The evil one, the wicked schemer, devises wicked plans against the poor, and he has been highly successful. Over half the world’s population is a slave of his plan.

“…the schemes of the schemer are evil; he devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks justice.” — Isaiah 32:7, NKJV

I can’t think of a more accurate description of poverty.

This wicked scheme called poverty has stolen hope, killed dreams and destroyed lives.

The enemy has spoken lying words to those caught in his scheme. He has told them they don’t matter. He has made them believe they are all alone in their suffering. He has deceived them into thinking their situation will never change. They no longer dream or aspire to anything better, because they have believed his lies.

Imagine, billions of souls caught in the greatest destructive plot in history! Who will help them? Who will save them?

Look at the next verse,

“But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand.” — Isaiah 32:8, NKJV

The answer is us. Me, and you, and all who call themselves by the name of the Lord. The answer is generous people, devising generous plans. Those generous plans are the antidote to the schemes of the enemy.

Compassion is a generous plan. It exists to speak the truth into the lives of children who are enslaved by the enemy and his lies. It exists to bring light to their darkness, and hope to the hopelessness of his wicked scheme.

I’m also thinking about generous people who plan and pray and devise ways to help the poor.

The family who fasts a meal a week so they can sponsor a child. The student who bypasses a few lattes so she can feed the hungry. The church groups who pool their resources so they can make a difference. Those are generous plans.

It’s not an easy fight, and it takes sacrifice and humility and persistence. But just think what might happen if enough generous people decided to use their intelligence, skills and resources to devise enough generous plans! Maybe we could defeat the wicked scheme called poverty once and for all.

So what is your generous plan?

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Karen is a 13-year-old girl who has been forced to mature quickly. Her parents left her when she was 2 years old and her two sisters, Katherine and Micaela, were 3 years old and 8 months old, respectively.

The girls’ parents were young, lacked experience and had serious problems as a couple, so they decided to get a separation. Their mother, who wasn’t even 18, chose to go back to Colombia, the country where she was born.

She left her three little girls under the care of Miriam, her kind sister-in-law who, little by little, became a mother figure to Karen and her sisters.

There’s no doubt that Karen’s life is full of the love of her devoted Aunt Miriam, who Karen calls “mom.” But it’s also undeniable that she’s lacked real family love.

Karen’s parents weren’t there to enjoy their little girl’s growth and to watch their precious daughter play.

However, when Aunt Miriam thought she was surrounded by nothing but tragedy, she found a light of hope.

Through her neighbors, she heard about a local Compassion-assisted child development center – where the main objective has always been to serve boys and girls from Guasmo Sur, a poor neighborhood in Guayaquil City on the Ecuadorian coastal region.

Miriam registered Karen at the Damasco Student Center when Karen was 5. It was the beginning of an unforgettable and incredible experience.

Karen made new friends, interacted with others and lived new adventures of games, surprises, trips and a lot more.

“I always loved the development center. Here I play with my friends, have fun, learn new things and have a really cool time.”

And that’s not all! The Damasco Student Center has given Karen the opportunity to make a good friend thousands of miles away. Her Compassion sponsor, Kyoung, is a Korean lady.

“Kyoung has been a great blessing to my life. I love to read her letters at home.”

Every letter from Kyoung is a valuable treasure to Karen, and each letter has a message of hope, encouragement and love. With sweetness and gratitude, Karen remembers something she shared with her sponsor:

“My daddy was in jail a while ago, maybe about a year. I told my sponsor and said that I suffered a lot for that reason.”

Kyoung replied,

“Trust in the Lord because He’s going to make things work and everything will be all right.”

Even Miriam, Karen’s aunt, remembers,

“My brother passed away. He was Karen’s favorite uncle so she was in a lot of pain, but her sponsor comforted her and gave her the courage she needed. She told her life goes on and cheered her up through the distance.”

But maybe the most crucial intervention of Kyoung in Karen’s life has taken place in the spiritual area. Karen honestly admitted,

“For many years I only attended church because the tutors at the child development center asked us to; therefore, I felt obliged to [go]. I shared this with my sponsor.”

