Remembering Abigail

family walking along dirt road in a village

Abigail lives in Ghana, is the youngest of six siblings, and her father died when she was three years old. Abigail taught her sponsor to enjoy letters from preschool and early elementary children.

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Beginnings and Seedlings: The Value of Trees

three seedling trees

Beginnings may not be glamorous, but most worthy causes start small. We fail to remember little choices and little seeds can grow into something massive. Trees are a prime example.

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Compassion sign about malaria.

Malaria Bites! Bite Back.

What does malaria feel like? If malaria goes untreated, what can it lead to?

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group of children holding malaria nets

Combating Malaria in Haiti

Malaria, nearly non-existent in many other Caribbean countries, remains the third-leading cause of death among children under 5 in Haiti. Haiti lacks the public health, sanitation and human resources needed to deliver crucial preventive health and medical services to the population.

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Close-up photo of a mosquito.

A Creative Writing Assignment for World Malaria Day 2013

Half of the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, is vulnerable to malaria. And it’s all because of mosquitoes.

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Two children walking on a dirt path.

I Have Malaria (or Thought I Did)

I came home from Ghana with severe chills, headache and a fever. I’d been in Africa two weeks, and these symptoms alarmed me. Could I be infected with malaria?

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group of children wearing orange shirts

Servant Leadership Lived Out

Our ministry in Bangladesh has been blessed by excellent managers who are contributing to the lives of marginalized children. Piyush is one of those making differences in the local community with his intelligence, talent, creativity and, most importantly, his heart for God and children.

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man sitting at desk writing

What Can a Hard-working Person Accomplish?

It’s 5 a.m., in the midst of complete darkness, and members of the Pentecostal Church of God in Batey Magdalena are gathered in one of the dusty streets of this sugarcane-cutting community. Worshiping the Lord, they pray for spiritual healing for their people.

Claudio, now a civil engineering graduate through our Leadership Development Program, is in charge of leading these gatherings.

As he was leading the group one day, the area’s most-feared voodoo leader came after him with a machete. The man shouted death threats and claimed that “those prayers” bothered him. But as he raised the machete to attack Claudio, the man’s body began to tremble and he collapsed to the ground. His sons picked him up and took him home.

Despite threats Claudio faces while doing street ministry, he persists. He is accustomed to overcoming obstacles.

During his early years, this young adult’s life was similar to the lives of many other children in Batey Magdalena: He and his twin sister were being raised by their uncle while their mother, Clarissa, worked on another island.

Then his mother returned home and, to better support her children, she began to make iced drinks, corn pies and fried wheat goods. Claudio sold trays of these goods and iced drinks to the community.

young man and woman smiling

He learned at a young age that hard work and determination would help him accomplish his goals.

In his last year studying civil engineering, he flunked the exams in two classes and passed one class with a very low grade. He was called into a meeting with our country office director, Kleber Isaias Lora Bautista.

“I remember when I was called to Kleber’s office, I said to myself, ‘Well, in this lap, I’m out.’ But Kleber said, ‘Let’s do something that I have never done before. I’m going to write a letter so that you can get a time extension.’

“He said, ‘Claudio, I know that you are going to finish well; I know that you can.’”

Claudio was able to feel the grace of God in this time of trial. (more…)

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two girls walking down a dirt road

How One Woman Is Confronting the Global Orphan Crisis

Diane Elliot, an author, professional photographer, and business administrator of Wauconda, Illinois, willingly takes on the title of mother to children who have never had their own.

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Ben Mwangi

A Life Changed: Ben’s Story

Ben was raised in the slums of Korogocho — or the ‘city of trash’ in Nairobi, Kenya. Ben often wondered if he would be another statistic — one who died from drug addiction or disease.

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What is True Impact?

Sooner or later, we’re all programmed to struggle with legacy and impact. Each of us is keenly aware that we’ve been engineered with talents and abilities to contribute to the world in some way while we’re here.

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prove it banner

You Want to Change the World?

What is proof of a changed life? Does it include an education or a relationship with Jesus? What does a changed life look like to you?

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