Meet Arun. Arun grew up in the slums of Bangalore, India, packed in a little one-room house with his father, mother, brother and sister.

Arun woke up each morning not knowing whether there would food for the day. The effects of poverty were very real in his life.

Arun’s father, Chellakannan, worked as an auto driver and struggled to provide food for the family. Stretching the budget to meet their daily needs seemed hard enough, let alone educating the children!

The family was forced to survive on less than Rs. 2,500 per month (U.S.$50). Adding to the struggles, Arun’s father was an alcoholic. He seldom gave money to provide for the family needs. Oftentimes, he didn’t go to work. This resulted in frequent quarrels between Arun’s parents, destroying the family’s peace.

To make ends meet, Arun’s mother, Pushpalatha, sold old newspapers in exchange for a plate of food. She went without her own meals to feed her children, but at times all of them went to bed with hungry stomachs.

It was at this time that Arun was fortunate enough to be registered at one of our child development centers. Arun tells us,

“Initially I attended the development center just for a plate of food, hunger was so fierce.”

Arun’s future seemed gloomy. Despite scoring 82 percent in 12th grade, his parents’ income was barely sufficient to provide for their daily needs, let alone his education.

However, to his astonishment, Arun was selected for the Leadership Development Program. He was assured of attending university and earning his bachelor’s degree in business management. His entire fees were taken care by our Leadership Development Program.

Arun completed his degree and was named the best student of Baldwin Methodist College. Today, Arun is working at a reputable company while simultaneously pursuing a post-graduate certificate in management.

The Leadership Development Program taught Arun a great number of things. He learned about time management, Christian discipline and social awareness. Most importantly, Arun learned how a Christian must respond to contemporary issues…issues like corruption.

Speaking Out Against Corruption

Corruption is an issue that is at the forefront of India’s national poverty concerns. In some places in India, people are forced to bribe officers in the government office to get a death certificate. Among politicians, corruption is an everyday phenomenon.

Arun has given several speeches regarding corruption, and his thoughts on this issue are inspiring. He challenges others to stand up against corruption and make a difference in India.

“Many of us complain and blame corruption as a reason for poverty in India. But I want to ask a question – who is actually responsible for this?

“We simply cannot keep blaming others all through our life. We need to change ourselves. Stop bribing so that people will stop taking bribes. These days, many people doubt that you can succeed in life if you do not give bribes. But you can be the change you want in this world.”

As Christians, Arun believes that we need to witness Jesus through our lives. He reflects on his thoughts on curbing corruption and proclaims,

“Let my life speak and not just with words!”

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

My husband and I recently adopted a puppy from the local humane society. When we got her home, she was a normal, happy, playful puppy. But within a few days, symptoms of kennel cough showed up.

So like a good pet parent, off to the vet I went.

I chose my dog’s vet based on the online ratings I saw on Google. They said this vet was the “best vet in town,” “caring,” “knowledgeable” and that people “wouldn’t trust their pups with anyone else.” And the vet’s website emphasizes his trustworthiness and that health is the office’s first priority.

However, my experience brought to mind that for people, as well as businesses, who we say we are and how we actually act can often be quite different.

After three visits in three days, I was completely disillusioned with the quality of service I received. No amount of four-star ratings on Google will change my opinion. My vet may think he is trustworthy, but I feel like he just wants my money.

At Compassion we describe ourselves as:

• authentic
• collaborative
• creative
• effective
• focused
• honest
• inclusive
• professional
• and respectful, to name just a few.

This is our personality. This is who we think we are.

Every decision we make is based on our “distinctives” – child focused, church based, Christ centered and committed to integrity. But are we really who we think we are?

Based on your interactions with us here, on Facebook and Twitter, and via email and phone calls, how would you describe us?

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

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1: 8-9, NIV).

I just realized that I have often skipped over the other part: John says that God is also just to purify us from unrighteousness.

Have you ever watched purification in progress? Think about a precious metal like gold. Gold is purified in only one way: with fire. And we’re not talking an outward brush with the flames.

