A few months ago, I saw an advertisement that the Compassion Experience was going to be setting up in our area for residents to tour. It was actually the first I have heard of this group, though over the years, I have sponsored children through other organizations, so the concept itself is not foreign to me.
So on a Sunday afternoon, I scheduled an appointment online and the kids and I headed over to the church where the exhibits were set up. Appointments are not required, but as we queued up, there were lines for those who had them, and those who didn’t, so we saved a few minutes.
The exhibit tours all over the country, setting up in church parking lots so people can visit and understand what the Compassion Experience is all about. A group designed to assist children and families in poverty-stricken countries, the exhibit is set up through a few different trailers. When we went, there were three different “countries” that you could “visit.” You can do however many you want, and we ended up doing two out of the three. As you enter the trailer for each “country,” everyone in your party is handed a set of headphones and a tablet. As you go through each room, you hear the voice of the child from that country, detailing his day, how he works, how he lives … and how excited he gets at the simplest of things like a hot bowl of rice for dinner or clean shoes. 
Hearing the child’s voices, along with the visuals of their homes was impactful. I wanted the kids to get a feel for how others live, but even as an adult going through the exhibit, I found it really eye-opening. Of course, some of the motivation of the Compassion Experience is to encourage you to sponsor a child, in addition to letting you know about their group and what they do, but there is no heavy sales pitch and you don’t leave feel obligated to sign up. There are representatives there to answer questions as you finish the tour, but they don’t corner you at all.
The tours are free and take about 10-15 minutes for each “country.” If they happen to be in your neck of the woods (and you can check out the tour schedule here), I think it’s worth a visit. 
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