Every year, graduating Leadership Development Program (LDP) students in the Philippines go to work camp where they engage in community service. The yearly work camp usually engages students in missionary work to unreached tribal groups, but this year the students extended a helping hand to typhoon victims.

At the end of October, LDP students from all over the Philippines came together in Manila, Santa Mesa, Novaliches and Bulacan for the annual camp. They were tasked to perform community service for those who had been badly affected by Typhoon Ketsana, which dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours, fueling the worst flooding to hit the Philippines in more than 40 years.

Zechariah, one of the students, was excited to be at this year’s work camp putting the program’s value of Christian servant leadership into practice. As he walked into a community in Marikina City, he recognized the Marikina Bridge that he had seen on TV.

“This was where a family was swept away by strong flood currents and were riding the waves on the remains of floating debris. They passed beneath this bridge.”

Zechariah and his group of 12 others were assigned to clean a church building in the squatter community of Tumana, which was near the bridge. The church is a daughter church of the Marikina Foursquare Gospel Church, a Compassion church partner.

Registered children living in the area come to this church building for their weekly developmental activities. The registered children hadn’t been able to use the building for a month because of the mud and damage from the flooding.

The student workers were surprised that a month after the typhoon the church was still muddied all over up to its ceiling. “It’s as if the flood abated just yesterday,” they observed.

The entire community, too, was still full of traces of the flooding – mud-covered homes, turned-over vehicles, and people ceaselessly talking about how they survived.

Fetching a pail of water a few blocks from the church, Zechariah said, “This is nothing new to us. We are used to this kind of work.”

His teammates agreed, recalling the times when their own hometowns were hit by cyclones.

In the community of Novaliches, the group of LDP work campers was joined by volunteer youths, doctors and nurses to offer free medicine and medical checkups.

Together with volunteers from the Nazarene Student Center and the Novaliches Nazarene Church, they offered medical help to the families of both registered and non-registered children.

One of the volunteer nurses was Dahlia, a former LDP student, who brought along volunteer doctors with free medicine.

Tweela, another student worker, believes that through the work camp she can “project positive attitude against (the people’s) negative experiences.”

She said she has received so much from the Leadership Development Program that it is just right to give to others.

“It feels good to help people knowing that this was for a purpose. There was a sense of accomplishment as we saw the church slowly getting cleaner.”

Marikina City, where the students served, was one of the worst-hit cities in metro Manila. News reports placed the death toll in Marikina alone at 75 out of the total 240 deaths around the metro area.

“I was sure I was going to die that day,” said Pastor Lorenzo as he told the LDP students how he fought to swim to higher ground.

“Here in Marikina people are used to typhoons and floods, but I was shocked to see that the waters kept rising. I knew that this was bad.

“I had to escape when the water rose to my chest. It never stopped rising until it covered the entire church building. Many people from this community died.”

After the water abated the next day, the pastor attempted to clean and fix the place all by himself. Although his members offered help, he refused them because they, too, had to take care of their own lot.

After a few days, the pastor was so exhausted that doctors advised him to rest.

“But I couldn’t rest my mind because I kept thinking about our church. I believe that it was really God who sent you (LDP students) to help me do cleanup this week. Praise God for the LDP.”

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The walk through the haphazardly planned township of Fadama is not a smooth one. You have to stop from time to time to scan the road to avoid stepping into wastewater on the ground due to lack of a proper drainage system.

Several child development center workers from the Church of Pentecost Fadama went into Fadama to identify impoverished children in the community to be registered into their new center.

As the four team members turned a corner, they collided with a little boy who had been angrily shoved out of a wooden structure that serves as a place where people go to buy food and eat. Such spots in Ghana are popularly called “chop bars.”

The boy was thin, in worn-out clothes and with no sandals to protect his feet from the filth on the ground. His name was Fred.

Fred is a 9-year-old-boy who lives with his 82-year-old grandfather, Steven, who is too old to do any work.

Food is hard to provide, so Fred sneaks into chop bars to eat leftovers from customers who don’t finish their food. He does this to the annoyance of the bartenders, who subject Fred to harsh treatment when they lay hands on him. Fred does not go to school because his grandfather cannot afford the school fees.

