Earlier this month, I told you about how through the creativity of one of our donors, many children have been able to participate in Compassion-assisted programs throughout the world. Since then, the story of Mike Foster’s Junky Car Club in Southern California has taken on a life of its own.

National Public Radio (NPR) will be airing a story about the car club on their Christmas morning program each hour at 10 minutes ‘til the hour. I hope you can catch the segment when it airs because I’d appreciate hearing what you think.

And while you’re at it, let NPR know as well.

Merry Christmas!

Find your local NPR station.

Christmas is that time of year when the news media loves to write about the great things you all are doing as sponsors and donors. A recent OC Register article talks about one donor in Southern California who has put a new “spin” on God’s command to be charitable to the poor and needy. He’s driving clunkers and giving what would be a monthly car payment to Compassion. He’s also encouraging others to do the same.

Read the story for yourself, and let me know if you are aware of anyone – maybe even yourself – who has come up with creative ways to give to those who are in need.

Photo by Niyaz Pirani, The Orange County Register

Hello everyone. I didn’t expect to get “corporate” on you so quickly, but … our AIDS Initiative was featured on FOX21, Colorado Springs’ local FOX affiliate the other day.

And since Monday was World AIDS Day, and Amber and Becky wrote about the AIDS Initiative, I felt compelled to jump in too.

Take a look to see how we’re fighting the AIDS pandemic, one child and one family at a time.

Hi, my name is Stephan Archer. I joined Compassion a few months ago as the U.S. Communication Specialist. Although I am in the business of communicating from day to day, this is my first attempt at blogging, so bear with me as I try to figure this out.

My calling to Compassion was really a journey that began at home, and it began with two small children — my own.

You see, my wife and I are homeschoolers. Our two girls, ages three and five, are now in preschool and kindergarten. Like other children this age, they have a million questions, most of which I struggle answering.

• Why is God invisible?
• Where does the sun go to bed at night?
• Why are yummy things bad for you and yucky things good for you?
• Why won’t Bambi see his mother again? (Those of you with young children who have a movie collection that teeters heavily towards the cartoon genre will appreciate this question.)

But while our children ask many things, there are many more things they don’t ask that they need to know.

For example, in such a richly blessed country as America, I don’t suppose too many kids learn on their own what it means to be thankful and content. Yet this is so important for children to understand if they are to grow up and be the adults we want them to be.

Thus, like many homeschoolers in search of ideas, my wife and I turned to the internet and started Googling — using words such as “contentment,” “thankfulness,” and “compassion” for those less fortunate.

We came across Compassion’s website and were so moved by what we saw that we immediately decided to sponsor a little girl named Kimberly in Guatemala.

Sponsorship has been nothing short of a wonderful experience for my entire family, as both my girls pray for Kimberly regularly. My oldest even draws pictures for Kimberly and sends encouraging notes with them.

I went one step further and read Wess Stafford’s book, Too Small to Ignore. After reading his book, I was more motivated than ever to be a part of this ministry.

During this time, God led me on a six-month employment-seeking journey as I communicated with various people at Compassion. I was able to examine my own heart and pray for God’s leading.

Now that I’m here at Compassion, I can say with confidence that this ministry is everything it purports to be.

Like any ministry or church body, the day to day things are managed by human beings, and with that, comes challenges. However, everyone here knows that God is ultimately leading this ministry. I’ve never seen a leadership team more dedicated to God’s will than I’ve seen at Compassion.

I’ve enjoyed reading what all of you think and would love to share with you from time to time what’s on my mind. Sometimes, I’ll jump in on your conversations and share my personal thoughts on the matter as well. Either way, I’m looking forward to being blessed by our discussions, and my hope is that you benefit as well.