The Wally Show recently returned from our offices in Asia where they witnessed child sponsorship in action.

We met a woman named Ko who was a sponsored child, and she now works for Compassion helping others. This is one time a vicious cycle is a good thing. She still has the picture of her sponsors from 30 years ago on her desk.

I asked her if there was anything her sponsor said or did that really made a difference in her life. She told me the fact that someone who did not know her would show her such love and tell her about Jesus inspired her to live the rest of her life serving God. That is a sentiment which is echoed throughout the lives of most of the Compassion kids.

Read the entire post at The Wally Show.

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When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to.

When Ann introduced you to Jonathan on Saturday she called him a child. I call him a man.

Even though Jonathan is just 15 years old, he is a man. He has to be.

Jonathan’s mother abandoned the family when he was 4. And his father walked out of Jonathan’s daily life not long after.

Jonathan lived in the jungle with his grandparents when his father moved to the city to find work. But last year when death took his grandparents, Jonathan’s father didn’t return. He stayed in the city – with his favorite son – and left Jonathan alone to care for himself.

Living in the jungle is isolating, which is why most people in Jonathan’s community are quiet and reserved. However, Jonathan is quiet for another reason as well; he’s hurting deeply.

And this is why I say he is a man. Jonathan refuses to succumb to the temptation of silence and isolation.

When we visited him on Friday, he allowed us into his home and shared his story with us. He embraced vulnerability, trusted us, and rose above the lies poverty is trying to convince him are real.

In the midst of poverty, from a life of loneliness, Jonathan demonstrates a rare nobility. He stands tall.

Although his life is incredibly difficult, Jonathan is maturing personally, spiritually and morally in the Body of Christ.

When a boy needs comfort he turns to his mother, or he turns to things in this world. When a man needs comfort, he turns to the Lord.

Jonathan told us that sometimes when he’s lonely he rests in his hammock and sings to God.

Jonathan isn’t a man because of his wisdom and behavior in desperate circumstances, although those are characteristics of manhood. He’s a man because he knows that God’s grace is sufficient for him, that God’s power is made perfect in human weakness.

When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to, regardless of age. For some, manhood comes at 15. For others, it may come at 50. And for a few, it may never come at all.

Being an adult male and being a man are not the same thing. A boy becomes a man when he understands and consistently demonstrates through humble surrender to God that the Lord’s strength abounds in human frailty.

From what I saw in Jonathan, I think I can learn a thing or two about being a man.

Sponsor a child in Ecuador.

Sponsor a child in Jonathan’s child development center (EC-273) or a center near him.

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From Emanuel Student Center (EC-273) in Ecuador.

We find Jonathan in the jungle, off the banks of the Amazon. He’s fifteen.

He is scared. He shakes like a thin leaf in wind.

“My mother, she runs out on us when I was four.” He tells the translator this.

His voice’s a whisper, not even a ripple.

“I do not know where she lives.” I don’t need translation to know his fear, hear how his voice quakes.

“I have seen my mother only once in my life again.”

Jonathan keeps twisting his own hands, a wringing out of pain.

“My father, he leaves the city when my mother runs out. He brings us back to the jungle, so my grandparents can help us live.” A skinny hen clucks behind him.

“But there is no work for him here and he goes up the river to work at a village.” Jonathan glances out towards the Amazon.

“So, his grandparents are still here?” I look towards the translator —

The translator repeats the question in Spanish.

“No.” Jonathan shakes his head. “No grandparents anymore.”

I am trying to understand. Make sense of this.

“So you are here alone?” I glance up at this hut propped into sky. At all this jungle.

“My father, he takes my brother with him when he goes.”

I nod slow.

And why not Jonathan?

“My brother is my Father’s favorite.”

“My father tells me to stay here. My father leaves me alone here.”

Something flashes – and I understand. And I don’t at all.

Someone named him Jonathan — but no one loves Jonathan like a brother.

No one loves him like their own soul.

Jonathan is a boy abandoned in the jungle. And only for a moment —

I am looking into the whites of his eyes.

How do you turn away?

What do you say to a son right between the ages of your two oldest sons, a son with no courage left, both halves of his heart leaving him here at the edge of the Amazon river – the river streaming on without him?

How do you abandon a child to poverty when you’ve looked right into the begging whites of his eyes?

Read the entire post by Ann Voskamp.

Visit compassionbloggers.com on a daily basis to experience the highlights of the Ecuador blog trip through the words, pictures and videos of the team.

