought, "Oh, we're gonna go on a mission trip to Bolivia. It'll be about a week. We're gonna meet one of them."
JENNIE:
And then on the traveling to get there, I find out that, well, it's, it was basically one night in Bolivia, and we were gonna me- gonna get to meet three, our three Bolivian, um, children. And I was blown away, and, um, it was like an impossible and far-off dream actually coming true.
JENNIE:
And every step of the way, my family and I, we were just in awe, in awe of God's kindness that he would allow and make, make this happen. Like, I've... One of my life verses is Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
JENNIE:
And the whole time, my husband and I, our kids, and, and I, I, we just kept looking each other with our eyes wide open like, "What is this life?" Like, how are we getting to meet these kids who have just been people that we've gotten to sponsor and, and, and support and write letters to and pray for? Like, this is just wild.
JENNIE:
And our, well, one of our daughters, Daisy, she's 15 But she is a letter writer, and actually Daisy and Clover, two of our daughters, love having pen pals. So like because we travel quite a bit, Levi will speak at conferences or churches, and we just have friends and family like all across the world. So our girls, they have loved pen paling with, with friends that they meet, and Daisy, Daisy in particular ha- has letters that she writes back and forth with friends all over.
JENNIE:
And so she was actually one of the consistent ones of our family to write letters to our sponsored kids, and, um, and she, I remember her saying how amazing it was to get to meet people in different countries who she had known just through letters written back and forth, and she's so sweet. Like she'll ask specific questions and, and then she would get the letters back and receive the answers, and she… It- Just the correspondence is so sweet.
JENNIE:
But she was just amazed at getting to meet these kids, um, through how she only got to know through writing letters. And so Wara, Patrick, and Jose are our three kids, um, in Bolivia who we got to meet, and they, they aren't in each other's lives. Like they each are a part of a different compassion, um, um, location.
JENNIE:
But getting to meet these three, it was literally like a 3D movie. Like everything was in like deep surround sound. Um, it was touching all the sen- senses. We got to experience this in such a beautiful way, getting to see where they learn about Jesus. We got to visit-- We first got to meet Jose. We got to go to the church that he goes to to learn about Jesus, where he connects with other kids and is taken care of, and, and we then we got to go and meet his grandparents because his parents were working away in Argentina, and his grandparents were the ones taking care of him. So we got to go into his house, um, with one bed where, um, his grandparents and his brothers all slept. We got to go in and meet them and, um, and pray for them and, and have conversations. And I will just say that we will never be the same again as a result of that trip.
JENNIE:
Um, Jose is the same age as our son Lennox, and I actually clearly remember it was we were on a, a, a tour, and I remember, clearly remember picking up Jose's picture because his birthday, his birth year was the same year as our son Lennox's. And seeing his l- photo as a little toddler, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, that... How cool would that be, like for, um, for Lennox to be in correspondence with Jose, and they could write letters and grow up together, like from far away, but grow up?" And, um, and then getting to in person meet him and see him and Lennox together was just life-changing.
JENNIE:
And, um, there's, there's just... To find the real child on the other side of these letters, on the other side of sponsorship, on the other side of the gifts and the prayers. Um, and then we got to meet Wara, and her birthday was actually when we were there, and so we, uh, we... Her... She turned 16, and our oldest at the time was 19, and um, Daisy was 15. I, I don't know. That, that doesn't really matter.
JENNIE:
But, um, we got to celebrate Wara, and we got to, um, meet Patrick, and basically they got to each pick a family member to come with them, and then also their tutor who, like spends time with them and helps them. And, um, all the while, we are with these Compassion, um, translators, and one of them was a Compassion child herself, and so the conversation with her, with their… them translating our conversations with our kids, um, we all, all three of our, of our sponsored kids and then us as a family, and their family members that they brought, we all got to go to this park.
