Heart for Haiti

Honduras?

2012-01-08T21:09:00.001-06:00

I work at a Christian school. This school is a ministry of a church of which I am not personally a member (although the teachings are similar). My brother & his family, however, are members of this church. I also went to this same school when I was in elementary and middle school, so there is a bit of prior history.

I visited this church today (not for the first time) in order to take my young nephew home, give him lunch, and put him down for a nap.

During the service, it was mentioned that they were getting a team together to go to Honduras to help the church plants in a certain area, and to do evangelism. One of the members is from Honduras (well, actually this is the pastor of the Spanish church that meets in the fellowship hall, another ministry of the church I work for). This man knows the area; he has been there before.

I happened to be sitting behind the person to whom interested parties would give their contact info for future updates about the trip. Coincidence? Perhaps. I could have gone over to him after the service.

I gave him my contact information, and said I'd pray about going.

Do I want to go? I'm not sure yet. I want to go, if it is in God's plan for me. I want to be involved in His work. But is this the time and place where He would have me?

What else would I be doing, if I didn't go? Not much. At best, grading papers and doing lesson plans. Resting from teaching, taking a break (to say nothing of the two week break we just had).

Father God, do you want me to go to Honduras? I have no prior connection to the country except for what was mentioned earlier. I know a guy who knows a guy...

Please show me Your will, Father.

Children

2011-12-09T16:46:00.001-06:00

I spend my days around children. So often I focus on the differences between American children and the children I sponsor. Different cultures, foods, home life. I rarely stop and think about how all children are the same. All children like to play, for example. I was just bringing a child to after school care and he was hopping from one line of the crosswalk to the other. I can imagine all children running, skipping, jumping.

Yet how many kids, even here in America, don't run around and play simply because they haven't eaten adequately for so long, they don't have the strength that others have?

The principal shared a story in chapel today. Perhaps you've heard it: story of the old man in a village who longed to see Jesus. He prayed every day to see Jesus. One might he had a dream: Jesus would visit with him the next day. He was so excited! The next morning he got up, and as he was about to eat breakfast, he heard a knock at the door. It was an old woman who hadn't eaten, and couldn't feed her children. The man gave her breakfast, then packed up some eggs and milk and sent them home with the woman for her children. At noon, there was another knock on the door. Expecting to meet with Jesus, he saw an old man with tattered clothes, shivering in the snow. He brought the man inside, served him lunch and gave him a spare coat from his closet. Later that evening, a child knocked on the door and explained that he had lost his way. After giving the boy some supper, he took the boy home, to the great relief of both the boy and his family. As the man was sitting up that night, barely keeping his eyes open, he prayed again. "Jesus, I so looked forward to seeing you today. You said you'd come. What happened?" Then the man again saw the woman, the old man, and the boy. In each of their faces, he saw the face of Jesus. "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was lost, you helped me. Whatever you do to the least of these little ones, you do to me."

If you are a Christian, prayerfully consider how you can be the Body of Christ this winter. Jesus came to serve those in need. Let us keep doing his work in our hometowns, country, and around the world.

Christmas in Haiti (and elsewhere)

2011-12-04T07:58:00.001-06:00

I wonder what the project workers will get for the kids I sponsor. I know the money given to the Christmas fund is divided fairly among all the children (regardless of whether their sponsor gave or not; I admit I wasn't able to donate in time this year). Even though I'm not sure exactly how they divide the money, I trust them to handle that with integrity, as fairly as possible. Also, whatever the kids get, I feel certain that it will be a blessing, because these children's families couldn't have bought the items. Often, based on stories I've read and letters I've received, the children get clothing, perhaps a blanket, and a bit of candy.

How many American kids from middle-income (and higher) families are thankful to get nothing but one outfit & a pair of shoes for Christmas?

I'm curious about specific customs in Haiti surrounding the holiday. I've sponsored my other kids for a couple of years and heard what they do in their countries, and also found information online. This is my first Christmas sponsoring a child in Haiti. I'll have to do some research while I'm waiting for a letter telling about his perspective.

Haiti, MTW, and the Etiennes

2011-10-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

While doing research about ways to go to Haiti with a group, I thought of the possibility of going with a group doing relief/mission work. Considering the stories I've heard about how poor the country is, I figured they'd still be rebuilding after the earthquake (heck--even with the resources we have in America, people were still rebuilding in New Orleans 2 or 3 years after Katrina and the related flooding).

I came across Mission to the World's website (http://www.mtw.org/) and saw that they did have short-term (one or two week) trips to Haiti. I started communicating with the director that oversees trips to the Caribbean (he even got me somewhat interested in Jamaica), and I'm on the waiting list for trips for next year--they haven't put dates together yet. So, we'll see just how much I'll make from my tutoring job, and if I have the mental fortitude to actually save enough of it to go. With airfare, it'd still cost at least $1200, plus passport renewal and possibly immunizations. It's been over 10 years since I've travelled overseas, so I'm probably due for at least a tetanus shot. :) And I don't know what other ones would be required...had to get the hepatitis A & B immunizations then too.

But, in my researching, I also came across an MTW missionary in Haiti. A family. The parents grew up in Haiti, were able to go to the university here in America, worked among Haitians in Miami for a while, then went back to Haiti to start a church. Here's their prayer card. I was able to download the .pdf online, converted it to a .jpg in order to upload it here. I have no idea if you can enlarge it in order to read the text, but if not, here's the link:

http://www2.mtw.org/home/site/content/documents/PCPL/EtienneEsaie.PC.pdf?_resolutionfile=pxpath
documents/PCPL/EtienneEsaie.PC.pdf

World Food Day

2011-10-16T15:48:00.016-05:00

Close your eyes. Well not really, because then you couldn't read the next set of directions, but you get the idea. Imagine the world. Perhaps your mental image is like mine, and you see the globe, or the world from outer space...all the pictures I've seen taken from orbit or from the Apollo astronauts on the moon. Or perhaps your mind clicks through ground-level images representing the areas around the world. Either way will work to help you visualize where I'm going with this post. Chances are, either way, you saw well-watered areas where food grows easily and also desert regions where food is scarce.

Apparently, today (October 16) has been designated World Food Day, to spur people on to raise awareness and activity to eradicate World Hunger. Okay, so what is that? Chances are, if you have a TV and watch it regularly (as in, at least once a week), at some point you've seen commercials showing African children with distended bellies caused by malnutrition. All the heart-wrenching appeals that won't just let you stay in your comfort zone, but pleading for you to do something. Here's another bit of information you may or may not have come across: the Earth produces enough food for everyone in the world to have more than enough to eat, every day. Don't believe me? Check out this website. So, even with all the people living in desert/dry areas, or overcrowded areas, the available land does (or can) provide enough food for everyone. But, if that's the case, why are there still 1 billion people that don't have enough?

I bet you immediately thought the same thing I did: because the people that have it are greedy and don't want to share, thinking mainly of the corrupt politicians in third world countries, or elsewhere. The common people just don't have access to the food. It's always someone else's problem. If I may, I humbly encourage you to make sure you're not part of that group. Now, before you write any hate mail, I am right there along with you--a hardworking American, doing what I can to make sure that I have enough to eat, pay my bills, and some money left over to have fun with--to go to Fall Festivals, buy Christmas presents, and go to the occasional movie (or insert your favorite activity). I also sponsor three children through Compassion International. I'm doing enough to help the poor, aren't I?

Or am I? Can I do more? Okay, so I'm a bit strapped for cash, at least until my car is paid off next October, and one of my Compassion girls completes the program the following March, so I may not be able to give money to some charitable organization to help pay for the transfer of food from the haves to the have-nots. But, I can still pray to the God who is in control of all things. And I can spread the word about the situation. What can you do?

Hope for Michael

2011-10-10T17:02:00.001-05:00

This video says it all. Michael: if Beguens can be a child in poverty just like you, and yet grow up and become a congressman, God can use you to do big things too. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do, and how to accomplish it, and He will most definitely provide the opportunities!

Strange Dream

2011-10-10T07:32:00.000-05:00

Last night was one of those nights, where I tossed and turned and dreamed a lot.

The only dream I remember at all was one about Haiti. "Haiti 627" was stuck in my head, and I felt like something was going to happen there. In the dream I heard that there would be a tremor, and the church and child development center would collapse. All I could do was, even in my sleep, pray that, if something was actually going to happen (I think I knew I was dreaming, or at least doubted whether I was actually hearing a voice from God...although it could have happened I suppose)...if something was going to happen, that God would cause everyone to be out of the building and protect the people there.

At the time I wasn't sure which project Michael is enrolled in. I'm sure I've seen it on his letters and in my online account, but I never payed that much attention. I actually thought that his was a different number. But, 627 is Michael's project. It was even on the list of the unaffected projects back in 2010, too far away from the epicenter to have any damage.

So why the dream? Just concerned, perhaps. Was it a premonition? Could be. But I'm being cautious about claiming it as such. Even so, I'll keep an eye on the news for a little while. At the very least, now I know Michael's project number and can be praying for everyone there, something I started doing on occasion (not nearly as often as I'd like) since I sponsored Gabriel.

Strange how God works...

2011-10-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

When I first started sponsoring children, I had a mental block against Haiti. In my mind, I was looking at children, trying to decide which country to sponsor from, and I kept thinking, "Anywhere but Haiti." I'm not really sure why. Maybe I had a "can anything good come from Nazareth" thing going on. I mean, it's the poorest country in my hemisphere (western, anyway; I'll have to check on northern).

But, God kept it in my mind. In January 2010 it was forced into our collective attention with news of the earthquake. A year later, Compassion prompted us to pray for, and consider sponsoring children from, Haiti. Well, I did. A 10-year-old boy named Michael whose name and birthday are similar to a friend of mine. I introduced him to my students, then grades 4 and 5. They already knew about my other kids, as I kept all their pictures at school. This year, I'm teaching grades 2 and 3, and am focusing on telling the kids about Michael, mainly because it's easy to find Haiti on a map; all we have to do is find Florida and look south. Also, I'm taking more time to teach my students this year about children living in poverty in general, and in Haiti in particular. Things like, imagine if all your family had to live on for an entire month was $10. Or, how many faucets do you have in your house? You brush your teeth, cook your food, and drink out of the hose without worrying about getting sick. Imagine the only water you had was out of the drainage ditches, or Lake Ponchartrain, or the Mississippi River.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I got an email likely to all advocates who sponsor in Haiti, announcing the upcoming tour. I had gotten other ones previously, Indonesia and possibly Tanzania. I never really paid them any mind, though, since I knew I couldn't afford to go.

This time I really started thinking about what it would take to go on this trip. Maybe what helped was that the cost was about half of what it would be to go to Indonesia or Tanzania, or even Peru, where my other kids are. I got thinking about trying to find a substitute teacher for the week I'd be gone, if I went. However, when I inquired as to how fast these trips usually fill up, I received a response that it was already full (even though the website hadn't been updated to show it yet).

I can't stop thinking about going, though. All of a sudden, in the matter of a couple of days, I go from sponsoring a boy out of....what, guilt? a need to help someone in a country still recovering from an earthquake?...and not really feeling connected to him like I did to my girls, to taking a real interest in going to visit him, trying to encourage a family in my church who also sponsor a child in Haiti to travel with me (as I may go on an individual visit rather than an organized tour, over the summer rather than having to miss school), and starting to think that, for all Haiti is in a terrible shape as a country, just maybe Michael will be the one to make a real difference in his country.

A week or so ago, I heard a nagging in the back of my mind, and perhaps it was a prompting from God. "Don't forget about Michael." At the time, I wasn't sure which Michael it was referring to, my friend here in the States, or the boy in Haiti. I'm still not sure, so I'll renew my praying for each of them, and I'll be sincere about it.

Maybe once I go to Haiti, that'll be the start of taking trips to see each of my kids at least once before they graduate from the program. Tanzania should be next, then, as Jane is nearer her completion date. Then Peru. I have a bit more time to save up for Indonesia, but I'd like to visit Yuni and Michael at least twice, once when they're younger, and once when they're teens. But, God will provide the funds if it is in His will that I visit them at all.

Whatever happens, I've gotten a new heart for Haiti.

So when you sponsor a child...

2011-02-03T21:04:00.000-06:00

Have you ever thought about what it means for the child on the other end? It's got to be a mix of emotions, including elation at the thought of someone thousands of miles away choosing to sponsor them--and perhaps a bit of uncertainty. "Why did they pick me, instead of someone else?" "Do they really care?" We may not be able to answer the "why me" question, but if we are diligent at writing letters, we can let them know that we actually do care about them.

But take it a step further, and consider what it means for the family. What does your sponsorship of a child say to the child's parent(s)? What do you hope that it means?

For me, I hope that sponsoring a child says to the parent that I'm stepping alongside them to help them care for their child. Not that I'm trying to take their place as a parent, or that I look down on them for being poor and therefore unable to sufficiently care for their family. But that I care enough to reach out to help, and share the blessings that God has given to me. They know their child. It is their responsibility to love and raise their child to the best of their ability. But I'm coming alongside them to pray for their child, that the child will grow up to be the best they can be.

I love this post on Compassion's blog from a few days ago, about the mother of one of Compassion's Moody Scholars.

http://blog.compassion.com/ana-morales-a-hero-of-the-faith/

Integrity

2010-12-19T15:39:00.000-06:00

Integrity: a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. (Mirriam-Webster)

Do you have integrity? Do you expect integrity from others? Whether we have thought about it, we all expect integrity from businesses, particularly those who handle our money. Banks. Retirement accounts. Charities.

If you've read any other posts at all, you know I sponsor children through Compassion International (rather than one of the other child sponsorship organizations). The main reason I like Compassion is that it partners with churches to get the funds to the people at a local level. People in the countries where Compassion serves know how to get things done efficiently in their culture, they know the people in their community better than an outsider would (and therefore know who really needs the help), and by partnering with churches, it's made clear at the beginning that the children registered in the program will learn about God, in addition to all of the physical benefits of sponsorship.

But it takes a lot of money to fund all the day-to-day operations of a student center/project. They need food, art/school/sports supplies for the kids, office supplies for the workers for the mandatory reports they must submit, clothes, medical checkups, etc. Our sponsorship money goes to pay for those items. And we as typical people expect that our money is being spent on those things. The only way to know for sure is to document, document, document.

I am grateful for Compassion's commitment to financial integrity. I want to know that my money is being spent the way it's supposed to be. I also am grateful for the ability to write and receive letters from the children I sponsor. It's a way to connect with the kids we're helping, making it real to us, and not just a financial obligation.

But that emotional connection to the children makes it difficult for me as a sponsor when financial integrity needs to be maintained. One of the projects where I sponsored a child--for whatever reason--was not keeping the necessary records. After repeated training and time to correct the errors (with no improvement), the project needed to be closed by Compassion, simply to maintain financial integrity.