The grandfather, Steven, used to work as a domestic servant for expatriates until 1986, when that service was scrapped and he lost his job.

In 2003, he again got a job as a night watch with a private company, but could not do that for long due to his frequent poor health. Doctors advised him that it was bad for him at his age to work out in the open air at night. He stopped the job and has not had a job since.

Fred’s father died not long after he was born. His mother remarried, but the new husband does not want to have Fred in his home. The grandfather is the only relative who is willing to have Fred now.

After the center workers saw his condition, Fred became the 148th child to be registered into their child development center. He has been enrolled in school and is in class/grade one. He attends the center regularly on Saturdays. Yet conditions did not immediately change much at home.

Food provision continues to be difficult. Granddad still does not earn any income. Sometimes the old man himself has to go to the center to get money from the workers before he can buy food for Fred and himself.

The center staff were worried about Fred’s condition at home, and wondered what they could do to make life better for him and his grandfather in the long term. Then Compassion’s Highly Vulnerable Children’s (HVC) Fund was introduced in Ghana.

The HVC Fund is an initiative through which assistance is given to children in critical situations – children facing devastating conditions that could end their lives or prevent them from growing and developing in the way that God wants them to.

The Highly Vulnerable Children’s Fund works with the poorest of the poor children. It helps children who are poor and need special attention and assistance in order to survive.

For example, HVC might help an orphan whose caregiver is too old, too sick or not in a condition to generate any income to sustain the child. Or some families are so large, sometimes as large as 10 children, with parents who are not gainfully employed, so food does not go around.

Compassion Ghana does not register more than two children from the same family, except in extremely special situations. This means that the once-a-week feeding on Saturday is not going to help a child in this situation that much.

Children like this would need another intervention to bring them to the level of other children in the Child Sponsorship Program. That is where the Highly Vulnerable Children’s Fund comes in.

The HVC Fund provides children supplemental nutrition. This is intended to help the children eat regularly and get the nutrients their bodies need so that they can grow and develop well. Nutritious food will help them develop  cognitively and perform well in their studies.

Every month, rather than giving the families money, the child is given food worth 20 Ghana cedis, which is about U.S.$143. From this money, the center buys nutritional food such as beans, eggs and milk for the child monthly.

Fred receives food supplements every month. He is looking better physically, and is doing better at school.He can now speak a few words of English and does simple arithmetic. His favorite sport is soccer. The center gave him a soccer ball which he cherishes so much.

Another component of HVC is income-generation activities organized for caregivers to give them economic power so that they can also provide for the other needs of the children, apart from what Compassion is providing. It also enables them to take care of other children in the family who might not be in the sponsorship program. Without this, the little that is provided by Compassion would be spread among the rest of the family, which would still not be enough.

Caregivers are trained to identify things they can do to generate income, and are empowered with grant money with which they can start a trade. (The specific amount given to individual caregivers is still under discussion.)

Grandfather Steven is in the process of being helped by the center to start earning an income selling firewood. He is very grateful for what Compassion is doing for Fred.

“I know that I am very old and I do not have long to be there for my grandson. But it is my prayer that Compassion would continue to be there for Fred even when I am gone.

“I was there only in body for Fred, but it was Compassion who gave us hope.”

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Not too long ago, Kelina wasn’t your ideal mother. She would spill her anger over onto her three children, hitting them every day. She never used an empty hand to hit them, but would use rattan to hurt them. Her children were scared of her.

“I started to hit them when my husband wasn’t at home.

“I don’t know why it was so easy to get angry with my children. All I know is that when they wouldn’t do something that I had asked, I became angry and started to smite them. My anger was known as a common and frightening morning greeting for them.”

Kelina lives in Wamena, West Papua, a small city on the western side of the remote island of New Guinea. Wamena women are known as caring people and responsible mothers. Even though they have two major responsibilities, to go to the farmland and take care of their children every day, they still have love to share with their family.

That responsibility encourages Wamena women to be strong against all challenges. Even when they receive challenges from the unpredictable weather, they always try to give their best. In the middle of the difficult conditions, they still are able to give their love and time for their family.