JENNIE:
And again, like I said before, I didn't know any of this was happening. Like, it was in the schedule, and I probably read it, but I just had no idea. And I just am so grateful that we serve a God that as we trust Him, and as we acknowledge Him, and as we don't lean on our own understanding, like He literally directs our path, and He literally directs our steps into things that are so surprising and so beautiful.
JENNIE:
So we got to go to this park together. All of us were walking around, and it ends up being like a zoo also. So we see this sloth. We see these monkeys. We see, um... We go into this bird, I think it's called a terrarium, and these beautiful parrots. Well, my daughter kind of ha- has a fear of birds, so she was kind of scared the whole time. But it was just incredible.
JENNIE:
I have... We have these pictures, and I was just looking at them, um, just reminding myself of this experience and getting to walk around. And at one point- Um, one of our daughters was holding Jose's hand, and just like walking through this park and seeing our kids interacting with, and not even speaking the same language. Like, our kids know a little bit, like some Spanish, but like cultural barriers, like just coming down and just the love, first of all, that these sweet kids that we sponsor have, and seeing our kids interact with them.
JENNIE:
Like, so I have this snapshot where in my mind, and I did take a picture of it too, so it's in my mind, and I took a picture. Um, but it was of our daughters, Olivia, Daisy, Clover, with our two, uh, translators and with Wara, and they were circled up, and we were just kind of... Like the boys were playing at this little park, and the girls were circled up and just talking and laughing and connecting, and you j- I, I just imagined like Jesus in the midst, and imagining him laughing and smiling and crying and just like the, the joy of what it was for him to see his kids connect with each other.
JENNIE:
And I just... That's my, that's my imagination, but I just... That's what I see. I just see him being so, um, proud and loving it, and I just, and I just think of how in the Gospels it says that He said that, "The world will know you by the love that-- know that you are mine by the love that you have for each other."
JENNIE:
And that was just one of those like parent moments, like when you see your kids like getting along and actually like laughing and loving each other um, in the midst of the, of the moments where it's not that. Um, but just how God delights in that, and God loves when His kids come together.
JENNIE:
And so all this to say, um, I was overwhelmed and overcome, and just like grand is too small of a word, and canyon is too small of a word for the Grand Canyon. Grand and beautiful and stunning and amazing, those are too small of words, um, to- place over this experience that we got to meet our kids.
JENNIE:
And so, um, it was-- Another snapshot of mine was, uh, seeing Levi talking with Patrick, who at the time was 14, and his parents divorced when he was younger, but then also left. So Patrick is, um, being, being raised by just kind of different family members. He's just kind of being passed around. But the one constant for him is his time at the Compassion Center and, um, learning and growing and letters that we get to write back and forth with him.
JENNIE:
And, um, and so that one moment that I also took a snapshot of in my mind was Levi just sitting there with Patrick and his cousin, um, and the, uh, translator. And even just hearing, like I wasn't there, but I was just kind of hearing little bits of it, and, um, later when Levi told me what they were talking about and just how he got to encourage him and, um, it was just so inspiring. So inspiring, and God is so kind, and I just, I'm so grateful for this experience.
JENNIE:
Um, another thing that was impactful for me personally was getting to meet the pastor and his wife at the church that Jose, um, goes to. And I was just so inspired by the pastor and his wife, how they were so intentional with their church, with the ministries that God's called them to. And, um, speak-- We were speaking through a translator, but her heart was so precious, and she was so in the details, and it just inspired me as a, as a pastor's wife myself, um, of what that looks like for, for me, what God's calling me to, and what God is asking of me.
JENNIE:
And, um, so I, I would just say yes. If ever there's an opportunity for you to, to meet your, your child, yes. Just yes and, um, and amen. So, um, that's what I encourage you in today.
MEREDITH:
Jennie, that's so beautiful. I was just sitting here reflecting on even the way that you started with thinking about visualizing for those of us who have been-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
able to venture to the Grand Canyon.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
I, I went once early in my marriage with my husband. Uh, we drove there. It was-
KALEY:
Wow.