Yes, I have lost contact with one of my children. Yes, that is painful. Yes, I will continue to pray for him, his family, and those in his community. But I still love Compassion, and I will still continue sponsoring my girls for as long as I am able.
If you've been wondering whether Compassion is a trustworthy organization, I can assure you it is. Charity Navigator ratings are all fine and good--but this experience with a project being closed is real, and something I can grasp.
Take a moment and consider if you've been led to sponsor a child, to use the money God has blessed you with, to bless a child living in extreme poverty. While you're thinking about it, go take a look at the children currently waiting for a sponsor.

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=115754

The Importance of a Letter

2010-07-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

When was the last time you received a letter that actually meant something to you? Or even an email that contained something actually worth reading?

Somehow, Americans seem to have lost the need to write letters. Most of the letters I have written in the past six months have been cover letters for a resume'...and even then, they're typed on a computer and sent as an email attachment. But then, I have written letters to my sponsored kids. I've always heard that sponsored kids treasure our letters, but how much of a difference does it really make?

Over the past three days, I've gotten confirmation from two different sources that the letters we write to children living in poverty make a tremendous difference--or the lack thereof can cause a tremendous hurt.

On Saturday I met with other Child Advocates with Compassion International that live in my region, and we had the honor of meeting two young men from Kenya. Ben and Daniel had been sponsored through Compassion, and even went through the Leadership Development Program (LDP) and now have bachelor's degrees in education. They are visiting the USA for a time, but will go back and use their education to help their communities and their country. One thing that stood out to me was Ben's goal: to connect the spiritually wealthy yet financially poor, with the financially wealthy and spiritually poor of the world (sounds a lot like what Compassion does!).

But another thing that I remember vividly about Ben's testimony is his remark that, out of the entire time he was sponsored during CDSP (child development sponsorship program--not to be confused with CSP, child survival program) was that he only received two letters over the course of about ten years. And when he was going through LDP, he again received only two letters. I remember the pain he still felt when relating the story, even though he had come to some sort of peace about it...there was still an ache in his heart, an element of "what's wrong with me, that my sponsors don't write to me, but my friends get letters?". He was one of the lucky ones who met his sponsors. He found out that, for them, sponsoring a child was simply a "good deed," just another financial obligation. It was a bill, not a life being impacted. After his sponsors talked with him, they realized that Compassion is an organization that "works"--the kids are real, and the money actually goes where Compassion says it will go, and went on to sponsor other children and went in wholeheartedly, becoming not just financial sponsors, but also correspondents.

Yesterday (Monday), I got a letter from Yuni in Indonesia. Interesting how God coordinates events, things that we might brush off as coincidence. I think this particular letter was written at just the right time to be delivered the business day after I met Ben and Daniel. Her very first sentence: "Nice to have some letters from you." She goes on to tell about the weather, but then tells about how her family gathers to read my letters, and spends most of her letter commenting on things I wrote...emphasing things that they are praying for. The physically poor yet spiritually wealthy, praying for me who is physically wealthy (by comparison) yet spiritually poor. I just don't have to rely on God for as much as they do--or at least I don't always count my blessings. After all, the circumstances of my birth, education and employment are all gifts from God in the first place.

Did you get the line about how her family gathers to read my letter? It's just a letter! But oh, what an impact! Not just for Yuni, but for her family as well. What an encouragement to choose my wording carefully. What can I say to encourage not just Yuni, but also her family? When was the last time I greeted her siblings by name (since she has told me their names and ages)? What passages of Scripture can I pass along to encourage the entire family? Who knows--perhaps the parents are not yet Christians, so by including Scripture passages that tell about God and his characteristics (even within the context of "my Sunday School has been studying the story of David and Goliath, and learning about God's faithfulness") can come alongside what the local church is doing to teach the children and, through them, the family, about God.

What an awesome privelege we as child sponsors are given in the ability to write letters to our children. When was the last time you wrote your child? They're longing to hear from you.

Don't have a child to write to yet? Choose one here.

"It's Alive!", update

2010-05-27T20:55:00.007-05:00

I was looking back at the titles of posts I've made over the past year or so, and came across one that I titled "It's ALIVE!!", about a rosebush I rescued from someone else's yard and replanted twice (once in crappy, clay soil and then in Miracle Gro potting soil).

Well, it grew, but it didn't bloom that year. Oh, and it was replanted a THIRD time, since we did some major redecorating in the backyard (aka adding about 4 feet of fill dirt) and therefore moved it to the front yard. It got settled in again, and did bloom quite nicely back in April. (All the blooms have since lived their life and been snipped off...hoping the bush will produce another set of blooms this year, but not holding my breath.)

Well, here is an updated picture that I had also sent to Yuni (I had sent her the baby-leaf pic, and told her I'd send her another when it had flowers).

I don't know just how much of a green thumb I have; I'm crediting the survival of this rosebush with a hardiness innate to its species.

But, as with my original post on the subject, I still can't help but find a bit of similarity between my feeble attempts at gardening and the tremendously greater benefits of child sponsorship. While it may take longer than one year for a particular child to "bloom", to come out of his/her shell that had been formed by years of living in poverty and living under the lie that he/she doesn't matter, and all the various circumstances of the children served by Compassion, if we persist in showing these children the love that God has for them, they will grow up to live lives that surpass anyone's expectations for them.

Will you consider joining the ranks of those that give the extra TLC that these buds need in order to bloom, to fulfill their potential?

Ideas for Advocacy

2010-05-27T14:07:00.002-05:00

Things have been kinda slow lately.

Or else I've just been letting the mundane get in the way of things of eternal value. I'm thanking Francis Chan's books Forgotten God and Crazy Love for being available when God was prompting a "wake-up call" in my heart. I've since started circulating my copies of those books to other people in the church (I can't keep these treasures to myself!) and listening to a lot of his podcasts from the past few months.

I haven't been doing a lot lately about finding sponsors for kids. I do have something set up where I'll present the Child Survival Program (CSP) to the ladies' Bible study at my church, whenever they have the kickoff for their new study (should be within the next few weeks), and I'll probably bring the child packets from the counter display with me, even though the focus will be on finding sponsors for the CSP programs I also have packets for.

Other thoughts I have rolling around in my head have to do with recently signing up to start a chapter of Newborns In Need in the New Orleans area. If approved, only God knows the contacts I'll make, where I can speak out on behalf of the local poor, but also mention Compassion (making the connection to the CSP program, but also to Child Sponsorship).

One thing I hope to do is have a baby shower for Newborns In Need (NIN) to gather donations to pass along to hospitals, or to otherwise distribute to the families that need them. At the same time I can have a display about Compassion's CSP program.

We'll see what actually happens. If I do get approved to start a NIN chapter, I'll probably be fairly busy over the next few months. Which is good--I'd hate to waste the time God has given me, without a full-time job to get in the way. :)

Yes, the work would continue even when I do have a job during the school year, but at least things would have gotten started while I have more time to devote to it.

I'm still around...!

2010-01-22T06:33:00.003-06:00

Wow, has it really been about 6 months since I posted? Sheesh!

A lot has happened in that time period, including starting a job teaching kindergarten in November (talk about stressful--but there are enough "cute" moments to keep me coming back to work every day!). My nephew Riley just turned 1 year old on the 16th...I also recently got a letter from Nells (12 year old in Peru) that her mom had a baby in September and named it Riley!

Another letter from Yuni in Indonesia was responding to several things I had sent in letters dating from last April to June. She wrote in late August. So I'm figuring that my letters can take as little as 6 weeks to as much as 3-4 months to arrive at the projects. I think I've read that the letters are translated and sorted (by project) in the country offices, and are collected until someone from the project comes to get them. It's possible, then, that some projects only make a "mail run" once a quarter, after the kids have a letter-writing day...but it would seem in this case that they would have gotten the letters from the sponsors before the kids wrote their letters, in order for Yuni to be responding to things I had sent. Who knows...maybe they pick up sponsor letters once a month, and write once a quarter. Speculating here. :) However they do it, I'm glad to have heard from her (even if it took 4 months to get delivered to me).

There haven't been a lot of Compassion "events" in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge area since my last post. This past weekend was the first. Matthew Smith was in two churches near Baton Rouge, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Since I had Monday off for MLK Day (a perk of working in a school) I was able to make the trip both days, knowing I could sleep in Monday and therefore not worry about getting home after my usual bedtime. There was an amazing response from the audience in regards to child sponsorship. Both events had maybe 200 people in attendance--rough estimate. The first night, 12 children were sponsored, and 11 on the second night--23 children sponsored in two nights! How exciting! It was nice to meet the other sponsors who were helping staff the tables each night, hearing about their experiences with their own kids. Both of the volunteers commented on how much I knew about Compassion, having received the additional training for an Advocate. I didn't realize I knew that much more than I might have otherwise, had I not gone through the training. But, thinking back to my first event, as a sponsor and listening to the Advocates answer questions, I guess I can understand where they're coming from. Who knows, maybe there will be a couple of new Advocates in the area (dang--I should have brought some application packets, then I might have remembered to ask if they wanted to become Advocates! Oh well.)

I'm hoping to come up with other opportunities to present Compassion, to find sponsors for kids on my own, now that I've gotten the "shot in the arm" over the weekend. Seems like I've gotten lazy recently...with Advocacy, and even trying to lose weight. I've been attending Weight Watchers for a couple of years, and I've been maintaining my weight over the past year, even though I have about 15 more pounds to lose. I could use a shot in the arm to get me motivated to finish what I started.

But, it's time to get on the road to head in to work.

Pay Attention

2009-06-30T07:46:00.001-05:00

What would you say to someone if you knew it was the last time you’d have a chance to say anything to them?

I wrote that on Facebook the day I learned that I would no longer be able to write one of my “kids”. I sponsor two children through Compassion International, and I’ve been writing to two others through the correspondence program—where one person/group pays for the sponsorship, but asks that someone else writes to the child. Every once in a while a sponsor has to discontinue the sponsorship. If there is a correspondent linked to the child, they’re given the option to pick up the financial aspect of sponsorship, but it’s not required. That’s what happened with Luis. He had a sponsor, I wrote to him. Since I’m not able to pay for a third child, I had to say goodbye to him. And I’m glad that Compassion is allowing me to send him a farewell letter.

But what would you say to a child that you’ve been writing to; praying for; for several months, but this will be the last letter they receive from you? I chose to focus more on the future. The last thing I wanted him to hear from me is how precious he is to God, and there’s hope for his future. There’s a reason for his existence; God has a special purpose for him to fulfill, and God’s given him just the right set of skills and abilities to be able to complete it. I encouraged him to work hard in school, to honor his parents and be kind to those in his community.

In a way, I consider it a blessing that I knew this would be the last thing I would say to him this side of heaven—unless God provides an earthly meeting. But what if I didn’t know it would be my last letter? What about the other three kids? Doesn’t each letter mean just as much? It should. I write them about once a month. So, even if it isn’t my last letter to them, it still has to carry them until they receive the next one. And—at any day, I could get a call saying that Nells’s sponsor is discontinuing, or that Gabriel and Yuni are moving away from the area. Each letter needs to count.

But, thinking back to my Facebook posting—at the time, I put a disclaimer at the end: (not to worry anyone, no one’s dying). I had no idea that within a few days I would get a call saying that my aunt had died suddenly. Now, distance separates my immediate family and my extended family on both sides. We don’t communicate back and forth much. Sadly, I write my sponsored kids more than anyone I’m actually related to.

Probably because I got two notices within a few days of each other, I paid more attention, and started looking for a common thread. It got me thinking about everyday encounters—family members, coworkers, people we meet at the bus stop or the grocery store. In some instances, chances are we’ll never see them again anyway; it was just a “chance” meeting in passing. Other people we see more frequently. But just as a funeral is a time when many people reflect on their own mortality, life actually is fleeting. What if we treat each encounter like it was the last time we’d see that person? What would you say?

First letter from Yuni

2009-06-16T13:32:00.002-05:00

These kids never cease to amaze me. And not just my kids--all the stories I read on Compassion's website.

It's a bit hard to tell, but I think that Yuni may have written this letter herself. She turned 8 on Sunday; I'd have to check the website to see whether she just finished 1st and is entering 2nd grade, or whether she's finished 2nd and is going into 3rd grade. But it's hard to tell whether moderately messy handwriting (compared to that of the translator) is a sign of a child's handwriting, or just someone who just has somewhat messy handwriting (which I personally do at times). However, there's no note that someone else wrote the letter; when Gabriel's father writes on Gabe's behalf, there's something stating that.

It's a short letter, but wow what a letter!

In addition to giving me a bit of information about herself and her project (attends in the afternoon after helping her parents in the market; she enjoys singing), she said that she and her family will pray "for sponsors who are in crisis because most of our sponsors are in America." Yes, we're told that the children pray for their sponsors. But to hear it from the kids themselves is amazing.

Dear Father, thank you for the letters from these children. May I continue to be encouraged by them to pray more effectively.

We've been lied to...

2009-06-12T07:57:00.002-05:00

This is the video I showed at my Compassion presentation in April. Just ran across it on YouTube, thanks to a recent post on Compassion's blog.

"The Lie of Poverty" gives a good overview of Compassion's ministry in the countries where it works.

Praying for my kids

2009-05-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

I haven't yet gotten a letter from Yuni, although I should be getting a "new child" letter in a month or so. I realize it'll take a while since it's coming from Indonesia. However, I did talk to a Compassion phone rep who was able to look up her story on the computer, and I found out that I'm this little girl's third sponsor since the project opened about a year prior to my signing up to sponsor her. I sincerely pray that I am able to stick around for her for more than 6 months. Prepaying through the summer will help--that covers the first 4 months--but it'll be through God's continued provision with employment for me that I'll be able to continue as her sponsor (along with Gabriel).

As for my correspondence child in Peru (my other girl, Nells), it was so funny! I got a letter from her on Tuesday, and then I got another one on Thursday. The second one appears to have been written a month after the first one, but they probably save the letters up to send out in stacks, like they do on our end in Colorado--I figure the letters were sent in the same box. What's odd though, is that both of these letters are dated by Nells as July 2 and July 28, 2008. Weird. We're definitely on the same calendar, even if the seasons are swapped. She wrote about starting school soon (school starts in March in Peru), and about what she had gotten for Christmas. It would make sense for both of those to be written about in February, rather than July. Ok, so you and I might think it's a bit late for a thank-you letter for Christmas gifts, but I understand that it takes a lot of organization to get letters written by all the kids serviced by each individual project, let alone a country. So I'm not going to impose American standards on her--I can't anyway--and besides, I'm not always prompt with writing thank-you letters myself! Ha!

But it's still weird that she would date the letters as she did. Her first letter of introduction was written--and dated--in December of last year.

Oh, well. I'm extatic to be getting letters from her at all! She's older than my other kids, so she's writing her own letters, sharing her own ideas, etc. rather than having her parents write for her (as has been the case with Gabriel; he's still learning how to write in general, let alone be able to write a letter. I expect that his first "all by myself" letter will probably be a form letter, fill-in-the-blank style.)

Now, on to the prayer requests from Nells.