What did Karen’s sponsor do? She prayed for her! Kyoung prayed for her sponsored girl to start going to church because she wanted to go; to feel it within her heart.

Until she was 11, Karen attended Sunday school only because she had to. Then she received the letter from her sponsor that read,

“I’ve been praying for you to go to church and to not turn your back on God.”

Those words made little Karen shudder and opened a door for a miracle. What had been an obligation and a tedious commitment suddenly turned into a strong desire to go to church and enjoy the presence of the Lord and the company of her friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. Karen remembers,

“With tears in my eyes, I ran to my mom and showed her my sponsor’s letter. I promised to faithfully attend the youth group services every Saturday, and I still keep my promise.”

Karen’s sponsor’s faithful and persevering prayer commitment brought about a dramatic turn in Karen’s life. For about three years Karen has shown genuine commitment, loyalty and joy for everything related to the Lord. She loves to praise Him, finds His Word delightful and enjoys every single thing she learns at church.

“The other teenagers and I just love the worship times directed by Brother Roberto. He motivates us to feel God’s presence and praise Him. Every time we pray, we feel like He’s actually listening.”

When she was 12, Karen decided to accept Jesus as her Savior.

“It happened during a wonderful worship time at a special service for the youth group. I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Nobody forced me; I walked in front of the congregation because I wanted to.”

Miriam, Karen’s aunt, doesn’t go to church on a regular basis because she works very hard as a maid to provide for her three nieces.  But she’s aware of the importance of God’s preeminence in the life of every human being. With full conviction she affirms,

“My family has been richly blessed since Karen joined the child development center. She learns about the Word of God there. I’m so happy that Karen goes to church instead of being anywhere else wandering around.”

It’s the era of telecommunications and cybertechnology, but traditional correspondence still has relevance – even when it takes more time to reach its final destination.

It’s a fact that “old-fashioned” letters have the power to give encouragement, hope and love. Kyoung has exchanged simple conversations with Karen about their countries’ traditions and their daily activities, but beyond all that, they have had a positive influence over each other’s lives.

There’s no doubt that Karen has, in a way, experienced the love of a mother when she prays and God starts working. And Kyoung has had the chance to bless a little girl as though Karen were her own child – her “little angel,” as she calls her in her letters.

Kyoung represents a true source of hope, encouragement and love to Karen. Their friendship is a beautiful example of how God works through caring Christians to change the world … one child at a time!

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As a 5-year-old sponsored child growing up in Haiti, Beguens Theus dreamed of what life could be. Now, as a member of Haiti’s parliament Beguens is determined to see the dreams of every child in Haiti realized.

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Children living in poverty face daily challenges. However, through sponsorship you are providing children hope, love, the chance to succeed and the chance to know Christ.

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On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old man in Tunisia set himself on fire after losing confidence in ever finding a better future. Unbeknownst to him, his act of desperation unleashed a massive and violent ripple effect throughout the Middle East and parts of northern Africa that is still going on today.

Then, on March 11, an earthquake of epic proportion devastated one of the most industrialized nations in the world, Japan. The island country, known for its state-of-the-art systems for disaster preparedness, is now struggling to meet the basic needs of many of its people.

Needless to say, the world needs hope.

True hope, however, will never be found in stable and financially secure governments, sophisticated technology, academic achievements, good jobs or happy families. While these are blessings from God and are noble ambitions to work toward, they will take you only so far.

Unfortunately, many of us discover this truth only after experiencing disappointment in a person, achievement or goal that we may have unintentionally elevated as our object of hope for a happier and more secure life. In the end, our real hope lies only in God.

This message is not new. You have heard it before, but I believe it is important to say again as we are all experiencing different seasons in our professional and personal lives. For some of you, this may be a season of comfort and peace. If this is you, praise God. However, remember that your season and the blessings from it are from God.

For those whose circumstances are a little more challenging, remember that God sees you, too, and knows where you are. Recall and recite the words of the Psalmist:

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24 (NIV)

So whatever experience you are currently facing, take it to the One who already knows all about it. The God of Abraham is still the Jehovah Jireh of the 21st century.

