The rancid smell scorches my nostrils. Mathare is a cruel place. A slum plagued by intense poverty and violence outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Home to more than 700,000 residents.

We walk through the muddy, filthy streets to visit one of these residents and his family. We cram into the tiny house and storefront.

Here, Evans’ mother sells odds and ends and fixes hair to support her four precious kids. Evans, her youngest son, attends a child development center in Mathare.

We listen as, through a translator, she shares dreams for her children. She has grown up in this slum and dreams that her children won’t have to grow up like she did — with alcoholic parents and only a fourth-grade education.

I focus on listening to the mother. But all the while I am distracted by that foul, relentless smell.

When we leave Evans’ family, I realize that the smell comes from sewage flowing directly outside their small urban home.

We cross this stream of trash, excrement, and stale water as we leave Mathare.

As we pick our way through the littered streets, I learn that many residents do not leave Mathare for three or four years at a time. For them, there is no escape from the smell, dirt, and filth.

Yet this is exactly where Jesus calls us to be.

He is using Compassion, in partnership with the local church, to bring relief to Mathare and places like this across the world. I reflect on 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 as I remember Mathare:

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life…”

A sweet fragrance in a dark place! For in this place, Jesus has stepped in to help Evans and his mother and siblings. It is here that Evans goes to the child development center and finds respite. He is enrolled in a pre-K program at the church where he learns and laughs.

Christ’s aroma through His Church is bringing life to the perishing and the pleasant smell of the teachings of Jesus.

Back home, I sit in the living room, breathing deeply and smelling the spiced candle on my table. It is so different from the smell of Mathare. Yet I know Jesus is here and Jesus is there. And we, as the Church, have the privilege and responsibility to bring His fragrance.

How will you be the aroma of Christ today?

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

With great anticipation we traveled to Colombia with regional director Nate Ernsberger to meet our Compassion child. After a visit to Ana Maria’s school, we went hand in hand with her to her home. Mom (Elisabeth) and Dad (Armando) greeted us as Armando’s mariachi band played.

After the music died down, Nate ushered us into the quiet of another room. I talked with the parents in Spanish (my native language) about Ana Maria and their other two children.

“Are things going well here at home?”

Armando looked nervous and Elisabeth looked away. I noticed tears forming in her eyes. As they spilled over, she answered,

“No, I think Armando is seeing someone else.”

I instinctively stepped into my pastor/counselor role.

“Armando, you know that the most valuable thing you can do for your children is to be loving and faithful to your wife.”

Elisabeth blurted out,

“We are not even married.”

Breaking the strained silence that followed, I turned to Armando and asked,

“Is there some reason you have not married the mother of your children?”

“No,” he shrugged. At this point, I tried to get Nate up to speed by translating, then turned to the couple.

“Actually, I am a pastor. Would you like me to marry you right now?”

A huge smile crossed Elisabeth’s face as she nodded yes.

I asked pointedly,

“Armando, what about you?”

Looking like a deer in the headlights, he answered,

“Si, creo que si.”

Yes, I guess so.

“Fantastico! We are going to have a wedding!”

A Spanish Bible was found, the mariachi band cheered and broke into the Wedding March, neighbors packed the small room and, with the three kids clustered around the couple, I went through the ceremony.

When I got to the vows and the ring part, I asked,

“Does either of you have a ring?”

Elisabeth produced the small ring she had been wearing on the wrong hand and handed it to me. Armando, again looking sheepish, shrugged.

Then came the surprise. Nate, who had managed to keep up with what was happening, came to the rescue.

“Here, use mine!”

It fit perfectly! The rings were exchanged.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, cried. The band launched into a rousing finale and in a state of euphoria, the jubilant crowd wandered off home.

Nate later admitted that the silver ring was a duplicate that he wore on trips to keep from losing his gold wedding band, but to see it on Armando was a gift he would never lose.

“A man is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” — Jim Elliot

I have stayed in touch. Almost four years have passed since the serendipity wedding in Colombia. The family is doing well. The rings are still in place.

VIDEO EXTRA

As they arrive at the home of their sponsored child, Ana Maria, the Castillos are serenaded by mariachis. Both Ana Maria’s father and grandfather are members of the mariachi group.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joe Castillo is a Compassion sponsor and the world’s premier sand animation performer. Joe was a finalist in the reality show America’s Got Talent.

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What would you like to know about the country where your sponsored child lives?

When considering this question, please focus on the country rather than specific information about your child or his or her development center and immediate community.