As of February, her mom was out of work. Since mom isn't married, there's no other income--unless Nells's older sister is old enough to have a job of some sort. I don't know Jessica's age, but based on the picture Nells drew, she's likely a teenager. Please pray that Mama Nells gets a job soon, if she hasn't already over the past three months. (Yes, mom and daughter have the same name. Whenever I refer to the mother, I'll try to put either "mom" or "Mama Nells", to help keep it straight.)

Also, Nells asked for prayer that she can improve her "qualifications"--I checked with the Spanish teacher at my school; she said this word isn't common, but is likely a formal way to refer to grades. Nells has written using the more formal way of referring to me (usted, rather than tu'), so it would make sense that if there's a formal way to refer to something, she'd use that, rather than the informal (in the instance of referring to grades, the more common/informal word would be "notas", I've been told).

So, to sum it up, I'm praying for:
1) steady employment for myself, to be able to continue as sponsor for my kids
2) employment for Mama Nells to be able to support her four kids
3) improved grades for Nells as she starts 6th grade.

Alexander needs heart surgery

2009-05-19T13:05:00.003-05:00

A while ago, compassionate folks from across the country/around the world pitched in to donate a cycle van for a sponsored girl's father in Bangladesh.

Now, we're at it again, raising money for heart surgery for Alexander in Kenya. Because the cost of the surgery exceeds what would normally be spent through the Medical Relief Fund, Chris G. posted a request on Compassion's blog.

I am amazed by the response--this was posted early Monday morning, and already (Tuesday lunchtime) they've raised about 25% of the needed funds!

Can you help us raise the remaining 75%? Let's see if we can get this knocked out before the weekend rolls around!
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Update, Wednesday evening. At some point this afternoon (morning? I wan't keeping up with what time I saw this comment from Compassion), the needed funds had been raised.

Wow. Just looked back up at the earlier part of my post. If approximately 25% had been raised in the first 36 hours (likely less), then the remaining 75% was raised in the final 24 hours!! This is amazing!!!

Finding my place in the world

2009-05-14T08:27:00.003-05:00

I got back a couple of days ago from a long weekend trip to Columbus, OH to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and their 4 month old son. This was the first time my parents and I had gotten a chance to see him since he was born. Not that Riley will remember anything about the visit...but we took pictures, so we can prove it to him later if need be. :)

I'm glad we went; he is such an adorable baby! I've always enjoyed being around young children--at least in small doses. I would work in the church nursery off and on as needed; I recently started teaching the primary grades Sunday School. Heck, I even work at a school, with kids all day! And let me tell ya--dismissal time is anticipated by all, children and adults alike! There's nothing like sending kids back to their parents.

No matter how much I enjoy being around kids, I've thought for a while that I don't want kids of my own. Looking after other kids for a period of time has its definite benefits--there's less of the discipline to worry about; if they're getting unruly, or if I'm just tired of their company, I get to send them home to their parents.

But while I was visiting my brother and his family, I had to start dealing with the facts that my YOUNGER brother is married (and I'm not), and he has a child (and I don't). Why was it that I didn't want kids? A good portion of why I didn't want kids was that I was scared that I couldn't hack it...that I wouldn't be able to handle the day-to-day parenting, particularly the discipline when necessary. I've even left the "traditional" (20+ kids) classroom, because consistent discipline was never a strong point. I'm more of a grandma or auntie personality than drill sargent. But I got to see that, for the most part, parents get time to figure things out as they go. For many months, it's mainly figuring out whether the baby is hungry or needs a new diaper, or just tired. Crawling and walking come in time, and the progression to solid food, then school...

But to be consistent in sticking to the "rules"...that would take some strength on my part that doesn't come naturally.

God reminded me a couple of things on this trip, the first of which is that when my strength fails, His is sufficient. If/when He gives me a child to raise, I can (and must!) rely on His strength for the day to day issues. Also, I don't have a child of my own, at least not yet.

So, since I am still in the single/childless camp, even though my brother--and practically all of the people I went to school with--are married with kids, what does God want me to do with this time in my life? It may last for only another few years (my boyfriend and I have talked about getting married, but nothing's official yet), or it may be for many more years. And even if I get married soon, I may not have kids for a while, if ever (Mike has decided he doesn't want kids).

I mentioned these thoughts/worries at the ladies' Bible study Tuesday night, after I got back from the trip. There was one other in attendance that didn't have kids. Everyone else was in various stages of motherhood (a couple of grandmothers), and the general consensus is that they are grateful to have people involved in their children's lives who aren't parents. (Make sense?) People who aren't tired from dealing with their own kids during the week teaching Sunday school and working in the nursery. Spending time with one of the kids on a group canoe trip. Just enjoying being around the kids. It was mentioned that, for a particular child, the people this child enjoyed being around the most (Sunday school teachers, etc) were all people who didn't have their own kids.

What does this mean for me? I'm going to try to not focus on the fact that I don't have children (when "everyone" my age has at least one, if not several), and open my eyes--with God's help--to what I can do in the place and time that God has placed me. I can't always be looking ahead to a time where I'll have kids--especially since there's a 50/50 chance that it may not even happen. I need to make the most of every day God has given me, living as God's servant who is not "tied down" by children, or even a husband (for now). Yes, I'm already committed to a Sunday School class, and an occasional slot in the nursery. But I can take the time to learn about the kids I don't normally see--the toddlers/kindergarteners, or those older than the ones in my class. Having children is not a prerequisite for being involved in Children's Ministry at church (thankfully!), and then there's the other kids with whom I come in contact. As a Compassion Advocate, I have a heart for kids. And why should it be limited to those I sponsor/correspond with?

Dear Heavenly Father, please open my eyes to the opportunities You're giving me on a daily basis to encourage children, and to help them grow into strong, mature adults. Thank you for giving me a heart to help their parents in raising their children, even in a small way. May I continue in what I'm already doing, and to see other ways where I can help out, giving the parents a break for an afternoon, etc. Amen.

26,000 children under 5 die each day

2009-05-06T08:11:00.002-05:00

That's the statistic provided by Compassion to introduce their Child Survival Program. 26,000 children--every day--dying mostly from preventable diseases. CSP provides prenatal care, health screenings, nutritious food to the mothers and babies, training on how to care for a developing young one: both physically and mentally.

How about another statistic? In Uganda, out of every 1000 live births, 76 babies will die before their first birthday. 137 more will die within the next four years (before their fifth birthday). The first five years are so critical that parents will sometimes not give their children names until they are 5, and are more certain to survive.

But these babies are not merely statistics--the are people, whether they live to grow up or whether they die early. I don't have children of my own, so I can only imagine what it must be like to lose a child. And I admit I have no real idea.

But what can I do about these statistics--once I think of them as children, families; not just impersonal numbers that don't affect me personally? What can be done?

Well, I mentioned Compassion's Child Survival Program. They may be the ones actually doing the work, but their support isn't free. They need to purchase the food and other supplies. We can partner with Compassion to provide the money needed to purchase these items (see the link above).

But if you're looking for a more tangible way to help, consider sending a care package to a mother in Uganda, through the Future Hope Project. Click on the "Give Hope" link to see what is needed. Everything should be able to fit in a gallon-sized ziploc bag, so don't think you'll need to go on a large spending spree--although if you want to, perhaps you can send multiple care packages! :)

IT'S ALIVE!!

2009-04-27T09:34:00.005-05:00

This little rosebush has had a rough life, from what I heard from the original owner. It's endured severe pruning because of the length of the branches, as well as being dug up and most of its root system destroyed. It's sat in clay dirt in my backyard for several weeks before I got around to giving it something decent to grow in, being replanted AGAIN...

But after a couple of weeks of Miracle Gro and regular watering (daily or at least 5 out of 7), it's finally got a few new sprouts on several branches! Here's one of the larger ones with obvious leaves, to prove it!

It's amazing what some love and care can do to help a plant (or a child) flourish in spite of the most unlikely circumstances. Is it time for you to give one of these children a second chance to thrive?

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That picture was taken either Sunday or Monday (I already forget which). Here's what it looks like less than a week later:

I'm enjoying watching it grow! Maybe I'll send Yuni a copy of the picture and tell her that I look forward to watching both of them grow. :)

See Compassion at work!

2009-04-24T15:20:00.002-05:00

You work hard for your money. When you part with it, you likely want to get the most for your money--the freshest food, the most durable toys/clothes/electronics, etc. If you are one that will give to charity, you want to make sure that the organization who receives your money will do what it says with your donation.

Compassion International is one of many charities working to provide humanitarian aid, as well as provide Christian training in the twenty-five countries in which it works. Compassion works with the world's poor, focusing particularly on children, providing them with food, clothing, an opportunity to go to school by paying for any school fees/supplies/uniforms that the family can't otherwise afford. Also offered to the children are age-appropriate skills and trades that can be directly used to help provide an income for themselves and their families as they grow older. In short, Compassion provides the opportunity to leave poverty behind, to have a better life.

How does it do this? Rather than having donations go primarily to community development, such as building wells, roads, and playgrounds, Compassion's primary means of "fundraising" is to link children to sponsors--each child only has one sponsor. That sponsor has a name and a face to invest in, rather than a more general community "somewhere over there".

My money is going directly to help Gabriel in Indonesia. My money helped to provide for his medical care when he got sick last September. Not only was his family now able to take him to a doctor, they were able to get a second opinion--one that could possibly have changed the course of his life. The first hospital gave him the wrong diagnosis; the private hospital correctly diagnosed him and gave him the life-saving treatment he needed for typhoid fever. Now, rather than being ill for months (or possibly dead because of his illness), he is now a healthy child, able to go back to school and church. He has a chance to grow up to become a pastor (his current dream), or something else if he changes his mind--as children often do.

How do I know that my money is going to Gabriel in Indonesia, rather than a community in Africa? Compassion does regular internal audits to make sure that the money I contribute for Gabriel's support goes to his country, student center, and directly helps him. In addition to their internal audits, third-party (often secular) non-biased auditors regularly come in to ensure Compassion's finances are straight. You can find a record of their most recent financial statement here.

And yet there is still one additional way that I can make sure Gabriel is benefitting from my contributions. I can personally go visit him, take a tour of his project and the Indonesian country office in Bandung. I actually plan on travelling with a Compassion-organized sponsor tour to visit him in 2010, if I can save up the money in time to travel with them.

This weekend, there are two groups out travelling--one group is in Peru on a sponsor tour, seeing the different things Compassion is doing in and around Lima, from the Child Survival Program (children under 3), the Child Development Sponsorship Program (ages 3-21), the Leadership Development Program (a select few high school graduates who are going on to university), and the Complimentary Intervention Program (malaria, HIV/AIDS--particularly in Africa, though, etc.). So they're seeing the whole process within about 10 days.

Another, smaller group is in India, who are likely seeing the same things, but these travellers are committed to blogging about their experience before, during and after the trip. Check out their progress here.

I've been personally impressed with Compassion's transparency, their commitment to financial integrity, and the comprehensive work that they do to invest in the lives of the children registered in their projects.

Do you have room in your heart to reach out to one of the "least of these"?

Second Chances

2009-04-11T14:46:00.007-05:00

I've been doing a bit of gardening lately. Mainly it's been a project aimed at reclaiming plots of land in the backyard and by the front porch--getting rid of weeds and piled up oak branches. There are now some impatiens and a bit of ground cover taking root in front of the porch for a bit of curb-appeal, rather than foot-tall grass that's grown in around the shrubs (and therefore out of the reach of the lawnmower).

Here's the progress I've made in the backyard: (imagine the dirt covered with old branches about 2 feet high, from years of trimming without bringing the branches to the curb)

As you can see, I still have a bit more to clear out and plenty of smaller branches to still pick up, but I'm at least 3/4 of the way done.

I've also reclaimed a rosebush that someone had dug up from their yard--it kept growing long branches, so they didn't want it anymore. I figured if it'll grow in my yard, I can train it along the fence. So I put it in my yard, but it was in clay dirt (thanks, southern Louisiana). That was several weeks ago. I figured it'd be dead by now, with bad dirt...the leaves didn't hold out, but there's still life in its core. I finally was a good gardener-to-be and bought a shovel to replace the one I had loaned/donated to the school, and a bag of Miracle-Gro. I dug a large hole and filled it with the new dirt, took off the dead leaves, and replanted it. (I still need another bag of dirt to fully fill the hole I dug.)

I don't know whether it'll survive, but it seems to be hanging on. I'm hoping to give it a second chance at life, since its original owner didn't want it anymore. It's a similar mindset for the backyard--giving the space a second chance to be part of the backyard, and a place my family wants to spend time, rather than being an eyesore.

While I was taking a break from the yardwork, enjoying some lemonade on the front porch and crocheting a blanket for Yuni, my new sponsor daughter, I realized that sponsoring a child gives them a second chance--a new lease on life in a way. Their parents give them life; we help them survive and have a hope for a better life than they might otherwise have had, trapped in the lie of poverty.

In case I haven't made official introductions, meet Yuni, who lives near the same major city as Gabriel (both on Sumatra in Indonesia):

Her profile says that she is above average in school. Who knows how far her potential will take her, once she grows and has a chance to bloom?

Consider giving another child a second chance to bloom.

One Year Without Soda and Snacks

2009-04-06T13:35:00.003-05:00

Following in Jenny's footsteps, (I'm a follower, not usually a leader) I am resolving to give up all sodas and all unplanned snacks for the next year, beginning the day after Easter.

Check out my new blog for more details!

Compassion Sunday materials arrived!

2009-04-04T17:57:00.002-05:00

It's still 2.5 weeks until I show my video at a Wednesday fellowship dinner at my church, but my materials have arrived! I already have the video picked out (out of the dozens that I can choose from). But as of today I now have a tablecloth, banner, several posters to display around the church as advertisement (likely after I laminate them--Compassion doesn't want them back, and I like them well enough to keep them), and the ever-important child packets.

Considering my audience size, I only received 10 packets. I'm not surprised. They sent five boys and five girls, ranging from 4 - 13 years old, representing the four areas where Compassion is present (Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia). None of the countries are duplicated, so I got a good mix of children to display.

I showed everything to my mom, even explaining the sign-up form, so that she can help out if necessary. I'll be glad to have her help setting up. And who knows, I might need to make use of her training on the sign-up forms. God has been known to work in ways beyond our comprehension. We shall see what happens.

Rock & Worship Roadshow

2009-04-04T17:38:00.002-05:00

April 2, 2009
River Center; Baton Rouge, LA.

Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Tenth Ave. North, and others are on a grand tour, a different city each night--with a few nights off every week. (They were in Dallas on 4/3, Oklahoma City 4/4, you get the idea.)

Bart, from MM, is promoting the Medical Relief Fund, so every child packet had the $8 optional donation going to the MRF, rather than Partners of Compassion or the HIV/AIDS fund. What else I found neat was that there were several packets had an additional sticker that designated they had special medical needs--mostly asthma, but I saw a few with vision impairments. There may have been different needs at other tables. Oh, did I forget to mention this was my first gig with more than one sponsorship table?