Purification comes from being plunged into the heart of the fire — the place where fire is harshest and turns blue — and being kept there until that which is being purified loses any resemblance to what it once was.

Having been purified, the gold can be molded according to the will of the goldsmith. It only loses contact with the fire when its final shape has been formed.

When we, as believers, confess our sin, God not only promises to be faithful (which He always is) and to forgive us (which He always does); He promises to engage us in the painful process of purification in order to cleanse us from the sin that is tearing us apart.

In my role as a child advocate, I have sometimes encountered people who say they will get involved with Compassion or get involved in caring for the poor when they find “a program that actually works.”

What they usually mean is that they will get involved when they find a program that is perfect.

The problem is that there is no such program. People are messy. If you are going to minister with and to people, or let others minister to you, you are going to get dirty, dazed and confused.

Compassion is an awesome ministry. It is committed to integrity, and to be church-based, child-focused and Christ-centered. I have seen it uphold each of these standards and am proud to advocate for the work they do.

But sometimes things happen. I met a couple at an event who had been writing to their sponsored child regularly for three years. Their sponsored child, a young girl in Central America, wrote them three times a year but never responded to any of their questions. They were questioning whether the girl ever got their letters, and consequently, they were questioning the authenticity of Compassion.

I explained to them how some child development centers engage in reciprocal letter-writing, helping their kids respond to letters from their sponsors as soon as they are received. Some centers make a very conscious effort to ensure that kids answer all the questions in the letters they receive, and some children take the initiative to write and respond to letters all by themselves.

But sometimes, none of these things happen.

Some of the older centers are working toward reciprocal letter-writing but aren’t there yet; some kids have never written a letter in their life and simply don’t know how; other kids can’t sit still long enough to write a response, even though they might be overjoyed at receiving your communication. Occasionally, that relationship between sponsor and child takes a really long time to build.

Can I just encourage you to not lose heart when you encounter someone who is looking for a “perfect program”? And if you are that person who has experienced frustrations in your sponsorship, please don’t give up.

As someone who has been a child sponsor for more than a decade and has traveled to four Compassion countries to meet children whom I sponsor, I am here to tell you something really important: This ministry of releasing children from poverty is working, and it is also imperfect.

Frankly, it is always going to be imperfect. If you haven’t yet had a reason for a measure of frustration, you probably will at some point.

This work is imperfect because it involves people. Compassion is not program-focused (though program models are used) – it’s intensely, insanely, beautifully child-focused. And sometimes, all of the questions in your letters don’t get answered. Sometimes a child drops out of the program and you don’t get an explanation. Sometimes, you feel frustrated because you want something to work better.

But though imperfect, Compassion presses on, fully committed to its core values in order to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name and fully committed to changing and improving its work in the same way that God models for us in I John 1:9: through faithfulness, forgiveness and purification.

It is good and right of us to expect excellence, but there will still be times when we feel frustrated.

I, for one, am thankful that being committed to opening our hearts and lives to God’s purification process is so much better than a pursuit of perfection. I am thankful that we get to be a part of releasing children from poverty, even at those moments when it gets frustrating.

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

With programs in 26 countries, many people wonder how we maintain the excellence and good stewardship of our operations around the world. In addition to annual external audits, we ensure the highest integrity in our programs through internal auditing.

Internal auditing, both in the development centers and country offices, is designed to determine how well our operations are running and to identify weaknesses that are causing goals and objectives to go unmet.

The first type of audit is known as a Center/Partnership Audit. Its primary purpose is to ensure that development centers are complying with our standards.

“These are conducted by a Partnership Auditor who resides in the country office,” says Walt Hintz, Compassion’s Field Audit Manager. There are about 50 Partnership Auditors worldwide. Partnership Auditors look at both financial and operational issues.

The center audits cover areas such as management, structure, budget, Christian development, finances and program communications. The focus is to make sure that the kids are communicating with their sponsors, that they are attending the centers, that funds are being used for their intended purposes, and that the program is being implemented the way it should be.

The first step of the auditing process is planning. The Partnership Auditors coordinate the auditing schedule with the Partnership Facilitators (who are the link between the country offices and the child development centers) and the directors of each center.