Wamena women think creatively with the resources they have to survive. Even though they do not own farmland themselves, they rent farmland from others. To pay the cost of the rental of the land, they will share half of the crops with the owner of the land.

Although Kelina owned her own land, she didn’t want to take care of it. She had a bad attitude toward it. As a wife of Yosep, Kelina never showed her thankfulness, preferring to blame her husband, who didn’t work and couldn’t support their needs.

“I liked to get angry with him. I even have hit him because he couldn’t support our family financially.”

Kelina didn’t know how to give her love to her family in appropriate ways. Since she was young, Kelina’s parents never taught her.

Kelina also did not have a good relationship with God, even though she was born in a Christian home. She didn’t go to Sunday school very often. She preferred to stay at home and sleep rather than to go to church or have a daily prayer life in the morning.

“I never knew that building a relationship with God would help me to deal with anything. I just know when I feel angry, I can hurt anyone I like to hurt.”

Kelina’s bad attitude didn’t stop at the front door of her house. Kelina liked to gossip about the things going on in her neighborhood.

Kelina once had a fight with one of her relatives who asked for food. She gave her answer with one slap to her relative.

Her bad attitude became a trigger for her to fight with everyone. But then everything changed.

As a mother of a baby, she was registered with 34 other mothers in a Child Survival Program in Wamena. It was through being a part of the program that she realized her habits were bad.

“I realized I had done a lot of things that hurt everyone. I knew about that from the information that our implementer shared in our meetings.

“Our implementer tells lots of things that remind us to change our bad habits. She taught us not to hit our children. She said that I could teach my children through my attitude as a living model every day. I really thank God because I could join in the program and have a better way of life.”

Realizing that her habit all this time was wrong, one day Kelina started to find God. She confessed her sins.

“I now ask God to lead my path. I ask for wisdom and have started to have a daily prayer life. I try to start to read the Bible to understand what is called love.”

Together with the growth of her spiritual life, Kelina never misses a chance to share the love that she got. She’s become eager to share God’s love to her children every day.

Kelina has become calmer. No one hears the angry voice of a rough mother in the morning anymore. Kelina does not hit her children anymore. She likes to make requests of her children more politely.

The woman who didn’t want to share anything has also become a generous person. She likes to share anything she has.

But the transformation was not just accepted automatically by her children. They were not really sure about the love that she wanted to share. Her children thought that it suddenly could disappear one day.

“They thought I showed my kindness just for a glance. At first, they still didn’t want to stay near me.”

But after a long struggle to convince her children, Kelina won their hearts. Kelina also has been able to teach her children how to behave.

The woman who never taught her children to take a bath now never misses a day to ask them to do it. Kelina draws the water from the well each day to keep her children clean and healthy.

Even though she still lives in a honai, a Papuan traditional home, Kelina knows how to have a healthy lifestyle with her children.

A honai does not have any windows in order to keep the room warm. Most honai have only one room. It is a round building made from wood and straw for the roof and the floor. The diameter of the smallest honai is about three meters.

Papuans usually use the center of the honai to cook. The family members will use the other side for their needs such as sleeping and other activities. The other parts of the honai are usually used for their pets.

Pigs are a common pet for Papua people. Since they are expensive, Papuans like to keep their pigs inside their honai to keep them safe from thieves.

In these conditions, Kelina has learned how to keep her children healthy. Whenever she cooks meals, she always asks her children to play outside the house because the smoke of the fireplace could make it difficult to breath. Kelina knows that her children’s health is one of the most valuable things now.

Kelina now knows her responsibility as a mother. She likes to wake her children, ask them to take a bath, and prepare their needs to go to the school.

After finishing the morning tasks, Kelina goes to her family’s farmland right in front and beside her house. She starts to clean up the weeds and always brings the youngest child, Christian, almost 2 year old, with her.

Kelina’s children have also become obedient children and have a positive lifestyle.

Everyone could feel the impact of the changes in Kelina’s life.

“I know sometimes my neighbors don’t have a good crop to sell. If they don’t have something to eat, I gave them papaya, some ginger, chili or other crops from my farmland for them to sell. It really could help them to survive.”

