As part of the Ministry Services department in Bolivia, we know that our role is to support the core functions of Program Communications and Program Implementation. We also know that one of the pillars supporting the bridge we represent is service.

But our question was whether we could serve our church partners in some other way than what we normally do every day.

We decided to do something different, something that made us feel not only good but satisfied. One day our whole team went to a church partner located in a city a considerable distance away. When we got there, the people of the church received us very kindly. Of course, they imagined that we were there to supervise their work.

Great was their surprise when we told them that we had come to give them whatever help they needed.

We had a plan to help them, and we each had a role. Some of us made supper while others cleaned up the kitchen. Another group cleaned bathrooms. Others visited some children’s homes and some supported tutors in the classrooms.

It was an unforgettable experience: wearing aprons and gloves, washing huge pots and striving to make everything in the kitchen shine.

And then to see children’s smiles when they received a little help in their tasks or when one of us simply listened!

We really saw the innocence, humility and purity of God’s love in every one of them.

It may be that many of us had sore backs the next day, but our spirits were overflowing with happiness. It was an experience that helped us appreciate the work that our church partners do day to day and realize that the work we all do as part of the ministry of Compassion is a service dedicated to God.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. …”  — Colossians 3:23, NIV

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the opportunity we have to serve others as You served us.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.

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

We began our ministry in Bolivia in 1975 with the Child Sponsorship Program. The Leadership Development Program started in 1998, and in 2008 the Child Survival Program began.

The ministry in Bolivia is now geographically positioned in almost 70 percent of the Bolivian territory and has built a positive reputation both inside and outside of the evangelical community.

Country Director

In 1984 Mario Vasquez started out with the ministry in Bolivia as a messenger and courier.

Through the years he served as an accounting assistant, an accountant, and Director of Operations. In 1991 Mario was promoted to Country Director.

Mario holds degrees in business administration, accounting and auditing. He is active at the Bethesda New Community Church and is involved in various activities within the evangelical community.

He serves on the Cochabamba Unified Churches Board and also participates in the Universal Theological Fraternity in the city of La Paz.

Implementing Church Partners

Implementing Church Partners are local churches with whom we work to deliver our Child Development Program and ministry in the field.

• Spiritual Climate
  The current government is putting a lot of emphasis on animistic religion, which makes spreading the gospel difficult, especially in rural areas. While there is growth among evangelical Christians, there is no strong evangelical presence in Bolivia’s cultural, educational and social arenas.
• Unique Challenges
  One challenge unique to Implementing Church Partners in Bolivia is how to use one contextualized ministry program in the three predominant regions, because each has its own unique culture. It is also difficult to respond to various denominations’ different ways of doing things. We try to be as neutral as possible, but we can’t always satisfy each denomination.

  The geographic locations of the child development centers and high staff turnover are also challenges.



• Contributions
  Implementing Church Partners provide manual labor such as classroom construction, remodeling and painting. They also provide pastoral counseling for children and their families, financial support for needy families, and home visits to sponsored children.

  The financial assistance for needy families is provided one to three times per year and is $100 per family on average. The church leadership and child development center staff determines who receives this support.

• Partner Development Activities
  We develop partners through pastor meetings and educational workshops that inform them of changes to the way the program is run. Also, Partnership Facilitators visit church services and participate in at least one church activity per year. They get to know the church members and speak with them about our ministry and the child development center in order to strengthen our relationship with them.

Child Survival Program

• Caregiver Literacy
  We implement literacy plans with women who do not know how to read or write. We also work with women who have learned to read but who have had little opportunity to practice and are having difficulty.

  We take advantage of the bimonthly home visits to give homework. In addition, 15 percent of churches have made alliances with educational institutions that have experience in literacy.

• Income-Generating Skills
  We offer monthly training in personal work skills, business skills, finances and technical skills.

  Technical training includes cooking, knitting, cloth painting and decorating.



• Health Care
  Two medical checkups are available during the months of March and October; one is done by a pediatrician and one by an obstetrician. The objective of this schedule is to ensure that pregnant women and children have two opportunities to receive medical attention.