Before any audit takes place, the Partnership Auditors review past information from each center. This includes previous auditing results, Monthly Financial Reports, and Complementary Intervention (CIV) Fund proposals and reports. The Partnership Auditors assess this information before arriving at the center so that they can have a clear understanding of the potential risks and issues.

Finally, the Partnership Auditors may interview country office staff, such as the accountant, the CIV administrator, and the communications staff who have experience working with the center, prior to visiting the center. Then it’s time to visit the centers.

On average, a Partnership Auditor spends eight to ten hours in each center. While there, the auditor conducts interviews with the teachers and students and goes through financial records, child attendance records, child files and organizational documents.

A typical risk auditors look to assess involves proper documentation of expenses. Many of the countries we work with are cash societies, and receipts are not typically given. Center workers often have to ask the vendor to hand write a receipt, and it is up to the auditor to emphasize the importance of proper financial documentation to the center leaders.

After the audit takes place, the auditor communicates the findings with the center leadership, the Partnership Facilitator and the Country Management Team. Communicating the risk areas will ultimately lead to improving the partnership between Compassion and the local church.

Post audit, the auditor conducts an exit meeting to discuss the findings from the audit with the church partner and the Partnership Facilitator who is responsible for the relationship between the center and the country office.

During this meeting, the Partnership Facilitator and Partnership Auditor will document “Action Items,” — the important issues that need to be dealt with — and rate the items according to the level of risk. The Partnership Facilitator will work with the Implementing Church Partner to develop a plan to address the risk areas.

Afterward, a the completed audit report will be sent to the Country Director, the Partnership Facilitator, and Program Implementation Manager.

Our corporate standard is that 60 percent of centers must be audited each year with no more than 30 months between audits. This audit frequency prevents centers from going unaudited for more than two-and-a-half years. Also, it ensures that higher risk centers will be visited more frequently.

In between audits, the centers are frequently communicated with and visited by the Partnership Facilitators to ensure all is well.

Similar to the Partnership Audits, the second category of internal audits is the Country Office Audit.

Country Office Audits are holistic reviews of the operations and administration of our country offices. In order to improve business processes, these audits cover areas such as organizational management, human resources, payroll, financial reporting and program communications.

Typically, this includes four to eight center visits, and unlike center audits, these visits look for larger trends that reveal management, country or process issues.

Country Office Audits are conducted by four Senior Field Auditors, who are responsible for performing audits within a geographic area.

Like the Partnership Audits, the Country Office Audits are primarily risk based. Country offices are audited approximately every 24 months.

Once in the field, the auditor has an initial meeting with the Country Management Team (CMT) of that country office. This is followed by a series of individual interviews and center visits. For a period of about two weeks, the auditor conducts interviews and reviews documentation in both the country office and the centers.

Based on what the Field Auditor finds, certain issues will become “Action Items.” At the conclusion of the audit, the Auditor provides a list of these action items to the country office and the CMT during the exit meeting. The office staff determine how to address and resolve those items. The plan is then approved and it comes back to our Global Ministry Center in Colorado for filing. Internal Audit staff receive updates as the plans are completed.

Most issues are resolved within 90 days. Sometimes, action items are dealt with immediately, and sometimes complex issues may take years. Even though the issues range in severity, the vast majority of issues are considered low risk. Very few are considered high risk.

In the end, our goal in internally auditing both our centers and country offices is to uphold our core values and provide accountability for the goals and objectives we have set out to achieve.

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

How many times have you heard about the misuse of funds hindering an organization’s effectiveness, or greed compromising decision-making and values? Regrettably, I think we all have heard it too many times.

Working in the contact center, sponsors and donors call me and want to know if we — if Compassion — is trustworthy or if it’s a scam. These conversations are difficult because I cannot convince that person — through one phone call — to trust us, to trust Compassion.

If someone has been “burned” before, they look for faults in everything — the letters from their sponsored child, the pictures we send them, the way we use the funds we receive.

I have heard questions like “Is my child even real,” and “How do I know that the funds are actually getting to the child?”

