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

• A man who watched his wife of 35 years die of AIDS-related causes.
• A man who has nine children, all born again.
• A man who has known his status for four years but hasn’t been deterred.
• A man who boldly stood in front of my camera when I wanted to respect his privacy but still get a photo of his humble and dilapidated dwelling.

This man with a gaunt face but beautiful eyes shook my hand strongly and with great confidence.

He shared with me his story, one that brought him from finding out his status to living and breathing today as a positive, incredibly inspiring story of someone who has decided to live his life with thanks, not fear.

When I asked John what he wanted others to know about HIV or being HIV positive, he said (more…)

I still can’t get over what we’ve experienced in producing Reflections of a Compassion Traveller. Until I turned 10 I lived in a culture that believed the existence of higher powers or gods inhabited carved figurines (plated with gold even) and were to be worshiped.

Now that I’ve come to know the Lord, I realise how heartbreaking it must be for Him to see His creation turn to other gods. I also realise just how loving, patient and faithful He is to have pursued me in spite of my past disobedience.

I find it difficult to imagine myself living in a world where I would be publicly persecuted for believing in or proclaiming the Truth. Paul states in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing would separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. I wholeheartedly believe that.

But it does make me wonder … If I knew Christ, only to enter into circumstances which threaten my expression of faith, would I shake hands with the convenient half-truths, the counterfeits, the prince of the power of the air? Would I be a Daniel? (more…)

My husband and I sponsor a 10-year-old girl in Burkina Faso named Evelyne. Evelyne has five siblings, none of whom are in Compassion’s sponsorship program.

Compassion’s policy is that a maximum of three children from the same family can be registered in the sponsorship program. However, some countries limit the number of children registered from one family to one or two. And when a country first opens its sponsorship program, it is common for only one child per family to be allowed in the program due to capacity limitations.

That may seem harsh, but it’s quite strategic from a Kingdom perspective. Compassion’s desire is to reach as many families as possible in the communities where a child development center has opened.

Compassion works through local indigenous churches in 25 developing countries, and these are poor churches. It’s one child development center to one church – no exceptions.

When a Compassion church partner opens a child development center, there may be room for only 200 children. And the reality is, there are more children than spots available (“the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few,” so to speak).

By registering one to three children per family, Compassion’s church partners are canvassing a larger area of the community, thus having a greater opportunity to share the gospel with more families. In reality, child registration limitations help more people in the long run.

So, back to Evelyne. (more…)

Today’s half sentence sprang from the minds of Compassion Dave and Judy Tremblay.

Before I sponsored a child, I used to spend $32 a month on . . .

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…)

Earlier this week, you got a good glimpse into who Richmond Wandera is, which reminded us that we haven’t properly introduced you to Michelle Sheba Tolentino, another one of the Wess Stafford-Moody Bible Institute Scholarship recipients Celina told you about.

This video is about a year old, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth your time.

The video is a little less than eight minutes long, and in it Michelle talks about the value and meaning of Compassion’s programs in her life.

We don’t have a video about Tony Beltran Morales, scholarship recipient number three, but we did profile him back in November 2008 – Leadership Development in the Dominican Republic.

What if we never heard the story of how David slew Goliath? Or the story about Jesus rebuking the storm? How about when Elijah brought the widow’s son back to life?

Honestly … think of your faith without all those miraculous stories.

I can’t do it. I can’t think of my faith without thinking about the great things the Lord has done.

• When I need patience, I think of Abraham.
• When I need strength, I think of Ruth.
• When I need to work on truly seeking the face of the Lord, I think of David.
• When I want to understand how to love more, I think of all the ways Jesus loved everyone … and that’s a lot of stories.

The Lord has let us in. We have access to knowing what He has done and the outcomes He has produced.

As you may know, I am a big fan of stories. Coming to Compassion has only made me fall more in love with stories. Stories take what I cannot see or comprehend and make it a reality for me.

It just so happens that Compassion is overflowing with stories:

• Stories about the impact you make in the lives of children in poverty.
• A story about young adults who are working toward becoming doctors, teachers, engineers … because of their child development centers.
• Stories about our church partners.

Of course, the challenge is getting these wonderful stories to you, our faithful sponsors.

Oh, wait! It’s not that big of a challenge. We have the blog and then, there’s our Impact e-Newsletter.

Impact is Compassion’s monthly e-newsletter designed specifically for people with a heart for children in poverty. Discover educational resources, read inspiring stories, and learn practical ways to get involved in the fight against global poverty.

It’s simple to subscribe too.

1. Log into compassion.com
2. Click on “Update E-mail Interests,” on the left side of the page.
3. Click the box to receive the Impact e-Newsletter.

And once you begin receiving the newsletter, we’ve included an easy way to share the content with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace.

Simple, right?

We want it to be simple because Impact doesn’t just contain “any” stories. These are stories the Lord has written. Ideas the Lord has inspired. Accomplishments the Lord has blessed.

OK, want to know something else (lean in a bit closer) … our April Impact e-newsletter is going to be packed with some amazing news. I can barely wait for it to come out, and I know what is in it!

There is going to be that story about … oh wait, I don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that yet.

Oh! But there is this new … oh no, I think I also need to hush up about that.

Well, at least I can tell that in April we will be releasing … eek! I’m pretty sure this is one I really can’t talk about.

OK, all is not lost! April is not too far away. Go sign-up to receive the newsletter today so we can talk about how amazing our new … well, you’ll know more on April 6!