I’m angry.

A detestable and reprehensible disease preys on the most vulnerable in society.

Malaria.

Nearly 3.3 billion people are at risk of contracting malaria in 106 countries.

That’s half of humanity.

Don’t believe me? How about some stats from malarianomore.org:

• In the year 2009, Malaria took 780,000 lives.
• 85 percent of malaria deaths globally were children under age 5.
• Every 45 seconds, a child dies from malaria.

As I discussed malaria with friends, the same question kept surfacing in my mind:

Why are we not more upset about this?

We hear about diseases and war ravaging continents, but why are we overlooking the disease brought by a tiny mosquito? Is it because malaria is not trendy enough? Maybe it feels too big and broad.

There is good news, though.

Malaria is a preventable disease! A mosquito net can be the difference between life and death. And we are indeed making progress. Our “Bite Back” campaign is part of that progress.

The theme for World Malaria Day 2011, which is today, is “Achieving Progress and Impact.” It’s a time to celebrate the victories of the past couple of years, but also to stress the great needs in order to reach near-zero deaths by 2015.

It’s OK to get angry. But don’t just get angry. Act.

So today is World Malaria Day. What are you doing about it?

LINK UP: If you’ve written a post (past or present) about the issue of malaria in general, or the work we’re doing in the fight against malaria, please link up with us so we can all benefit. Thanks.

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

It starts with a mosquito bite. Then there’s an itch. And for us, it’s just an annoyance. But for children in poverty, the bite is just the beginning, and the itch isn’t the problem. The real problem is the malaria.

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

The parents are often concerned that their teen will not be able to see the commitment to fruition. Sometimes the parents are upset that we would even allow their teen to sign up to be a sponsor.

My first experience with Compassion was as a teen. Even at an early age I had a passion for children in poverty, and Compassion’s ministry spoke to my heart while at a summer camp in South Texas. I chose a child to sponsor and returned home with his packet.

Regrettably, I wasn’t much of a sponsor to this child. I rarely wrote, and ended the sponsorship when I went to college a few years later.

Now that I work for Compassion, I check his file all the time. I feel so guilty over my broken commitment and am patiently waiting for the day to renew our relationship. Although I pray his current sponsor never stops sponsoring him, I’d be lying if I told you I wouldn’t jump at the chance to sponsor him again.

But not all teens are like I was.

On the other end of the teen sponsorship spectrum, you have Jordan Foxworthy, whose brainchild became our Bite Back campaign. Jordan has helped raise over half a million dollars for this fund, saving countless children and families from malaria. She was even featured on CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” list.

We also have many teens who serve as advocates — working concert tables, speaking at churches, and telling their friends about our ministry. Although I had passion, these teens have the drive and commitment I didn’t.

When I speak with a parent who is upset about his or her teen’s sponsorship, I try to explain our heart behind asking teens to be sponsors. This can be a very positive experience for the teen — instilling values of thoughtfulness and caring, as well as responsibility.

We don’t want to take advantage of the teens in any way — and ask each one to speak with his or her parents about the sponsorship before making a commitment.

Sometimes, a parent isn’t comfortable with their teen being a sponsor, and I defer to their judgment. As a parent, they know their child better than we ever could and should make that decision.

Even though I did not see my commitment to fruition, I still learned many lessons through the experience and feel that other teens would as well.

So what’s your opinion? Is teen sponsorship a good thing or a bad thing?

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

Well, she’s going to be interviewed on CNN.com Live today at 3:30 p.m. EDT. And if you miss the interview, it’ll be archived on CNN’s blog: Young People Who Rock.

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

But underneath the apparent complacency plaguing our churches is a revival that God is stirring in the hearts of our young people.

Like the young boy David who faced the giant Goliath when grown men cowered in fear, it’s times like this that God calls on our young people to bring a revival to His army – to the Church of God.

In my last post, I mentioned how 14-year-old Emily Blake raised tens of thousands of dollars to reach out to as many as 100 children in Kenya suffering from malnutrition and poor hygiene. Now once again, it is another teen who is reaching out to make a difference for children and their families halfway around the world.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan Foxworthy, daughter of comedian Jeff Foxworthy, recently had the opportunity to see the devastating effects of malaria while visiting Kenya with her family.

Being moved to action, she helped start the Bite Back Against Mosquitoes campaign.

Through this campaign, she enlisted many other teens to join the fight against malaria and is encouraging the rest of us to join the fight as well.

Watch a video segment of Jordan talking about the Bite Back campaign on Christian World News.

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