As my wife and I have begun the journey of family building — getting married, nesting into our home, walking through the baby section at department stores — I have been remarkably struck by the seemingly loose definition Jesus uses to describe His family.

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”   — Matthew 12:50, NIV

Trying to wrap my head around this, I thought about how I would respond if I were James (Jesus’ brother), hearing Jesus say,

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” — Matthew 12:48, NIV

My first thought is, I’d be a little insulted. I mean, at this point Jesus was getting some serious attention from some pretty important people … and He virtually disowned me. I thought for sure I would get a little recognition. I’m His brother, after all.

A Far Better, Eternal Family

Then I backed up and looked at this with a wide-angle lens.

Jesus is the Son of God before he was James’ brother. He is part of an eternal family — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the family of God.

Not only that, but Scripture says God the Father adopts new people into His family through Jesus (see Ephesians 1:5).

When we receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus says we are reborn (see John 3:6-7).

It began to click. Jesus was building an eternal family — one that James would eventually be part of once he had the eyes to see it.

Opening the Family Fortress to the Least

If Jesus, the perfect, holy, eternal Son of God, could tell meager fishermen and conniving tax collectors, “I’m not ashamed to call you brothers” (see Hebrews 2:11), then why am I so protective of my family fortress?

Consider the orphan. Or maybe just the kid whose parents work all the time and still can’t send him to school. He rummages around the streets during the day, looking for scraps of food behind restaurants. Or she hurries behind the building when she sees that strange man who has taken some of her friends and hasn’t brought them back.

These kids are stressed out, fearful and lonely. They need the family of God to love, protect and provide for them.

What if they could say,

“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother”?

The Family of God, Extended

These kids are my family through the gospel. That is why Jesus is so disgusted with those who turn their eyes from their hungry, thirsty, naked and sick brothers and sisters in Matthew 26:7:

“As you did not do it to one of the least of these [my brothers], you did not do it to me.”

When we, adopted members of the family of God, sponsor, visit, love, write, protect, speak up for, adopt and foster these children in our own families, we are living out the gospel.

We are doing the will of our Father in heaven, and Jesus calls us brothers and sisters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jordan Mogck writes for the blog familia Dei | Missional Family in the Life of the Trinity. He and his wife live in Minneapolis, Minn., where they lead a Community Group and the Community Service Team at Antioch Community Church.

If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, we are happy to consider publishing it. Read our guest blog post guidelines.

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

I (Juli) recently dreamed I was climbing a lot of barriers (including locked gates) to get to my sponsored child Nuy, and she was doing the same to get to me.

Nuy is the precious girl in Thailand I sponsored from the time she was 8 years old until she graduated from the Leadership Development Program last year.

In the dream, when we finally got past all the barriers, representing race, language and distance, and met in the middle, we hugged eagerly.

When I awoke, I recalled the real hugs we’d shared when I traveled to Thailand for her graduation – when we truly celebrated all the obstacles she overcame and the barriers we broke through over the years.

We shared a meal together for the first time, and on Mother’s Day no less. Words can’t describe the joy and satisfaction of that moment!

Chris: When we heard Mom was going to Thailand to attend Nuy’s Leadership Development Program graduation, my sister, Sarah, and I offered to go along.

We had grown up with Nuy, reading her letters around the dinner table and praying for her.

I didn’t know what to expect when we met her, knowing she had grown up in poverty. And when I saw her, right in front of me — beautiful, intelligent, nicely dressed — I wondered if she’d really needed us.

Then I realized, it worked. It really worked. She’s no longer in poverty.

Yes, she has chosen to stay with her mother in simple surroundings, caring for two small nephews, but she has a good job, is supporting her family, and is out of poverty. Wow! Compassion works.

Sarah: After the graduation ceremony, Nuy took us to a huge market and chose foods to cook as her gift to us.

The market was a crazy place with lots of things I hoped she wouldn’t buy, like the heads of pigs, slimy squids and intestines of various animals.

Thankfully, she made perfect choices and later we sat on the floor of the Leadership Development Program apartment, on a mat, eating the most delicious meal!

One other sponsor couple was also there with their student, Pen.

Chris: Hanging out with Nuy was fun, and meeting her in person was a step beyond the letters we had shared through the years. We had an extra day together after graduation, and soon we were taking goofy photos, laughing together, and sitting on the backs of elephants.