  Bolivia has a national health program, the Mother and Child Universal Service program, which covers children under the age of five and pregnant women from the start of their pregnancy until six months after delivery.

  The objective of the Mother and Child Universal Service program is to reduce malnutrition and child mortality in children five years of age and younger. For children, this program covers consultations, treatment, hospitalization, surgery, dental treatment, vitamin supplements and medication, if needed. For mothers, this program covers consultations, treatment, hospitalization, and surgery related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care as well as dental treatment, micronutrients and medication, if needed.

  The Mother and Child Universal Service program does not always function according to its design, however, especially in rural areas and areas of poverty where the Child Survival Programs are located. So we teach mothers their rights in regard to the Mother and Child Universal Service program, ensuring that each mother utilizes the program fully.

  In the event that the Mother and Child Universal Service program does not meet mother or child needs, we use medical funds and funds from Implementing Church Partners.



• Nutritional Support
  Each caregiver receives a “family basket” once a month which contains items such as cereals, oatmeal, milk, beans and wheat, and in some cases, fruit and vegetables. In the case of malnutrition, we also include items such as Suprelac and Nutrebebe, as well as other items recommended by nutritionists.
• Involvement of Fathers
  Fathers sometimes participate in family social evenings, celebration days and family get-togethers. The greatest impact on fathers is when the Child Survival Program Implementers are in their homes inviting them to become familiar with their child’s development process.

  Fathers are sometimes given “homework” that covers their role as men, husbands and fathers. In many cases, it seems that the fathers put pressure on the mothers to participate in program activities.



• Transitioning Out of the Child Survival Program
  We have a six-month transition strategy for beneficiaries leaving the Child Survival Program. During the first phase of the transition strategy, the Child Survival Program Implementer continues monthly home visits. Children who are 36 to 39 months of age continue to learn activities within the Child Survival Program.

  During the second phase of the transition strategy, children who are 40 to 41 months old continue to learn activities in the Child Survival Program, but will also visit Child Sponsorship Program classes to meet the sponsorship program tutors.

  During this time, we identify mothers with teaching abilities, so they can work with other mothers as trainers in group activities in the future. We hope these activities will make the transition less traumatic for both mothers and children.

• Areas of Expansion for the Child Survival Program
  We will open additional Child Survival Programs in the states of La Paz (El Alto) and Potosi. These areas have high rates of child mortality and extreme poverty, but they also have highly involved and passionate churches.

Child Development Through Sponsorship

Your sponsorship of a child in Bolivia provides a variety of benefits.

Children in our Child Sponsorship Program who go to school in the morning attend the Child Development Program in the afternoon, and the children who go to school in the afternoon attend the program in the morning. Teenagers spend less time at the center because they have more schoolwork.

• Meeting Times:
  • 3 to 5 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 6 to 8 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 9 to 11 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 12 to 14 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 15 to 18 year olds: 3 hours a day, 2 days a week
  • 19 +: 3 hours a day, 2 days a week

  

• Nutritional Support
  Each child receives a snack and lunch at the child development center twice a week. A snack consists of an egg sandwich with tea, fruit shake with crackers, fruit salad, oatmeal or bread. Lunch consists of vegetable soup, a lentil burger, salad, rice, dessert and apple juice.

  Both the snack and lunch menus are prepared by a nutritionist. We feel that meals are very important for the development of the children because many do not have well-balanced meals at home.

• Vaccinations
  Vaccinations are mandatory. When children are registered, they are asked to show their vaccination records. If they are not current on their vaccinations, they are asked to get caught up before being enrolled at the child development center.

  Children go to health centers that give vaccinations through government medical campaigns; some of these vaccines are free and others have an associated fee. If a child is under five, the Bolivian government will provide all vaccines free of charge.

• Extracurricular Activities or Community Service
  Children participate in sports, church and regional retreats and service activities (available for adolescents 12 years and older). Service activities include cleaning up town squares and painting.
• Vocational Activities
  We hope the adolescents will participate in activities in which they will learn to work and support themselves.

  We offer service activities, church retreats, campouts, youth counseling, and technical training, such as computer training, pastry making, dress making and English.