It was also my first gig with protesters out front. Jesus doesn't rap, rock, etc. "Beware False Prophets", I saw on one of their signs. I dunno about false prophets...the lyrics seem solid to me.

And as for the number of children sponsored? Seventy-five. Including one that is due to be posted on the side of my blog, Yuni. She's a 7-year-old west of Medan. She lives near Gabriel. She's about his age. She has three other siblings, like both Gabriel and Nells. One difference is that her performance in school is Above Average. Who knows what she can do with her life? Perhaps she's an LDP student in the making.

I got looking at Indonesian children with student center ID numbers near Gabriel's, to see if the rumor was true--close numbers are likely to be in similar geographic areas. Technically, they are simply the next number up, in order of when they open. In this case, they're at least near enough to have the same reference city. If I am able to go on the sponsor tour to Indonesia, I'll be able to visit them both!

Is now the time?

2009-03-29T12:05:00.006-05:00

I've been searching for Compassion Sponsor Tours to Indonesia, where my sponsored child lives. There are three in the coming 18 months--one to the entire country, one to East Indonesia, and one to West Indonesia. No, you'll probably never see a reference to "West Indonesia", but I can't think of another way to differentiate between IO and ID country codes. ID is for East Indonesia, and officially IO is for Indonesia (but just for the rest of the country not labeled East Indonesia, so why not call it West?). My child lives in the IO half of the country ("West" Indonesia), and a trip is scheduled for early October 2010.

I'd love to visit Gabriel. I already know he's a real child, and not just a picture in a packet, since my cousin's visit in January. But I would like to meet him in person--a letter and a few snapshots from someone else's perspective will never take the place of going myself. And while the cost is high (the 2009 trip to the entire country is listed as $3649...the ones in 2010 do not have information yet), I believe that I have the ability to save up the money. I'm estimating about $4000, including travel to the port city and other necessary fees. I am currently saving $150 a paycheck for tax purposes. If I am able to increase that amount to $200 each paycheck, I'll have the trip paid for by next May (provided a pay increase at my job--God is able to provide, if He wants me to do this).

However, for some reason, I'm having doubts that this is the right time for me to be making this trip. Should I be saving instead for travelling to Idaho for my friend's wedding? This is a bit ridiculous to assume that this event will take place before October 2010--they're not even engaged yet; things just seem to be moving in that direction. I could also be saving for a "nest egg", to have for emergencies/setting up an apartment/down payment for a house/getting married myself--whatever life may bring my way.

There's an element of a human desire for security, having a grip on the unknown future (at least we like to think we do). But how much of my NOT wanting to travel in 2010 is selfish--wanting to keep my money for myself and the "What Ifs", rather than spending it on something that can dramatically change my life--and posssibly Gabriel's life?

If God can provide the funds for this trip, can He not also provide for my future financially, when I need it? We are taught to pray for God to "give us THIS DAY our DAILY bread", not "This Day our Yearly bread".

If I don't go "now", when will I go? By the time another sponsor tour comes around, I might be married, or who knows what my life may hold. It might be harder for me to travel in 2012 (or whenever).

Shaun Groves posted this entry yesterday. I'm including the graphic because I'm a visual person. Basically, the thought that Shaun puts forth for us to feast upon is this: considering how short our life on earth is compared to our eternal life, let's make every day count.
Father God, if this is something You want me to do with my time and money right now, please give me a peace about it. Please make Your will clear to me.

Where in the world have I been?

2009-03-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

I've been offline for a week or so, at least in regards to this blog. I have not dropped off the face of the planet, though! (And no, I have not left the country to go on a trip to visit my sponsored child, although I would love to! Starting to save up the roughly $4000 for the trip to IO in 10/2010, to cover plane fees to the port city, passport, vaccines, etc.)

I've been spending a lot of my mornings this past week working in my backyard, hoping to clear out a space from a bunch of weeds to be able to plant an actual garden, so I haven't spent much time blogging.

Last Saturday, I went to work a table at an Acquire the Fire/Teen Mania concert. I worked the 12:00-5:30 shift; the final shift ended at 10pm, so take that into consideration when I report the new sponsor count. By 5:30, there were 44 "pay nows" and 28 "pay laters". (Pay later = fill out the form, but I don't have the cash/checkbook/credit or debit card info to be able to make a payment, and pledge to send it in within 10 days.)

Roughly 75 children were sponsored that day before dinner. It's quite possible that the number went up--the coordinator was expecting a rush around 6:00. Depending on the evening schedule, there may have also been activity when the event ended (9:00ish?). I don't have a final count, but I do know that about 75 children were sponsored that day.

Please pray for the woman who paid for three months in advance, and will re-evaluate at that time whether she'll be able to afford to continue. Pray that God blesses her heart with this sponsorship within the 3 months, and shows her where the money can come from for the sponsorship. I think she was in nursing school, so money was tight.

Please pray that Jonathan in Ecuador will find a sponsor soon. I had seen his packet in December when I was showing several packets around at church and my workplace. I was so surprised to see his packet again (not just because it was his, but any child's profile that I had seen before). He's an older child at 13 years old. He's had a sponsor before, and needs a new one now. He's been without a sponsor for at least 3 months.

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I'll be going back to Baton Rouge for the Mercy Me concert next Thursday, April 2nd. I pray that many children find sponsors at this event, also.

April 17th, I'll be working a table at the EWomen Conference (there's another event the same night, at LSU--but unfortunately I can't be in two places at once).

It really pumps me up to work at a Compassion table, to help sponsors fill out the sign-up sheets, and encourage them to write to their children, telling them how much it will mean to the children--and how I as a sponsor look forward to receiving letters also!

On April 22nd, I will be showing a video at my church, with a sign-up table also. I am praying for at least one child to be sponored (while at the same time asking God to surprise me!).

Mail call!

2009-03-13T18:47:00.002-05:00

I got a letter from Gabriel today, dated before Christmas. Well, based on the content anyway, as the letter itself isn't dated. I wish they would put a date on the letters...oh well. I'm just glad to get a letter, no matter when it was written. :)

I'm still unsure of an average transit time from Indonesia, though. This letter seems to have taken about three months (assuming it was written mid-December, and arrived here mid-March). My first letter from him seemed to take between 6 and 8 weeks (written sometime in September, delivered by Thanksgiving).

What both warms my heart and humbles me at the same time is the gratitude of the family for my sponsoring him, "to continue my life to the future in the name and love of God the Father. My parents also wish to thank you a lot for your willingness in becoming my sponsor to lead and guide my life to the future. Let us praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--the son of God the Father."

What I find mildly humorous is that, when he writes (his dad on Gabriel's behalf), he addresses me as "Bapak", which translates as "Father" (or "Papa", as per the person who translated this particular letter). I double-checked using an online Indonesian-English dictionary.

I suppose that the country staff couldn't tell my gender from my name (although I figured that information would have been provided by Compassion when I sponsored him, and they sent him my name). It appears to be universal--when I'm speaking about someone of unknown gender, I tend to use male pronouns: he/him/his, rather than he-or-she, etc. Or when I'm writing a business letter and I choose not to use "to whom it may concern", it's generally "Dear sir". So perhaps they simply guessed and used a "generic male" title for me.

Since the letter mentions the coming Christmas and New Year, it is reasonable to assume that the letter was written before my cousin's visit on January 2nd. During Kim's visit, she found out that they hadn't received my letters yet (so I know it takes at least 4 months to get there; I'll keep that in mind when I want to mail out holiday/birthday cards for next year). Because they hadn't even received my "sponsor profile" pamphlet, they didn't even have a picture of me when she visited. In that case, I'm glad I had sent Kim some family pictures to deliver for me.

Now, while I have no idea what Kim told the family about me, I wonder if somehow it became known that I'm female. I suppose I'll find out if they start calling me "Ibu/Mother". :)

We're all in this together.

2009-03-13T10:06:00.002-05:00

How long will we ignore the "least of these"?

The task is overwhelming, when we stop to think about just how many millions of people are affected by the lack of food, water, options, etc. as shown in this video.

You and I, individually, will not be able to save the entire world, no matter how much we have in the way of resources. But through the ripple effect, changing the world for one person will help change the world for countless others. Will you change the world for one child?

Released from Poverty

2009-03-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

Does child sponsorship, particularly with Compassion International, work? What about all the other programs besides their Child Sponsorship Program--are they really needed? Do they accomplish their mission to release children from poverty in Jesus' name? Check this out:

(Originally posted on Compassion's blog, found on YouTube to embed here. Search for "released from poverty".)

March 11--Global Food Crisis Day

2009-03-09T09:00:00.005-05:00

Global Food Crisis Day...unfortunately for the world, the crisis is not limited to just one day. Wednesday, March 11th has been designated as the day we are to remember those around the world affected by the rising food costs. I'm posting this before Wednesday to make a small point--we can't forget what's happening, no matter what day it is, whether it's the "official" day or not.

So, what is this Global Food Crisis? If you're an avid blog reader, you might have come across the term before. The UN World Food Program calls the current global food crisis “a phenomenon, a silent tsunami,” that is affecting millions of families in every nation on every continent.

Food prices in America have gone up, which causes us to spend more of our income on food. It's a pinch that we middle-class folks feel, but mainly because we have less income free to spend on luxury items that we can truly live without (books, CD's, going to the movies, ________). But all in all, we're still pretty well-off. We can still buy food.

But what about those who don't have the blessings of an income that allows them to still buy food? Or, when the meager few dollars used to buy food each day for their families only purchases about half of what they had previously been able to get at the market?

Read here about how families in Nicaragua and Bolivia are facing this crisis.

I like knowing causes behind events like this, although I admit I don't watch the news often enough to notice when things are heading toward a potential crisis. So, what caused the food prices to increase so dramatically?

I got this answer from Shaun: The cost of food staples have roughly doubled in many countries where Compassion serves. Some of the original factors that turned this trend into a world calamity recently include unstable oil prices, increased meat consumption in countries like India and China, droughts in major crop-producing countries, and increased production of biofuels.

What can we do about it?

How about going to http://www.compassion.com/global-food-crisis to learn more about the Global Food Crisis and how Compassion is helping in the countries where Compassion works. You can also donate to their Global Food Crisis Fund, which
- Provides food vouchers to children and families needing immediate relief.
- Provides seeds and agricultural tools so that families can grow their own food as well as earn extra income.
- Provides supplemental nutrition services at Compassion-assisted centers around the world.

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!!

2009-03-02T08:04:00.003-06:00

Gabriel is 8 years old today!

I wonder what the Compassion and/or student center workers got him for his birthday.

Compassion Wednesday

2009-03-01T21:15:00.004-06:00

I've had permission to host a "Compassion Sunday" event at my church, but as of tonight I finally have a date set up--Wednesday, April 22nd. The pastor's going to mention it at the next Session meeting, but it should be a "go". We're planning on showing a video during a Wednesday night fellowship dinner and having a sign-up table.

Heavenly Father, I give you this event. Please use the video and personal testimony to work in people's hearts to sponsor children, releasing them from poverty in your Son's name. Please take away any pride in my heart, any tendency to think that children were sponsored solely through my efforts. I am the vessel through which children find sponsors, but it's you that works in people's hearts.

How Compassion International got started

2009-02-23T15:57:00.001-06:00

Lessons from Gardening

2009-02-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

My dad started it.

Well, he got me thinking, anyway.

I was making use of a mild Saturday afternoon by pulling up grass that had creeped into the garden area, and making my way around to the weeds along the side of the house.

In a conversation of what I intended to do with the space once I had cleared it (since I had already replaced some grass with groundcover around the shrubs in front of the porch), he closed his end of the conversation with "The grass always wins." Meaning it'll just keep growing back.

And that's definitely true. He had gone back inside before I could think up a comeback. The grass always wins only if we let it win.

Think about it: why does Dad cut the grass every week? He constantly does battle with the grass so that it DOESN'T win. A gardener keeps weeding the garden around the plants so that they don't win.

AND--if we're going to do effective battle against unwanted grass/weeds, we've got to pull them up by the roots.

I doubt my dad thought about it this much, but there's a deeper lesson here: we must constantly do battle with sin, pulling it up by the roots so that it is no longer there. And we must regularly monitor our "garden" so that new ones don't try to take root.

Why does a gardener remove unwanted grass and weeds from an area? To put the ground to a productive use. I'm thinking of starting some vegetables out next to my house when we're past the danger of cold snaps (should be soon here in New Orleans).

So must we also break free from sin's hold on us and put those areas of our lives to better use--well, allow God to put them to better use. After all, we mustn't allow pride to lurk underground and allow us to think we rooted out sin all by ourselves. Yes, it takes some hard work on our part, but it's God that gives us the strength in the first place.

2009-02-21T13:08:00.002-06:00

Isn't this a cool thought? I found it on Compassion's blog.

Children will inherit this earth. They will be the adults of tomorrow: the average workers, leaders, doctors, teachers, politicians.

Do you want to change the world? Develop a child. In addition to the children you encounter on a daily basis, consider expanding your reach to include one of these future adults of the world.

An investment of $32 each month allows Compassion to partner with local churches in impoverished areas to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. In many cases, these children grow up to become adults who positively impact future generations within their own community--either as "average workers", or having gone on to a higher vocation such as doctors or politicians.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have people in power who had once been victims of corrupt politics, who would then reform government from the inside out?

You may not personally change the world, but you can change the life of one child. And imagine the ripples that life can make!

Seen in an American classroom

2009-02-16T21:12:00.002-06:00

An inspirational poster hung in a 2nd grade classroom at my school:

You've got brains in your head; you have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

How well would these words of encouragement be received by our sponsored children?

(How many don't have shoes? How well would it go through translation?)

Maybe it's worth a shot, mentioning it in a letter anyway. Thoughts? Comments?

Poverty and the Persecuted Church

2009-02-15T08:44:00.004-06:00

I've come across three posts today (all published within the last day or two) that mention either poverty or the persecuted church in some way. Perhaps God caused them to be published so close together so that I would take notice, that it was more than mere coincidence? Maybe He's trying to tell me something. I don't know exactly what, but it's food for thought.

Also, this week starts an online Bible study group using Beth Moore's Breaking Free workbook. Have you considered that Christians can be in bondage? What would it be like to live in freedom from the bondage of Satan, rather than remaining enslaved to sin, fear, and doubt?

I know I'm still enslaved by fear and doubt (and likely to sin, just not as aware of it).

But how do the persecuted church and poverty relate?

First: Christ told us that Christians would be persecuted. In the West, persecution typically comes in the form of ridicule, maybe not getting a promotion, etc. However, persecution exists in some countries in the form of being denied Bibles and Christian literature, being denied the right to meet with other Christians or to even freely claim to be a Christian. The consequences of which include the burning of churches and homes, physical beatings and death.

Second: It's the poor who typically suffer this kind of persecution. Those living in poverty, with very little material possessions, are the ones who typically lose everything for His sake. They are more likely to be strongly encouraged to give up their faith, to save their lives. Matthew 16:26

Check out these three blog posts for more (I've been in education too long; I want to give credit where it's due, and not plagiarize other's thoughts and ideas).