Kelina knows that these changes are because of Jesus. The character of Jesus helps her change her old habits.

Now God blesses what flows from Kelina’s hand and heart.

Visit The Difference is Jesus dot com.

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Kenneth Kataryeba, a learning and support specialist for East Africa, shares the story of a girl in a wheelchair whom he just met, and how bringing joy to children and helping lift them from the misery of poverty is how he really gets paid.

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Typhoon Ketsana, which struck the Philippines on September 26, damaged more than 1,500 homes of Compassion-assisted children and families, and nearly 20 student centers were affected by the storm.*

Ketsana hit the Philippines on a Saturday, the day when registered children gather at the student centers. But on September 26 not many arrived at Marikina Foursquare Student Center. Ketsana was already pounding hard.

However, some children did come.

Bernadette, the center director, fed them and instructed them to go home immediately. And as she planned to visit the homes of other children to give them some food because the floodwaters were rising fast, she was called by her own family. Her home was flooded too.

“What I have learned from this is not to look back on the possessions I lost, but rather focus on saving myself and my loved ones. On that day, I couldn’t attend to the needs of the children since my own home was in disarray.”

In the following days Bernadette reports that none of the children from her student center were hurt, although all of their homes were flooded, damaged in some way or destroyed completely.

The student center and its surrounding communities were completely submerged under water. And five days after the typhoon, homes and communities were still flooded, muddied, stinky and a mess.

Mirasol, a mother at the church, says,

“It is still a nightmare for me. I still vividly recall images of people being swept away by the water. I couldn’t sleep thinking that I was not able to help them as they were crying, as they were swept away towards the river. My child was crying the loudest, ‘Mother, Mother, the water is so high already!’”

Two of Mirasol’s children, Maribel and Dominic, are registered at the student center. They are safe but their home is still under water.

Miguel, another child from the student center, says he was so afraid because he got separated from his father when his father took his mother to safety first, but could not come back for Miguel and his younger brother because of the dangerously strong current.

Miguel and his brother were rescued by a neighbor, also a Compassion parent, as the boys jumped from roof to roof. They were reunited with their parents the next day at the church, but their tiny home was washed away completely.

Miguel’s father confesses,

“I pounded on my heart in anguish, crying. I was thinking of my boys all the time. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to look for them several times. I even waded back and forth in the water calling out for my sons.”

But despite the situation he and his family now find themselves in, Miguel’s father says,

“I won’t complain because I still have what truly matters.”

His family.

When natural disasters strike, Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund provides sponsored children and their families with food, clothing and basic supplies to help rebuild their lives. Learn more about the Disaster Relief Fund.

*Editor’s note: In the wake of a disaster we contact each sponsor who has a child affected by that disaster. We do so once we receive details from the country office about the child. If your child was affected by either Typhoon Ketsana or Typhoon Parma, you will be contacted when we receive information about your child.

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Thomas Swaroop, Child Advocacy Director for South Asia, shares about the inspiration he received from a young girl who has an opportunity to shine for Jesus.

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In Thailand, Christians make up less than 1 percent of the population in a predominantly Buddhist country. But every Thursday evening a small group of Christian university students gather together to worship and glorify God at Naresuan University.

During this time of praise and singing, Maneenoot and Ittipol from the Leadership Development Program observe their college friends who attend this small group. Some students walk in casually, and others enter in a hurry, rushing from their previous class. A handful of students sit by themselves nearby.

The hearts of Ittipol and Maneenoot are crying out to bring back all the lost souls to their heavenly Father’s kingdom.

In 2005, a group of Leadership Development Program students decided to join together to form a group in order to fellowship and support each other while attending Naresuan University, located in Payao province.

At the time, out of the 20,000 students who attend the university, there were only a few Christian students who met for weekly Bible studies and prayer together near the university reservoir.

Maneenoot was one of the students who attended the Bible study group. She has been attending for the past two years, ever since she first entered Naresuan University.

Deep in her heart Maneenoot knew that her arrival at Naresuan University was not arbitrary. On the contrary, God had a specific purpose for bringing her to this university. Despite attending the weekly Bible studies, Maneenoot felt that this was not enough to satisfy her desire to serve the Lord.

