Setting: Sitting in the arms of the big Jesus statue in the Compassion foyer. Eyes closed. I’m so tired.

Last week was quite the whirlwind. But oh the productivity! Let me just tell you, we’re moving forward! As you may remember, after delivering the business proposal at the end of my internship, I was asked to write up a business case. For all intents and purposes, the business case is simply a shorter, more-to-the-point version of the proposal that will be delivered to the higher-ups for approval and funding.

I can hardly believe it, but I think it’s going to happen. My idea may be funded. Thanks to your prayers. Special thanks and recognition go out to a gentleman by the name of Curtis Fletcher. I met him last week when Chris set up a 90 minute meeting with him to get his insight and opinion on the business case.

When I walked into the conference room he was already there, nearly ten minutes early, reading/highlighting/taking notes on the draft of the case that I had e-mailed him.

He is every bit of 6 feet, 4 inches, probably taller. He has the build of professional football player: broad, thick, and intimidating. When I walked in, he peered over his glasses with big blue eyes and said “Hello.”

Shockingly, his voice was soft and kind, and a smile broke the concentrated look on his face. Suddenly I felt a little less small.

The meeting went very well. He works closely with those to whom I am writing, and his vantage point helped to enlighten my approach. Finally, I had some clarity on what to say and how to say it.

The biggest answer to prayer came when, at the end of the meeting, Mr. Fletcher offered to help redraft it. “My door is open. Whatever you need, I’ll help you.”

I wish you could have been there because I have a feeling my face said it all. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I don’t remember what I said, but I remember what I felt. Sweet relief.

With a clarified direction, and the assistance of someone who knows what he is doing, I had a surge of excitement and inspiration. Back to the drawing board I went the next morning and into his office shortly thereafter.

Sure enough, his door was open and his welcome was warm. After some impromptu meetings and even more e-mails, the draft is complete and will be on its way to . . . I-don’t-know-who, tomorrow.

Needless to say, last week was the encouragement that I needed. Call me crazy, but sometimes my faith dwindles when there seems to be a stagnant or presumably idle period of time when, despite work, there is no progress. Can anyone relate? Anyone? Bueller?

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Story and Photo by Barb Liggett, Global Strategy Office Intern

Eugine is an 8-year-old from Kenya who wants to be a teacher when he grows up. Compassion believes that he — and all kids with big dreams — can do it. So does Katie Peters. This 15-year-old, from Colorado Springs’ The Classical Academy, has been raising money for Compassion since 2002 to help kids like Eugine reach their goals. Katie places jars with the slogan “Pennies for the Poor” in classrooms and hallways around her campus, about a mile from Compassion’s Global Ministry Center.

Katie posted signs around the school encouraging students and teachers to drop loose change into these jars. This simple act has gone a long way.

To date, Katie has raised more than $880 to help children across the world. Although Katie humbly claims she “was not a huge part, and it wasn’t all [her] money,” she organized this effort to raise money out of a caring and pure heart. She took the initiative to get permission from her principal to set the jars out, and at the end of each day she collects the jars and locks them in cabinets for safekeeping.

Despite all this work, Katie hopes her efforts go unnoticed by peers. She says that “I don’t try and tell people that I am doing it … I almost hope they don’t know it is me doing it. I hope they just know somebody cares.”

This is the servant’s heart Compassion seeks, the type of heart that is so powerful when embodied in a young person.

Katie chose Compassion from a long list of organizations, but for her the choice was simple. Her family began sponsoring a boy when she was 5, so she was already familiar with Compassion’s ministry.

About her family’s Compassion child, she explains that “he had graduated about the time I started Pennies for the Poor, so I decided there were still others like him who needed [help] through Compassion.”

Her family’s sponsorship was not the only experience that influenced her. When asked what provoked her to start collecting change, Katie says that “I started thinking I wanted to do something after my class had a character lesson about giving.” This, along with understanding the results of child sponsorship firsthand, inspired Katie to become an advocate for impoverished children around the world.

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We wanted ‘em. Now we got ‘em. Meet the 2008 All-Star Compassion International Internship Squad! Yaaayy!

Give ‘em a hearty welcome, y-doncha.

Back row: Meredith Dunn, Tim Hurley, Adam Kroneberger, Nicole Bond, Carl Chan, Molly Gibson, Brooke Gilbert and Abby Steiger

Middle row: Abby Walter, Whitney Davis, Barb Liggett and Big Jesus

Front row: Amos Garcia, Emily Royal, and Abbe Knake

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He greets everyone that visits the Global Ministry Center. But he’s not snooty. He also greets employees when they come to work, provided they enter through the main doors and don’t slink to their desks via another entrance. Big Jesus isn’t like Real Jesus though; Big Jesus doesn’t know everything and he’s not always with us. Sometimes he doesn’t even see people walk by … or sneaking up on him.

Big Jesus is big. He could play center for the Houston Rockets. He could play center for any NBA team. But he doesn’t. He sits in our foyer, with his big metallic lap, inviting people to sit with him and inviting the children of the world to come to him.

Big Jesus isn’t like Real Jesus. Real Jesus is much bigger than Big Jesus. Real Jesus is bigger than the universe.

Like I said, Big Jesus isn’t like Real Jesus. However, whenever I walk by Big Jesus I think of Real Jesus and the immensity of Jesus’ love for lil’ ol’ me, for children in need and for everyone.

Popularity: 30% [?]