Sarah: We also went floating down a river on rafts. Elephants and wild water buffalo were all around and my brother and I pretended we were Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer! It was a blast!

Nuy is seen here with her mentor, Gratae, but Mom stayed back with Nuy’s mom, Bo, and the translators.

Juli: I’m so glad to have had time to visit with Bo. What a beautiful woman! She kept thanking me tearfully for staying with Nuy and not quitting.

As it turned out, she’d had a sponsor before us who had quit after one year.

What Bo didn’t know was that I couldn’t have continued sponsoring Nuy when she was accepted into the Leadership Development Program, but God had provided several friends to be partners in praying for Nuy and to help make the sponsorship payments; I didn’t want to lose her for anything.

Bo told me that the people at the child development center asked her to cook for the children, and she did so for years.

Since she was working at the Compassion center she would often sit in on Nuy’s lessons with her, and that’s how she also came to know Christ as the answer to her deepest needs.

Sarah: It was sad to say goodbye to Nuy, but we knew she was in God’s hands. I took this last photo of Mom and Nuy hugging. Nuy had just written something in Mom’s journal when she asked for her autograph (written in Thai, but later translated):

“Thank you for the love of God that you and your family give to me. I’m very glad and feel warm in my heart. Thank you so much for such a great time in only a few days.

I promise that I will miss you and pray for you often. And thank you for your embrace, which I’ve been awaiting for so long. It feels just like I’m hugging my mom.”

Chris: In addition, we had the opportunity to visit a child development center and meet three children in need of sponsors.

I wanted to sponsor this little girl, Film, but didn’t feel I could take on a second child yet; I’m sponsoring a little boy in Peru whom I also hope to visit some day.

It didn’t take long for Mom to find sponsors for all of them when we got home, although she chose to sponsor Mod-Daeng for herself.

Film’s sponsoring family is with her this month in Thailand — we all wanted to hide out in their luggage and go back too!

Sarah: We also went on a home visit and met this amazing family. They graciously offered some water, and we shared gifts we had brought.

Mom also found a sponsor for a child named, Fram — the sponsor is the youth pastor of our church.

Fram’s parents were the nicest, most sincere people, and we loved meeting them!

And we had a great time with all the Compassion staff; they are amazing friends we will remember forever.

Juli: I had a correspondence girl named Emjay in the Philippines, and could not imagine failing to meet her, too, as she was also graduating from the Leadership Development Program. So we also were able to visit Emjay’s home.

What a hoot to ride around in this tiny green motorella, all scrunched together!

We had a great time, traveling by various vehicles to a beautiful island, and hanging out with sweet Emjay and her delightful center director, Eva.

Since they spoke fluent English, the bonding and silliness came very quickly and easily between all of us!

I’m thankful for the blessings our sponsored children have been to us as a family. My kids have a greater interest in missions, in foreign travel, and in needs around the world because of it.

They have true compassion in their hearts for others. They have worked to help others in places like New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, soup kitchens and foreign mission fields.

Although my oldest son and my husband were not able to go on this trip, they are eager to help at a table when I speak for unsponsored children in churches as a volunteer Child Advocate.

This past Mother’s Day I got an interesting gift from Sarah, and called to ask what it meant. The number 38 rang a bell for me, but I wasn’t sure what she meant by her note.

I called her, and she said,

“Mom, for your gift this year I’m sponsoring a child.”

Wow! I couldn’t hold back the tears.

Compassion runs deep in our family. God’s ways are amazing!

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

Life was harsh for Rediet and her twin sister, Belene, until the day the child development center came to their Ethiopian village. With a fully paralyzed, terminally ill father and a mother who was busy trying to support the family, there was really no one at home who could give the 8-year-old girls the love and nurture they craved.

Rediet and Belene would often be told to feed their father and keep him company, which generally ended with them calling for help when he experienced seizures. Rediet shares,

“I really didn’t know my father. The only memory I have of him is either in a wheelchair or in bed.

“There was a lot of suffering in our house and there was really no one to take care of him, or us, when my mother went to work. All I wanted at that time was for something or someone to get me and my sister out of the house.”

Shortly after joining the sponsorship program, Rediet and her sister realized that the child development center was their safe haven where they could enjoy their childhood and forget the misery they witnessed at home.