“On November last year [2008] we planned to host a Christmas party and we wanted to invited our non-Christian friends. We wanted them to have fun and meet new people.

“Most importantly, we wanted our non-believer friends to hear about the true meaning of Christmas day and ultimately come to accept Jesus into their lives.”

When the Christmas party took place on Christmas day it attracted a large turnout. There were 50 students who showed up to the party held at the local church.

Pastor Nachared shared the story of Jesus, explaining why He was born on earth and His sacrifice for all mankind — the ultimate Christmas gift.

It was evident that God was working among the students. Eleven students accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior after the party.

“God had answered our prayers for revival in this university. God has enabled us to hear His call and evangelize to our friends. I am so thankful to God that He is moving in my university.” — Maneenoot

The small Christian Bible study group has grown to become a Christian club, the Give With Love Club, that now has more than 60 members, half of them believers.

“I still know that God has plans to expand our Bible study group. My friends and I share a common burden and desire to glorify and expand His kingdom. We want to bring salvation to all our non-believing friends.” — Ittipol

There are four Leadership Development Program students who lead this club. They are responsible for all the programs and the activities.

At times things seem difficult and are beyond their control. Yet time and again God has proven Himself faithful by opening doors for those who seek and serve Him.

God provided the club with two precious assets to help lead and guide them. God brought His faithful servant, Pastor Nachared, and a Christian professor, Sudarat, to serve as mentors and consultants to the four students and to the rest of the Bible study club.

Pastor Nachared always provides counseling and guidance for the students. He attends the weekly club meetings at the university.

“There are now many students who come to the club. During some weeks the chairs in the meeting room are all occupied and there are hardly any available seats left. The club has grown immensely.”

One Thursday evening at around 6:45, more than 50 students came to the huge, sloped lecture room completely soaking wet as it was raining cats and dogs that night.

Despite the dismal weather, half an hour after the program started at least five new students decided to join the club. Even the rain could not stop them attending the Give With Love Club.

Maneenoot begins the club meetings by singing songs and playing games in order to establish a relaxed and fun atmosphere. She has observed how important it is to make people laugh and unwind, especially if they have had a stressful day. Then, an invited special guest shares his or her testimony.

On that rainy Thursday evening, the special speaker was a policeman who was in charge of patrolling the university area.

The policeman’s testimony was easy for the students to relate to. He was born into a Buddhist family. He shared how he decided to believe in Jesus, accepting Him as his personal Lord and Savior, and how God has transformed his life as well as in the lives of his family members.

Before the meeting ended, Pastor Nachared challenged all the non-believers to develop a personal relationship with Christ and encouraged the Christians to stand firm in their faith.

“The club exists for two main reasons: The first is to evangelize, and the second is to build a strong and powerful Christian group within the university.” — Ittipol

“I love sharing the Gospel to others because it is my life. Even though most of my friends are Buddhist, they have never rejected me because of my faith. I strongly believe that God never fails in helping me and is constantly by me when I speak about Him. Most importantly, all of my friends know that I am Christian because they see God working in me.” — Maneenoot

Studying in university is no easy task. Students have many responsibilities. They are constantly busy with never-ending papers to complete, the many classes they must attend, as well as the many lessons they study.

In times of weariness, God has strengthened the Leadership Development Program students and shown His delight toward their passion and calling to serve Him. God has worked to soften many students’ hearts and has harvested the lambs that have been lost.

“I became a Christian because of this club [Give With Love Club]. When I first attended this club, I could feel the friendliness and warmth from the Leadership Development Program students and the rest of the club members. After I confessed my sins and received Jesus Christ in my life, there was a remarkable happiness that emerged from within my body and soul. I am so happy and privileged to believe in God and to be apart of His family. — Nantapol, a new believer

The club not only serves to unite new believers but it also helps to gather together Christian students to build a strong fellowship group. One Christian student says,

“When I first entered the university I searched for a Christian group. Then God heard my prayer and brought me to this club.