Compassion Dave, Exposing the Face of Poverty
Glenn Penner on the Persecuted Church Weblog, Do Not Resuscitate
Glenn Penner again, "Silence" to be made into a movie

Closing thoughts, borrowed from Glenn:
Which is worse, suffering and death, or the fear of them?

I'm amazed...

2009-02-11T09:48:00.002-06:00

I got my first letter from my correspondence child, Nells, in Peru. She's 11 and in 5th grade, so she's able to write her own letters (unlike my sponsored child who's in 1st grade, and still learning to read and write).

It was a fairly typical letter of introduction, telling me about her favorite food (arroz y pollo/rice with chicken) and her favorite sport ("voley"--guess the translation for that one!), and asking what my favorite dish and sport was.

Interesting that in my letter of introduction (sent about the same time as hers was sent, so she may just be getting it) is I already answered her question about my favorite sport. Sort of. I told her that I don't play any sports, but I enjoy going to baseball games. In a later letter I told her about the SuperBowl and how American football isn't the "football" she knows (and included the English word soccer for her fu'tbol).

It took about 2 months for me to receive her letter. I wonder if it's the same for my letter reaching her. Well, my first two letters to her were sent via email, so it's possible they got there quicker. But I'm remembering that when my cousin visited Gabriel, in Indonesia, on January 2, he still hadn't received my letters dated from August 29 (essentially 4 months). But he lives in a more remote location, whereas Nells lives near a city. That might make a difference. Although I was able to receive a letter from his family within 2 months, based on the content and delivery date (it was written after an illness, which was sometime in September, and I received the letter by the end of November).

I've heard that Peru is a country that has implemented the reciprocal letter system (the child writes back for every letter recieved). I'm curious to see if that's actually the case.

But, to get back to the title of this post, I'm amazed that Nells asked me to pray for her mom's spiritual life in her first letter, rather than waiting until we've exchanged a few more letters. She didn't include any details, as there wasn't room (and I may never get any more details). I am thinking she's praying for her mom to become a Christian, or at least to have a better relationship with Christ. Either way, it shows some maturity on Nells's part, that she's noticing a problem and wanting to take it to our Father for Him to solve, and asking me to join her in prayer.

How deep is my faith?

2009-02-04T08:43:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I saw, out of the corner of my eye, I saw some college students who have arrived to get some field experience prior to student teaching. One of the students was wearing the traditional garb of her particular culture/religion.

I was thinking about how she stood out because of what she was wearing, and wondering if I feel strong enough about my religious beliefs to stand out so obviously. I'm not sure if I am that bold about my beliefs...

I very much want to "go with the flow", to not be noticed. If making it obvious what I believed meant the potential for persecution or ridicule, would I be one of those who publicly recanted what I believed--and actually stop believing in Christ? Or if I recanted, would it be just on the surface--to avoid persecution--but still hold onto a rudimentary faith deep in my heart?

I can relate to a post on Compassion's blog from before Christmas. (Read the referenced post here.) As a child, the author and her brother each got a photo of a Compassion child that their parents had sponsored in their names. She and her brother proceeded to be the "pen pals" for the sponsored children. The author, as a child, didn't understand the spiritual maturity of her girl in Indonesia, as

My little girl’s spiritual maturity was far above my own. We both had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The only difference was she was walking in faith because that was all she had. I didn’t even know how to walk in faith because I never had too.

Personally, I had very few times over the course of my life where my faith has been tested. Often it was due to financial hardship, testing my reliance on His provision (which our sponsored children and their families are likely facing on a daily basis). Or it was trying to decide what to major in as a college student. The major things--basically leaving God out of my humdrum, day-to-day life.

Abbie posted this today, based on one of those potentially annoying tag chain games going around Facebook lately. 25 Reasons I need Jesus. I appreciate her honesty, because they all apply to me too, whether I'm honest with myself or not (I just only realize it when I'm being honest).

Heavenly Father, please take me beyond a shallow faith to a deep faith, one that I will not be ashamed of claiming, no matter the circumstances.

Wow. If I'm serious about that, I'm in for a shake-up in the future. Scary, painful, but refining. And if our faith in God is based on Truth, (which I have no doubt that it is), then it'll be worth it.

Every Christian's "story"--way of living out their faith--is unique to them, shaped by their circumstances. My story will be different than an agricultural worker in Africa (or a farmer in America, for that matter). Your story will be different than mine. Imagine how wonderful it will be to get to heaven and compare stories, and praise God for his providence and provision in every aspect of our lives.

Fellowship of the Unashamed

Compassion Monday

2009-02-02T20:30:00.004-06:00

Compassion provides the opportunity for a sponsor to develop a relationship with a particular child over many years--as long as the child is in the program, and as long as the sponsor is financially able to provide support.

Ideally, the sponsor will be able to continue support until their child graduates from the program. However, it is understandable if a sponsor needs to discontinue their sponsorship for any of a number of reasons. When this happens, Compassion works to find another sponsor for the child, while still providing support to the child through the Unsponsored Children's Fund.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, but are concerned that you will not be able to maintain sponsorship for up to 10-15 years (depending on the current age of the child), you may consider sponsoring an older child. Typically children graduate from the program the year they complete high school, or between 18-21 years old.

Please consider sponsoring Joel, a 17 year old young man in the Philippines. He is currently in high school, although his academic performance is below-average. In addition to your financial support, he would be greatly encouraged by your letters, letting him know someone cares about him.

Joel has 3 other siblings, and is responsible for caring for them in addition to buying and selling in the market to help around the home. His favorite activities include playing a musical instrument and swimming.

Please click here to learn more about sponsoring Joel, and how your $32 each month can provide for his educational needs, basic medical care, and spiritual support.

Precious In His Sight

2009-01-21T21:59:00.014-06:00

-
Let me tell you a secret: I'm afraid of rejection.

I have to talk myself into making phone calls to people I've never spoken to before, rehearsing the information I need, and how I need to go about getting it. I don't want to choke up mid-conversation and look like an idiot (perceived rejection, in a way).

This may also play into not liking to speak in public--at least to people I don't know (and am therefore not comfortable around).

But this is not about me. I told you that story so I can tell you this one.

I can relate to rejection, or at least I pretend I can. I honestly can't imagine living with the day-to-day implications of being born a girl in a society that despises girls but prizes boys. And yet it happens every day in India.

The Fall 2008 edition of Compassion Magazine included an article entitled "Precious in His Sight", about this very topic. The article begins by telling the story of Sarojini, who was a poor mother from a poor community.

Angry that she had given birth to two daughters instead of sons, and fearful that her unborn child might also be a much-despised girl.

"I already have two girls and even the wealthy cannot manage dowries for two daughters," she says.

The practice of offering a dowry — money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage — has been illegal in India since 1961.

But it is still commonly practiced and contributes to high numbers of female infanticides as well as to abortions of female fetuses.

I'm so glad for Compassion's work in India, to provide services for women like Sarojini, who have no idea how they'll care for multiple girls. Also, they've been able to convince some women to carry their babies to term and give up their unwanted female babies for adoption, through Compassion's work with a local orphanage.

It breaks my heart to think of any child as unwanted for any reason, but even more so for the simple reason that they are born a girl and not a boy (or vice versa, for that matter).

Please click here to choose a girl in India to sponsor. Please take the opportunity to share God's love with a precious girl, letting her know that she is wanted, that she has a purpose.

Or, you can also help sponsor a Child Survival Program in India (or another country, if you so choose). You'll be given a choice of which program to support on a monthly basis for $20.

Additional note: you may also make a one-time gift to CSP if continued sponsorship is not in your budget at this time. If you wish this donation to help child survival programs in India, please make a note of that in the section for "special instructions" at the bottom of the form.

Please keep these precious girls in your prayers, as well as their families and the Compassion staff who work with them.

Ok, so this doesn't have anything to do with Compassion...

2009-01-16T15:59:00.005-06:00

But I've been keeping my cell phone with me all day, ever since about 10:30 this morning when my brother texted me and said that his baby is arriving today.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law was admitted to the hospital (over Christmas) because she had gone into pre-term labor. Doctors managed to subdue it, causing her to not be nearly as dilated, and discharged her to bedrest at home. After an exam this past Monday (@ 34 weeks), she was readmitted, having dilated to 5cm, for more observation and whatever kind of drugs they give women to hold off the labor process.

Finally today she was dilated enough for the doctors to determine that the baby was coming anyway. At about 3pm local time doctors manually broke her "water", so the baby should be coming any time now.

They still don't have a name picked out; tossing around a few different ones. I'll repost when there's anything to tell.

--------------

6pm update. Baby has been born. A 6lb, 18" boy.

7am 1/17 update. Baby has been named Riley Jacob. Glad he finally has a name. Jacob was one they'd been thinking about from the beginning, so I may still mentally call him Jake, at least until he's old enough to decide what he likes, and then he'll let me know!

Compassion's Blog

2009-01-13T08:35:00.004-06:00

If you haven't visited Compassion's Blog recently, you might consider making time to stop by for a cup of coffee.

Today's post tells the story of a teenager in India whose sponsor letters got her through many tough times. It is an excellent reminder of just how important it is for your sponsored children to receive letters from you. (If you don't currently sponsor a child, check out the 10 I blogged about recently, or Compassion's website.)

Yesterday, Amber wrote about a child center visit in Haiti, in such descriptive terms that I felt I was right there with her. What hit me was the request for prayers--for the art teacher to be able to afford Bible college to become a pastor; for the project accountant, who asked for sponsors to pray for him and the other center workers as they work with the children. And the closing thoughts relate, even though it wasn't a specific prayer request. The man who showed Amber around, when asked if he liked it in Port-au-Prince where he grew up, he said no--he'd rather be anywhere else--but he stays, to help the children, to enable them to have big dreams for a future, where otherwise they would still be believing the lie of poverty: that they are worthless, without a purpose or a future.

Thanks to all the Compassion folks who make these updates possible, from the bloggers themselves, to staff workers who share stories, to whoever puts out the prayer updates on Twitter.

Thank you, Gabriel

2009-01-08T08:18:00.006-06:00

Thank you, Kim, for sharing the story about Gabriel being so excited to go to church that he wakes up his mother--and that he wants to be a preacher because he enjoys church so much.

Thank you, God, for bringing Gabriel into my life, so that I can be reminded of how we're supposed to be--excited to attend worship services, but also having the exuberance of children.

Thank you, Gabriel, for being an example for me. I pray that you will grow into a fine preacher, that you will never lose your excitement and joy as you grow older, and that you will be able to share that passion with others in your community. Share it now!

May I be more like you, passionate about my Savior and loving to fellowship with others at church.

A peek into the life of my sponsored child

2009-01-04T15:15:00.012-06:00

All Thursday evening (January 1 in the Western Hemisphere) I was praying for my cousin's visit with my sponsored child on Friday, January 2. By the time I went to bed at 10:30 or 11:00, I figured that the visit might be going on. I wasn't sure whether it would be a morning visit, or afternoon, or an all-day event. All I knew was that Indonesia was 12 hours ahead of me.

I had to practice patience all weekend: Friday here was night-time for my cousin; then she had to fly back to where she lives (on Saturday, I think), get situated, and have access to a computer long enough to download pictures from her camera and compose an email telling me all about her visit.

Finally I had an email in my inbox this morning! It's too long to include the entire thing here, and all the pictures too, so I'll just summarize and pick out the important points to quote directly.

The pastor, Jimmy, and a Compassion representative--Samuel--accompanied my cousin and her friend on the visit. They saw the room where they hold the children's activities, and went to Gabriel's home. The student center program meets 3 days each week, with the children divided into two classes with 5 teachers working with each class, where they do games, learning activities, Bible lessons, and have a meal. Gabriel says he enjoys it.

I was glad to get information about the family, including the ages and genders of his siblings (he has an older brother and sister, and a younger brother--the youngest is 5, his sister is close in age to Gabriel, being still in primary school, and the oldest is in middle school). The 5-year-old was described as very talkative and playful, and the sister warmed up after a while. The oldest brother and father weren't there for the visit.

The mother washes clothes to bring in a bit of income, and the father cuts and refines stones into smaller usable pieces for building. He makes about $50 a month.

What a difference in financial situation--I got a $50 gift card for Christmas and used it to buy a watch; the band on my other, $5 watch was breaking. I spent on a WATCH what Gabriel's father makes in a month, to provide for himself, his wife, and four children.

"He is only in first grade, having been held back a bit before starting. I must tell you honestly, Judy, so that you may pray, that he is very mentally slow. No one knows if this was a birth problem or bad nutrition or what else, but he is notably slow to speak, to act, and to think. He took 20 minutes to draw a tree picture for me, and his teachers say this is normal. So let us pray, trusting the God of wisdom and knowledge, to heal him totally and advance his mind and restore it to normal! Partly because of his delay, and partly because of his shyness I think, he was very hesitant to speak to me. His mother mostly talked, and she and the leader said he is always quite shy.

"But...the neat thing is she said the one thing he really gets excited about is to go to church! She said every Sunday he wakes HER up and tells her they need to go, and even when he was sick recently he pushed to go. And he wants to be a preacher! I really probably got him to speak 30 words to me the whole visit, but the one thing he looked at me and answered was when I asked "do you want to be a preacher?" and he looked straight at me and said "yes, I want to be a preacher. I like church very much." Bless the Lord, and may he become a powerful minister of the Word, even overcoming his learning disability by the Spirit!"

God knew Gabriel needed a sponsor by the end of August of last year, so that his medical bills in September could be covered by the sponsorship fees rather than the Unsponsored Children's Fund, or perhaps not getting proper treatment at all.

"In September he was very sick, and they took him to the government hospital. He was told he had tuberculosis and hepatitis, but Pastor Jimmy did not believe it. Since they had your money, they moved him to a private better hospital, where they said he had neither of those but had typhoid fever. A few days of typhoid medicine later he was healed! If he had stayed at the cheap government hospital he may still be sick.

"We ended the visit with Pastor Jimmy praying for them, for you, and for us, and the mom seemed very happy we were there. She asked that you pray she and his dad can keep their work steady to provide for the kids and Gabriel would stay well. She said to tell you thank you and she is praying for you as well."

This is a real family. Gabriel is more than just a picture on my desk. The children on display at a concert or other event, or on the website, are not some random children taken by an organization out to get our money. This is an organization devoted to helping real children, who honestly need help, and by helping one or two children in a family, it helps the entire family, and the ministry spreads to the community.

Warm clothes for Thai children

2009-01-02T10:02:00.002-06:00

I asked Compassion for updates on Asian countries--other than India--as most of the stories and updates I've come across are from Africa, Central/South America, or India. I'm not downplaying the updates that we receive--the majority of countries where Compassion works are in Central/South America. But perhaps I have a special heart for Asia, since my sponsored child lives in Indonesia.

Through Twitter, I was informed of a need in Northern Thailand. They've been having very cold temperatures lately, and the children need warm clothes. I was asked to pray that this need would be met.