I really don’t blame anyone for asking these questions. Were I on the other end of the phone, I’d be asking the same things.

For those of you wondering, here are my thoughts:

We, as Christians, are called to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. Here at Compassion, we are very passionate about ensuring we are.

Internal and independent audits are regularly conducted for our offices in the field and here in Colorado Springs. Every financial process undergoes intensive and continual scrutiny to ensure that funds are properly received, tracked, and managed. We want our program to be effective, so we monitor the child development centers to make sure they are making a difference in the lives of the children we serve.

Our goal is that the children in our program follow Jesus Christ in faith and deed, support themselves and share with others in need, are responsible members of their families, churches, communities and nations; and maintain their own physical well-being by the time they complete our Child Sponsorship Program. We have put measures in place to make sure that these goals are being accomplished.

Is Compassion a trustworthy organization?

Yes, I think so — but don’t just take my word for it. If you are a sponsor with Compassion and have thought about this before, I encourage you to check out Charity Navigator’s review of Compassion.

Not only did we receive the highest rating of four stars last year, but we received it for the previous seven years as well. Chris mentioned that in a blog post last week, “How is My Money Used Each Month?”

The question of trustworthiness goes beyond financial accountability. Regrettably, there aren’t any independent rating agencies that I’m aware of that grade organizations on how trustworthy they are. But here are some other resources for you to review if you want more information:

• What does it mean for an organization to “live with integrity”?
• Compassion International’s profile at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
• Compassion International meets the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability

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

Cecilia had no doubt that she’d “make it.” She was full of confidence. She was determined. All of her effort and focus was directed toward the Leadership Development Program. She was celebrated for her bright future, and happiness was a sure thing.

But then she made a choice. She had sex out of wedlock. Cecilia got pregnant, and she’s no longer part of the leadership program. Actions have consequences.

My mom thinks it’s ironic that when her girl most needs compassion, Cecilia gets none. I understand that point of view. But my point of view is that Cecilia didn’t get asked to leave the leadership program because she got pregnant; she was asked to leave because when she joined the program she agreed with its values and promised that her behavior would reflect them.

If Cecilia was married and got pregnant, she’d still be in the program. But that’s not what happened.

The good news is that Cecilia and her boyfriend are in love, and they’re planning to get married. Unlike many of Cecilia’s childhood friends, who didn’t have the opportunity she did and who had babies when they were teenagers, Cecilia has learned skills and developed strong relationships over the 10+ years she was participating in our programs.

Cecilia has not been abandoned. She’s been equipped. She’s been equipped to successfully navigate the challenges that will come throughout her life, including this one.

But let me contrast Cecilia’s situation with what’s happening in my “little brother’s” life right now.

L.B. is growing up in poverty here in America. It’s not the same variety as what Cecilia has lived through or what any of our sponsored children are experiencing, but it’s just as devastating. It doesn’t matter what poverty looks like on the outside because on the inside poverty destroys.

L.B. is 15, and his life mirrors the stereotypical inner city African-American struggle. The day-to-day emotional abuse he receives from this world has brought him to a defining moment in his life.

Last month, he accepted an offer to live with a married couple who were friends of his family and who wanted to invest their time in him. The couple has no children, has been married for more than 10 years, and are closely involved with a community center focused on helping kids in the inner city.

This couple was willing to do something they had never done before, for any kid. They were willing to bring L.B. into their family and to assume legal guardianship for him.

L.B. moved in and agreed to submit himself to their authority and obey their decisions. He was free to leave at any time, but if he made the decision to leave he would not be accepted back.

L.B. agreed. And then as most conflicted people do, he tested the boundaries. He made a conscious decision to disobey, and in anger said he wanted to move out.

The circumstances weren’t quite as sterile as how I’ve portrayed them, and I don’t have all the details, but there was a threat of violence. And it wasn’t the first threat. Actions have consequences.

What should be the consequences for Cecilia and L.B.?

Is it as simple as compassion for Cecilia versus the preservation of integrity for our programs?