“Every time I attend the club meetings and interact with fellow club members, I am always left feeling very invigorated and renewed. Especially after all the stress that I encounter after each busy day.

“For me club meetings are a time that allows me to be close to God, as He washes away my tiredness and fatigue and replaces it with renewed energy. I know that I am not alone because I have God and I have wonderful friends whom I can share His love with.”

The Leadership Development Program students have proved themselves worthy of the title “leadership students” because they have dared to make a difference and have strived to be fruitful in every circumstance they face.

Professor Sudarat observes,

“I notice that the Give with Love Club has something that is different than all the other clubs. I can feel that the club members are united together and each member has an inner strength and joy that really stands out.

“They focus on creating a joyful and positive atmosphere that encourages its members to feel comfortable. They are not afraid to be open and unveil themselves to others in order to connect with and establish close relationships with other club members. This sort of atmosphere enables them to be honest and open with each other, as trust is a natural byproduct of this God-inspired club.

“I know that managing the club can be difficult but they do it because their hearts are filled with God’s love. Each and every one of them possesses a determination and willingness to serve the Lord. I have never heard a single one of them complain.

“Their willingness to serve God is just one of the tangible ways that I can see and feel God’s spirit working through them. I am very impressed with and inspired by the Leadership Development Program students.”

Another big vision and burden for these Leadership Development Program students is to establish a church in front of the university. This church would serve as a center for evangelism and worship.

They wish to follow and fulfill Jesus’ great commandment from the book of Mathew 28:19-20 (NIV):

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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 “Why just now?” asks Pastor Joel. “Where was Compassion when I was just a child who had all the potential but did not have the money to go to school or to eat three square meals a day?”

Pastor Joel grew up on the remote island of Siquijor in the Philippines, which has long been known for magic and witchcraft, but Compassion in the Philippines only began partnering with churches in Siquijor this year.

Although Compassion reached the Philippines in the 1970s, we finally landed in the isolated island after 30 years!

In 2004, we began regularly updating our strategy map to identify the poorest and neediest provinces in the country with the fewest number of evangelical churches, and the list included Siquijor.

And now Joel, who has turned away from his island’s belief in witchcraft,  is pastor of the Siquijor Celebration Christian Fellowship, one of our newest church partners in the remote island province.

He has been pastor here for 15 years and vividly remembers the years when it was so difficult to share the gospel. But today, the church has led to the Lord at least 15 individuals who used to be part of the occult practices.

“There are now 32 evangelical churches in the island, and witchcraft has greatly lessened its control. We used to be known as an island of sorcery but not anymore, thanks to the gospel. And now that Compassion is here, we are excited to create more impact.”

Only a few months into the partnership, the Siquijor Celebration Christian Fellowship has seen an increase in church attendance.

“We have 100 new Bible studies for the 100 new families of our 100 registered children.” The church leaders are meeting in the homes of all the new families to hold small Bible studies.”

And Cyrene is one of the 100 Siquijorian children to be registered. She is full of potential, just as the pastor was when he was little.

Cyrene tops her grade one class with a score of 100 percent in all her tests. Many of her classmates are two years older than her because they did not have the money to go to school earlier.

“I want to be a teacher,” bubbly Cyrene says. When asked why, she insists, “I just want to be a teacher.”

Like Pastor Joel, Cyrene’s parents did not finish high school. In fact, 90 percent of the adult population here doesn’t. Rogelio, Cyrene’s father, says,

“We were so poor when I was young. I was like Cyrene before, getting good grades and all. I was also at the top of my elementary classes. I had high hopes because until high school I had good grades, so I wanted to go to college.”

Poverty, however, won and he stopped schooling when he reached the third year of high school.

“My father was a fisherman/farmer and our family subsisted with whatever little amount he could earn. He couldn’t even send me to a free public school because I didn’t have food to eat in the morning or uniform to wear.”

But with Cyrene’s sponsorship, her parents have found hope.

If not for Compassion, Cyrene would most probably end up as many of the locals here – uneducated and unemployable.

Her bouncy personality and intellectual potential would not be harnessed to the fullest. Soon she would have to stop schooling because Rogelio does not have a steady job to support her.