MEREDITH:
Yeah.
KALEY:
That's, that's a while.
MEREDITH:
It was wild. Um, and I, I remember that sense of awe.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
'Cause it really is more than grand, you know? And as you were As you were describing that, as you were saying that, I was reflecting on something that I heard, um, and I'm gonna botch the saying, okay? So listeners bear with me, okay? It was probably far more poetic, um, than I'm about to, um, say. But I was reflecting on how that I've heard the saying that we are spiritual creatures inhabiting a physical body.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
And I think one of the moments when you feel that the most is when you stand in awe-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
of something. You become-
KALEY:
Yes ...
MEREDITH:
very aware of your spiritual nature-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
when whatever is awakened in you to go, "Whoa."
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
"Wow."
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
You know? And as you were talking, I couldn't help but think that we miss so much of what God intended for us to know and experience when we limit our sight to the Western world-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Mm ...
MEREDITH:
and the Western church. Uh, we miss that. We miss so much.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
I just think about in scripture, those moments where miracles happened.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
Uh, the moments, those are those, ah, your spirit comes alive and you're suddenly, you are that spiritual being.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
You're not just that physical being.
KALEY:
Yeah.
JENNIE:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
And even as you were just describing this trip, I was like, "That's a, that's one of those moments."
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
It awakened that spiritual being in you beyond-
KALEY:
Yeah
MEREDITH:
what your physical body... Yes, your physical body traveled to Bolivia.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
That's amazing, but it awakened something in you that couldn't-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
you couldn't access as readily-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
um, when you are in the comfort of your home in Montana.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
And I just think for so many of us, we don't press in. Maybe we avoid those moments.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
Um, I have this, this is so classic Meredith Brock. Okay, guys, I'm gonna let you in on a little something. I have a banner in my front entryway.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
Kaley knows this banner. She's seen it, um, that says, "Comfort is a slow death." Um, but it's true. We, I put it in my front-
KALEY:
Doesn't it also have a skull and crossbones on it?
MEREDITH:
It doesn't have a crossbones.
KALEY:
Okay.
MEREDITH:
It just has a skull on it.
KALEY:
Skull.
JENNIE:
I love that.
MEREDITH:
I mean, um, I think Jennie-
JENNIE:
I love that sneak peek into your brain.
KALEY:
Jennie. Jennie would probably have that in her house too.
MEREDITH:
I think that that's why I like Jennie. That's why I like Jennie. Um, but I put it there on purpose.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
It was very intentional placement.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
So that every day when I go in and out with my family-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm ...
MEREDITH:
I remind myself, like, embrace comf- being comfortable is not bad, guys.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
But it also lulls us to sleep.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
It lulls- Something in our spiritual side-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
and that's the side that goes, "Wow."
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Mm.
MEREDITH:
It puts us to sleep. And I love, Jennie, that you guys-- This was not, this was not an easy trip for you. Like it was-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
You had a lot of kids with you. I also-- I have four kids right now, and going anywhere with them, going to school in the morning is hard, guys. I'm just like-
JENNIE:
It's so real. It's so real.
MEREDITH:
And so-
KALEY:
Right?
MEREDITH:
like trekking across the world with these kids and-
KALEY:
Mm
MEREDITH:
trying to keep the attitudes in check and everybody fed and all the things is hard.
KALEY:
Mm.
MEREDITH:
That took you out of your comfort zone-
JENNIE:
Mm-hmm
MEREDITH:
to wake up that spiritual side of you.
JENNIE:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
And to become aware of what God's doing, how He's working and moving in the world you know, is so s- amazing. But I do have one-- Like I just-- I guess I say all that to say 'cause I want to say to our listeners even right now, this is a moment that you have the choice to wake up that spiritual being in you-
JENNIE:
Yeah
MEREDITH:
by engaging with organizations like Compassion International.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
You know, by saying, "You know what? I wanna, I wanna be there for these kids, and I wanna open my eyes to the realities of what-
KALEY:
Yeah
MEREDITH:
they're living in."
