(Memphis) Huge trailers sit outside New Direction Christian Church in Southeast Memphis.
What’s inside will stir your emotions.
Compassion International takes you to another world.
Your voice tour guide is a young child.
“Hello My name is Julian,” says the voice on the tour.
As Julian, a 10-year-old girl from Uganda, talks about the cramped room she shares with her siblings, you see the chairs they use as beds and as protection.
“They break into our homes and take what they want, including women,” says the voice of Julian.
Some families sell their children for money
Others make pocket change selling sweet potatoes.
“Looks like we will make a dollar today, that’s normal for us,” says Julian.
The Compassion Experience lets you feel the life of poor kids with little hope.
“We let them go to that country without a plane ticket. They get to walk the streets of Uganda, the market place of Bolivia,” says Chelsea Vocal, who works with The Compassion Experience.
The tour shows how sponsoring one child can make a difference
$38 a month allowed Julian to go to school, have food and get medical care.
“God has answered our prayers,” says Julian.
Julian graduated, went to college and now helps her siblings.
The tour was so moving for the Acomb family of Southeast Memphis, they decided to sponsor a 5-year-old boy.
“Her home in the alley really got me, how they lived in that environment,” says 16-year-old Alexis Acomb.
“To see somebody go from nothing to making something and to love the Lord like she does, it was a moving experience for us,” says mom Christine Acomb.
The Pastor of New Directions, Stacey Spencer, brought the tour to his church after his own mission trip.
“We really want everyone in our community to come out and bring your children, bring your families to experience this time. It really helps us see how blessed we are and how we can be a blessing in the future,” says New Direction Christian Church Associate Pastor Karen Todd.
Since tour started last July, more than 7,000 children have been sponsored through the mobile experience.
“We don’t realize there are much bigger hardships going around the world for the kids,” says 13-year-old RJ Acomb.
The Compassion Experience is free and will be at New Direction Christian Church at 6120 Winchester Road through Monday.