They started spending most of their time at the center as the center staff and the people at the church showed them love and paid attention to their development.

For the first time in their lives, Rediet and Belene learned how to pray for their family’s situation — especially for their father. For the first time in their lives, they saw hope in Jesus.

“What impressed me the most was the way the staff treated us when we went to the development center. You see, I was not used to being given attention and being treated special. My mother was so occupied with taking care of our dad, she couldn’t do more than check whether we had eaten.

“The center staff showed us the love they always teach us from the Bible. What made my stay at the center all the more special was the fact that I learned how to pray, which excited me because I knew I could pray for the recovery of my father.”

Even though her father died after years of pain and suffering, Rediet continued to excel in all areas of her life.

“I accepted my father’s passing as the will of God. It was tough for both my sister and me to lose our father without really knowing him, but I knew God wanted it to be that way.

“The prayer and encouragement of the people at the church as well as the center staff gave me the motivation I needed to do well in school. But what was more encouraging for me was my mother’s concern toward my education.”

The presence of the child development center in Rediet’s life not only gave her the opportunity to experience a normal childhood, but it also brought significant change in her family as Rediet, Belene and their mother all accepted Jesus as their Savior.

“Even though we had nothing money-wise, our home was blessed the moment we gave our lives to Jesus. Jesus has been our strength ever since. A lot of people used to come to my mother to ask for advice and even sometimes for loans. We became role models in every way in a village where the community expects less of girls.”

As the family was enjoying their new lifestyle, Rediet’s mother’s health started to deteriorate, which threatened Rediet’s dream of finishing her education and attending university through Compassion’s Leadership Development Program. Rediet and her sister were spending more and more time at the hospital rather than preparing for the university entrance exam.

“My mother’s illness was something that threatened to darken my world. She was all we had. I thought about dropping out of school to take care of her. It just seemed impossible to pursue a dream when she was no more able to support me.”

The consistent support and prayer of the development center staff and church were the only things that kept the girls going. The staff made sure that the girls studied and stayed focused on the entrance exam that would make or break their dreams. However, tragedy occurred the day before Rediet and her sister were scheduled to take the pivotal exam.

“The day my mother died was a huge turning point for me. I had all the reasons to bail out on the exam and on life. But the child development center workers insisted that we go take the exam no matter what. We buried our mother and the next day we went to take the entrance exam.

“My mom had prayed for us, fed us and sent us away with many blessings the day we took our 10th grade exam, but that day [of the university entrance exam] there was no one to do that for us. What I didn’t realize at the time was that God was there and He gave us the whole congregation to pray for us.”

Despite the trauma Rediet and Belene were going through because of their mother’s death, and to the amazement of many who knew the family, the sisters passed the entrance exam with flying colors.

“The God who knew me before I was born didn’t leave me at the greatest junctures of my life. I clearly saw his helping hand and felt His presence in my life. And it made me cautious to seek His purpose for my life.”

With a renewed determination and clear vision for her life, Rediet pursued her dream of joining the Leadership Development Program. But the dream was not just for her. She desperately wanted her sister to be part of it, too.

In addition to helping the girls apply for the Leadership Development Program, the center staff joined hands and prayed for the girls during the interview session.

“The day I heard about the Leadership Development Program, I immediately knew that I could join the program if I worked hard enough. What impressed me the most was the Leadership Development students’ fellowship and their clarity of vision.

“I wanted nothing but to be part of that. When I secured my entrance grades, I prayed to God to make my journey into the Leadership Development Program a smooth one for me as well as my sister.”

After going through the intensive selection process, both Rediet and Belene joined the program they had dreamed about for years. The child development center as well as the whole church congregation rejoiced with the girls.

“I just couldn’t believe how close God was to me and my sister. When it seemed like we had nothing left, He provided a way — through the Leadership Development Program. I consider this program another safe haven where I found my family.

“I treasure the fellowship I have with my fellow students. That I get to be part of a vision this great is something priceless.”

Rediet also talks about how the Leadership Development Program changed her view toward having a family. The lack of attention and love she had experienced while growing up had convinced her that she would be unable to succeed in having a family of her own.

However, after attending training on cherishing families, she is determined to change from the way she had been raised when she has her own family in the future.