• Parent Involvement
  We have monthly meetings where the Bible is shared and information about the child development center is given. We also offer family programs and bring in specialists on various topics that are of interest to families, such as discipline, parents’ roles, marriage, sexuality, etc.

  There are nine topics covered in a year, one topic per month. We have social activities and celebrate occasions such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. And in some cases, we have health campaigns that provide medical care, such as dental and eye care to the parents and siblings of sponsored children.

• Areas of expansion for the Child Sponsorship Program
  We plan to expand into the city of El Alto in the La Paz region. This city is growing because the majority of immigrants from the rural areas of La Paz are settling there, making it an area of extreme poverty.

Leadership Development Program

• Universities Attended
  Our Leadership Development Program students attend mostly government universities.
• Location of Universities
  The universities are mostly located in the urban areas of the main cities.
• Service Opportunities
  Many students serve at their churches, and some students are beginning to hold social activities for street children and abandoned women.
• Leadership Development Program Meetings
  Leadership Development Program students meet every Saturday to study the Bible, share with each other, pray and counsel one another. They cover program curriculum and participate in activities together monthly.
• Specialty Curriculum Topics or Resources
  We hire people with expertise in the areas we want to teach, such as Bible study methods, stewardship of money, sexual issues in relationships, etc.
• Mentors
  We ask our staff if they would be interested in mentoring a Leadership Development Program student or if they know someone who might be interested.

  Also, Leadership Development Program Specialists will talk to people at church or other Christian organizations who shown interest in developing leadership skills among young people.



• Career Placement Assistance
  The Commerce Institution of Bolivia is an affiliation of various corporations and companies in the city whose main role is to promote business activity in the city and across the country. If a company needs an intern, they advertise through this institution. Our Leadership Development Program will notify students when a new job opening or internship has been advertised.

Complementary Interventions

Our core Child Sponsorship Program, while comprehensive, does not address all obstacles to a child’s healthy development.

Compassion’s Complementary Interventions program was created to provide additional services as needed, such as our AIDS Initiative, disaster relief, water projects, special medical intervention and provision of Bibles to all Compassion-assisted children.

Complementary Interventions in Bolivia include medical and education funds. Additional Complementary Interventions are selected based on annual strategic planning.

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

When we choose to sponsor a child, most of us closely examine the photos of the available children. The children stand very straight in their pictures, as if they are in the military service.  And many have serious looks on their faces.

The children are generally dressed well, but for some reason they don’t all smile for the camera. Does this mean they are unhappy?

I had the privilege of being at several child development centers in Bolivia as they took the child sponsorship photos. Once I witnessed it, it all made a lot more sense.

It also showed me that I, at many times in the past, had read way too much into the child photos — things that weren’t really there.

It was easy to assume that because a child didn’t smile in the photo, it was because of the child’s difficult and sad life.

I’ve subsequently received photos of my sponsored children posing with gifts I had sent and they had big smiles on their faces. So it was easy to assume that my gift had broken through their “sad life” and that, finally, the children were happy.

So I thought I would share what it was really like when it came to taking child photos.

Every child development center has a staff member who handles the letters, takes the photos, and accompanies any sponsor visits.

Basically, they deal with everything relating to the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsor’s child.

In Bolivia they call these staff the “sponsorship responsible.” In Peru they call them “secretary” and in El Salvador “sponsorship coordinator.” Whatever the title, they are all the same position. These staff take the photos and send them to the country office.

In the country office, someone receives the photos and makes sure that they are in accordance to Compassion’s standards. For example, the child’s eyes must be open and the child’s hands and ears must be visible, in addition to other requirements.

The person in charge of taking child photos at each child development center has a challenging task. Imagine accompanying 30 children to a location and making sure they behave, don’t get into accidents or squabbles as they await their turns, and pose willingly for their photos.

The child photo should not have inappropriate things in the background. For instance, a street dog can’t be in the background (and they are all over the place). A placard displaying the child’s Compassion number is placed on the ground in front of the child. This way the staff member is able to organize the photos easily.