JENNIE:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
Even though I'm not gonna see, I'm not gonna see it. I may not get the chance to travel to see these kids, but these letters help open your eyes to the realities of what's happening in the world and can awaken your spirit in ways that almost nothing else can.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Yes.
MEREDITH:
You know? Um, and so Jennie-
JENNIE:
Amen
MEREDITH:
I do have one question for you.
JENNIE:
Yeah.
MEREDITH:
Um, that I'm just g- it's more of a curiosity, and that is when-- Before you went, and then when you, when you got there and experienced the Compassion, um, sites and the children that were involved in these programs, do you now look back and see like, "Oh, wow, I really had some misconceptions of what was going-" like how this was being done? Or maybe there were some misconceptions about things of like what it looked like and felt like- Mm-hmm ... to be a child living in poverty. You know, even as you were mentioning, um, I can't remember. Was that your, your little boy's name, the sponsored boy's name?
JENNIE:
Yes, Jose.
MEREDITH:
Jose.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
MEREDITH:
Even you sharing, like he just gets moved from family to family. You know, like that was-
KALEY:
And the one bed. And the one bed. And the, the one consistent place for him is the center, the Compassion center.
JENNIE:
Yeah. Oh, yeah. That one was Patrick, yeah.
MEREDITH:
Oh, Patrick.
JENNIE:
Oh my gosh, yes.
MEREDITH:
So what, what were some of those things like, "Oh, wow, I just really misunderstood this, and being here opened my eyes to this reality or this misunderstanding that I had"?
JENNIE:
Yes. Oh my gosh. I just-- It's like, um- Gosh, I mean, there's so many ways to describe this, but I guess it's like when you're looking at a, a painting, but you're only, y- you're only focused on one part of it.
JENNIE:
So it's like you, it's like you're, you're, you're zoomed in on this one part, but you don't even see the whole beautiful, like, context of, of it, and I just feel like I, I had no idea. Like, you, you sign-- Like, i- in the moment, you sign up 'cause you're like, "Okay, yeah, I wanna, I wanna help, uh, end poverty, and I want to help, like, children, like, know who Jesus is. Like, I wanna do that." And that's a great goal, and that's a great desire. But I had no idea. Like, you, you get the little photo and information-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
and, um, and then you sign up, and you, you give once a month, and it's like it's so simple and so easy.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
And then I just, I just had no idea. You, you go, and then you, you s- you see like, oh, this is the context of this one child.
JENNIE:
'Cause I think sometimes, like, in the moment, there c- there's so many different children, and it's, like, overwhelming, and I don't even know if I can even make a difference, you know? And it's like but then you zone in, you hone in on one.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
And you, and you get the picture, and it's just them standing, like, in their neighborhood or in a field or something. And you put that on your fridge or on your wall, and then you're, you pray. You, you give monthly, just believing like, okay, this is gonna go to this child to help feed them and clothe them and um, provide a place for them to learn about Jesus. And okay, that's great. That's awesome.
JENNIE:
And, but then you don't have the f- I-- You don't have the full story of like okay, where, where were they-- what family were they born into? And what did their parents do? And, you know, it's just like you don't have that. And then you-- Meeting them, it was just like you see everything in, in full color, in full, full everything.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
And so, I think that I just had no idea. And I just like, I… Now, it's like, as w- it's been a year, and the letters that have come back and forth, and now it's like, okay, do-- We'll get in the mail like, "Do you wanna-- It's, it's Juarez's birthday. Do you wanna send something?" And it's like- It's like, uh, yeah. Right. And so it's like-
KALEY:
Right
JENNIE:
I'm gonna send this and this and, and I don't, I obviously can't send like a, a present, but you can-
KALEY:
Mm
JENNIE:
check off, like, how much do you wanna give? And then I didn't realize that they send, like, a photo of them holding the things that they received for their birthday. And, and that was a next level thing of like, I, I just assume like, yeah, of course.Oh, so, um, so getting to see, like, what... And, and it's even just in a such a small way, and it's such a sweet thing.