“All the training I’m getting has impacted me, but what shaped my life the most is the training I took on cherishing family. I am now confident about writing my own story [with] the family I’ll have one day.”

Currently, Rediet is a second-year veterinary student and her sister is studying animal science.

“The most important treasure I got through the program is that I now have a clear vision as to what God wants me to do in the future. I want to work with children who lacked their parents’ love and attention while growing up, and with children who are orphans.

“I want to make a difference in their lives as Compassion did in mine. I want to show them that there is hope in Jesus. I want to avenge the children of our nation who are crippled by poverty by touching every aspect of their lives with the love of Jesus.”

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

Matthew never stopped smiling as the children swarmed around him and wanted to shake his hand. Even though he was not their sponsor, the children were thrilled to meet the very first sponsor to visit their child development center.

“Matthew! Matthew! Look at my picture!”

The children called out enthusiastically in Indonesian as they ran to Matthew, carrying pieces of paper in their hands to show off their artwork.

Matthew responded in English, a language they had never heard before, and smiled warmly at them, causing them to laugh.

Although the children could not understand what Matthew said, they were delighted with his presence.

Matthew is a young man from the United States who, since January 2009, has given from his heart to support one of the registered children at Sangihe Evangelical Church in Kolongan Beha, Sangihe Island.

He sponsors Mariana, a child who lives in East Indonesia on Sangihe Island, where her child development center is located.

Although their communication before Matthew’s visit was only through letters, Matthew and Mariana enjoy sharing many things as they write to one another.

They understand that mail can seem slow because it first has to be processed and sorted through our Global Ministry Center before it is sent to Mariana’s home country. Our office in Indonesia then processes the letters by dividing them according to area, then sends them to each development center.

Although Mariana and Matthew have to go through a long process to send and receive letters, they never stop writing about their day-to-day lives.

This includes sharing information about their family members or their favorite things.

Mariana wrote in one letter that she learned about Jesus Christ.

“I like to share anything that I experience with Brother Matthew because he loves to hear what I am doing every day.”

As their friendship grew, Matthew wanted to meet Mariana face-to-face and interact with her directly. Matthew took a big step: He decided to go to Indonesia and visit his sponsored child.

So along with a friend, Matthew traveled to Indonesia. In addition to meeting Mariana in person, he touched more lives than he had ever imagined. Matthew had not realized that his decision to visit Mariana would impact other children, parents and community members who at times had doubted whether their “invisible” sponsors actually existed.

Pastor Leopold Tamalawe of Sangihe Evangelical Church shared,

“People in this area did not believe that children have sponsors. They thought sponsors were just in a dream and they thought we lied to them.”

Because a sponsor had never before come to visit the Ikhtus Student Center, this belief is not surprising.

Sangihe Island is one of the remote areas of East Indonesia that can be reached only by an eight-hour boat ride or by plane, and it is not well known to foreigners. Not many people, especially from abroad, visit this island.

“It is very rare to see people from abroad come here, especially sponsors of our children.”

When Matthew arrived at the center, the children surrounded him to shake his hand and hug him. Children everywhere long for their sponsors to come and meet them personally, and as the first sponsor to visit the Ikhtus Student Center, Matthew demonstrated to the children and their families the reality of sponsors and their love for the children.

Matthew’s first opportunity to see Mariana in real life came when he and a translator picked her up from school. After meeting the school principal and asking about Mariana’s academic progress, Matthew and the translator then visited Mariana’s house. Mariana smiles as she describes her first experience with Matthew,

“I took Brother Matthew to play and took cassava that we planted behind our house for our lunch. He even liked to eat it. We ate it together.”

Matthew spent several hours with Mariana and her family, trying local dishes like cassava. He also tried pineapple, fried banana, and panada — fried local cookies filled with vegetables or meat. Matthew even went to see the sweet potato tree.

Fransin, the development center coordinator, shares,

“Matthew loved to try anything. He not made difference between Western people who has to eat Western dish with Asian people like us.”

During their short time together, Mariana and Matthew really enjoyed interacting in person. Although they could talk only through the translator, they communicated through actions such as holding hands and sharing one coconut with two straws.

They encouraged each other and promised to continue upholding one another in their daily prayers.