The video below is of Delicia. She is the “sponsorship responsible” for Bolivia’s Pucara Grande Student Center.

At this photography session, she had to photograph about a dozen children. In the video, Delicia is photographing a little boy named José, and José was quite the character. He did not have the patience to stand still while Delicia took his picture.

Delicia is one of the most patient women I’ve ever met. She dearly loves these children!

Watch the video and see how she patiently handles José. Notice how José’s mother gets involved to make sure her son stands up straight. Then notice how this serious little boy does a little dance at the end of the session!

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

According to the Health Ministry in Bolivia, the malnutrition rate among Bolivia’s children is approximately 16 percent; 125,000 children under age 2 have not achieved adequate growth for their age.

Chronic malnutrition is the most dramatic manifestation of the deep social and economic problems accumulated throughout Bolivian history. Chronic malnutrition remains an unsolved public health problem.

It’s the main problem for children under 2 and the damage that it causes is irreversible. Therefore, the first two years of life represent a unique opportunity that can’t be wasted.

Lizeth, a Child Survival Program coordinator in Bolivia, explains,

“Malnutrition is one of the main diseases among children under 5 and it’s because children don’t receive good nourishment or families have very low resources.

“However, according to the nutritionists, it is also because families are not well informed that there are foods that can replace meat and also have nutrients.”

When visiting communities in Bolivia, it is not uncommon to learn that a high percentage of the children are malnourished. Thankfully, through Compassion’s Child Survival Program, children have been saved and most of them are gaining adequate weight for their age.

Patricio and Matías are two children who have been saved thanks to being part of the Child Survival Program.

In Santa Cruz, on the tropical side of Bolivia, Miriam and her husband live with their 1 1/2 year-old son, Patricio, and his five siblings.

Despite having a house of their own, Miriam and her children have experienced the pain of having to go to bed with empty stomachs on many occasions.

Lizeth shares,

“When I visited them, Miriam’s husband hadn’t [been home] for three days. He had found a one-week job, then he disappeared and [later] he arrived without money.”

Miriam doesn’t receive any kind of support from her husband, who has been unfaithful to her. They already had five children, so when she found out that she was expecting Patricio, she drank different things in an unsuccessful attempt to abort the baby.

Miriam tells us,

“My baby was born premature. He weighed 4.8 pounds, he was yellow, didn’t have hair or eyelashes and eyebrows. He was very small and thin.”

Miriam entered the Child Survival Program when Patricio was 2 months old, and he started to gain weight. But when he was a year old, Patricio became very ill and refused to eat.

“He had fever and was treated for different kinds of illnesses and received every kind of medicine. His weight got to just 15 pounds. 

“The doctors gave my baby back to me, saying that he would die. He didn’t move, the fever was very high, and he didn’t even open his eyes.”

Child Survival Program personnel, along with the pastor, visited the family, prayed for them and kept trying to determine the cause of the child’s sickness. Finally another doctor found that Patricio had a fungus in his stomach, probably due to the things his mother had ingested when she tried to abort him.

Miriam says,

“The program always helped me very much. They also supported me emotionally. When I felt that I was going to pieces they helped me; they helped me in every way.

“They helped me economically; they paid for all the analysis, medicines and now are providing healthy food, cereals and milk, which are good for him. He is improving – what he didn’t do when he was little he is doing now.”

Lizeth explains further,

“[When] her child got sick, Miriam started to attend to church again. The week the baby started to get better she presented him at church and since then he has gotten much better.

“Miriam also gave her testimony of how the baby was getting better. She will soon get baptized, too. The pastor goes with his wife to her house to teach her about what baptism means.”

Malnutrition affected Patricio’s development. He can’t say much yet and isn’t walking on his own, so the Child Survival Program personnel are helping him strengthen his legs with exercises and are helping him learn what he needs to know at his age.

A nearly rejected child has become a cherished blessing for Miriam and her family. Thanks to the Lord and to the Child Survival Program, Patricio can now enjoy his precious life.

Rita and her son Matías are from La Paz in the high-plateau area of Bolivia. Rita has three children and lives with them and her husband in a house loaned to them by her in-laws.