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What does poverty mean? It all depends.

What does poverty mean to a child orphaned by cancer and abandoned by his father? It means he has to learn how to dream again.

What does poverty mean to the great aunt taking care of him, and his six year old sister? It means fear. Fear that someone may take the children away from her.

What does poverty mean to a mother who lost her two-year old child to pneumonia while waiting at the hospital for treatment? It means the Body of Christ is a refuge.

What does poverty mean to a man once persecuted because of his faith? It means he becomes a pastor and serves His Savior for 28 years and counting.

What does poverty mean to a boy who learns about Jesus Christ on a regular basis? It means self-respect, self-esteem and the ability to love.

What does poverty mean to you? I don’t know exactly.

But I do know it’s an opportunity to provide an opportunity. And it means possible discomfort and sacrifice.

It definitely means joy too.

It means hope for one who may have given up hope.

It means a future.

What does poverty mean to a child without a sponsor? It means a sponsor is needed.

To the masses of poor, poverty means dependence, marginalization, scarcity, incapacity and restrictions on rights and freedoms.

Poverty is defined by the World Bank as hunger, lack of shelter, being sick and not being able to see a doctor. It’s not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty means not having a job, fear for the future and living one day at a time. Poverty is powerlessness.

But the most important question we need to ask ourselves and each other is,

What does poverty mean to God?

Photos by Keely Marie Scott and Patricia Jones from the Compassion Bloggers trip to Ecuador.

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From Vida Abundante Student Center (EC-431) in Ecuador.

“Is that kind of persecution still common in Ecuador?” I asked Pablo, one of our translators, over the sound of rattling windows as we bumped down broken roads.

“Among the indigenous people it is, yes.” And I didn’t expect such barbarism still lingered. Not here. In a democracy? In my hemisphere? In a developing nation?

I leaned across the aisle and turned an ear.

“Two years ago my friend, George,” he began. “George was teaching the bible and they came and poured gasoline on him. He kept preaching. They told him to stop or they would light a match. He kept preaching. They lit a match and threw it on him. Nothing happened. He kept preaching.”

Pablo was grinning. Becoming more and more animated with each sentence.

“They kept lighting matches and throwing them on him. Nothing happened. He kept preaching! And many know Jesus after that.”

Read the entire post by Shaun Groves

Visit compassionbloggers.com on a daily basis to experience the highlights of the Ecuador blog trip through the words, pictures and videos of the team.

And follow the team on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a single thing.

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What is poverty?

Poverty is a termite eating away at a child’s heart, mind and self-esteem. And poverty is a liar.

Poverty is overwhelming, frightening and debilitating, but not invincible.

Poverty is a monster. Poverty is a cancer. Poverty is a thief.

Poverty is a prison cell with the key in sight, but just out of reach. Poverty is a lack of opportunity.

Poverty is a plague, chain and a cockroach. It’s also the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Where is poverty?

It isn’t in the future for our children.

All photos by Keely Marie Scott from the Compassion Bloggers trip to Ecuador.

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From Carita Feliz (Happy Face) Child Development Center (EC-478) in Ecuador.

At one point during our visit we walked to the back of the home, where the family owns a small plot of land that’s adjacent their grandfather’s land. The soil was rich, the land was tilled – but the family hadn’t finished planting all of their seeds.

A staff member from the Child Development Center asked us if we’d like to help, so Kelly, Patricia and I each grabbed a handful of corn. We’d turn over a section of soil, drop in four pieces of corn, then walk another foot and repeat the process. We did this over and over for about half an hour, moving from row to row, visiting with Rosa Maria and her children as we planted.

And on the third or fourth row, I looked down at what we were doing, and I thought, This is it. THIS IS IT.

Barring something totally unexpected, I’ll never witness the harvest of those seeds.

But.

I’m no less invested in the outcome just because I may not see it in person.

Read the entire post at BooMama.net.

Visit compassionbloggers.com on a daily basis to experience the highlights of the Ecuador blog trip through the words, pictures and videos of the team.

And follow the team on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a single thing.

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Our team of Compassion Bloggers will be in Ecuador later this week (Nov. 8-12, 2011).

During the week you will get a glimpse of what it is like to live in this beautiful country. Whether or not you sponsor a child in Ecuador, you can follow this journey through the eyes of:

• Amanda
• Ann
• Keely
• Kelly
• Patricia
• Shaun
• Melanie
• Sophie

As we share about this trip, we welcome any questions you may have. So be sure to check in often to read firsthand what God is doing to eradicate poverty in Ecuador.