“Brother Matthew promised to keep praying for me, so I can reach my dream one day. He also asked me to pray for his ministry so he can help others to know Jesus more.”

Matthew’s visit was not only a special moment for Mariana, but it was also special for the other children who felt their sponsors’ love through Matthew because he was very welcoming to all the children. Fransin told us,

“After Matthew’s visitation to our development center, we can see that children and their parents realized that the invisible sponsors that they thought were a lie all this time have great love for them.

“We also got acknowledgment from local government in Sangihe because the development center impacted tourism sector in this area. Many foreign people are getting know about Sangihe Island.

“Even though we live far away from North Sulawesi capital city, but we believe a step of a sponsor has changed everything.”

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

About four years ago I started sponsoring a boy from India named Johnson. It was the start of quite a journey. I had made it a point of familiarizing myself with my children’s cultures and discovered in India a fascinating history.

As I corresponded with Johnson I also discovered a wonderful person. He was bright and friendly, eagerly teaching me the rules of cricket and about the various adventures in his life.

In those letters I saw a life full of joy, even in the midst of poverty. I was touched by his enthusiasm and quickly learned it was not a trait only he possessed.

As I researched the history of Christianity in India, its culture and people, and began to talk with Indian Christians, I discovered a culture steeped in joy and a strong family ethic. This was very refreshing.

I’ve spent a number of years helping with youth ministry, and I have been deeply saddened at the growing destruction of family values and the rise of depression in teenagers and even small children.

I have seen a growing loss of emotional security for our young ones. But India is a vibrant, loving culture, which brings up healthy, happy, confident children even in extreme poverty. Needless to say, I have been taking notes.

First, appearances can be deceiving. I’ve often heard Indian people described as reserved and quiet. While it is true that they aren’t as forward and openly affectionate as Westerners, don’t let that trick you into thinking they are emotionally aloof.

At the center of each family is a deep wellspring of love and concern. They are delightful people with very deep feelings even if they don’t always wear them on their sleeves.

Cultural lessons aside, the greatest lesson I learned was just how vital it is that we reconnect with the values of Christian family fellowship. Jesus said that whoever does the will of His Father in heaven is His mother and sister and brother. He says that for a very good reason: The church needs to function as a family.

What allows these wonderful people to thrive in such hardship is a Christian family ethic that nurtures its members, especially the ones who have fallen on hard times. In such a climate of support, even the strongest disasters can be weathered.

In America we have come to worship the concept of the “rugged individualist” and it has given us the habit of striking out on our own at the first inconvenience. In marriage or in church politics it doesn’t take long for someone to decide, “I can do better on my own,” and institute a separation. And anytime these separations occur, spiritual orphans are left in the wake.

In order to prevent these tragedies from happening, we need to regain our ability to cooperate, even when the going gets tough. This is the second lesson I learned from the Indian Christian community. Indians have a knack for living and working in close quarters with minimal friction. In most cases they have no other choice.

Large families living in small dwellings require a person to cultivate a more relaxed personality. I often find that our American culture is extremely high-strung. We tend to be impatient and get very irritable when our needs and desires are not promptly met (I am one of the worst offenders), and it contributes to the friction that drives our families and congregations apart.

In Indian culture, patience is a virtue and its reward evident in its close-knit, loving families – both biological and spiritual. The last lesson India has taught me is to never underestimate the value of a kind word. In America, when someone is going through a hard time, we often don’t know what to say. So we say nothing.

Yet just as a single harsh word can tear right through a person, so can a single kind word heal. It never ceases to amaze me how much these children thrive on the kind words we give them in our letters. And there is so much blessing when they return with kind letters of their own.

A couple of years ago I went through a terrible illness. Thinking about how Johnson and his family were praying for me every day was one of the few things that kept my hopes up.

We can take these lessons we learn from writing to our children and put them into practice. Take time to build people up; make an effort to find ways to praise your co-workers, church staff and family.

You’d be surprised just how much good it does. Workplace tension drops dramatically, families get along. A kind word is a great blessing.

These are the lessons I have learned from the wonderful Christians of India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tyler Lee, a volunteer in his church’s youth ministry, has been a Compassion sponsor for five years. He currently sponsors two children and corresponds with a third.

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

Dave Walton is a Compassion Advocate of two years and a sponsor for nearly 30. He reflects here on his first visit with his sponsored child and the importance of recognizing and encouraging the child’s natural parents’ role in his life.