Rita and Matías joined the Child Survival Program one year ago.

Matías was born in a hospital and at the proper weight. Suddenly, though, when the baby was around 6 months old, he didn’t have strength to nurse anymore. He began to lose weight and Rita started to feed him oatmeal.

Rita’s husband also became ill and stopped working, so Rita had to work to support her family. She didn’t have much time to take care of her children and didn’t realize how dangerous Matías’ condition had become. 

Sabina, Rita’s Child Survival Program coordinator, tells us,

“When the implementer found the baby, he was lying on the bed and couldn’t even breathe. Since he didn’t receive good nutrition, he was very weak. The implementer immediately took him to the emergency room.

“The doctors recommended special milk for him and that’s what we provided them. I believe that if the baby hadn’t been treated on time, we would have lost him.”

The doctors diagnosed Matías with anemia.

Rita shares,

“Honestly, we didn’t have the possibility to buy his milk because it was too expensive, so we thought that our baby was going to die anytime. He was very thin.

“My son used to be there just lying down. He didn’t do anything. Now he moves, walks and speaks. I am very thankful.

“I couldn’t provide him what he needed. The program helped us and especially my son very much.”

Through the Child Survival Program, Rita has also learned about nutritious foods she can feed her children. Each month she receives a food basket from the program. The food basket includes milk, yogurt and cereals.

Rita also learned how to knit at the program; now she knits to support her family.

Thanks to the Child Survival Program, the family now has a healthy baby. They also are attending church again because they recognize that God has blessed their family.

Malnutrition affects children from one side of the country to the other. But 30 Child Survival Programs in Bolivia, each with 50 to 52 beneficiaries, are thankful to the Lord for the great blessing of the program.

Many lives are being saved, families are being restored, and parents are attending church with their children.

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

Recently, I traveled to our Compassion Canada office for a week of meetings. But instead of sitting in meetings all day, I found a very tricky way of getting out of them: I came down with appendicitis.

Appendicitis doesn’t sound that scary, but when you’re pregnant — much scarier.

Thankfully, I was blessed to be in a developed country near one of the best ob-gyn facilities in the area. I had a quick operation, and my baby came through like a kicking champ (kicking all my sore spots, that is). I’ve never been so keenly aware that access to reliable, safe medical care is a tremendous blessing.

A week later, I sat in my home and worked on a report from one of our Child Survival Programs in La Paz, Bolivia. As the staff at this program interviewed mothers to be registered, they heard repeatedly how many of the moms had already lost one or two children. One mother, Lucia, has experienced the death of three children.

According to local data, 113 children out of 1,000 die before they are 5 years old. That’s more than 10 percent.

I can’t imagine the pain and devastation of losing one child.

A good friend of mine recently lost her baby, and some days the waves of grief that come over her make the most basic life functions unbearable. Imagine losing three children.

Nancy, the director of this CSP program, knows how hard it is for these mothers.

“One might think that since the moms have so many children, losing one doesn’t affect them, but that’s not the case. The moms feel that loss.”

It can be easy to subtly or even subconsciously assume that mothers in other countries are somehow different from us or that they feel things differently than we do. But that’s a lie.

They face their own unique challenges (that I certainly cannot understand) but they feel the same heartache that any human would feel.

The challenges in this particular community go deeper than just a lack of medical care and the emotional scars it has wrought.

Sometimes we would like to think that implementing a program is like waving a magic wand. A couple of swishes of the wand and “Ta da!” everything is better. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works — as any of our thousands of field workers can tell you.

Many of the mothers who live in this Bolivian community moved here from remote Andean regions. Many are illiterate and have little education. They grew up knowing only home remedies for sickness and don’t trust doctors or health clinics. In this community, the battle isn’t so much providing medical care for babies as it is educating the mothers to accept medical care.

According to Rosa, CSP program coordinator,

“When children get sick, the mothers usually treat them with home remedies because that is what they have learned. They don’t trust doctors. Even though their child might be dying, they take the risk of using only herbs because they aren’t in the habit of taking [children] to the doctor.”

Even among mothers who have the benefit of being in the Child Survival Program, it can be difficult to get them to seek and receive urgent medical care when it’s needed.

When it comes to childbirth, the mothers in our program are accustomed to giving birth alone at home and are resistant to giving birth at a clinic. Unlike home births in much of the developed world, these mothers are often alone — without aid from anyone who knows what to do if the delivery doesn’t go smoothly.

This is one of the factors that has led to such a high infant- and maternal- mortality rate, and why Rosa is worried about the moms. She doesn’t want to see any of them or their children die.

When asked what she would like us to pray for, she asks for prayer for the births:

“Please pray for the pregnant mothers. I worry about them. They don’t know how their childbirth is going to go because they always have their children at home because they don’t trust the health centers at all. So I would ask the supporters to pray for the childbirths.”

Would you join me in praying for all the mothers in the Child Survival Program, that they would give birth to healthy babies and accept the support and help they need?

Would you also pray for Child Survival Program workers such as Rosa and Nancy, that God would give them wisdom and discernment to educate and guide these mothers while being respectful of their background and culture?

And would you give thanks that we in developed nations are so very blessed to give birth where we know we have the medical care we need?

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

Everyone needs to be humbled. We need to be reminded of how much bigger the world is beyond the realm of our small lives. We hear about extreme poverty from celebrities and we see starving children line the pages of National Geographic. But really– how does that affect me, so many miles away?

A few years ago my parents decided to partner with Compassion. Because my mother spent the first 18 years of her life in Bolivia, my parents decided to sponsor a child from that country. They soon found a little boy from Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Yeison.

I didn’t know much about Yeison, except what the little packet we received told us: He was born on Valentine’s Day, he enjoys playing soccer, and he likes playing with toy cars.
And so we began our relationship with him and his family, communicating through translated letters. Yeison always sent a colored drawing, reported on his soccer team, and told us how he was doing in school.

One summer, I had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Bolivia on a mission trip supported by my youth group. It was announced that we would spend our 12 days in Santa Cruz.

I contacted Compassion in hopes of meeting the boy who felt so much a part of our family.

I met Yeison on a Monday. A representative from the local child development center met me in the morning, and we went by taxi to the center. The taxi took us past the city center toward the outskirts of the city.

The building stood out from the surrounding dilapidated houses and businesses. A sense of hope emanated from its high walls as the happy shrieks of the children within breathed life into the broken-down neighborhood.

And standing in the front entrance were Yeison and his mother, Beatriz.

Yeison wore a green button-up shirt and his hair had been neatly combed to one side. As we stepped out of the taxi and started toward them, a wide smile spread across the boy’s face. I couldn’t help but smile, too. Yeison immediately ran up to hug me, and his mother soon followed.

Did he really exist? Could we really impact the life of a child who lives 5,210 miles away?

We had no agenda for the day, so Beatriz invited me to come to their house. We rode a bus for half an hour, during which I gave Yeison a coloring book and a box of crayons. He immediately opened the book and colored for the remainder of the ride.

We ventured even further outside of the city, and finally reached our stop.

Beatriz announced that she would walk to a nearby shop to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola, and she assigned Yeison the task of walking me to their home. I had only taken three years of Spanish in high school, but I was surprised that Yeison and I had no trouble communicating. He immediately opened up, talking about everything from school to sports to cartoons.

We ambled along a dirt path, carved into the earth by truck tires, and chatted along the way. He held my hand as he happily pointed out the homes of friends in his impoverished neighborhood and showed me the park close to his house: a rusted swing set and a small muddy soccer field.

I was surprised when he announced that we had arrived at his house. To the left of the road stood a small shack that was no more than 15 feet by seven feet in size. The house was constructed mainly of brick, wood panels, and other improvised materials. And yet, Yeison had no shame in showing me his home.

As we walked inside, he excitedly led me to the bed that he shared with his cousin. Four people live in this small space? Spiderman stickers lined the headboard of the bed, and on top rested a small box.

Onto his bed, Yeison dumped the contents of that box: every letter we had written him over the past two years and the family pictures that my mom had sent him. He pointed to each of my family members, reciting our names.