Rest in Him, and may you find your joy, righteousness, peace and greatest hope of all in Him alone.

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Pauline is a 38-year-old mother of two, born and brought up in the Korogocho slums, east of Nairobi, Kenya. Here, she experienced the harsh realities of Nairobi’s urban settlements. Characterized by high levels of poverty, crime, disease, political instability, ethnic conflicts and blatant corruption, children have become the biggest losers in this mix.

Pauline vividly remembers the dilapidated home that she lived in until just recently. The walls caved inwards and the roof sagged because of the weak structural support. As is the norm in Korogocho, the houses are closely knit together, with little space to move around. She was embarrassed of her home, let alone the danger it put her family in.

“My door could not shut well and we feared being attacked at night.”

But Pauline found help at the local church of Korogocho slum, Redeemed Gospel Church. She often hosted fellowships in her tiny house, but she could not stand the humiliation of her home and contemplated not hosting more visits.

One of the church members, however, noticed her predicament and raised support for her with the help of Pastor Muthama.

“The church members practically reconstructed the house,” Pauline remembers, wearing a warm smile on her face.

The church bought the posts, iron sheets and provided labor.”

Pauline’s confidence was restored and she is thankful for the act of generosity. She can now host visitors in her tiny home without worry. Her daughter, Margaret, 22, is a Compassion graduate, and Margaret recently got a job as a waitress with a very popular coffee house in town, Java.

This is just one of the many examples of how the church is a shining light to the people in Korogocho. Pastor Muthama believes that the church is the hope to bring people out of poverty.

“Redeemed Gospel Church represents Christ through evangelism and other acts of service. They also offers a multidimensional approach to poverty, starting early through our children. The church’s partnership with Compassion has helped us to reach more needy children and families, not only with the gospel of Jesus, but also life skills that enable them to be economically self sustaining.”

Pastor Muthama also knows the challenges of working in a community like Korogocho. He is well known here, but that has not made him immune to armed violence and constant threats. But having grown up in this village, he says that his heart belongs there.

“I have been mugged several times and armed men have stormed the church during worship.”

The church is a target because the ministry here is a threat to the status quo. Pastor Muthama isn’t afraid to speak against the vices in the community. Many young men have changed their ways, but later run away, fearing for their lives. The government security forces have done their bit, but far too many people lose their lives and no real solution has been found.

“I believe that the lasting solution is the intervention of the Christian Community. Many young people are getting lost in this cycle of hopelessness. I love the church because it offers hope to humanity. The church has the great role of bringing people to the knowledge of God and helps them realize their God given potential. Furthermore, it spreads the love of God to all people.”

Pastor Muthama still remembers the 2008 post election violence that rocked the country. Some estimates say that over 1,000 people were killed in this conflict in which tribe was pitted against tribe, and old grievances between Kikuyus and Luos were brought to the surface.

“We were at the forefront of reconciling warring communities.”

The church was instrumental in offering an alternative to conflict that brought together different opinions, cooling down a polarized people. Church pews now accommodate people of different tribes, age and varying economic statuses. From the pulpit to the doors of the church is a voice that speaks against the glaring inequalities that is often the status quo outside of church walls.

Redeemed Gospel Church’s involvement in taking care of the needy – especially children – and being an alternative community that yearns for justice, positions the church in a place that the community can’t ignore.

“The community appreciates our presence due to the positive impact we are having. Through the various programs like the Child Survival Program, the feeding program for children, affordable high school and of course through reaching out to the community through evangelism, we have seen good fruit and everyone is appreciative.”

Throughout this expansive settlement, children are unaware of the hazardous river banks and unprotected bridges as they go about having their usual fun. They do not share in the same worries as the adults, and many of them succumb to an early death due to disease.

If they survive these childhood challenges, they get caught up in the rat race of unemployment, indulgence in illicit brews and neighborhood gangs. Unfortunately, some of them never get to see the light of adulthood.

