This Man Has AIDS

On a recent trip to Africa, I met a man. A man named “John” who is living positively with HIV and even AIDS.

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Child Sponsorship: It’s a Family Affair

woman and six children from Burkina Faso

I realize that God wants me to look at my sponsorship of Evelyne from a whole new perspective. My goal now is to win Evelyne’s entire family to Christ.

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Back From Colombia

I recently had the privilege of visiting my three correspondence children, a few children that I helped find sponsors for, and the sponsored child of my pastor in Colombia. It was a trip I will never forget (unless I get a serious bout of amnesia). (more…)

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Michelle Tolentino

Leadership Development Program graduate Michelle Tolentino talks about the value and meaning of Compassion’s programs in her life.

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Thank You for Your Faithfulness

You can also view this Thank You Message video on YouTube.

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A Conversation With Richmond Wandera

Do you remember Richmond? He’s one of the Wess Stafford-Moody Bible Institute Scholarship recipients Celina told you about.

Do you have 21 minutes? If so, you’ll be hard-pressed not to be impressed by this humble man.

Greg Nettle, senior pastor of Rivertree Christian Church, conducts the interview.

Watch Richmond Wandera and subscribe to Compassion YouTube for more stories.

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World Water Day: Be a Voice

World Water Day 2009 logo Today is World Water Day. This year’s theme is “Shared Water – Shared Opportunities.”

Nurturing the opportunities for cooperation in transboundary water management can help build mutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economic growth.

Previous World Water Day themes included:

  • Sanitation (2008)
  • Coping With Water Scarcity (2007)
  • Water and Culture (2006)
  • Water for Life (2005)
  • Waters and Disasters (2004)

Learn more about past World Water Days.

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Where Do You Sponsor a Child?

Over on another blog post – Are My Letters Really That Important? – several sponsors have started trying to connect with other people who sponsor a child in the same child development center(s).

Until we have a better way to help you with this – which we are working on and we think you’re gonna love! – let’s make this post the home for making connections.

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Drinking Bottled Water is Not a Sin

Take a swig of this.

I drink bottled water because I like the convenience and because I like the taste. I LIKE … and every bottle I choose demonstrates what I value most. I value myself.

Drinking bottled water is not a sin, and this post isn’t about guilt, but they are both about perspective. And so I bring you to my perspective for making bottled water a whipping boy.

Bottled water is the embodiment of self-indulgence.

(more…)

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Child Development Center Palabra de Vida Nicaragua

Opening a Child Development Center

The churches we partner with must meet a few requirements to be considered for a child development center. They must be part of an evangelical denomination, have a children’s ministry, have good church facilities to host children and have personnel to teach and care for the children. If they meet this criteria, then the formal application and review process can proceed.

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World Water Day 2009 is March 22

Today’s post is written by Dan Brown, Chief Marketing Officer for Healing Waters International.


World Water Day, March 22, was initiated by the United Nations in 1992 to help focus attention on the 1.1 billion people in the world who still lack safe drinking water.

World Water Day 2009

And for World Water Day 2009, we, Healing Waters, are celebrating our role in helping resolve this crisis by giving away free water at each of the water purification systems we’ve built with our local ministry partners. This event happens to coincide with a major ministry milestone for us – distributing 75 million gallons of safe drinking water to poor communities in developing countries.

Sustainability along with personal and community transformation are key components of our operational model. Over 110,000 people in poor, urban slums receive their daily drinking water from churches we partner with.

The churches have put nearly $500,000 back into their neighborhoods with community service funds and donated more than 3 million gallons to local schools. Every $50 donated to Healing Waters since we began seven years ago has provided life-giving water to another person.

While it took us 18 months to distribute our first million gallons of water and three years to deliver 10 million, we’re now distributing water at a rate of more than 1.6 million gallons a month.

With the addition of nine new systems this year, of which at least three will be at Compassion-assisted child development centers, we expect to deliver more than 2 million gallons per month by year end. (We currently operate 67 systems in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico, 18 of which are at Compassion centers.)

“We are humbled to play a role in closing the gap on the world water crisis. We have become experts in our area of providing for the poor, urban communities of the developing world; but there is still so many more in need.” —  Ed Anderson, CEO of Healing Waters International.

Go to www.healingwatersintl.org to learn more and donate.

healing waters international logo
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What is Healing Waters International?

The problem of contaminated drinking water is a serious one. 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from water-related diseases each year — that’s the equivalent of thirty-eight 777s crashing every day and killing everyone on board. — UNICEF/WHO, Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000

There are many organizations in this world building clean water delivery systems in rural areas of the developing world, but the need for safe drinking water in more developed communities gets overlooked.

Communities may have water infrastructures in place, but the water that is distributed is contaminated. Purified bottle water is available in local stores, but not everyone can afford the “luxury” of clean water. Healing Waters International, one of our business partners, is changing that.

Healing Waters International builds water purification systems at local churches in the developing world, and trains the church staff to operate the systems and manage the accounting. The churches then sell the water in their communities, typically for less than a quarter of the cost of store-bought water, and then sponsor community service projects with the revenue that remains.

healing waters international banner

Healings Waters International Mission Statement

To see safe water provided in the name of Jesus in every poor community of the world, Healing Waters International empowers local ministry partners to bring physical, social and spiritual transformation to poor communities by providing sustainable, safe water solutions.

What a remarkable mission!

Kind of sounds like ours, doesn’t it? 🙂

Join the Healing Waters International cause on Facebook.

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