I will most definitely pray that this need will be met. However, I know that God answers prayer in situations like this by using people to meet the need. Only rarely is there a miraculous answer to prayer.

What I'd like to know is--how can we as regular folks help meet this need? If we're talking about kids at Compassion centers, it may be best for us to donate to a specific fund, earmarking the money for Thailand. If we want to help people in general--not specifically the Compassion-registered children, but everyone--perhaps there are relief organizations currently working in the area where we can send money to purchase clothes and blankets, or else we could take up clothing drives and ship them to Thailand. This will likely take longer, however, and the need is now.

But where to send the help?

Ok, I just called Compassion, and the gentleman on the phone told me that while clothing needs are generally covered through the $32 sponsorship cost, if there's a need such as this that doesn't fit neatly into one of the other funds (Global Food Crisis, HIV/AIDS relief, funds specifically set up for natural disaster relief in a certain country), the best fund to donate to would be the "Where Most Needed" fund. Partners of Compassion would likely also help.

If you'd like to make a contribution to help provide warm clothing for children in Northern Thailand, please go to the Make a Contribution page on Compassion's website, select the "Where Most Needed" fund and enter the amount you are able to give. There is a checkbox at the bottom of the form (below where you put in your contact information), that opens up a field where you can note the funds are for clothing for children in Thailand.

If God is not laying on your heart to donate to this particular need, please look over the different funds set up and prayerfully give where God leads you.

Gabriel's Blanket is finished!

2009-01-01T17:43:00.005-06:00

I finally finished Gabriel's blanket today! I had to wait for Michael's to restock the brown yarn I started it with (I bought out the bin), and then I had asked for a few skeins for Christmas (from my mom), so rather than go buy it myself, I waited. I'm glad I did, since I would only have bought enough to finish it. She bought enough to finish it, and a lapghan to match.

I finished it on a good day. Counting ahead 12 hours, my cousin will likely be waking up soon on the day she's visiting Gabriel. I'll be praying...that it goes well, that they both enjoy meeting each other, and that I'm able to learn about Gabriel and his environment/family/situation, etc. I pray that Gabriel is blessed knowing how much I care about him, even though I couldn't be there myself, and how much God loves him too. I pray that my cousin is blessed with the visit--although I'm not sure how. She already has a heart for the people, having lived among them for the past several years (although in a different part of the country). I wish I could be there with them!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:15:00.005-06:00

Has it really been almost a week since my last post? For all I thought I'd be bored on my forced vacation while my school was closed (I used to live for a two-week vacation; this year I was ready to go back to work after one), I found ways to keep busy.

I rounded out 2008 by finishing one afghan for my Gabriel's Blankets stash, am almost finished another (hoping to finish it today), and have begun one requested by someone traveling to Peru on the next Compassion Sponsor Tour. Other than that, I went to see a couple of movies with my family and hung out with my boyfriend around his schedule--retail ain't nice for it's employees' "life" between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Oh, by the way, may I put in a plug for the movie Slumdog Millionaire? In case you haven't heard of it, it traces a young man who wins the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire--he's suspected of cheating, but he knows all the answers because of his life experiences (which we see through flashbacks). I wonder just how much "real-life" is portrayed when they show his childhood in the slums of Bombay. I've heard that Compassion doesn't have any child centers in Mumbai (I checked Compassion's info releases after the recent terror attacks), but it's likely about as close of a glimpse as I'll get into the life of one of our Compassion kids (at least the city-dwellers) short of going on a sponsor tour myself.

New rabbit trail--visiting children. My cousin lives in the same country as my sponsored child. She's taking a holiday to a guest house near where Gabriel lives, and Compassion is allowing her to visit him on my behalf. She's scheduled to visit tomorrow (Jan. 2)--although, I have to keep in mind that she's 12 hours ahead of me, so it's already 8:30 pm where she is. This will be the first visit for any child at this student center, so I can hardly imagine what kind of a stir her visit will cause. This will be another post, as soon as I know anything! :)

To get back to my original train of thought--what do I hope to accomplish in 2009? I hope to be a "good sponsor" to Gabriel, and to my correspondence child Nells. Writing frequently, praying regularly. I hope to step out of my comfort zone as an Advocate and be willing to get up in front of people and give a presentation if necessary. I hope to complete at least three more afghans for Gabriel's Blankets in addition to any that are commissioned.

TTFN!

"Fellowship of the Unashamed"

2008-12-26T07:43:00.005-06:00

Compassion's blog post of the day provides the following description of an Unashamed Christian.

“I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!”

- Contributed by Dr. Nina Gunter who got it from veteran missionary Louise Robinson Chapman. Today this commitment statement circulates among Christians as author unknown.

Imagine what the world would be like if all Christians made it their New Year's Resolution to live more like this, as much as we are able. Really commit to it, not half-heartedly, excusing ourselves under the "as much as I am able" clause and thinking that they're not very able. Not allowing this resolution to fall by the wayside of so many other New Year's Resolutions and dropping out of the running, off the path, forgetting their commitment by February.

Print out the quote from above (including the contributor, etc., to give credit where credit is due). Post it somewhere that you'll see it on a regular basis. In your Bible, on your bathroom mirror, on the fridge. Multiple copies, if that'll help!

Join me in the fellowship of the unashamed. Ask me again in a couple of months whether I'm still a member, or whether I've dropped out. I personally need the accountability.

Gabriel's Blankets update

2008-12-24T07:44:00.003-06:00

Well, I finished a blanket yesterday that I had started during Thanksgiving break, so it's a reasonable estimate to say it takes a month to make an afghan (a full-size one, that is, rather than a smaller lapghan).

The one I finished is a green version of the one I had hoped to bring to Gabriel at some point (although, since I have no plans to visit Indonesia at any point in the next year, it'll technically be for sale--I'll have time to make another one, if I am able to travel). Different version = same brand of yarn, same pattern, just different color.

I'm also working on one for a lady who's traveling on the Compassion group trip to Peru in April, to bring to her sponsored child. It'll be a brown and green version of my red & pink three-panel afghan. However, this one is thicker (due to the climate where her girl lives), and knitted instead of crocheted. I've picked out the brown, I'm just still debating on the green for the middle panel--there's two that I'm looking at, a darker forest green--a bit like the one I just finished--or a lighter one that when placed next to the brown reminds me of the Andes chocolate mints. Hey, lightbulb--gotta check my sources, but aren't the Andes in Peru? If so, we've got a winner! Actually, I would have picked that color anyway just because it shows up better than the darker green.

Even though this one won't be for sale, I'll still post a picture of it on my other blog (gabrielsblankets.blogspot.com), and maybe here too.

I enjoy school holidays, since I can get some work done, and "work" doesn't get in the way! :)

I also have some green yarn leftover from the afghan, so I'll start a lapghan in the same pattern. I might have enough yarn leftover to finish it; at most I'll need to buy only 1 or 2 more skeins. But first, before I spend too much time on that one, I've got about 4 hours of definite time when my mom isn't here (she's working on Christmas Eve, bummer for her) to finish a set of mittens. I've completed one and started on the other. Shh! Don't tell....

Child packets

2008-12-19T08:36:00.002-06:00

I had recently received a box of 10 child packets that I had requested from Compassion a few weeks ago. After contemplating what to do with them, I decided to split them up, and bring half to work and take half to church--the two places where I regularly come into contact with the most amount of people. They're generally the same people day in/day out, but that might be a good thing. It's a repeated reminder of kids that need a sponsor.

I had displayed the packets I brought to school along the chalkboard in the teachers' lounge. Yeah, we have a chalkboard, but no bulletin board. We haven't gotten around to covering the chalkboard with corkboard yet.

I know that someone has been noticing them. I haven't heard anyone talk about wanting to sponsor one, but I came in to the lounge the other day to notice that someone had written the ages of each of the kids above their packets. :)

Today is the last day of school before Christmas break, so I'll be removing the packets from the board. I'll likely add them to the display at church for the next couple of weeks. But then what? The packets don't expire until mid-January. Maybe I'll do a swap. The ones currently at church can be brought back to school, and the ones currently at school can stay at church...

I haven't heard anything about a date for a faculty meeting, where I might talk about Compassion, which I had mentioned in a previous post.

I know that God's timing is often (usually?) different than my timing. Sure, I'd love to see all of these kids sponsored. Heck--at least one would be nice! But just by displaying the packets and a couple of brochures, I'm at least planting some seeds for potential future sponsorship.

Yet I still feel like there's more I need to do before these kids need to be sent back to Compassion. Perhaps the school can "adopt" a kid, and it can become a writing assignment for the kids. It'll have to go through the administration, of course, to figure out the financial aspect of sponsorship. If we did, I'd hope for some sort of stability on behalf of the child--more so than I've seen at the school. In the year and a half that I've been there, I've seen quite a bit of turnover (mostly over the summer). Since we're a charter school run by a local college, perhaps the funding can come from the charter office, and the child can be assigned to the school to write the letters. (Who knows, if if flies, then maybe the college will sponsor more than one child, one for each of the charter schools.) Just dreaming here, of course, but it's dreams that spur action.

Another "dream" is getting the adult Sunday School at church to sponsor a child. The children's classes collectively support a girl in Ethiopia, and the youth group supports a boy in India. Why should it stop with the youth? I'll suggest it. However, I realize that the timing may not be the best at the moment (or is that just my timing again, and not God's?), since it was just announced that we've been approached by another church who wants to buy our property (for more than it's worth), and there "just so happens" to be a lot for sale that would meet our needs and allow for a bit of expansion from our current facility (it's a half acre bigger), and it's on a busy street, rather than a residential neighborhood (more visibility). The floorplan for a building the session has drawn up has gone before two different contractors and deemed "doable" with our budget. But due to time constraints placed on us by the other church, we have to make our decision by Jan. 4th. God's definitely doing something in the life of our church. But it may be too much to think about right now, with the possibility of a future move, and the idea of taking on a Sunday School child.

Maybe I'll plant another seed, though. Mention it, and then see what happens. Who knows, God's timing is different than mine. He may surprise me! But even if it doesn't go through--and I have to keep that as a definite possibility (in fact, I expect it)--it may happen in the future, when things settle down a bit.

And even though people at church (who had seemed to show interest in sponsoring a child) haven't picked up packets to commit yet, may do so whenever we schedule a Compassion Sunday. After the holidays are over and people aren't concerned with spending money elsewhere (at least not so much).

But, just because these 10 kids don't have sponsors yet, when I'm taking 5 back home from school, doesn't mean that they won't. I still have time before they "expire", and I need to make the most of that time.

What are you giving Jesus for His birthday?

2008-12-14T20:35:00.002-06:00

Something that I've seen floating around Facebook and other people's blogs is the idea of baking a birthday cake for Jesus (why not, since we bake cakes for other people's birthdays?), or giving Jesus a gift.

Ok, so we'd "help" eat the birthday cake, but what about the gift? Sure, we could pick up something at Walmart, wrap it and put it under the tree, but what to get for the One who really does have everything? Not to mention, who'd unwrap it?

How about an idea straight from Jesus Himself?

Matthew 26:35-40 describes what Jesus wants: "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eatl I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

In other places, we are instructed to care for the poor, for the widows and orphans.

Compassion International ministers to the poor. Some of the children registered are orphans, often by HIV/AIDS. For all of the children, food, clean water, and clothing are provided as needed. The children have access to medical care that they would not normally have had without Compassion's funds.

Where does Compassion get the money for these acts of mercy (in addition to school fees/uniforms as needed, after school tutoring, and spiritual training)? Partly through donations to certain funds, including the Unsponsored Children's Fund and Partners of Compassion; however, the main source of funding to assist each individual child is through child sponsorship.

For $32 a month, you can give hope to one child in desperate poverty, by providing their basic necessities. Often this impacts their families as well.

"What you do for the least of these my brethren, you do for me."

Will you give Jesus a birthday gift by sponsoring a child? Visit www.compassion.com to search for a child to sponsor today!

When children are taught about God and his provision:

2008-12-12T07:30:00.005-06:00

I just got an email from my pastor asking us to pray for a family whose house caught on fire yesterday, affecting the garage and one of the walls.

I'm still coming to grips with what happened, but I had to pass along part of the message, regarding the children's reaction to the loss of --at least some of-- their posessions.

"Pray for Ross, he lost his special blanket and is very sad about it. The other children seemed to be ok. Sam said that the only regret he had is that he did not clean out his closet, because he had a lot of good stuff he could have given to someone else. I feel so blessed to have the children I have. They are not complaining, just reminding me that all things are just rust and moths. Praise God from whom all blessing flow."

Did you catch the bit about Sam, who thought about others before himself? This boy is about 10 years old.

It's the kids reminding the mother that material posessions are "rust and moths"--perishable.

God, thank you for children, for keeping us grounded in Kingdom reality.

Study: Poverty dramatically affects children's brains

2008-12-09T13:54:00.004-06:00

Article written by Greg Toppo, USA Today

"A new study finds that certain brain functions of some low-income 9- and 10-year-olds pale in comparison with those of wealthy children and that the difference is almost equivalent to the damage from a stroke.

" 'It is a similar pattern to what's seen in patients with strokes that have led to lesions in their prefrontal cortex,' which controls higher-order thinking and problem solving, says lead researcher Mark Kishiyama, a cognitive psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley."

---

I was recently told by my area manager for Compassion that the oldest a child will be initially registered at a Compassion center is 9 years old. I am speculating here, but I wouldn't be surprised that many of the kids who are registered would not normally be able to attend school--even with a free public education offered by the government in some countries, there are often uniforms and other school fees which many families could not otherwise afford (but which is provided through the sponsorship fees).

Coming from a background in education, I'm seeing more kids with reading problems in older grades (3rd and 4th) that didn't get the foundational skills at a younger age--for a variety of reasons. Lack of attendence in school is likely attributing some of the deficiency for these 3rd/4th graders here in the New Orleans area, since schools were only open for the spring semester, and they were promoted on to the next grade the following year. But I suspect that we can only blame part of the problem on Katrina (since some of the kids in these classes are doing quite well, and are advanced). Part of the issue is also likely due to some of these kids coming from lower-income families, which in general aren't able to provide as many educational experiences when the children are very young--from trips to the zoo (etc), to print-rich environments, to general vocabulary.

I have not spent much time in other countries, and I am by no means an expert in psychology and brain development, but common sense leads me to believe that this trend can be extended worldwide. Parents who have the training/experience with early childhood development and the resources to provide for these needs will often do so for their children, whereas parents living in poverty are less likely to have the training, experience, or resources to provide for the earliest development (before age 3).

This is where Compassion's Child Survival Program comes in. They work with the mothers to help the children have a healthy environment for the crucial first three years, and train the mothers on how to care for their young children. No doubt this positively affects their brain activity, better preparing them for school.

But this study is still something to keep in mind for the children who are registered older, who didn’t receive the benefit of the Child Survival Program. They are growing up in poverty, and their ability to learn is being affected by it.

