For the past year, I’ve been working for Compassion Canada as a marketing writer. (Did you know that Compassion International truly is international? Our sponsors come from the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and South Korea, and God is growing our pool of worldwide sponsors every day!)

Compassion Canada Staff

At first, I wondered what cultural differences I might encounter writing for another country. To prepare for my new role, I watched Canadian Bacon and many reruns of SCTV. So far, the biggest differences are that Canadians walk kilometres to get to their neighbours colourful homes in 0 degree Celsius weather, while Americans walk miles to get to neighbors colorful homes in 0 degree Fahrenheit weather.

But when it comes to sponsorship, I found a couple of ways in which we are different, and several ways that we are the same.

How We’re Different

1. One of the most obvious ways Compassion Canada is different from Compassion USA is size. Although by area Canada is the second largest country in the world, by population Canada is about a tenth the size of the U.S. Accordingly, Compassion Canada employs about 85 people, making it a lean, mean, sponsoring machine.
2. Despite the fact that Canada’s small, we do have some cool services. For example, did you know that as a Canadian sponsor, you can send your sponsored child a paper play set as a gift? You do now! We don’t have the same paper templates the U.S. offers, but you can write your child online and choose to send one photo, 12 different cards (and, yes, one is hockey themed), 3 paper play sets and 6 posters.
3. Because Compassion International’s headquarters are in Colorado Springs, many staff members have an amazing view of the mountains. Because Compassion Canada is based in London, Ontario, they have a lovely view of an industrial park. The marketing team is inspired to creativity each day as they watch feet walk by in the parking lot from their garden view windows.
4. Even though Canada is far more post-Christian than the U.S., we really work to emphasize how the ministry in the field is Christ centred. (Notice I didn’t say centered.) Canada even has a website dedicated to educating sponsors and donors about how Jesus is the true difference in these children’s lives, called The Difference Is Jesus.
5. Although many workers ride their bikes to our headquarters in Colorado, in Canada, they ride moose to work.

Compassion USA Staff

How We’re the Same

1. We are all guided by the same values and principles, and we are supporting the same ministry in the field.
2. We all love (to mock) Justin Bieber. When I was visiting the Canada office, I met a young woman whose family used to babysit the Biebs. Pretty exciting stuff. (And although the Canadians like to claim that they don’t love him as much as they do, in a staff meeting I was in, one of the announcements was that it was Justin Bieber’s birthday. You be the judge.)

If you want to find out more about some of Compassion International’s partners around the world, check them out here.

You can read the UK and Ireland’s blog!

Spreekt u Nederlands? Read the Dutch blog here. Or if you live down under, check out the Australia blog.

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

Heather and I had been sponsoring in a relatively disconnected way since around 2000. I use the word “disconnected” because although we understood the work of Compassion and believed in its concepts, we had never actually connected with the children in any meaningful way. A trip to see the work of Compassion in 2007 changed all this.

Prior to this trip, I was in a highly pressurized work environment, which was engulfing every hour of my day and much of my nights. Early mornings were sometimes spent trying not to throw up while shaving.

Many of you guys will have been there: big income, big demands, no room to back off, always up to take on the next contract. If I got in an hour earlier each day, I thought I could cope.

We were fortunate to visit Kenya on an Advocate’s trip for ten days … ten days that changed our lives.

Read the rest of this post by Compassion UK Advocate Martyn Legg on the Compassion UK blog.

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

What do you think of our blog? Would you say that it’s one of best corporate blogs you read?

I’d like to take the opportunity, of being one of the finalists in the Social Fresh Top Corporate Blog Awards, to talk about how we can serve you better.

• How are we adding value to your relationship with your sponsored child?
• Where are we falling short?
• And what more can we do to make this blog worth your time?

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

I bashfully type this post because the one thing I crossed off of my “to-do” list this morning brought me both joy and shame. Yet, despite my wall of pride, I feel compelled to share with you all. Perhaps because the accountability of sharing my shortcomings in hopes of doing better “next time” has become quite addicting.

Here it is …

This morning, coffee in hand, Tim and I finally sat down to write back to Jhun, the child we sponsor through Compassion International. From the outside looking in, we’re great sponsors! Jhun’s adorable pictures are on our fridge, his most current letter is usually stacked on top of the mail on my table, the Compassion website is bookmarked under my browser, and I pray for Jhun. I do. But, and there’s always a but, I know.

I can’t write Jhun letters. Er, I won’t write Jhun letters. I mean, I never “got around to it” — until today. Why is that? It makes me crazy! I know, we are actually the world’s worst sponsors. Compassion couldn’t make it any easier on us. They mail us the paper, the envelopes, the ideas. They also have a fantastic website, which allows us to donate more money online and submit letters electronically. What’s my problem?

I really think I let Satan capitalize on my fears, for lack of a better word. I take full responsibility. It’s not like Satan literally forced my hand, or more appropriately, held my hand back. I just succumbed to my irresponsible fears about writing the perfect letter or being able to do enough.

Of course I can’t do enough. I can’t. I just have to get over it and do what I can. But, instead, I don’t do anything. I mean, we send money and we love the chance to send extra for birthday, Christmas, etc., but for once in my life, I’m afraid to make this relationship personal.

It forces me to confront how crazy blessed I am on so many levels. It makes me think, again, about how unfair life is. I mean, I have thoughts that I just can’t rationalize. I just don’t get. I guess I fear what I can’t understand.

Anyway, the result is quite painful. Instead of pushing through these fears, I move on to the next thing on my list. I always jump over the task, write Jhun a letter. His new letters come and go to the top. I write his name down over and over again. His smiling face comes and immediately hits my fridge. But I struggle to pick up my pen and start the relationship. I doubt my ability to have the right words, to say the right things, to do justice to this incredible gift of a relationship.

Today we broke the cycle! I won’t tell you how long it’s been . I will tell you that I’m committing to write many more letters! Tim and I sent pictures via snail mail today and we also tried out the electronic option for writing a letter. It was incredibly easy. Why did I ever wait so long?

The way to Katie’s heart is through Sour Patch Kids, decaf coffee with coconut creamer, new slippers, and a 9-foot longboard. She blogs at The Case for Joy, which is where we lifted this post from.

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

• These Words of Mine – 187 visits
• Whittaker Woman – 76 visits
• Clever Phrase Here – 68 visits
• Girls Just Want to Have Fun – 43 visits
• Sheep Droppings – 39 visits
• all in His design – 39 visits
• The Leopard at the Summit – 37 visits
• Lead Me On… – 37 visits

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

Thanks for your support and for not bruising our toes.

1. Girls Just Want to Have Fun – 70 visits
2. Sheep Droppings – 61 visits
3. Jesus and Compassion – 49 visits

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

They got sweet moves.

1. Rocks in My Dryer – 206 visits
2. musings of foreign hearts – 75 visits

Anyone up for the cha cha in July?

Get 50 friends together and meet us at here on August 1. It’s gonna be a Dance Dance Revolution.

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

1. Rocks in My Dryer – 409 visits
2. Love Well – 120 visits
3. musings of foreign hearts – 60 visits
4. challies.com – 55 visits

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

]]> http://blog.compassion.com/a-quick-thanks/feed/ 0 http://blog.compassion.com/smiles/ http://blog.compassion.com/smiles/#comments Fri, 23 May 2008 15:58:21 +0000 Amber Van Schooneveld http://blog.compassion.com/?p=372 My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates
]]> I just got this cute, cute picture of Pamela at her child development center, viewing herself on the blog from Wednesday’s post! Samuel says she was embarrassed at first but couldn’t help smiling once she saw it.


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

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