Looking at the statistics, the challenge of serving this community appears almost insurmountable. However, the will to have a better future is alive and well. Mothers like Pauline trust that their children will have greater accomplishments than themselves.

The faces of sponsored kids at the child development center radiate the ember of hope which is evident in their eyes and smiles. The church’s surroundings cushion them from the dangers that lurk around the corner.

The church is taking responsibility for raising a generation that cares about each other and understands God’s purpose for them. And what more can one ask for when children receive Jesus at their tender ages and experience the joy of fellowship in a secure environment?

Pastor Muthama is on a mission to help change the outlook of this community. In fact, the locality is now known as Kochland, a change from Korogocho a name that carries a lot of negative connotations. Kochland High School is located at the church and is helps kids in the area to obtain a secondary education, placing them on a path to success.

Close to the Compassion Development Center is a brick wall with the words “Caananland” inscribed on it. It has been standing here for as long as the locals can remember, but represents a future they all look forward to, one of peace and prosperity.

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The following letter is from Emilda’s pastor, Joseph Alba. He talks about the inspiration your efforts are giving the church and the children in the development center in the Philippines.

Dear Compassion,

Hi! My name is Joseph Alba, and I am the pastor of Salem Christian Life Center. I was also the director of Salem Student Center at one time, and Emilda’s teacher.

Pastor Alba (left) with Emilda and her parents

Thank you for everything you are doing for Emilda. Truly, our Father’s will always exceeds our own limited expectations.

Two years ago, Emilda and 98 other registered children were transferred to our center. She was frequently teased (maybe even bullied) by her classmates. At the time, I told them, do not belittle Emilda, because someday she is going to make us all proud.

Two years ago, Emilda’s mom asked me as center director if the student center could cover the 300 peso [U.S.$6.92] cost of Emilda’s psychological examinations, a requirement for Emilda to participate in the National Competition phase of the Special Olympics.

When the student center consented to cover the examinations and all the other training needs, I never imagined that anything like this would happen.

Almost all of our church members, which include the staff of the student center, live in the same squalid living conditions. For example, during our worship service two Sundays ago, I asked the congregation if there was anybody who had a million pesos in the bank. Nobody stood.

How about ten thousand pesos? Still nobody stood.

How about a thousand? Still nobody.

I then asked, how many of us here owe someone else more than 500 pesos? Everyone laughed, and almost everyone stood.

Isn’t it amazing that impoverished people like us are able to:

• run a student center with more than 380 children?
• have a Child Survival Program?
• give gifts to another set of 240 children through Samaritan’s Purse?
• have an aqua-culture livelihood project run by the men’s fellowship?
• host more than 20 women’s life cell groups which regularly meet?

There is nobody in our church who can claim the credit. Only God.

Jesus has come into our lives, and because of that, somehow there is the light and the certainty that things will be better.

What you are doing for Emilda has inspired the children of the student center, as well as our church.

The possibility of Emilda going to the Special Olympics sets the bar of hope so much higher for everyone. Many are thinking,

“If Emilda can go to Greece, there is no limit to what God can do in my own life.”

God is too amazing and wonderful. It is a privilege to have people like you as partners in God’s work of changing lives and releasing families from poverty in Jesus’ name.

God bless,

Joseph Alba
Pastor, Salem Christian Life Center

Make a donation to allow Emilda to compete in the International Special Olympics.

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Visitors to Recife, Brazil, have the opportunity to enjoy all this tropical paradise has to offer. This port city on the northeast coast of South America’s largest country has also been called the “Brazilian Venice” due to its many rivers, small islands and more than 50 bridges.

Not far, however, from the sandy white beaches is Olinda, a slum where families struggle to stay together and stay alive.

Walking through the unpaved streets of Olinda, the strong odor of raw sewage running down gutters on the side of the roads pervades the community.

Children are often seen playing in alley ways, and one may have to avoid cyclists coming down the roads as they carry empty soda bottles in large racks tied to the back of their bikes.

Many in the community are also seen standing in the doorway of their homes to escape the midday heat.

