And this matters to you because the toolbar will help you stay connected with your sponsored child and our ministry much more easily.

Our exceptionally groovy browser toolbar offers you quick access from your Web browser to:

• write a letter or give a gift to your child
• our blog
• all of our social media sites (e.g., OurCompassion, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and our Web banners and widgets
• our RSS feeds, including all crisis updates, news releases and Wess’ daily radio program, Speak Up With Compassion
• our online store and ways to get involved
• compassion.com and your “My Account” information

Plus, the toolbar has a search function, powered by Yahoo, which raises money for Compassion every time you use it.

So, here you go. Download the toolbar now.

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

The “Today Is My Birthday” featured child widget is now available for you to use on your blog or MySpace profile. It’s not available for Facebook, but we do have a featured child widget you can use there.

The “Today Is My Birthday” featured child widget DOES work on wordpress.com blogs.

And it can also be used in your e-mail signature block.

<br /> <a href=http://share-compassion.org/m/bday><img border=0 src=http://share-compassion.org/m/b></a>

Here is our original featured child widget. It works in the same places the “Today Is My Birthday” widget works.

<a href=http://share-compassion.org/m><img border=0 src=http://share-compassion.org/m/c></a><br />

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

“CompassionArt is a charity that joins the dots between art and poverty. It raises money to help breathe life into the poorest communities, restoring hope and igniting justice.” – compassionart.tv

Compassion U.K. is one of 12 charities receiving royalties from the album sales.

The widget below has lots of details on the CompassionArtproject, as well as a link to download a free song with song sheet and the first chapter of the book, which explores the inspiration, motivation and passion behind this exceptional collaboration.

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

Add these banners to your blog, if you haven’t already grabbed them from somewhere else; your readers will be instantly transported to a place where they can choose to sponsor a child from the Dominican Republic.

<a href="http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=blogdr"><img border="0" src="http://blog.compassion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/120x270_dr.jpg" alt="120x270_dr" title="120x270_dr" width="125" height="270" class="size-full wp-image-902" /></a>

<a href="http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=blogdr"><img border="0" src="http://blog.compassion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/150x200_dominican_republic.jpg" alt="150x200_dominican_republic" title="150x200_dominican_republic" width="150" height="200" class="size-full wp-image-904" /></a>

And here’s a slideshow of all the photos from the trip – more than 330 when this post was written.

Wanna see a bigger slideshow?

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

Under the burden of the global food crisis, the hungry are more hungry, poverty is more overwhelming. The need for food is more desperate, and the word falling from every hungry mouth, I imagine, is, “Please.”

This is no small please; this is a worldwide please for over $16 million, submitted by our country offices asking for support to feed the children.

Are you overwhelmed? Can you feel defeat slipping in ready to steal your passion to do something? It’s okay, I do too. I feel it too, so much so that I have labored over this issue for quite sometime now, thinking “I am 24 years old, paying my own bills, trying to figure out what this adult stuff is all about. Let me see, *calculating*. . . What? This is what I have leftover to give? That simply will not do. Not in the light of $16 million dollars.”

But I’m not alone. We’re not alone. I can hear a mighty army commanded by the Lord and appointed to bring forth justice, passionate about feeding the hungry, comforting the oppressed. And so there is Please. Compassion’s site dedicated solely to the Global Food Initiative. Members of the army include Rebecca St. James, Bebo Norman, KJ-52….me, you.

Can you hear it now? The marching of the faithful being driven by the heartbeat of the Lord.

Remember when we gathered in prayer and fasting concerning the global food crisis? I remember. I was still pretty new to Compassion, not yet a fulltime employee and I recall feeling so empowered by this organization to do something. Even if I didn’t have money, I had prayer. I have a voice that surpasses all this world claims as important and goes directly into the high courts of the all-powerful God.

Well here is another opportunity:

1. Watch the videos on our site.
2. Get your markers, the watercolors, the crayons, even the finger-paint.
3. Write the word “please” on your hand.
4. Take a picture
5. Upload it to our Flickr site

Also, in case you were wondering, I am a social network fanatic! Facebook, Myspace, Blogspot, Flickr . . . love it! (But don’t judge me). And I love that I can use these channels to let my friends know what I care about. Grab a widget from our site concerning the global food initiative and add it to your social network. Let your friends and family see what you are passionate about.

Let’s join together and watch what the Lord has in store. Let’s become part of an army that can’t lose.

We won’t quit. We’re committed. Strengthened by the love of the Lord and motivated by something hunger and the lies of poverty can’t surpass. And maybe, just maybe, we will start to hear a lot less “pleases.” Maybe we will begin to hear a choir compiled of His little ones exclaiming “Thank you.”

That’s what I want to hear.

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

Umm…oh, this is so hard. It’s kind of embarrassing.

We have a friend, who has a blog and all, and we were wondering…uh, he was wondering if you’d be interested and willing to promote our his blog on your site.

We He made some blog candy for you to enjoy.

Here’s the sugar free blog widget.

And the full fat, caffeinated, sugar-boosted blog widget.

Thanks.

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

This is our newest toy, and we’re really excited about how it can help get more children sponsored. Hope you like, use it and share it.

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