A few years back, Israel Candia from Bolivia served as our “poster boy” for the Leadership Development Program* (LDP). He entered our Child Sponsorship Program at age 4 and graduated from LDP in 2004.
Today, Israel is demonstrating the Lordship of Christ by serving as pastor of the Villa Moscu Church. He is also supporting himself economically by practicing law. And, on March 29 he exchanged wedding vows with his beautiful bride, Benedicta!
So, our “poster boy” done good! And that means, you done good! Way to go! Way to go Israel! And, of course, way to go God who “is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of…” (Ephesians 3:20, Living Bible).
*This content honors our historical Leadership Development Program. To learn more about our current youth development opportunities, click here.
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I love that idea!!! You won the coca tea award for today!!! Maybe I could do that book. Would Compassion publish it?
Awesome.
Ya know what would be awesom-er? If there were a book compiling a whole-bunch of Compassion-child success stories. There must be countless numbers of kids who have gone on to do incredible things as a result of being in Christ Jesus. I for one would love to have access to such a book.
Somebody get on that, ok.
Here is something sort of like it. And it starts with Ronald!!!
http://www.thedifferenceisjesus.com/?cat=4
The first time I saw Israel’s pictures (including him as a baby) and story in the LDP brochure, I thought about the sponsor who decided to support him, love, pray for and encourage him. There was no way that sponsor could have guessed that Israel would one day be a “poster boy” or the fine young man he has become.
None of us knows which of our sponsored children will really knock our socks off, but we give them the best chance we can to live out the plan God has for them. What a joy!
I love to see success. This picture and the story should give all of us sponsors an incentive to strive toward encouraging our sponsored children as much as we can. Just to think that without Compassion and especially the Lord, Israel would not be a pastor and probably have to drop out of school to make a living for his family. God certainly works through organizations such as Compassion and in turn through people like Israel! Praise the Lord!
Israel really is an amazing young man. As a child he was beaten and ridiculed on the way to school for being poor. He had so many obstacles in his way and could have just given up. But with God’s help he has transformed what could have been a wasted life into one of purpose and service. We are so proud of him. It makes what we do so worthwhile.
Outstanding!
way to go candia,
may God bless your marriage and may He continue to bless LDP
anthony
Wow! That’s great news, but we all know that the investment of time and resources into the Compassion kids brings about great things in their lives. What I’m excited about is that these young adults now have opportunities that are limitless. With Israel being a lawyer, how great would it be for him to have influence with the Bolivian government and bring about change on the ground. The LDP is like a snowball that is getting larger and gathering momentum.