JENNIE:
So, like, we sponsor another kid in Africa, and we gave towards his birthday, and it, they sent a picture of him with the goat that he got for his birthday so that he could help provide um, and, and his family could have milk. And, like, so it's things that, like, you wouldn't think. Like, oh, I would, if I were to send a birthday gift, I'd send a shirt and, uh, you know, balloons and...
JENNIE:
But it's like, no, this is actually something that is gonna help their family-
KALEY:
Mm
JENNIE:
And help their family and their community, and, like, the ripple effects of that. And so, um, I just think my eyes, our eyes as a family were opened.
KALEY:
Mm.
JENNIE:
And it was like, oh. Oh, this, this is what it is.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
And this is not what I thought, but it was a million times more than what I thought.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's helpful, Jennie. One question that came to my mind was, I think sometimes, uh, the stories that we've heard, and even Meredith, whenever we've had Compassion alum on and they've shared their story, they talk so much about being content- And feeling-
JENNIE:
Mm
KALEY:
and, and just being like, "I had a rich life because of this." And so I wonder, Jennie, did you guys maybe go in almost, like, prepared for the worst, t- prepared to see the worst? And were you surprised by maybe the level of contentment or the way that these kids and adults you met might have showed that they actually felt rich where they were, even if they might not have used that word?
JENNIE:
Absolutely. Absolutely. That is definitely the f- the feel- the feeling that you get.
KALEY:
Yeah.
JENNIE:
And I think that w- I went on my first mission trip when I was 13, and I remember, I don't even know what good I did, but I do remember, um, what God was inserting into my heart- and my life of, wow.
KALEY:
Mm-hmm.
JENNIE:
Like, I have, I have so much physically speaking, and I'm so wanting more.
KALEY:
Yeah.
JENNIE:
And this is, these children, these people, like, don't have anything, but they are so rich and they are so content. And so it-- I, I was so grateful for our kids to get to experience that as well-
KALEY:
Yeah
JENNIE:
of just that, like, man, they don't have what we have. And yet they are so okay with that. Yeah. And they love, like, what God is doing in, in their midst. And yes-
KALEY:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
I would just say that was life-changing for me and for our family.
KALEY:
That's awesome to hear. Like, as you were, as you were talking, and even Meredith, about you were talking about paying attention to what God is doing and leaning into that, the hymn, the line from the hymn, "His eyes on the sparrow, and I know He watches me"-
JENNIE:
Mm
KALEY:
It made me think they are His sparrows, but so are we, and how do we... But, but we don't think about that. We don't-
JENNIE:
Mm
KALEY:
think about God providing for those everyday little small things. But when we get glimpses into how He's doing that-
JENNIE:
Mm
KALEY:
through letters or pictures
JENNIE:
Mm
KALEY:
or even getting to hear a testimony like yours, Jennie. I mean, a lot of people listening are never gonna be able to get to go meet their sponsored kid. I mean-
JENNIE:
Mm-hmm
KALEY:
I would love to do that. But I think for somebody like me, this is helpful because I actually had a moment probably two months ago. I got this letter in the mail from Compassion, and I was like, "Okay, it's, it's from my sponsored kid." I've had him since I was 17. Like, I mean-
MEREDITH:
Oh my gosh, wow.
KALEY:
So, and then, so I'm double that now, and so he-
JENNIE:
Wow
KALEY:
He's grown up, too. He's, like, 20. And I thought it was gonna be a letter, but instead, it was a letter from Compassion letting me know that he moved.
MEREDITH:
Mm.
KALEY:
And he was out of their-
MEREDITH:
Program
KALEY:
reach of care.