Whether or not our sponsored children realize their God-given potential has much to do with our support. Not withstanding this and the encouragement the parents and caregivers receive from us because we sponsor their children, we add value to the parents’ lives when we include them in our correspondence to “our kids.”

No different from parents everywhere, parents in poverty are in the trenches of child-rearing day in and day out. So, encourage your child’s parents in your next letter. Consider including a Bible verse or a small card “For Mom & Dad.”

I believe that by our encouraging and expressing appreciation for their efforts, they will be better parents and that will be reflected in the life of your sponsored child.

I recently had the opportunity to visit my sponsored child in Ecuador. I had anxiously awaited and prepared for this adventure for almost a year. While on the threshold of this event, I thought about the language barrier, the food, the water and what it would be like to meet Luis in his own country, culture and family. This was going to be different … very different.

Luis, like most young boys, is full of energy and adventure. When we met, he wanted to try everything. He handled questions and conversation easily, even through the dynamics of an interpreter.

Luis has a natural passion for ball games and ice cream, and he also has a younger brother as well as a sibling on the way. It was a delight to spend time with him.

Though soft spoken, it was easy to tell from the tears in Luis’ mother’s eyes how much she and her husband appreciated that someone very far removed from where she lived would care enough to partner with them to give their son opportunities they could never provide alone.

The quality of time spent with Luis helped me to realize that Mom and Dad are doing the best they can with what they have.

I put together an assortment of pictures from our day together. I included a letter addressed to Dad and Mom and made a point to express admiration for the great job they are doing in raising Luis and the privilege it is to partner with them for his future.

From what I saw, Mom and Dad are making every reasonable effort to “raise up their son in the way he should go.” This truth is evident to me every time I look at Luis’ picture.

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

My husband and I sponsor a 10-year-old girl in Burkina Faso named Evelyne. Evelyne has five siblings, none of whom are in the child sponsorship program.

Compassion’s policy is that a maximum of three children from the same family can be registered in the sponsorship program. However, some countries limit the number of children registered from one family to one or two. And when a country first opens its sponsorship program, it is common for only one child per family to be allowed in the program due to capacity limitations.

That may seem harsh, but it’s quite strategic from a Kingdom perspective. Compassion’s desire is to reach as many families as possible in the communities where a child development center has opened.

Compassion works through local indigenous churches in 25 developing countries, and these are poor churches. It’s one child development center to one church – no exceptions.

When a church partner opens a child development center, there may be room for only 200 children. And the reality is, there are more children than spots available (“the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few,” so to speak).

By registering one to three children per family, our church partners are canvassing a larger area of the community, thus having a greater opportunity to share the gospel with more families. In reality, child registration limitations help more people in the long run.

So, back to Evelyne.

Evelyne has an older sister named Elise, whom I first started noticing in the photos that accompanied Evelyne’s letters.

Whenever my husband and I would send a family or child gift, we would receive a photo of Evelyne (in the blue denim skirt) and her entire family. I love these photos because they show how the family uses our gifts. They purchase food and clothing primarily, and Evelyne’s entire family gets in on God’s love.

In one of the photos, I noticed Elise (in the pink skirt). The expression of her eyes and the smile on her face spoke to me.

“You care for my sister Evelyne because you are her sponsor, but I would like to get to know you too.”

Elise reached out and grabbed my heart from that photo.

I realize that God wants me to look at my sponsorship of Evelyne from a whole new perspective. My goal now is to win Evelyne’s entire family to Christ.

Now, when I write to Evelyne, I always include Elise by asking about Elise and letting Evelyne know that I pray for her entire family. I also ask Evelyne to share my letters with Elise and the rest of the family.

Sponsorship is a family affair, no matter how many children from the same family are in the program.

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

We cannot do global child development and neglect our own families. God would not be honored if we poured ourselves into the world’s children and neglected our own.

“If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” – 1 Timothy 3:5, NIV

Listen to Mark Hanlon, Senior Vice President of Compassion USA, talk about the importance of cherishing our families.

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

Watching the Olympics makes the world seem very small.

