The evil one, the wicked schemer, devises wicked plans against the poor, and he has been highly successful. Over half the world’s population is a slave of his plan.

“…the schemes of the schemer are evil; he devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks justice.” — Isaiah 32:7, NKJV

I can’t think of a more accurate description of poverty.

This wicked scheme called poverty has stolen hope, killed dreams and destroyed lives.

The enemy has spoken lying words to those caught in his scheme. He has told them they don’t matter. He has made them believe they are all alone in their suffering. He has deceived them into thinking their situation will never change. They no longer dream or aspire to anything better, because they have believed his lies.

Imagine, billions of souls caught in the greatest destructive plot in history! Who will help them? Who will save them?

Look at the next verse,

“But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand.” — Isaiah 32:8, NKJV

The answer is us. Me, and you, and all who call themselves by the name of the Lord. The answer is generous people, devising generous plans. Those generous plans are the antidote to the schemes of the enemy.

Compassion is a generous plan. It exists to speak the truth into the lives of children who are enslaved by the enemy and his lies. It exists to bring light to their darkness, and hope to the hopelessness of his wicked scheme.

I’m also thinking about generous people who plan and pray and devise ways to help the poor.

The family who fasts a meal a week so they can sponsor a child. The student who bypasses a few lattes so she can feed the hungry. The church groups who pool their resources so they can make a difference. Those are generous plans.

It’s not an easy fight, and it takes sacrifice and humility and persistence. But just think what might happen if enough generous people decided to use their intelligence, skills and resources to devise enough generous plans! Maybe we could defeat the wicked scheme called poverty once and for all.

So what is your generous plan?

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Do dreams come true? It’s an interesting, if not rhetorical, question.

Since I was a small child I have suffered from horrible, graphic nightmares. I have been chased by bears the size of Volkswagens, alligators the size of a school bus or dark figures hiding in shadows, waiting to pounce. I have fallen off jagged cliffs or struggled to hold my breath in deep, murky waters. And what’s worse, I remember every dream vividly. Some have haunted me for years.

So, to be honest with you, my initial response to that somewhat whimsical question is, “Geez, I hope not!”

But often, when someone asks “Do dreams come true?” what he or she really means is, “If I want something badly enough, will that make it happen?” When you “wish upon a star” do dreams really come true?

Right now, Compassion has more than 1,500 students attending university through our Leadership Development Program. Those students, sitting in college classrooms, studying things like politics, theology, engineering and medicine, all started out in extreme poverty — an all-too-real daytime nightmare.

They grew up in homes with cold concrete or tin walls and little or no electricity.

There were days when they wondered if they were going to eat. They slept on hard, uneven floors, lined up against brothers, sisters, parents and cousins crammed into a space smaller than most of our master bathrooms. And it was there, in those conditions, that dreams were born.

They imagined breaking the chain of poverty in their family. They dreamed about going to school, perhaps even university, and having a good job someday. They wondered what life would be like apart from their dire circumstances.

Those dreams are coming true.

Those dreams, birthed in the hearts and minds of children in poverty, are being realized in young Christian adults who have broken free from the shackles of impoverished life. So, yes, I believe dreams do come true.

Sometimes.

Sadly, not all children in poverty will have the opportunity to see dreams of a better life come to fruition. Not every child out there has a sponsor or advocate who is working to help make his or her dreams come true.

Recently, I was able to view a pre-release screening of the 58: film. One scene in particular grabbed me: It was a group of young boys from India sitting together on the floor.

The narrator asked, “If you could ask God for anything, what would you ask for?”

The youngest child grinned with widened eyes and responded without hesitation, “Sweets!”

Another giggled as he said, “A bicycle.”

But the older brother, about 12 years old, gave an answer that broke my heart. He would ask God to take his dreams away.

“I do have desires, but my dreams will never come true. So let me not have any dreams at all.”

No dreams at all? That crushes me.

Poverty has told this child that there’s no chance of life getting better. And he believes that lie.

At Compassion, we have the honor of making dreams come true. We have the privilege of speaking truths that reveal the lies of poverty. We get to chase away the dark, shadowy figures that prey on the minds of the innocents. We get to pull children from the depths and catch them before they fall off the ledge.

As long as there are children who are willing to dream, we need people who are willing to help make those dreams come true. No little boy should have to ask God to take his dreams away. Ever.

Dreams are better incubated in safe classrooms and playgrounds. Dreams thrive in safe water and under the protection of a malaria net. Dreams breathe when tummies are full and needs are met. So when you partner with Compassion, you play a role in making dreams come true.

Do dreams come true? Yes. Not by wishing on a star. But through the actions of committed Christians who are willing to live out their faith in practical ways. You. Me.