We will use your answers to help guide some of the stories, photos and videos we produce for you. Thanks.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Dinah Meyer has been working for Compassion 18 years — which by the looks of her means she started at age 11.

(Dinah likes to joke that she started at Compassion before child labor laws were in place.) Dinah has been around for much of Compassion’s history, and working in the Executive office, she has a unique perspective we want to share with you.

When did you start at Compassion and what was your role?

I was first hired in 1989, but I left for five years due to a job transfer for my husband. So in total, I’ve worked for the ministry 18 years.

My first job with Compassion was in the Child Correspondence Department, but I spent the majority of my early years in the Call Center, where I learned a lot about how the ministry facilitates relationships between the children and their sponsors.

I would often write to our staff in other countries to gather more information about different things that the children shared in their letters.

It was eye opening to learn about the unique needs of so many children and their families. That position also taught me how amazing our sponsors are.

We’re so blessed to have dedicated sponsors who faithfully, and often sacrificially, invest in the lives of their sponsored children.

What other roles have you had at Compassion?

I began working in the President’s Office in 1995, just two years after Wess Stafford was appointed president. I have served the office in various roles over the years — administrative assistant, office coordinator, and now as the executive communication specialist.

In my current role, I help Wess and Executive Vice President David Dahlin communicate key messages to ministry staff around the world.

I also document the ministry’s core philosophies, corporate policies, and other foundational ethos that we want to preserve as the organization continues to grow and expand. The ministry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and we’re immensely grateful for all that growth. But during times of great change, we have to work to preserve the heart of what we do and who we are.

For instance, our Christ-centered, child-focused, church-based approach to child development is unique within our industry and we’re dedicated to preserving the distinctives of our ministry.

What affect has being at Compassion so long had on you?

I feel like I’ve had the privilege of growing up at Compassion. (Or at least I can say I’m growing old here.) I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but the “Compassion family” has been a huge part of my life from a pretty young age. I have the privilege of spending my days with truly amazing people who are dear friends and great mentors.

What has it been like to work with Wess for so long?

Well don’t tell him this, but it’s really been great. One of the many fantastic things about Wess is his consistency. If you see him speak to an audience of thousands, you’ll see the same man that you’d find at his house for a barbeque. What you see is what you get. He’s a very humble, godly man.

It has been a real privilege to sit under his leadership and to be his friend all these years.

What is something you’ve learned in your position that sponsors might not know?

I’ve had opportunities to see the hearts of the ministry’s leaders in ways that few have. We truly have a world-class Global Leadership Team. Our executives are incredibly knowledgeable, dedicated, servant leaders.

But what I admire about them the most is their obedience in following God’s leading. They’ve each answered God’s call to use their gifts and abilities for His kingdom, and they sincerely strive to uphold Compassion’s Leadership Principles.

What has moved you the most in your experiences at Compassion?

I’ve had a lot of great experiences at the ministry, but at the end of the day I’m still moved the most by Compassion’s mission to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Just like our sponsors, ministry employees are raving child advocates!

I hope I never stop being amazed by the life-changing power of simply offering love and encouragement to a child in need. It takes so little effort, and really a relatively small amount of money, to demonstrate God’s love in such a relevant way.

After all these years and all the wonderful personal, professional and spiritual growth I’ve experienced as an employee, my favorite things about Compassion are still the children my husband and I sponsor — Fabio, Mark Dave, Frank, and baby Deep!

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

I remember when I was a kid and thought the year 2000 was a million years away. That’s because as a kid you can’t really see yourself as an old(er) person, a grownup, an adult. A child lives and thinks in the present.

I figured out that in the year 2000 I would be 42 years old, and that was something I couldn’t see, let alone believe.

And here it is, 2013, if you are good at math, then you know how old I am. And I’m still thinking like a kid, or maybe I just want to as long as possible.

People tell me I have a natural connection with children. For whatever reason that may be, I see it as one of the most valuable gifts I have been given.

Children are our most prized and valuable “resource” because they force us to stay in the present, while hoping for a better future. Unfortunately, children are at the bottom of the priority list for governments and world leaders. Take a look at any country in social, economic, or spiritual trouble, and I guarantee you that the children are suffering the most.

My love for kids is not unrealistic, nor do I view them as little princes and princesses (as modern culture often does). This perspective reflects lack of real respect and genuine interest in children for who they truly are.

They are people in various stages of youth. They have feelings. They are valuable to God and His creation. They are worthy of our attention, resources, time and, most importantly, love. Their wellbeing is a direct reflection of our ability to take care of ourselves. They are “us” in the future.