You wouldn’t know that just a few hours before, someone was shot and killed in the street. The body was dragged away hours before the police would arrive on their motorcycles. Life goes on.

In the middle of this broken community lives a 9-year-old boy named Tales. Born to a young woman who found herself caught up in the world of drugs and prostitution, Tales appears to be yet another victim of circumstance destined to be a product of his poor surroundings.

However, the boy’s grandmother won’t allow for that to happen. She, too, is a victim of the drug trade in her community, having lost one of her four children, a son, to the dangerous business.

Even though the boy’s grandfather sent his mother away due to the drugs, his grandmother looks after him. Tales, however, is scared of his grandfather, a man who manages to pull out a meager existence as well as support an alcohol habit selling inexpensive toys over the weekend.

Because the boy is afraid of his grandfather, he lives with his father, now divorced from his mother, who lives just a few blocks away. Although Tales has little stability in his life, he has more than others, but he needs more.

About two years ago, Tales was introduced to Criancas do Reino (Children of the Kingdom), a local church program that partners with Compassion.

At the child development center, a transformation began to take place in the life of this young, shy boy. The boy who used to cut himself and suck on his own blood was now learning Bible stories. He began opening up more, and started playing soccer with the other children, a sport he enjoys immensely.

He also discovered he’s good at math and enjoys it.

At the child development center, Tales also participates in workshops designed to teach him skills he needs to be self-supporting or to help support his family after high school.

While in attendance, he also receives a meal. But Compassion’s child development center gives Tales something else that many of the other children in the community don’t have – hope.

Hope is crucial in Tales’ neighborhood. In a world where drugs and violence are the standard, there’s not much else to cling to.

In place of a strong parental figure to look up to, Tales has the police as his constant source of order and control. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he gives an answer that is all too familiar coming from the lips of the other children living in Tales’ world.

“I want to be a policeman,” Tales says, with little enthusiasm.

Law enforcement – while a noble profession – is not what Tales wants to do when he grows up. It’s math he loves, but the police are all he knows.

Maybe someone will show him how much potential he truly has. Maybe he will become an engineer or a doctor.

As for Tales’ mother, she’s no longer involved with drugs or prostitution. Her son’s attendance at the child development center has encouraged her to start turning her life around. She now lives with her mother again and is able to take a more active role in her son’s life.

Certainly Tales has already achieved more than most in his little corner of the world. He’s been a role model to his mother. Maybe this same strength his mother saw will be enough to propel him out of the vicious cycle of life he’s currently living in.

Maybe.

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Sneha grew up in a poor farmer’s home. Her father could not afford to pay a dowry to marry off his two daughters, as is custom in much of India. There were already enough financial struggles at home. So Sneha assured her father she would marry whomever he chose for her after her sister married outside of their clan.

Sneha’s father got a proposal for her after a year. When the two families met over lunch at their home, it seemed to be the perfect match because no dowry was even asked for. They agreed, and Sneha got married.

But after one month, life started to change. Fights started at home. Sneha’s husband started accusing her of being unfaithful, even with her brother-in-law.

She thought it was his possessiveness of her that made him angry and verbally abusive. But when Sneha learnt about her husband’s abusive and suspicious nature from the neighbors, she was hurt. Sneha kept his behavior secret from her family, and she had no way out.

Sneha thought perhaps a child would end the tension in their marriage. After a year she conceived and gave birth to a beautiful little girl.

Things did not change as Sneha had expected. Her husband started abusing her even more because she had a girl instead of a boy. Gradually his verbal abuse turned into physical torture. He would burn the little baby’s tender skin with cigarettes. He would grab Sneha by the hair, and hit her in front of the neighbors.

He even stopped Sneha from going home to see her parents. But Sneha never complained to her parents because she knew it would break her father’s heart. Sneha thought she would be able to change her husband with love and affection.

After two years Sneha conceived again. She was afraid to tell her husband, and when she did, he threatened to kill her if she gave birth to another girl. Sneha struggled a lot during her second pregnancy. Her husband tortured her, she cried much of the day, and half the time she did not even eat.