Shaun Groves' blog posts

2008-12-07T17:01:00.002-06:00

I haven't been reading up on Shaun's blog in a while, but these two posts from his tour grabbed my attention.

You can go to his blog and look for the ones titled "Coincidence" and "Remember", or click on the following links. Either way will get you there. :)

http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/comments/coincidence/
particularly moving story about a woman who took a picture of a little girl on a trip to Guatemala, then saw the same girl's profile on a Compassion table.

http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/comments/remember1/
remember: God has been working through the ages, and He's not done yet, even if He seems to be temporarily silent.

Prayer

2008-12-05T06:51:00.002-06:00

So often I neglect to pray. When I do, it's usually after something that God has placed in my life because I've been drifting away and haven't been by to visit with him in a while.

I've been taught that prayer is one of the greatest priveleges we as Christians have, since we no longer need a priest to pray for us and offer sacrifices, we have direct access to God.

But not only is prayer a privilege, this Burmese orphan helped me realize that prayer can be a delight. It's simply talking to our Father. Sharing with him our concerns and asking for advice, but also running to him, as a child runs to her daddy when he gets home from work, to share the latest "A", art project, or other joy.

LORD, teach me to pray like these children in poverty. Help me to see past my "things" to take delight in the One thing that really matters!

Advocate training packet arrived!!

2008-12-03T19:19:00.002-06:00

My advocate training packet arrived in the mail today! Ok, I think it was by UPS... but YAY!!

Not only did I get a volunteer badge to wear at a concert on Dec. 20th (gee, I'll feel fancy!) and a t-shirt (wearing it now; wanted to change out of my work clothes), but there was a packet for a little Peruvian girl who needs a sponsor. How exciting! Now I can show my principal what an actual packet looks like, rather than just the biography card for Gabriel that I keep on my desk at work. Not only that, but I can work on getting Luisa a sponsor.

In addition to those neat things is an armload and two brains-full of information to look through over the next couple of weeks.

I may be exaggerating a bit on the "two brains-full"; I guess I'm a bit tired after work. It was a long day. I wish I had more energy to delve into it all. I'm excited to get started! I've already begun browsing through some of the paperwork, but there's still the CD-Rom training modules to go through. I'm going to pop in the CD to get a feel for it, but I'll save most of it for this weekend and into next week.

Looking forward to getting started!

Compassion enters a public school!

2008-12-02T14:45:00.003-06:00

If you've been following Compassion's blog lately, you've probably seen the post allowing sponsors to order packets to present to people they come into contact with. This is usually reserved for advocates, but it's a way for non-advocates to get involved without making a long-term committment, as well as hopefully getting many more kids sponsored by the end of the year.

Even though I've begun the process of becoming an advocate, I haven't received an "advocate number" yet, so I am not able to order packets AS an advocate yet (although I likely will when I am able--the advocate number is a required field on the order form, and is a different field than one's sponsor number). I'm grateful for a way to order packets before I'm fully in the system as an advocate.

I had made plans to talk to people at church (there are two families I know that are interested in sponsoring a child, so I'll approach them first, and address the congregation as a whole on Compassion Sunday). I thought I might even leave one on my windowsill (in a manner sheltered from the wind, near my window cling encouraging its viewers to sponsor a child, directing them to the website). We don't get many visitors except the mailman and the occasional UPS delivery guy--and the Kentwood water guy once a month. But these people still go on our porch, and while I won't usually be able to talk to them directly, they may still see the packet and decide they want to sponsor that child.

Here's the biggest thing, though--I had wanted to bring this campaign into my workplace somehow. Since I tend to be rather introverted, I had thought about displaying packets in the lounge, and letting people browse and select a packet when they had time, and as their desire led them. BUT--considering I work in a public school (albeit in New Orleans, a city with a large church influence), I knew I needed to check with the principal before I did that--I didn't want someone reporting us to the school board because I'm bringing "religion" into a public school. (I'd check with the principal first even if I worked at a parochial school, though, just like I checked with my pastor before moving forward with plans for Compassion Sunday--simply because it's best practice for the administration of any organization to know what's going on).

The principal didn't say I couldn't display packets in the lounge. She did say I could say something about the packets at the next FACULTY MEETING!

Remember I'm an introvert? :)

But this is a good thing, though--since not everyone goes into the lounge. Or they might not notice the packets.

And I don't have to make a long presentation. I can do this! My goal is to present the opportunity of giving a poverty-stricken child the gift of hope and a better life this Christmas, and then talk to those that are truly interested one-on-one or in a small group later on.

And I even happened to have a couple of brochures on hand to give to the principal--I figured she could look over them to learn more about Compassion, if she needed to think about it before making up her mind--but she actually asked for them to pass along to her mother who may be interested in sponsoring a child! I told her that one of the brochures could be used to request a child packet (narrowed down to boy or girl in a specific region), or they could go on the website to browse children in a certain age range in a specific country. Who knows--if the mother does not yet sponsor a child, she might now, because I had the brochures and took the time to talk to my principal. I wonder if the principal will decide to sponsor a child, too? She had asked how much it costs, and acknowledged that the $32 will go a long way for these kids....

Sponsorship opportunities

2008-11-29T20:15:00.004-06:00

If you've heard of Compassion International, then you likely are familiar with it's Child Sponsorship Program, linking one child with one sponsor whose financial support provides for the child's educational, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual development.

What you may not know are some of the other opportunities you have with Compassion to provide support for children. If you cannot afford $32 a month to sponsor a child (or an additional child), you may consider being a "correspondence sponsor" by writing to children whose sponsors do not--for a variety of reasons--write to them. Letter writing is a vital part of the emotional and spiritual development of a child living in poverty. Children often keep their letters as treasured possessions. Contact a Compassion representative at (800) 336-7676 M-F, 7a-5p MT to request a correspondence child.

Another opportunity which I just learned about a few moments ago is sponsoring a Child Survival Program in certain countries. The Child Survival Program works with children before they are old enough to become sponsored--often from prenatal to age 3. CSP teaches mothers how to care for the youngest of children, the ones who are most likely to die from preventable causes. There are also literacy and income-generating opportunities for these mothers, to enable them to better care for their children. For $20 a month you can choose which program to sponsor. Current opportunities are located in India, the Philippines, Haiti, Ecuador and Peru.

The Girl Effect

2008-11-28T10:47:00.001-06:00

A sponsored child's success story

2008-11-25T11:06:00.002-06:00

Kees Boers brought this article to my attention, and it is such a moving story about how Compassion changes the lives of children in poverty.

http://www.positive-entertainment.com/interviews/michelletolentino/

I hope that if you are currently a sponsor, you will be encouraged to know how much of a difference you are making. If you do not yet sponsor a child, I hope that this article lets you know that Compassion is an organization worth partnering with. Visit www.compassion.com for more information about Compassion's mission, financial integrity, and to browse through profiles of children that desperately need your help.

Compassion Sunday

2008-11-23T21:54:00.002-06:00

I met with the missions committee at my church tonight, and got permission to host a Compassion Sunday at some point in the future. It was likely easier for me to get permission (I didn't have to say much of anything to promote the cause), since the pastor and his wife sponsor a child, as does the children's Sunday School and the youth group.

The pastor suggested enlisting the aid of the youth pastor--which I had done a couple of weeks ago. :) Jonathan and I have a tentative game plan, we just need to decide on when we'll host it (it'll likely be more of a Compassion Wednesday, with a table set up on the two Sundays surrounding the presentation at the Wednesday night dinner).

I'm going to be on the lookout for when the 2009 "official" date will be, and hopefully we'll be able to schedule our event near that date--even though I know we don't "have" to hold it then.

My first directive from the pastor, though (other than coordinate with Jonathan), is to scope out how many families in our relatively small congregation already sponsor children. If the percentage is high, then we may want to reconsider hosting an event.

But things are in the works! I'm glad the pastor is on board; that's always the first step.

A Child With Learning Disabilities Excels With Compassion's Help

2008-11-22T20:08:00.001-06:00

http://www.compassion.com/sponsordonor/features/compassionstories/shining-through-the-special-olympics.htm

by Brandy Campbell, with Yuri Fortin in Honduras
November 21, 2008

If Erika had grown up in a middle-class American neighborhood, her pediatrician would have noticed her developmental delays early on and sent her to a specialist.

Erika probably would have been enrolled in a program to help her catch up with her peers.
A therapist would have shown her flash cards and spent extra time helping her remember her numbers and colors.

Her mother would have learned exercises to do with her at home to fine-tune her motor skills.
By the time Erika started school, there would have been little difference between her and her peers.

A WIDENING GAP
But Erika grew up in Danli, an urban slum in Honduras. Her mother, Melania, earned less than U.S.$4 a day doing laundry for neighbors.

She couldn't afford to take off hours from work to walk several miles to the closest clinic.
What good would a trip to the doctor do if it meant she couldn't buy food for her children that night?

So Melania watched the gap between her daughter and the other children in the neighborhood grow.

Erika was always a few steps behind her peers. She crawled later, walked later, talked later. Melania became more frustrated.

Life was hard enough for strong, intelligent children in their neighborhood. What would her only daughter's future look like?

Melania had learned that poverty compounds every issue.

A child with minor delays becomes a child forever handicapped. All because the help she needs is out of reach.

EXTRA ATTENTION
When Erika was 6, her mother sought help for her at the Reverendo Eduardo King Student Center (HO-504).

Once she was enrolled, workers at the center evaluated Erika's situation. Erika struggled to concentrate. She was behind her classmates in writing, reading and math skills.

"Most of Erika's problems resulted from the fact that she wasn't helped when she was an infant or a toddler," says Sonia, Erika's special-education teacher at her school.

"Her mental deficiency is mild, but it would have continued to get worse if she had not received the appropriate support."

Through the support of her sponsor and Compassion's Medical Assistance Fund (compassion.com/medicalfund), Erika was enrolled in the Gabriela Alvarado Rehabilitation School. There, teachers gave Erika one-on-one attention. Gradually her reading and writing skills improved.

But after years of being teased by her peers and feeling like a failure, Erika still lacked confidence.

GROWING IN MIND AND BODY
Erika's teacher, Sonia, also had a relationship with the Honduras Special Olympics. She believed that if Erika could compete in the games, she would gain much-needed confidence.

Erika was an enthusiastic athlete. She competed in track and field in the national Special Olympics, where she won three medals.

"My mother was with me the whole time, and I was very happy for it," Erika says proudly. "My mother told me that I was very brave."

In the five years Erika has been enrolled in the Compassion program, she has excelled both physically and academically.

She traveled to China with the Special Olympics, where she won two gold medals.

Equally important, Erika has improved her reading, writing, concentration and memory skills.
"Erika is a different child," says Sonia. "I have seen a significant progress in her life as she is a more active girl and about to start very soon in a regular school."

Gabriel's Blankets

2008-11-21T20:37:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to get "Gabriel's Blankets" up and running. I wanted to have a venue for offering my blankets for sale in between any times I'm able to be at a craft fair or market.

Here's where I'll be showing off what is available: http://gabrielsblankets.blogspot.com

It's still a work in progress (there aren't any pics of completed blankets, for instance), and I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate PayPal...I've done it before on a website, just not in a blog post, but I'm gonna give it a go.

God's teaching me something...

2008-11-20T14:09:00.003-06:00

God's definitely trying to teach me something. Or perhaps several things.

Like PATIENCE!! (Go figure, since I work with kids all day!)

And being non-judgemental and accepting someone for who they are and "where" they are, knowing that I too am not perfect.

And that I need to be connected with others in the Body of Christ.

God is continually developing me to be the person He wants me to be. But He uses others who are more experienced/wiser than I to be a guide in that process, as well. I've been going to church every week practically all my life, but I've been "disconnected" for most of that, just sitting in the pew, half-listening to the sermon, without building relationships with others around me. There's so much we can learn from one another that I've been missing out on!

Whoever said being a Christian was easy...

2008-11-20T07:44:00.005-06:00

---this was originally posted on a different blog designed for everyday blogging, but since it relates to Compassion, I wanted to cross-post.---

Whoever said being a Christian was easy didn't fully understand what it means to be a Christian. The Christian life reflects secular life in many ways--because for the Christian, our faith is intertwined with our daily life, which crosses into the secular realm. We deal with people of all belief systems, in business, schools, workplaces, etc. We're not sheltered from the triumphs and crashes of everyday life--for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health...Christians are human, just like everyone else.

There's been a request to describe one of our "peak" or "valley" days (a "triumph" or "crash" day, if you will), because life is a roller coaster.

In the midst of everything else I'm supposed to be involved in (like work--trying to get in my reading groups at my school and preparing for a State Dept. visit), God's been shaking me up to act on the nudges He's been giving me for a while about my relationship with my boyfriend.

Lately the chapter in my Sunday School series on Jerry Bridges' book The Discipline of Grace has related in some way to Charles Stanley's message on Sunday mornings that I watch on ION tv. This past Sunday (11/16), Bridges' chapter was titled "The Discipline of Convictions", and Stanley talked on running away from God (deliberate disobedience to a direct command, as reflected by Jonah).

Now, having grown up in a Christian home and in a PCA church, I was taught (and held as a conviction) that a Christian's best spouse is another Christian.

My boyfriend Mike thinks he's a Christian. I'm not convinced he is; he sat in a Catholic school chapel service in 5th grade and heard about Jesus paying mankind's debt on the cross, and says that the message "sank in", but there's no evidence that the message has made any difference in his life. When I asked him the old Evangelism Explosion question on why he should be allowed in heaven, he gave the "I've tried to be a good person" response. Not "I can't do it on my own, and I've put my trust in Jesus' work on my behalf". Let alone trying to put God at the center of his life, and trying to find out how God wants him to live. (I admit, I'm far from perfect on keeping God my center of focus, I am still a human on this side of heaven.)

Now, we've talked about getting married so much that we're practically engaged. But if I'm to live according to my convictions, and act on God's gentle reminders of my convictions rather than ignore them because I'm in love, then I need to be willing to NOT marry Mike unless God works in his life and brings Mike to Himself.

This is terribly hard, though. I couldn't even bring myself to telling him in person on Sunday, when I was at his house for a home-cooked gumbo dinner (probably because we were having dinner with his parents--if it was just the two of us, things may have gone differently). I emailed him after I got home. He checked his email late Monday, and it threw him for a loop. It was totally unexpected and out of the blue. Yes, I had told him I wanted to marry a Christian--but that was several years ago when I mentioned that, so he wasn't expecting this. I let it drag on too long, I suppose.

Now, things aren't officially broken off. We're meeting for dinner tonight to talk about it face-to-face, rather than on the phone or through email. It's been a rough couple of days, anticipating this meeting. I don't know how it'll turn out. I don't want to lose him in this life as a boyfriend/potential husband. However, I don't want to "lose" him in the next life, either.

I guess you could say I'm in the midst of a valley. Not so much that I feel God is far away (compared to a mountaintop experience where God seems extremely close), but struggling through the daily grind of living out the Christian life, the trials as well as times of blessing.