Both Rogelio and Merlyn are focused on their daughter’s education and future, not necessarily thinking of how historically significant it is. Little Cyrene represents a milestone in the our ministry in the Philippines:

She is the 50,000 child to be registered in the Philippines program.

Compassion Philippines has seen its programs go through several transformations over the past 30 years. And now that we have reached out to Siquijor and other similarly far-flung, hard-to-reach provinces, we look forward to registering the next 50,000 children into our programs.

Now, unlike Pastor Joel, Rogelio and Merlyn, Cyrene has a different hope for life. With her sponsorship*, she has been given a chance to follow in the footsteps of thousands of successful Compassion alumni who have gone through our programs through the years; the chance to follow in the footsteps of:

• Sarah Jane, a former sponsored child who is now a medical doctor
• Jonathan, a former sponsored child who is now an accounts manager in New York
• Bobby, a former sponsored child who is now a successful international businessman
• Erla, a former sponsored child who is now a missionary to China
• Keewani, a former sponsored child who is now a sponsor herself.

Cyrene is next in line. 

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Seven years ago, Nicaragua’s National Assembly made it official that the last Sunday of September would be dedicated to celebrating the translation of the Bible from Greek to Spanish.Throughout the national territory we celebrate. Sunday, Sept. 27, was the 440th anniversary.

In every department and/or town, churches from different denominations get together to celebrate.

Flowers, palm leaves and banners decorate trucks, and children dress in Bible costumes during the parade in celebration of the Day of the Bible.

Compassion Nicaragua understands the importance of the Word of God in the lives of children. That’s why in an effort to release children from their spiritual poverty, Bibles are given to every Compassion-registered child. The children receive Bibles that are appropriate for their age.

This year, 9,663 Bibles have been distributed.

Bibles are not very accessible for parents since they are a little expensive, so parents give priority to the daily food instead.

“Children demonstrate excitement as they receive their Bibles from the project, and they value them. This is not something I’ve only seen, but something I lived when I was center director and did the ceremony of handing over the Bible to children.

“The Bible is very important for every center. There is nothing better than children having The Word in their hands to study it with their teachers.” 

– Winston Perez, Compassion Nicaragua Partnership Facilitator

“The Bible is an essential tool for the children to corroborate what we are teaching them. The fact of having their own Bible has helped parents, too.

“One of the parents told me that he had never read the Bible before, but when his child took it home and had homework, he read it with her and found out some truth there.”

– Juan Carlos, Center Director of Jardín de Esperanza 

Before giving the Bibles to centers, the Compassion Nicaragua staff gives an orientation to every leadership team about having a special ceremony where children understand that is not just any book that they are receiving, but the Word of God, and that it is important.

Every center has its special way of giving out the Bibles, brother Juan Carlos explains:

“We don’t give the Bibles as soon as we get them. We first write a dedicatory in the Bible of every selected child.

“After that, we do a special service for children and parents where the central theme for songs and sermon is Bible. We want parents to feel that the church did a party because the Word of God came to children.”

After the ceremony these Bibles stay at the center for a year while children learn how to use them and take care of them. After that, children can take them home.

“I need the Bible to take refuge in it. If I need a clear counseling I go to the Bible. Also to see how God wants me to live my life, how to get to God and learn what He did for us. ”

– Josselyn, a registered child at Jardín de Esperanza

 
Josselyn has been part of Jardín de Esperanza since its beginning seven years ago. Her family is from a different religious background, but throughout the years, reading the Bible has made echo in her family’s life.

Six months ago, Josselyn started to get involved in church activities. On Aug. 9 she was baptized and is fervently attending church and reading her Bible daily. Her mom supports her and is occasionally attending the services with her daughter.

“I accepted Christ after getting my first Bible, but even when I read it, I was not motivated. However, some years later, one of my teachers encouraged me and told me she would come to my house to pick me up for church, and that’s how I began to go.”

Josselyn has a favorite verse, which is Revelation 1:3 (NIV). She likes it because “it talks about what is to come and that we have to prepare ourselves to be able to go with Jesus and not to stay here.”

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Josselyn carries her Bible even to her regular school, where she shares with her classmates about Jesus. She does the same with her neighbors, and her mom and brother, too.