Unfortunately, I see poverty even in the wealthiest countries when it comes to our children. From the poorest of neighborhoods in the far east to the malls of Los Angeles, our children are starving.

Mother Theresa said that the worst poverty of all is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved. It has been my experience that this is true.

Wherever I go and meet children and young people, their main fear is that of being forgotten, ignored, unloved. It has nothing to do with money and everything to do with what we adults, leaders, society, and governments deem valuable.

Shame on us grownups.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Ann Vermeulen-Roberts is a writer, composer and music producer. Lee Ann sponsors a child from Indonesia and is the Kids Crew Compassion ambassador for Compassion Netherlands.

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He leaped into my arms and my heart was gone.

We hadn’t been at the Haiti child development center more than five minutes when this child chose me. His thin body felt light in my arms. I’ve had the privilege of meeting children in many of our Compassion countries, but this one? There was something about this boy that I just couldn’t shake.

How could you connect with a child when you didn’t even know his name?

We soon discovered his name was Rochener. We asked to look at his child file. I couldn’t believe what I saw. We shared the same birthday! How is that possible?! My next question was obvious: Does he have a sponsor?

My patient husband knew that I could not be convinced otherwise – we would have to sponsor this child if he didn’t have a sponsor. Unfortunately for us, he did have a sponsor. I was sad to hear that, but happy that he was sponsored.

On Sponsor Visit Day, we asked Rochener to join us, to give him a reprieve from his daily life. We took him to the ocean and watched the waves.

We also took him into his first-ever pool. He ran around the hotel grounds, touching everything he saw. Drinking soda and juice. Playing with balls in the pool and wearing our sunglasses. Doing all the things little boys should do!

We ended the day giving him some small gifts, including fuzzy stuffed animals. Their softness made him squeal with delight.

After the day was over I felt a loss and sadness. I told my husband later that evening,

“I don’t understand why this little boy was placed in our lives this week. We won’t be able to write to him or see how he’s doing in the future because he’s not our sponsored child.”

My wise husband responded,

“For one reason or another, the Lord has brought Rochener into our lives so we can pray for him. We can intercede along with his sponsor. In heaven, we will be together and talk about that great day we shared.”

A week passed at home and my heart still longed to care for little Rochener. I called a friend at the Compassion office and gave her Rochener’s child number. I wanted to write a letter to his sponsors, pass along some photos and tell them about their precious sponsored child. Then a miracle happened for our family. My friend informed me,

“Katy, his sponsor canceled. His sponsor canceled about two weeks ago. There’s no way the Haiti office could have known that when you were there, but Rochener no longer has a sponsor.”

Tears of joy streamed down my face as I knew this little boy now needed a sponsor. He needed us.

So today, I’ve introduced you to the child who chose us. God knew exactly what he needed and exactly what we needed. We will continue to intercede on his behalf … but now as his very grateful sponsors.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

I know my world is about to be rocked. Gutted. Opened up and laid out. And I know that my initial reaction will be to put my hand out in caution. I will say,

“You! You stay right there. Don’t come any closer. Not one more step. I am not strong enough for you.”

My flesh and spirit go back and forth. Let truth in, my spirit requests. No thank you, I am quite comfortable here, my flesh concretely responds.

My first trip out of the country to experience poverty had me balled up inside and out like a fist clasped onto dear life. How could I witness poverty and not be destroyed from sorrow? The thought was too much to bear.

I knew I had to retrain how I was internally processing what my first mission trip would be like.

Retraining how I think has been so vital. I have noticed that my quiet, unspoken thoughts have been starting point for my words and then actions. And then how I filter everything I encounter.

I needed to retrain my thoughts so that when I saw poverty, when I knew I would need to kneel down in dirt and disease to encounter a child, I would do so without hesitation. I would be able to take in the most important thing, a precious child made in the image of the King.

So I opened the Bible. I needed a verse.

If there is one thing I have learned in my walk it is that the truth really does set you free. And the truth can be found in the Word and the truth must live in my heart.

So I can filter correctly. So I can respond lovingly. So dirt and disease and impossibilities all of a sudden are the backdrop. Not the star.

I memorized Isaiah 62:4 (ESV)

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,

I will admit, it is an odd verse to memorize to help me retrain my internal thinking about poverty and why I need to do something. But when I first read this verse, my eyes welled up.

I couldn’t help but think how poverty can make a child feel forsaken, forgotten…and I could not help but want to sit with each child I encounter and let them know that the King finds great delight in who they are.

In fact He has named us, “My delight is in her.”