One evening Sneha’s husband came home from work furious. He didn’t talk with Sneha. After dinner he called Sneha into the room, picked a fight, and tied her up with her daughter. He then poured kerosene on them and Sneha started screaming for help.

The neighbors heard Sneha’s voice and rushed to rescue her. She took shelter in their home that night and left with her girls early the next morning to go home to her parents. Sneha went home battered and bruised.

Even after returning home to her parents, life wasn’t easy for Sneha. People in the community began talking ill about her instead of sympathizing with her. Sneha gradually became depressed because the trauma she went through was immense. Her hope was lost and her dreams for her children shattered.

Sneha worked hard as a single mother so that she wouldn’t become a burden on her parents. She rolled bidi, which are local cigarettes, to support her children and herself. And every day Sneha would hear children singing inside a church building that she walked by on her way home.

She was curious what was going on, so one day she stood for a while peeping through the window. She heard children singing and praying, learning moral values and the Word of God.

Sneha was inspired by what she heard and saw inside the church. The next morning she went and met the pastor and shared her life’s story with him. The pastor urged her to attend the Sunday worship service and since then Sneha began attending the church with the hope that she would get some help for her daughter from the church.

Last year our Child Survival Program (CSP) opened at the church. God heard Sneha’s prayer. She enrolled in the Child Survival Program with her younger daughter, who was 8 months old at that time. When she first started attending she would sit quietly in the corner and cry.

Sneha is an industrious mother with great potential and eagerness to learn. She shares the Scripture stories she learns in the Child Survival Program with her daughters and parents back home. She has grown in prayer. Sneha has become firm in her faith in God.

“I do know that if God is there with me, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be.”

The Child Survival Program offers income-generating activities through which Sneha is learning tailoring and stitching to help her become independent in the future.

“I don’t have go to a tailor for stitching my clothes now …. I can stitch a frock, skirt and small tops for both my daughters sitting at home.”

The Child Survival Program has helped Sneha to have a vision for her children.

“I am saving a little money in a mud pot every month for both my daughters for their education when they grow bigger … it is hard for me to set that apart but I have to for their better future.”

Sneha could not buy milk and hygiene supplies for her young baby, but the Child Survival Program provides them for her now. Mothers eat a nutritious diet at the program that consist of foods like rice, lentils, mixed vegetables and fish, eggs or meat.

Mothers meet at the center for their group activity three times during the week. Sneha has learned to keep herself clean. Though she lives in a house with a dirt floor, she is careful to keep it clean.

It is hard to live as a single mother in her community, as it is considered a social taboo. Many women look down on her. They don’t let their children mingle with Sneha’s children. But that has not stopped Sneha from sharing God’s goodness in her life with other women in her community. She has brought along many mothers to the Sunday service.

“It amazes me when I hear Sneha share the Scripture with other mothers both in the Child Survival Program and in her community knowing the trauma she went through in the past … she has come to the knowledge of God just recently and yet Sneha has the faith to say that God will take care of all her needs and circumstances, even if others forsake her,” says Sona, a CSP implementer.

Sneha leads the other mothers by example. She inspires them to win over their brokenness by sharing God’s love with them. The CSP staff can rely on Sneha with any work because they believe she is a smart and a fast learner.

“We have delegated Sneha to lead worship for the mothers during devotion at the center …. Sneha is forthcoming and ahead of the other mothers in every sphere of learning, be it tailoring, singing, organizing, generating awareness in her community and even praying for others,” tells Sona, a CSP implementer.

Today, Sneha witnesses God’s goodness through her life that has been transformed through the intervention of the Child Survival Program. The struggles she endured in the past help her to relate to the pain of other mothers both in the program and in her community.

Sneha is determined to bring up her two daughters with good values to show that girls can make a great contribution to society. God has turned her pain into a blessing that she uses as a tool to spread the message of God’s love.

Kancherapara Child Development Center and Child Survival Program is part of our Church to Church strategy.

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The “City of God” community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is famous for its daily realities: violence, drug trafficking and prostitution. Felipe was a skinny little boy from the City of God who used to sit in front of his development center, waiting for his father.