We may not give them their dreams — but we can give their dreams a fighting chance.

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Fides is a young mother from Moshi, Tanzania. She moved to Arusha to make money and began selling fruits and vegetables. It was at this time she met her husband and they got married. Their first child was born the year Fides got married and three years later her second child was born.

“After marriage I continued to be engaged with my small business selling fruits and vegetables. I used to get about 10,000 Tshs (about U.S.$7.00) per week, which would give me a profit of about 2,000 Tshs (about U.S.$1.30).

My business was very small and the income I was getting per week was not enough to sustain my family needs.”

Around the time Fides was to have her third child a Survival Specialist from the Child Survival Program at her local church came to Fides’ town and registered her.

“I was at that time seven months pregnant and my life status was very low. I was living in a rented single room with my husband and our two children.

“I had no one to help me during my pregnancy. The Child Survival Program came with the offer to help me with my pregnancy so that I could deliver safely.”

There was no way Fides could resist such an offer. Being desperately in need, she immediately accepted the help. After registration, Fides started to receive medical care and attention.

“I and other mothers who got registered at the same time started receiving laundry soap, cooking oil and baby jelly. I was also given some money to buy maize flour.”

Fides immediately noticed some changes to her life and that of her child. She could now afford to help her other children with the savings she experienced.

“Since then, when it is Christmas time, we have received gifts like new clothes, rice and cooking oil.”

Fides remembers that it is not only material provision she has received through the Child Survival Program.

“We have also been given seminars on entrepreneurship skills for our business. The teaching has helped me know how to increase my income. We were taught how to increase capital by introducing new commodities.”

The center also gave each mother 50,000 Tshs (about U.S.$33.00) to boost their capital. The money helped Fides to increase the goods sold at her kiosk.

“My income now has grown and I am getting about 20,000 Tshs (about U.S.$14.00) as my daily sale.”

Fides’s family can also count themselves very blessed because they were given a half-acre of land by her mother-in-law. The land had been lying idle for many years because they could not develop it.

“But now since I am saving money, we started building our own house. This was a dream come true. We have been able to build a single room on the plot and it is a great relief to us that we are no longer renting. We are beyond the grip of fear compared to when we used to be haunted by the fear that the landlord will expel us from the house.”

The family has also built a new foundation for four more rooms on their plot of land. Fides and her husband have to do most of the work with their hands, so the cost of construction is low. Fides is blessed because her husband is a builder.

“I was his workmate in building because we had no money to hire other laborers to help him. After we finished building our room, we started to build a new room where I had erected the stall room to sell vegetables and fruits.

“We have been able to build a burnt brick room and roof it with iron sheet. This has made the commodities look more attractive and be more safe as compared to the thatched roof house where I used to do business.”

Even with the success Fides has had, they still struggle with drinking water, and sometime they pay up to 500 Tshs (about U.S.$.33) for a 20-liter container of water. This is one of the great family needs that is draining the family income.

But Fides is very grateful for us because through the support of the Child Survival Program, her family has been able to overcome many obstacles that would have been difficult to tackle in their life.

“The Child Survival Program has meant a lot in my life. I did not know it would be like this when we were registering. I was like a person who was dreaming. But I am thankful to God that it has become true. I know my child will be registered with the child sponsorship program when she grows old enough and that she will be able to get a sponsor.”

Fides is optimistic that, because she joined this program, her husband will become committed to the church.

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Since then my Creator and Saviour has been helping me to weed out values that are contrary to those of the Kingdom and walking with me towards the dreams He’s planted in my heart. It’s been a step-by-step process of learning to be faithful with what He entrusts me with.

Of course, going against the patterns of this world isn’t easy, but the fruit of obedience is liberating! I wouldn’t want to live any other way. Life’s exhilarating when you’re dancing with a God of the supernatural.

Thanks to modern technology, I met a former sponsored child Paul Omondi through Facebook! Paul shared his testimony with me … It’s more than encouraged me to be all that I can be; it’s given me hope.

Paul completed the Leadership Development Program in Kenya years ago (a program that educates, trains and disciples servant leaders), was recently married (congratulations Paul!), and now works to help his fellow Kenyans escape the cycle of poverty in his role as a Community Development Manager.

But every achievement starts with a heart that dares to dream.

Twenty nine years ago in Kibera, 15 minutes outside of Nairobi, Kenya, a baby boy was born. Kibera is the biggest slum in Kenya. I can’t imagine what would’ve become of me if I was born there.

I’m reminded of the words of Nathanael when Philip told him that he had found ‘the one’ that Moses and the prophets wrote about. He said,

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” — John 1:46a (NIV)

Can anything good come out of a slum?

Tune in all next week as Paul tells his story.

- Irene

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