I carry it with me in my heart so that one day when my world is rocked without warning I can filter correctly, respond lovingly, run swiftly into the arms of the only One who can secure me.

This month we are hosting a link-up for the Compassion Blogger Network. What’s a link-up? You can learn more by signing up on the Network today.

This is also a blog hop! Below is an option to grab the code for this link-up and to embed the link list into your blog post.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

You’re sitting on your front porch, watching your kids ride their bikes up and down the street. You wave at your neighbor mowing his lawn. All of a sudden, a van pulls up and several foreign-looking people pile out wielding cameras.

Without a word, one man stoops in front of you and takes an up-close photo of you in your sweats. The others point cameras in your windows and at your kids, while you wonder What in the world is going on?! or perhaps something less polite.

This is not the best way to take great photographs of kids.

Yet, this scenario can play out over and over when people visit the developing world. When we’re visiting another country, it can be easy to turn our brains to vacation mode and forget that we’re visiting people’s homes and not Epcot.

This doesn’t lead to friendly relations — I know photographers who have been yelled at, had things thrown at them and even been chased. They’ve been told,

“We’re not the animals you came here to photograph.”

Ouch.

How can we take photographs of people while treating them with dignity — not as if they’re animals in a zoo — while also portraying their need to people back home?

Here are five ways in which Compassion photographers strive to take great photos of kids — and some tips for sponsors who get the chance to visit their sponsored children.

1. A good photo starts with relationship.
   You might get a seemingly killer photo when you surprise someone on the street and snap their picture. They look crusty, and you can use the photo to show people back home how poor people are unhappy.

But is that really the truth the photo is telling?

If you stop to talk with the person, you might find that they’re simply angry at you. If you get talking and get to know them, their smile comes out, their passion, their humor, their humanity. That’s the real person.

Don’t confuse a crusty look at a stranger with authenticity.

Great photos come when you spend time getting to know someone — or in the case of children, playing with them. Spend time on their level, literally. Laugh with them. Make goofy faces. Pretty soon you’ll be getting amazing photos of children that show what they are really like.



2. Speak their language.
   You don’t have to become fluent in Swahili. But learn a few phrases to show people that you are willing to meet on their ground. Learn “Hello,” “How are you?” “Smile,” and “May I take your picture?”Their giggles at your accent will be a great way to get an authentic photo.

   And if you can’t master “May I take your picture?” use the international language of pointing to your camera — they’ll know what you mean. Most kids will say “yes” and then mob your camera to look at themselves.



3. Give each child dignity.
   Here’s a good question to ask yourself when you’ve taken a photo of a child: Would her mom be proud of this photo? Or would she be ashamed and embarrassed?

   Our ministry earnestly wants to “do to others as we would want them to do to us,” so we don’t take photos that could exploit or embarrass a child — we take photos that give a child pride and a sense of worth.

   Sometimes we hear, “These kids don’t look that poor.”

   Partly that’s because these children have a difference in their life. We have helped them get school uniforms and taught them hygiene and to take good care of their belongings.

   But this is also because we take the issue of a child’s dignity seriously. We won’t use photos that strip children of dignity in order to raise funds. We believe that when we show a child’s humanity and not simply the depravity of a situation, people will be moved.



4. Tell the truth in your photos.
   Photos are powerful things. And so, it’s important that our photos tell the truth.In doing a story on famine, one of our photographers found that his interviewees didn’t look all that skinny. But he didn’t go looking for the skinniest family around to photograph because that simply wouldn’t be the whole truth.

   And guess what? The truth is always better!

   When you tell a genuine story through photos, the authenticity shines through and makes the photos great.



5. Come out from behind the camera.
   When you’re on a trip, it can be tempting to take pictures of absolutely everything — you don’t want to lose one memory! But there is great value in soaking in your surroundings, being fully present.

   If you’re on a sponsor tour, think about trading off camera responsibilities with a friend so you can take some time off, just taking everything in. Taking time to observe can often lead to noticing an amazing shot.

   And when you’re out from behind the camera, you will view the people around you as potential relationships and not just as subject matter for a photo — see point 1!

What do you think? Have any of you had a chance to visit your sponsored child or the developing world? What tips can you offer other sponsors who are about to embark on that journey?

Special thanks to Jeff Arnold for his photography expertise and photos.

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Christine Caine, founder of the anti-human trafficking organization A21, answers the question, “What is the church’s role when it comes to compassion and justice?”

And one thing Christine tells us:

“Compassion is not just a chick thing, or a mother thing. It’s a Christian thing.”

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates