Are you still with me? Still tracking with these thoughts on eliminating poverty? Good.

Now, I’ll share with you some data – data that show the Millennium Development Goals are on target.

We used to say that 40,000 children under age 5 die every day of hunger or preventable diseases. Then about 6 to 7 years ago this number was 30,000. Today, 24,000 children under 5 die every day of hunger or preventable diseases.

These statistics show that in 20 years the number of children who die every day of hunger or preventable diseases has been cut in half. Yet, the birth rate is actually going up. The population is increasing. (more…)

On Monday, I asked your thoughts on whether it’s possible for us to eliminate poverty in light of two Bible verses that address the topic differently.

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” – John 12:8 (NIV)

“However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you.” – Deuteronomy 15:4 (NIV)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. And as I promised, here’s a summary of what Scott shared with us at chapel. (more…)

There are times when the Lord, being the mysterious and grand lover that He is, will shine the light of revelation into our hearts. These moments are most beautiful to me, to have received some understanding of the heart of the King.

Yet, as awakening as they can be, they are also piercing, able to transform the deepest parts of my being, to change the way I see. Even to change the way I live. We are not dealing with a quiet God and, most certainly, not a complacent God.

Working at Compassion has brought a concern for the poor more deeply into my life. Poverty is no longer some distant thought to me. It’s not a trip I can reflect on or even a verse I can read. My daily life, for eight-plus hours a day, steeps within it, within the knowledge and awareness of poverty.

Recently, Dr. Scott Todd, our Senior Ministry Advisor, spoke to us at chapel. It was a time when the Lord broke through in revelation for me.

First of all, some background on Scott. He helps define and develop our philosophy on child development and poverty and how we work to combat it, which affects our communications and program design and how they work together. He also coordinates our global advocacy efforts about the importance of children in poverty to the worldwide church. He’s a busy guy — one who the Lord has entrusted much to.

So, back to what I was saying: He presented a powerful message that left me teary-eyed and deeply convicted. I have decided I do not wish to carry the burden of his message alone.

Can We Eliminate Poverty or Not? (more…)

A teacher of the law walks up to Jesus while He is teaching and asks Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the greatest?”

Jesus says to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.

The teacher of the law responds to Jesus, agreeing with what He has said, and then in understanding also states that these two commandments are “more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (summary of Mark 12:28-34).

I have found that this act of love, to love our neighbor as our self, is no mystery. It is the living, breathing body of Christ working within the power and capacity of the Lord. Hurting when others are hurt, rejoicing when others rejoice.

We walk forward and love with love that has been poured on us, our hearts made sensitive to the needs of those around us.

We are intricately connected, I believe more so than we even suspect. We are one body, the Bride of Christ, each one of us examples of Christ’s love.

I expound upon this for a reason; I recently heard a story at Compassion in a meeting that left such awe resonating in my heart. So much so that I went and hunted down the pictures, the full report,* and then I requested to share it with you.

It is an account of the body of Christ in action, the call to love our neighbor being fulfilled.

Breathing was extremely difficult and oxygen had to be administrated 24 hours a day. His daily life had to be overseen 24/7 and the worries of the medics grew day after day as Stuart had to struggle with an illness called subglottic stenosis.

Subglottic stenosis causes the throat to narrow and makes the breathing process complicated, and for Stuart restricts his life to 50 percent of normal capabilities.

Stuart has suffered from this illness since he was 3 years old, and as the doctors in Nicaragua examined his case, they realized that the appropriate treatment could not be done there but rather only in Europe.

Dr. Erick Castillo (Compassion Guatemala’s Health Specialist), worked closely with Dr. Nubia Figueroa (Compassion Nicaragua’s Program Implementation Manager) sharing reports about Stuart’s health status, and found in Guatemala a medic who could fulfill this surgery and suggested this new option.

Reluctantly, Stuart’s mom agreed to travel to Guatemala, but later regretted her decision and turned down her permission to let Stuart travel. Her fear was that this surgery leaves a small open hole in the patient’s throat for at least one year, depending on the alimentation and care that he is given.

Eventually, though, Stuart was able to travel to Guatemala and had this laser surgery that resulted in a successful outcome for his life!

Ingrid González (Compassion Guatemala’s Curriculum Specialist) opened her home doors for Stuart and his mother while he was recovering from this surgery, and along with Erick Castillo, treated him the very best they could by praying, giving encouraging words and striving to help them feel at home as they were in an unknown country.

Compassion Guatemala, through its Country Director as well as the local office’s prayer group and many of its staff, constantly monitored Stuart’s case to see how he was doing. Stuart received many gifts from the staff and was even taken to church and then to an outing by one of the staff members on a beautiful Sunday.

Stuart continues to thrive in life, and his health is continually improving since his surgery.

Dr. Castillo and Dr. Figueroa continue to oversee Stuart’s health by sharing mutual reports, since Stuart must return soon to Guatemala for his respective medical follow-up to make sure everything is all right, especially the small hole left in his throat.

Compassion Guatemala continues to advise our partners in Nicaragua to give Stuart proper support, from his student center to his home.

Stuart’s birthday was June 9, the first birthday that he did not spend in a hospital. What a beautiful thing!

The command to love our neighbor as our self is a great task but one that can result in victories … even in saving lives.

And let us remember how Jesus responded to the man who acknowledged the beauty of the command:

“When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” – Mark 12:34 (NIV)

*Stuart’s story was written by Samuel Llanes in the Compassion Guatemala office.

If you pick up a dictionary and thumb your way through the pages to find the word “genocide,” this is what you’ll read: “The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular race or ethnic group.”

We have that word in our vocabulary. And somewhere, at some point in history someone said, “What name will we have for the deliberate mass killing of people?” We needed a word for it because such a thing was taking place.

It completely unravels my nerves, but not as much as my ignorance does. In a lot of ways evil, for me, is something I have heard of. Something I have learned about. But for so many it is a memory, an experience. Some of those people live in Rwanda and have come intimately close to witnessing pure hatred.

My lack of knowledge took a back seat in college when I truly began to discover so many horrific events that I had heard of at one time, maybe on the news or seen as a headline, but was never thoroughly introduced to what had taken place.

I watched documentary after documentary, movies based on true events, read history books … I was like a sponge soaking it all in, attempting to wash away my ignorance, trying to grasp how such things had even taken place.

How can we be so capable of such evil? (more…)

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!

“I learned in my childhood in Africa that a child may be born in poverty but poverty is never born in a child. The worst aspects of poverty are not the deplorable outward conditions, but rather the erosion and eventual destruction of hope and therefore dreams.”

Too Small To Ignore
Dr. Wess Stafford

Now that is an intense statement. One that requires reflection; allowing ourselves to read and re-read each word carefully, grasping at understanding.

Have you grasped it?

Even with my draw to aid children in poverty, I still struggle with getting it. I mean really getting it.

The Lord has taken me on many a great adventure. He has been my tour guide, my leader, even my travel buddy! And anyone who has traveled knows how important the buddy system is.

He gives me these glimpses into poverty, into what a majority of the world is faced with, and I dive into them with all my emotion, mind and heart. I studiously grapple with realities that are too surreal for me to comprehend.

I have seen immense lack of materials and absence of love, but I know I cannot rely on just experiences to fuel my passion. Especially when my desire is to do all things unto the Lord, and that can’t be put on hold when I’m just not feeling it.

But all is not lost. I simply read. That’s right … I am constantly reading. That person who is reading four books at one time … that’s me. I always have two books in my purse and even two journals. So, most times when I am in line or waiting somewhere I am either writing or reading.

I have come to see that my passion for social justice and my desire for reading are more intermingled than I realized. Reading helps me remember. It takes the disconnect I sometimes feel and lessens the gap.

For example, I read this from Too Small To Ignore (which was one of the four I was reading), (more…)