“With what can we compare the kingdom of God…? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” – Mark 4:30-32

I love to bake bread. I started the practice about 15 years ago, and yet the perfect loaf is an ever elusive goal. But even if a beautifully scored, Instagram-worthy baguette remains out of reach, there’s only been a single time in those years when a final loaf was completely inedible: when I forgot the salt.

Salt constitutes only about 1% of the dough. It’s a little thing, but it makes a huge difference in the final product.

That’s the power of sponsoring a student. It’s a small investment — less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee — that pays huge dividends in the life of a student.

Jesus often used small metaphors to describe how the world looks when it’s under God’s care:

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast.”
–Matthew 13

“You are the salt of the earth.”
–Matthew 5

“The kingdom of God… is like a mustard seed.”
–Mark 4

Little things are big things.

Take a basic skill like reading, for example. Studies show that a child is 50% more likely to live past the age of five if their mother can read.

And each year that a student stays in school increases their future earnings 10-20%.

Your sponsorship funds provide for a student’s immediate needs, like nutritious food and safe shelter — even during a global pandemic.

Your sponsorship provides seasonal stability for students whose parents need to migrate around the country to find work.

And over a lifetime, your sponsorship gives students physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic support that helps them grow into young adults who thrive in the world.

Your sponsorship may sometimes feel like a drop in the bucket of all the needs in our world. But that small drop causes a ripple—that speck of yeast leavens bread, and that mustard seed grows into a plant—that benefits God’s beloved creation for generations to come.

Thank you for being a sponsor.