Sometimes Felipe was the only boy left waiting to be picked up. His teacher would take his hand and tell him he could stay the night.

Felipe lived with his parents in an unfinished home. His mother worked as a manicurist and his father as a guard, but their work wasn’t steady.

Sometimes Felipe’s father wouldn’t come home to bring money for food. Felipe and his mother would drink water with sugar so they would not to starve.

Felipe’s mother decided to separate from his father and the family’s life got worse because of her low income. She had to work hard to guarantee they could eat.

Thankfully, Felipe was enrolled at the center by that time, and there he received a good education and nurturing relationships with the teachers. He learned that he could dream, and work hard to reach his dreams.

Seeing his mother’s hard life and the sacrifices she made to put the bread on the table, Felipe decided to study and seize every opportunity that God put in front of him. When he was a little older, Felipe learned of an English course. The fee was only about $10 per month, but his mother said they didn’t have the money.

“I don’t like English, but I knew the importance of this language to get a good job. When I realized that my mom hasn’t the view of the importance of study, I became upset.”

Ana Cristina has been working as monitor of INPAR Student Center for 17 years. She knows exactly what disappointed Felipe: the parents’ shortsighted view of the future.

“Here we teach children to see the future; to see beyond the current difficulties and limitations. The worst poverty is the soul’s poverty.”

When Compassion offered a vocational course, Felipe jumped at the opportunity and chose informatics (similar to Information Technology). During the classes, he devoted himself fully, and at the end of school, he received a job offer.

“It was my first job and my first salary as well — then I could afford my English class.”

His job was to get more students to attend that school through visits and by giving out pamphlets on the street.

In a few months, Felipe was promoted and started to teach classes about everything that he had learned when he was a student. After a time as a teacher, he was invited to work with educational coordination.

Felipe with Ana Cristina

Ana Cristina is very proud of Felipe. Smiling, she says that he taught her how to use the computer. “I’m not of this generation!” she laughs.

Felipe graduated, and the center invited him to teach informatics to the children. He considers it an honor, and since then he has given his best.

Felipe is informatics monitor of INPAR and Projeto Social Acao Querer Bem, another center in  the City of God. As he was taught, he teaches children to see beyond their current circumstances.

Thanks to everything Felipe learned about “seeing beyond” and setting goals for the future, he saved money from the time he got his first job, and finally he grabbed hold of one of his dreams: to study English abroad. Felipe chose to study English in South Africa because it was the cheaper option.

“My cash was counted, and neither I nor my mom had money to afford a U.S. or Canadian Visa.”

Felipe spent two months studying English in South Africa. His classmates there called him “Obama” because he was emphatic when defending his points of view.

Currently Felipe is in his first year studying law at a university in Rio de Janeiro. Felipe looks back and says, “What I’ve gotten and who I am is because of this center.”

Felipe’s income isn’t high; monthly, he earns around $600, but he knows how to manage and balance the needs and priorities.

His college costs around $250, without counting materials, food and transportation. With the remainder of the money, Felipe helps his mother maintain the house and also saves money for his future.

Just as artists on the stage have people working behind the scenes to make them shine, Felipe has a grateful heart toward one person who helped him shine: his sponsor, Barry.

“If it wasn’t for him, his love, his letters, and his sponsorship maintaining me in the center, I’m sure that I would not be who I am today.”

Barry was Felipe’s sponsor from the time he was 4 years old. In early 2010, Felipe received a great surprise: Although Felipe had already completed the Compassion program, Barry came to Rio de Janeiro to meet the boy whom he had supported for so many years.

“I became thrilled! Barry cried when he saw me – I was really thrilled. He helps me my whole life! It was fantastic to see that lovely and kind man in person!”

Ana Cristina remembers when Felipe was a little child, skinny, weak, excitedly asking if letters from his sponsor had arrived and sometimes sleeping at the center because his father didn’t come to pick him up. Her eyes fill with tears looking at this 19-year-old young man who has a brilliant future in front of him, without any trace of anger or bitterness due to his past.

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