MEREDITH:
Wow.
KALEY:
And it was sudden. And I was not expecting to burst into tears-
MEREDITH:
Oh, Kaley
KALEY:
on the scene. No, I'm-- But-
JENNIE:
Wow
KALEY:
I'm, I'm glad to hear Jennie's story 'cause when I think about him, I-- it made me think about all those years ago and that moment that I said yes, and then all of a sudden I thought, "I didn't even really get to say goodbye. I don't know where he is."
KALEY:
And I had to excuse myself. I had to go downstairs. I was like, "Jared, I'm gonna be back. I'm gonna be back." He didn't even know what was going on. But I was just like, "Lord, you have taken care of this little boy-
MEREDITH:
Yeah
KALEY:
who is now a man.
JENNIE:
Mm.
KALEY:
And I just trust and pray that you will." And I think, Jennie, what you shared with us about getting to meet those three kids and kinda have this surreal moment was a reminder for me that I'm never gonna have-- Like, the, the chances are one in eight billion-
MEREDITH:
Mm-hmm ... that I will ever-
JENNIE:
Mm ...
KALEY:
meet him, but maybe one day I will in heaven.
MEREDITH:
Oh, yeah.
KALEY:
And I think there's this-
JENNIE:
Yes
KALEY:
reunion of heaven. Like, what happens in heaven, I think-- And Meredith Lysa talks about this all the time, with heaven being this upside-down place, and the things that we thought were big-
MEREDITH:
Mm-hmm
JENNIE:
really, like-
MEREDITH:
Yeah
KALEY:
the things that are small on earth are massive in heaven.
MEREDITH:
Yeah.
KALEY:
And one of those opportunities, I think, for people who sponsor a Compassion child through their life and engage with them on the other side of the world, you realize they are sparrows just like we are, and we can partner with them, and I can be a part of their life.
KALEY:
And one day-
MEREDITH:
Yeah
KALEY:
one day there's gonna be a really great reunion.
MEREDITH:
Mm-hmm.
KALEY:
And we can look forward to that one day. But I think it's in those moments where the Lord is like, "This, this is what mattered."
MEREDITH:
Yeah.
KALEY:
"And you paid attention."
MEREDITH:
That's good.
KALEY:
Those are the moments, like Lysa says, "Well done."
MEREDITH:
Mm-hmm.
KALEY:
Um, so Jennie, I just, I wanna thank you-
JENNIE:
Beautiful
KALEY:
for kinda making this experience come to life for those of us who sponsor kids all over the world-
MEREDITH:
Yeah
KALEY:
who might, who might never get to see their child, but have probably quietly wondered. "I see this little two-by-two picture that I get. I wonder what else is in the picture. I wonder what's behind the kid."
MEREDITH:
Yeah.
KALEY:
And you brought that to life for us today, and I'm just so appreciative. And now really is a moment that I wanna take and just say, if you have listened to this conversation, you've listened to other episodes from us this year and in years past where we have talked about the work that Compassion is doing, um, I wanna invite you to take that next step and become a sponsor today of one or more children. The pro- the process really is so easy.
KALEY:
But when you sponsor a child- You ensure access to quality education, medical checkups, healthy food, clean water, and most importantly, the good news of Jesus, all delivered through a church in their community. And we got to hear Jennie talk about what that is like. Guys, Compassion is changing the lives of children, and I know that to be true personally. And you know what, Meredith? It ha- it changes our lives too.
MEREDITH:
It sure does.
KALEY:
It sure does. And so friends you can sponsor a child today by visiting compassion.com/p31.
MEREDITH:
And you heard us talk a little bit about Jennie's latest devotional titled "Fresh Mercies." If you'd like to grab a copy, which I highly encourage, then you can do so by using the link in our show notes or by visiting any online retailer. Um, that's all for us today, friends. At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we believe when you know the truth and live the truth, it really does change everything.