Together, we reread some of the letters and he asked about my life in the United States. He then retrieved his school workbooks, proudly showing me the high scores that he received on almost every test, and we reviewed the few English words he had learned: colors, shapes, and animals.

I spent the next hours coloring with Yeison, talking with his mother, and sipping Coca-Cola.

Later, Beatriz suggested that we return to the Compassion center so that I could see where Yeison spent his days attending classes, playing with friends, and receiving meals.

We climbed aboard the bus once again, and along the bumpy ride back into the city, Yeison fell asleep on my lap. It was one of those moments that I will never forget.

This precious boy is so happy and at peace. How selfish I am.

Yeison gave me the tour of the center, holding my hand along the way. He greeted friends by pointing to me and saying,

“Ella es mi padrina!” (She’s my sponsor!)

We sat in his classroom and I was introduced to his teacher, who was also his uncle. They offered us a lunch meal, and we enjoyed a hearty bowl of chicken soup.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon talking with the staff, playing games, and walking through the child development center.

Before meeting Yeison, I had never imagined the impact that he could have on my life. Through Compassion, I met the most incredible little boy, and that night, I couldn’t help but feel that my family’s decision to support him was one of the best decisions we had ever made.

Yeison lives with such happiness, despite his circumstances, and it is our incredible privilege to sponsor him. To this day, we continue to support and communicate with Yeison. He can write his own letters now, and his drawings have improved. And at the end of every letter, he always adds,

“Que Dios les bendiga.” (May God bless you. )

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

Tomorrow, June 4, at 9 a.m. MDT, you can watch a live video feed of a Leadership Development Program graduation ceremony in Bolivia.

These are young people who grew up in poverty, were sponsored as little children and have overcome tremendous obstacles. They were enrolled in the Leadership Development Program, which enabled them to attend a university and receive intensive Christian leadership training.

Now they are graduating. And we thought you might like to watch.

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

I am sitting at my desk at the Global Ministry Center, responding to emails just as I do every day. This email is from Stephen in Kenya; that one is from Galia in Bolivia. Another flies into my inbox from Amos in Ghana.

Teaching staff members at the office in the Philippines.

Oh wait, I need to look at this note from Sharon in Sri Lanka. Let me check that question from Ricot in Haiti. Ah, here’s that answer I sent to Igor in Brazil — so many emails from colleagues around the world.

Haiti Compassion staff working in the office.

Some of them have intermittent Internet connections in an office; others are working from a cell phone while traveling to a church partner. Some are dealing with drought; others are in the midst of a flood.

As I begin my morning, someone else is ending his or her workday. We speak different languages. We live in separate time zones. We follow different customs and practices. We lead such vastly different lives.

Every one of these emails brings greetings and blessings from field and area staff. I may not have met these individuals face-to-face, but I know them: I have seen their pictures, I have prayed for their family members, and I have worked closely with them.

Staff meeting in Ecuador.

We are all connected by the fact that Christ dwells in our hearts. We are also connected because we believe in the mission of Compassion. No matter what the situation behind the email, every one of these messages contains gratitude to the Lord for the mighty work He is doing.

I am blessed to have a great team to work with at the Global Ministry Center. I am also blessed to have co-workers all over the world.

Together we are one in Spirit.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” — Colossians 3:16, NIV

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for allowing the message of Christ to dwell richly in us. Remind us to pray for our co-workers, including those who sit right next to us and those who sit thousands of miles away.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kelly Hedgecock works with the International Program Complementary Interventions (CIV) team. Part of Kelly’s role is to ensure that crisis updates are properly communicated to our global partners. She also assists in processing CIV proposals and funding. Kelly has been on staff at Compassion since 2006.

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According to some studies, only a small percentage of children receive the level of socio-emotional stimulation they require in order to enjoy healthy childhood development. In Bolivia, our education philosophy is built on this need for socio-emotional input.

The education we offer through our child development centers is based on biblical principles. We want our children to have a biblical vision for living that yields to the government of God so they will become responsible Christian adults. Every objective and theme, and our lesson content, is focused on Christ and founded on God’s Word.