This is just one example of many that could be shared, that the spiritual eyes of the children were opened by the simple act of reading the Bible.

“Among all good things donors have done, this has been the greatest. It is something that goes further to prepare the children for the eternal. Do not get tired of supporting this ministry because it is going to change lives, and God will reward all you’re doing for these children,” says Juan Carlos.

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As birds sing morning songs to begin their days, Eugene Bahire, in charge of Tours and Visits at Compassion’s Rwanda office, starts his day with a morning prayer at 5:30 and prepares himself for work.

He leaves home at 6:30 a.m. and takes 45 minutes to reach his office.

After morning devotions with all Compassion Rwanda staff, which normally start at 8 a.m. and last an hour, he shifts his focus to Tours and Visits communications.

“I make sure that I have enough relevant information about the child before confirming a visit date for a sponsor or a tour.

“Having gotten the news that a child will be visited on a certain date, the student center social worker visits the child’s home ahead of time to prepare the family members or guardians living with the child, and of course some preparations are made at the student center as well.”

Eugene enjoys his job, which he longed for even while he was still at the university.

“Ever since my university time, my ambitions were to work for a Christian organization, and so this is an absolute answer of prayer to me.

“I am always happy and motivated to advocate for people in times of need, and I enjoy learning about different cultural values.”

Gifted with cultural diversity, mostly resulting from his country’s (Rwanda) history, Eugene was born in Uganda in 1976, where he had his primary education. He later moved to join his brother who was living in Kenya, and from there had his junior secondary education.

He returned to Rwanda with his parents right after the 1994 genocide. He successfully completed high school and began university where he gained greater influence in both academic and spiritual aspects.

Eugene holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialization in human resource management.

He is a devoted Christian, married and has worked as Tours and Visits Team Lead for three years.

“I am married to Joy, and God blessed us with a wonderful, precious and treasured daughter whose name is Grace.

“We all love God. My wife and I are in charge of the English service at our local church, and God has used us as instruments of His word to the congregation. We serve in the ministry closely with our senior pastor.”

Eugene’s job is quite demanding in terms of commitment and dedication. At times he overworks himself and returns home late at night, but he’s driven by the kind and caring hearts of sponsors.

“I have been touched by the heart of sponsors and the love they have for children. I love the sponsor and child hug. It’s a natural feeling that builds intimacy between them.”

“I would like to give an example of a couple from Australia who met all their 12 sponsored children at once, had a fun day and shared lunch together.

“Each of these children had a story to tell and they said they would never forget that day because of their sponsors who shared a special day with them, chatting and playing games together.

“They gave them the best dish for lunch and each had a take-home package of various items from the supermarket for their first time.”

When sponsors do individual visits, they either visit the child at the development center and do a home visit, or meet in a good environment for recreation with the child and the center staff.

In Rwanda, offices and business enterprises close on some special days, like the last Saturday of every month, which is set aside for community work, countrywide, and during the annual genocide memorial, April 7-14.

Scheduling visits can be tricky if sponsors have requested to visit on those days.

During a visit, the center staff takes some time to educate and share with the sponsor about their local programs for holistic development of the child as well as social benefits.

As Rwanda is a country of a thousand hills, its topography affects field activities often, particularly with communication and transportation issues.

“Some of our church partners are located in places which are not easily accessible due to lack of proper roads. At times, visits are long days and are very tiring for the host and sponsors.

“Some of our visits occur in places where there’s no mobile network coverage and at certain moments a cell phone becomes useless.

“Also, I am dreaming of a day when the church partners will no longer have a language barrier. For the case of my country, many people at church partner level are not able to express themselves in English.

“I am thinking that if the learning materials would be available to them, they would quickly learn the language and this would be an advantage for sponsor visits.”

Working with and for children is a blessing to Eugene.

“My job has taught me not to be self-centered, but instead to think about others.

“It’s been a blessing to work with and for children, and this gives me the hope and courage to look at them as future leaders and influential people in the society.

“With all that in mind, I believe that God will continually do wonderful things in our lives if at all we are bound together in His love.”

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