Yet even in this time of refinement, hope lives.

-------------------------------------------------
Update after dinner (and a sleep). 7:30 am November 20, 2008.

It was good to sit and figure out what he actually believes. It's eye-opening in a way. There is a--perhaps slight--possibility that he is in fact a Christian, but still in "infancy". Or he could still be unregenerate...

Please help me figure this out!

He believes:
1. There is a God.
2. God created everything.
3. Evolution does not explain the diversity of species (macroevolution=a fish didn't climb out of the ocean and become a cat, a monkey, or anything else--the species were different from the beginning). Evolution, by definition of "change" seems to happen, in that individuals within a species that have the most advantageous adaptations to an environment will survive to pass on that trait, causing small changes over time within species, or pockets of the same species with different traits.
4. People are sinful, and need to be reconciled to God, and the only way for that to happen is by accepting Jesus' atoning work on the cross on our behalf.

Beyond that, he doesn't really KNOW much of anything. He went to Catholic school in elementary school, so he's learned some, knows about the Trinity (can identify the three Persons), but doesn't comprehend that God is a relational God, and wants to have a relationship with us (therefore that's why He sent the Holy Spirit). He says he's tried reading books on different topics but doesn't understand what he's reading. Even different parts of the Bible--it doesn't go beyond "words on a page" and have any meaning for him.

Kind of like when I tried to learn calculus. I just didn't "get it".

But there is a difference, I think. Here's where I need help. I think that God gives us the ability to understand what's written in His Word--but to what extent do all people have this ability? Is it possible to be a Christian, believing in Jesus' death on the cross as payment for my sins, and not be granted an extra understanding of what's written in the Bible?

Granted--there are certain things that have to do with a specific period of time, local customs, etc. that are different for 21st century Americans. Jesus' statement about "take up your cross daily and follow me" isn't nearly as shocking as it would have been for its original hearers, since we don't have the stigma associated with the cross that they did in 1st century Palestine.

I don't know what he's tried to read (and was unable to understand--might have been Revelation), we didn't have time to go into that before the coffee shop closed.

He doesn't seem to have any desire to learn more about what God expects of a Christian, whether God has a plan for Mike in particular (or people in general). At this point he may be hiding behind a screen of "It's beyond my ability to understand, so why try?"

Should I walk away, since he's not a Christian, or should I be patient with him as an "infant" Brother?

Introducing my sponsored child

2008-11-18T21:48:00.003-06:00

Aren't scanners cool? I wanted to have Gabriel's profile folder at work, so I could share him with my coworkers, but I also wanted to have a framed picture for home.

Now, since I had a digital file from the scanner (after cropping the picture from the profile folder), I'm able to share Gabriel with you.

He lives in Western Indonesia. He'll be 8 years old in March. I wish I could tell how tall he is, since he looks a bit small for an 8 year old (or maybe that's just me seeing him through "western" eyes).

I hope to visit him at some point. It'll be a while before I save up enough for the trip, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, Compassion is allowing my cousin to visit him on my behalf. She'll be in his area over the New Year, and the field office has confirmed a visit date of January 2nd. I've received all communication that my cousin receives from Compassion regarding the visit (which is awesome to see the process of setting up a child visit in action). I haven't heard back from my cousin yet regarding the visit since we got word from the field office about a visit date. Hopefully she'll be able to send pictures! I'd love to add them to my scrapbook!

Phone interview for Compassion Advocate completed!

2008-11-17T19:08:00.004-06:00

My phone interview was completed today! It was a required step in between filling out an application and receiving the full training materials.

There wasn't much to it; we talked about my Christian testimony and my experience with Compassion--how I got started, what I've done since, etc. Most of the conversation was from the Area Coordinator, discussing the requirements and expectations of an Advocate, including the relatively frequent communication with the Area Coordinator to whom I'm assigned, since it relates to Compassion's planning for future activity. The amount of activity of the Advocates have an impact in how many children will be sponsored, and therefore how many student centers can be opened in the future.

I'm excited to receive the training materials (in a week or so), so I'll be better informed when I speak to others about Compassion at different events--whether at concerts, Compassion Sunday, or individually at advocate-initiated activities.

I got a letter from Gabriel!

2008-11-13T18:38:00.003-06:00

I received my first letter from my sponsored child today!!!!

It was written by Gabriel's father, since Gabriel is still in the first grade and learning how to read and write.

They began the letter with "Praise the Lord, Hallelujah...we give thanks and praises to the Lord Almighty for the great blessing and grace to all of us. We the child's parents thank you very much for sponsoring our child."

They go on to tell about how Gabriel was recently hospitalized for typhus and bronchitis, but that he's home now and still receiving medical treatment. (Please pray for a full recovery!)

From the letter: "We all give thanks to the Lord for His love that He has healed our child and blessed the doctor who treated him as well as the medicines he has taken." Wow! I can only imagine what it must be like to have a child, especially one so young, hospitalized--and how grateful that he recovered.

The father clarified some information that I had received. In Gabriel's profile, it says that his father was a teacher, but in fact he's a construction worker. While this doesn't change my opinion of the family in any way (even though it was nice to think Gabriel's father and I shared an occupation), it's interesting to note that there was the miscommunication in the first place.

Yay! A letter! I'm going to write him back right away.

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2008-11-11T18:50:00.002-06:00

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Wonderings

2008-11-08T12:54:00.002-06:00

I don't have any children of my own. But I can imagine that soon-to-be parents wonder what their children will be like when they are older. I would wonder that about my own child if I were expecting.

I wonder about my sponsored child. What is Gabriel like? Is he respectful? Does he get along well with his peers? Does he like school, or does he merely go along just to get through his assignments?

I work at a school, and at a tutoring center on Saturday mornings. Some of the children here are a joy to work with, while I find that others can be downright annoying at times. Sometimes I'm too tired to be around someone as energetic as some of these kids can be (even though they aren't doing anything to be defiant, they're just being kids). Others have a tendency to be mean-spirited, or at least they get annoyed by the actions of others easily. It's often the same kids that get in conflicts. Other students I work with are far behind where they should be for their age; the fourth graders who are reading on a first grade level are still willing to do the work asked of them, even if it's simplistic. There's another student who's in high school, though, who is often quiet, and it's hard to know whether he's understanding what's being taught. It's easy to get frustrated toward some of these kids, for various reasons.

I know that Gabriel is a real child, not some photoshopped image. If he's a real child, he has a real family who is working to raise him. There are real teachers and child center workers who see him on a daily basis. Even if Gabriel is one who would be considered a "joy to teach", perhaps there are others who would require some extra attention to develop to their full potential.

I care about Gabriel and how he's turning out, how he's doing academically, socially, physically and spiritually. I pray that the adults in his life are doing all they can on his behalf.

I don't remember what specifically triggered this thought, I began looking at my students as though they had sponsors. I know that they don't, but they still have family members and friends who care about how they turn out. And I have a direct impact on these kids, more than just sending $32 a month to Colorado.

Yeah, I've known I have a responsibility to the students I teach, to do a professional job teaching them. But now I'm starting to actually care about them, as people. I know that here in America there's less of the mentality of "it takes a village to raise a child" as there is in other countries. While I won't change the culture of America by myself, I can still take more of a real interest in the children I come across on a daily basis.

School in Haiti

2008-11-07T14:40:00.002-06:00

This afternoon many of us at the school where I work went onto CNN to watch President-Elect Obama's news briefing. While I was waiting for the briefing to start, I looked over the headlines on the main page. One headline told about a school near Port-au-Prince, Haiti that collapsed earlier today, trapping up to 700 students and workers.

I don't know whether this school serviced Compassion-sponsored children, but it very well may have. Either way, let our prayers be with the ones who survived and are injured, as well as the families and friends of those who died.

Making plans for Gabriel's Blankets fundraising

2008-11-06T21:10:00.003-06:00

It'll be a while before I have enough blankets made to make it worth setting up a stall somewhere, but at least I have a potential venue. There's a monthly market in Uptown New Orleans (Freret Market) that allows craft vendors as well as food, etc. A coworker mentioned it to me, since I had brought a strip for one of the blankets I have in the works and was crocheting during a break. She saw that it was a similar pattern to a scarf she had seen at a vendor's stall at the Freret Market the previous Saturday.

I've decided on having a variety of blankets for sale: both full afghans and lapghans, in a variety of materials (acrylic, wool, blends) and colors. I will probably also include scarves, for the simple fact that they work up quickly and won't be as expensive as an afghan.

My prices will mostly reflect the cost of the yarn, with some extra for the time put in. Wool products will cost more than acryic ones (due to higher yarn prices), etc.

I'll have to scope out whethere there's an option for an electrical hookup, in case I'll need my laptop for credit card payments. I suppose I could restrict it to checks (and possibly cash) if there's absolutely no power available. Freret Market is from 12-5, and at best a new laptop battery lasts about 4 hours.

I've got some "inserts" printed up, such as a card with links to Compassion and my blog. If I am approved to be an official Advocate, I'll have access to ordering sponsorship brochures that I can enclose with the purchases also.

It's definitely a work in progress. More to come.

Hope Lives

2008-11-04T14:01:00.004-06:00

As I am writing this, it is just after 2:00 on Election Day. The polls are still open. The votes have not been completely tallied.

Whatever the outcome, there is bound to be plenty of discussion over the next few days. Yet, no matter who is elected to be our next President, there is a hope in my heart that God is still in complete control of every aspect of our lives, and has a plan for our country that involves one of the Presidential candidates.

I'll admit that the current Presidential race is a hot topic, for both major parties. I won't get into politics here; my point is that there is bound to be a lot of Americans who will be disappointed and/or upset when the winner is announced. "How can God let this happen?" is a question that may be asked.

I am reminded of things that happened that only began to make sense years after they took place. Everything from why I wasn't rehired at a certain school, to historical figures such as Joseph, Moses and Pharaoh. We are told that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. We are also told to respect those in authority over us, because they are established by God.

But what if we don't agree with the leaders who are over us? Does God really allow poor leaders into positions of power? Yes. Why? We may never know in this life. God's understanding of world events is far beyond ours. We may be granted a glimpse of God's purpose, at some point down the road.

While we may never know why God allows certain things to happen, like the current Global Food Crisis or AIDS epidemic. However, it may be, at least partially, to wake us up, to bring us out of our complacency and do something about it. We as Christians can partner with others to do our part to have our voices heard to our representatives, and also give financially to get help to those who need it, as we are each able.

We are not given the ability to understand why God allows bad things to happen. Even so, we can trust Him to be God, to have a plan, and to be able to bring that plan to fruition. It is for this reason that hope lives in me.

Romans 8:28

Initial Advocates packet

2008-11-04T07:17:00.002-06:00

I got a box in the mail yesterday, from Compassion. "That's odd," I thought. I haven't ordered anything from them recently. I knew at some point I'd get training materials to become a Child Advocate, but only after I had a phone interview and they processed my background check, and I'm still waiting on the phone interview (later this week, I expect).

But instead of full training materials, there were some fun "extras", like a window cling (now in my bedroom window, since I already have the matching bumper sticker on my car), some note cards stating "Join Me...in the fight against poverty", and some business-sized cards with childrens' pictures and Bible verses about children and the poor.

Those are neat, but the "big" items included compilation DVD set, some segments being geared more toward the advocate's training (like how to encourage sponsors on writing letters to their children/receiving letters from them), and other segments that could be used as presentation pieces at a Compassion-related event.

The other item in the box was totally unexpected: Wes Stafford's book Too Small to Ignore. I suppose the reason I wasn't expecting them to give it away was that they were selling it in the Compassion store (and I had already bought one!). It's a good book, and I'm glad to have a copy. But since I don't need two copies, I see it as a great Christmas gift. All I need to do is decide on a recipient! Maybe the pastor or youth pastor at my church. Or maybe one of the members in the congregation (I already have one in mind), saying that after they read it, pass it on to someone else, who must pass it on, etc. And it doesn't have to stay in the church, either. But if it makes its rounds and it is still "in the church", it can always be donated to the church library.

Or, if anyone is reading this, and wants a free copy, just let me know! You have until Christmas. :)

Gabriel's blankets

2008-11-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

I've been working on an afghan made with Lion Brand WoolEase yarn. I've chosen a varigated brown yarn for this one--partly because it won't show dirt as easily, and partly because the three skeins I picked up to start off with no longer had the original label, almost as if they weren't "wanted". Perhaps I came across this mental image because Gabriel, my sponored child, had waited for at least 6 months before receiving a sponsor. No child should feel unwanted.

My original idea for this afghan was to be able to one day bring it with me when I visit him. I'm saving up for the trip, but God may have other plans for the funds in my savings account prior to being able to go to Indonesia (being a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding, for instance). Yet I still wanted to begin working on the afghan anyway.

Even though it is a rather lightweight afghan, I am wondering just how much Gabriel will make use of it. The year-long average low temperature is right around 70 degrees Farenheit in his part of the world. I know--I went to weather.com and typed in the nearest city to his location. They have some neat graphs on weather.com.

So, how's this for an idea? I could make several and give them to other sponsors who will be visiting their children--those in climates that would appreciate a blanket.

Another option is to sell them--with the proceeds going to one of Compassion's funds.

I haven't figured out all the ins and outs of this train of thought...any ideas/comments/reasons why I should only make one and leave it at that/ would be appreciated.

Fasting on Thanksgiving?

2008-11-01T19:11:00.000-05:00

I came across a link to this post through Compassion's blog page (blog.compassion.com), regarding the idea of spending Thanksgiving Day in prayer and fasting, rather than in feasting, to focus on the millions in the world who must go hungry every day.

View the original post here.

I don't know whether I'll be able to go a whole day without food. The idea is truly daunting. But it's definitely worth some consideration and prayer.

Looking at the world with new eyes

2008-10-31T06:59:00.001-05:00

October 26, 2008

I heard recently that, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and Levite may have been thinking “What will happen to me if I stop to help this man?”, while the Samaritan may have thought “What will happen to this man if I do not stop to help him?”

Gabriel is 7 ½ years old. I’ve been sponsoring him for two months. I haven’t met him. I haven’t even received a letter from him yet. He likely won’t understand this at his age, but he’s been the catalyst for my eyes opening to the situation of millions of children around the world. Not only that, but I’m more alert to the work that my cousin is doing in a city near where Gabriel lives.

I’ve gone on compassion.com on a daily basis—several times a day recently—to learn all I can about what Compassion does to help release children from poverty. By learning about poverty, hunger, and the different ministries of Compassion in the different countries and child development centers around the world, I have an increasing desire to share what I’m learning with others.

I’m also looking at the world in a different way. When I go to Walmart, I think about how much we have access to; how today’s children as a generation don’t understand the concept of having to wait for things. We live in a materialistic world, one of instant gratification.

While I won’t change the culture of 21st century America, I can change my outlook on things and talk to those around me. I can’t change the world, nor can I sponsor every child, but I can change the world for one child. I can also be an advocate for the others.