This methodology has an approach of changing the lies and wrong ways of thinking about biblical truths. The method that defines how learning activities must be developed is EIRCA:

EXPERIENCE, INVESTIGATION, REFLECTION, CONCEPTUALIZATION and APPLICATION.

Experience — Through awareness techniques such as picture interpretation, telling stories, case studies, dramas, role-playing games, videos, songs or poems, and through information gathering such as dialogues or brainstorming, the tutor enables the children to relate what they are learning to their way of living.

Investigation — Through Bible study techniques such as study and analysis of Bible verses, reading, watching, and hearing or dramatizing Bible stories, and through information gathering such as questionnaires, group work, etc., the children study God’s Word to discover and identify biblical principles.

Reflection — Through different techniques such as brainstorming, questions, debates, and work groups, children reflect and reason regarding their beliefs and principles, identifying consequences by asking questions such as “What’s best for me, lies or truth?”

Conceptualization — Through techniques such as exhibits or reading and by using resources such as instruction sheets, flip charts, conceptual maps and videos, the tutor helps the children develop clear concepts about the principal ideas related to the theme.

Application – Through situations such as solving problems, making decisions, building something, experimenting or proving a point, the children have the chance to practice what they’ve learned until it becomes part of their culture.

The class lessons are designed to facilitate the development of the children based on these five steps. Curriculum specialist Ceclia shares,

“The social-emotional lessons develop the children’s view regarding themselves and others; it is based on understanding their identity as a creation in God’s image. Each child is unique, special and valuable and created with a purpose.”

The content of these lessons is related to biblical principles for handling emotions, decision making, conflict solving, handling change and interpersonal relationships.

The methodology and activities are focused on a biblical worldview and facilitate the development of the children’s identity based on who God is and how, why and for what purpose He created them.

Child development center tutor Adelina says,

“Children love to work with the social-emotional lessons. It is their favorite part of the class and they anxiously wait for the moment where they can share with each other through games, videos, work groups and other activities.”

In many areas of Bolivia, parents aren’t accustomed to showing emotions to their children. This may be because they believe it is a sign of weakness or just not important.

At the child development center, children are learning that what they think, what they say and what they do as people created by God has great value. They are learning to express themselves because they know that emotions do matter.

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A baby lay dying in his mother’s arms as she frantically rushed him into the hotel lobby where Bolivia sponsor tour members gathered after the day’s development center visits. She had no money for a doctor and hoped someone would help. We quickly collected funds, and a Compassion staff member rushed the mother and her child to a doctor.

The situation turned out to be very serious, but the baby received medication and improved by morning.

No one thought twice about joining together to get the job done. It was effortless to help a child in need because we know how much God values children.

Working at Compassion, I’ve learned to value children as God does. But do I remember that God values each person I come into contact with as much as He values me?

In the midst of high volumes of work, meetings, and personal burdens, showing value to those I work with can lose priority. It’s easy to forget that each coworker, vendor, and volunteer was designed by God as a specific piece of the puzzle in His perfect plan.

Years ago we used the unofficial tag line “for the kids, for the kingdom.” That tag line reminded us that in everything we do we are to be united in Christ and part of His kingdom. There can be no unity in our ministry without respect for God’s plan and purpose for each person.

Mother Teresa said she saw Jesus in every face she saw. Do you see Jesus in the faces of those around you?

When you do, you will desire to be like-minded with Him — having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Now, may God enable you to truly value others as we labor in unity for God’s children and His kingdom. To Him be honor and glory forever.

“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. In humility value others above yourselves.” Philippians 2:2-3 (NIV)

Prayer: Father, you gave us value on the cross by redeeming us. You have graciously blessed our lives with a purpose and a plan. Help us to encourage others in their God-given purpose as we unite to accomplish your plan for Compassion. Amen!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Desiree Bustamante is a Prospect Researcher in Constituent Development – USA Division. She works directly with our donor relationship managers, identifying and researching potential donors who will support the Leadership Development, Child Survival and other Compassion programs.

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