Do you tweet? Follow the team on Twitter.

Don’t have a Twitter account? Not a worry – you can always follow the latest news about this trip here or at compassionbloggers.com.

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Earlier this year, while my husband was on sabbatical in Peru, I spent time at the Tesoros del Señor Child Development Center. I visited the center every Wednesday for five weeks.

A friend at the church I attended in Lima was familiar with the center because it is connected to her former church in Villa el Salvador. She introduced me to the center staff.

In my time observing Compassion’s ministry, I learned six small, but important, lessons.

1. Poverty is invisible to the rich people who live nearby.

   Because they are afraid to go into the poor neighborhoods, locals who could give their time and resources don’t know what is needed.

2. It’s the little things in life that can bring the greatest joy.

   It was orange season when I was in Peru and that meant each child got a fresh mandarin orange after lunch. They were so delighted with this simple dessert.

   Also, after weeks of using pencil stubs to color with, the children were grateful to get new colored pencils to use. They were always grateful for the smallest kindness, particularly when I sat down next to children as they colored. They loved having me watch (and praise) their drawing.



3. Poor people don’t travel.

   While visiting the church, I made several tourist trips around the country and was embarrassed when I realized the staff at the child development center haven’t been out of their city. Nevertheless, they were gracious in asking me about my trips and interested in hearing how I liked their country.

4. Living with less leads to great faith.

   The women who work at the center showed great faith in God during their morning devotions. They had so much less materially than my family and friends, but so much more trust in God’s provision. Perhaps saying God provides all I need is backwards. Maybe the right idea is: I need what God provides. That seemed to be the case for these women of faith.

5. Hugs and smiles speak volumes when the language doesn’t work so well.

   The children who spoke little English had no trouble communicating their pleasure at my presence even though I spoke little Spanish. And although I was nervous about my poor Spanish, they didn’t mind at all and understood me.

6. Fasting from riches makes me more thankful.

   When I returned home I was so grateful for the little things I had access to, like fresh vegetables. I was less caught up in all the stuff I might have wanted before. I passed on this gratitude to my family as well. A fast from riches makes us feel richer in Christ as well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eunice Lehmacher is a licensed social worker with a counseling practice in Seneca, South Carolina. She and her husband have two sons and live in Clemson, South Carolina, where her husband is a physics professor at Clemson University.

If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, we are happy to consider publishing it. Read our guest blog post guidelines.

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Recently a very well-known Mommy Blogger traveled to Bangladesh with a non-profit organization dedicated to child and maternal health.

Immediately following her first post from the developing country, the UK news publication The Guardian ran an article labeling her trip another example of “poverty tourism” in which “westerners [are] flown to dirt-poor regions to solemnly observe the impoverished in their natural habitats.”

The article noted that what often happens with blogging trips is that the bloggers write lengthy, gut-wrenching, emotion-filled posts that motivate readers to act, but then offer little tangible way to take action other than simply signing a petition.

“Where blogger-engagement projects often fall down is in closing the deal: having aroused the empathy of an engaged audience, they fail to provide something potent for people to do next.

“If you’ve just read a post about children working 14 hours a day scavenging material from towering heaps of putrefied waste, you probably want to do something more effective than signing a petition or sending an email to your elected representative; but frequently, this is all that’s on offer.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. I doubt there’s much that’s more frustrating than getting your emotions all stirred up, only to be left helpless with no way to do anything about what you’ve just learned.

You should know that at Compassion we don’t want you to feel helpless — we’d rather you feel empowered. We don’t want you to feel discouraged, but encouraged that you are able to make a difference. And not just a small one. That’s why we focus on offering you so many different ways to get involved.

As our President and CEO, Wess Stafford, often says, there are two main reasons why people do not take action:

1. They don’t know what to do.
2. They don’t know whom to trust.

We want to be the answer to both of those questions.

One way we do this is to offer trips to see our work around the world. Our sponsor tours, vision trips and blogging trips, however, are all carefully and strategically designed to empower participants, not incapacitate them.

For the record, we refuse to engage in anything even remotely resembling poverty tourism. While other organizations may ask you to simply sign a petition, we want more from you … much more. We want your passion. We want your heart. We want your deep, God-given desire to change the world. And we promise not to leave you helpless.

We’ve found that one of Satan’s favorite tactics is to make you feel impotent. To get you to believe that no matter what you do, it won’t make a difference.

It’s our goal to eradicate that feeling. How are we doing?

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