Athletes from every corner of the globe — from every race, culture and background — come together to compete, and suddenly the dividing lines between Islam and Christianity, Communism and Democracy, and wealth and poverty fade. The political agendas take a back seat. The economic disputes get put on the back burner. The world focuses together on this great sporting competition and where many differing value systems once existed, now exists one common set of values: competition, endurance, and sportsmanship.

For a few weeks it feels like we are one big family.

Being a part of Compassion gives you a similar feeling, doesn’t it? We are a family. We are from all different walks of life, but we are a family. We celebrate together. We pray together. We mourn together. When a tragedy strikes the country where your sponsored child lives, it’s not just something you read about on the news. It’s suddenly a personal tragedy. When you give to one of our funds, you aren’t just giving to a random charity, you’re supporting your family.

I love being a part of this family. I hope you do too. I believe nothing pleases God more than seeing us love one another. He is a relational God and He has built that into each of us.

Someday soon we’ll all get to meet at the family reunion. I wonder if that will be anything like the Opening Ceremonies?

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

Little Mariam was still sleeping, although the roosters had already crowed several times. Laid on her mat, she was huddled under her covers; it had rained the previous day, and the weather was a bit cold in the first hours of the morning.

Though she was registered in grade two, Mariam was lounging on her mat even after 7 a.m., because she was already on holiday. Moreover, even if she was not on holiday, she could have slept until sunrise because it was Thursday morning and she would not have had a course.

During the rainy season, Mariam, like her brothers and sisters, does not have the privilege to see her father because he moves to a village located a few kilometers away from the city to cultivate there in order to nourish the family.

The mother who stays alone with the five children sells fritters to provide for the needs of the family to the best of her ability.

Abruptly, Mariam who had been sleeping quietly jumps up and rushes outside, as if something important has just occurred.

In the courtyard, Mariam’s sisters, Assanata and Zourata, are preparing to leave. They both have weekly appointments that they would not miss for anything in the world. They are registered at the Assemblies of God Central Church of Koudougou Child Development Center.

Every Thursday, Assanata and Zourata leave the house around 7:30 a.m. and come back only after 2 p.m., humming songs that are completely unknown to the other members of their Moslem family.

Mariam always awaits their return so she can taste the food that her sisters bring home, and she does not fail to learn the songs that they sing as they return.

Any letter that Assanata and Zourata receives is an occasion of rejoicing for Mariam too, who is always given part of the gifts that are sent by the sponsor of her twin sisters.

When her sisters go to the child development center Mariam stays at home with her mother and her little brother Madi. She gives a hand to her mother by bringing the millet, which is used to make fritters sold by her mother, to the mill to be made into flour.

Once back from the mill, Mariam sweeps the house, the kitchen and makes the washing up while having her eyes riveted on the way – waiting for her sisters to come home.

Sitting under the only tree of the household, Mariam is lost in dreams deeply moved by the situation of poverty in which she lives with all her family.

She imagines herself in possession of four hundred thousand CFA Francs. Then she sees herself in a large shop of the capital city where she buys clothes, shoes and above all food provisions for her family.

She also sees herself building a new house for her family to replace the small one that was built with earth in which she and all her family live cramped.

“I would certainly not fail to put in electricity,” she says to herself.

Moreover, in Burkina Faso solidarity is still an enduring value, she would find it good to give part of her “fortune” to the needy people who would come her way.

Mariam also wants to be registered at the child development center because she says to herself, “If I were sponsored, all my dreams would be carried out.”

It sometimes happens that she sits down and wonders why she isn’t registered.

Mariam’s mother does not raise questions any more, she is filled with joy to have two of her children registered to a child development center and to have a sponsor who writes and sends presents. Without this sponsorship, her children would not be able to go to school and big health issues could also arise.

Far from sowing discord and competition between the sponsored children and those who are not sponsored, as one might expect to see, this sponsorship on the contrary reinforces the African values of solidarity and sharing between Assanata, Zourata and Mariam.

At Christmas, one does not know who of the three girls is sponsored and who is not. Thanks to their spirit of sharing that, with time was sharpened by the biblical lessons received at the child development center, Assanata and Zourata joyfully share part of their biscuits and lollipops with their beloved sister Mariam and their brother.

Mariam is certainly happy to have her twin sisters registered at the child development center, and her desire to find herself there is undoubtedly related to the difference that the sponsorship made in the lives of her sisters and all the family.

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