Is it as simple as mercy and a second chance for L.B., or does his life have a better chance of being redeemed through justified discipline?

Unlike Cecilia, L.B. doesn’t have the skills or relationships to weather this storm. He hasn’t been equipped … yet.

L.B. isn’t being abandoned by this couple. They will still be involved in his life, just not as his guardians. However, I bet poverty is telling L.B. that he’s being abandoned.

Our ability to take ownership of our actions is a necessary skill in escaping any strain of poverty — physical, emotional or spiritual. Actions have consequences. It’s something God showed us through Adam and Eve.

Thankfully our story didn’t end with the eating of the apple. God meted out justice, but He also had mercy on us. Consequences don’t mean we’re not loved. They usually mean just the opposite.

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

Thirty-eight dollars a month. That’s how much it costs to sponsor a child through Compassion, which is more than the price of sponsorship at other organizations. The difference sometimes leads to questions like these.

“When I first starting sponsoring it [the sponsorship rate] was $22 a month; that was 1989, or 1990 I forget, I’m getting old. During college I stopped sponsoring for a few years and then it was I think $26 or $28 a month . . . Other organizations have stayed about $22-24 a month . . . what extra services does Compassion offer for the extra money . . . what does Compassion provide that other organizations do not supply at $22-24 month?” — Dwight“

“I am getting a bit concerned with the cost to sponsor a child. Where is the money going that isn’t going to the children? I would hate to think it is for a glossier overedited over advertising or staff bloat to make sponsors feel better.” — Nancy White

Although these two questions may seem to be asking the same thing, they’re actually not. Dwight is asking, “What does my child get each month for $38?” (i.e., how are our programs run and what do we deliver?). Nancy is asking, “Where is the money going that isn’t going to the children?” (i.e., how do we spend your money?). They’re both important questions.

I’m not an expert on how other sponsorship programs are run, but what I do know is that some organizations don’t have Christ at the center of what they do. And some allow children to have multiple sponsors.

So two things that Compassion delivers is the Gospel and a one-to-one relationship with your child.

Some child sponsorship programs just focus on one or two areas of a child’s development, rather than being all-encompassing, and others organizations administer their programs on behalf of the community a child lives in, rather than focusing directly on a specific child.

Compassion delivers holistic child development that is child focused. These two posts help show what that means.

• What does holistic child development look like?
• What does my sponsored child learn at the child development center?

Additionally, some organizations receive government funding. We do not. We’re 100 percent sponsor and donor supported.

And finally, some programs are more localized and less global than our program is. We’re a global holistic child development ministry and we use a one-on-one sponsorship model that encourages you and your child to share your faith with each other. We’re Christ centered, child focused, church based and committed to integrity.

Some programs may have similarities to ours, but none are exactly the same. That’s what we deliver.

As for how we spend your money, no more than 20 percent pays for administration and fundraising. That’s our commitment to you. And for the past several years, we’ve been significantly below that 20 percent, usually two to four percentage points below.

In fiscal year 2009, approximately $31 of your $38 monthly payment paid for development center grants, program services and child advocacy (i.e., educating the Body of Christ about the biblical mandate to care for children and the poor), while a nickel shy of $7 was used for administration ($3.23) and fundraising ($3.72).

Because of how we manage your money we have received eight consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator. Only 1 percent of charities rated by Charity Navigator have been recognized in this way.

So, what does the $31 buy your sponsored child?

The money categorized as development center grants is delivered directly to our church partners to cover the costs of implementing our sponsorship program. The basic elements of these activities include:

• regular Christian training
• learning opportunities (e.g., funding school attendance and/or regular participation in extracurricular educational activities)
• health treatment and training (e.g., regular physical exams, dental care, vaccinations, referral for advance medical care, instruction in physical and dental hygiene, exercise, nutrition and preventive health care)
• socio-emotional development (e.g., learning basic social skills, teamwork, art, drama, dance, etc.)
• materials and supplies including hygiene supplies (e.g., soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste), center supplies (e.g., paper, writing utensils, games, toys), fees or costs associated with field trips, camps, drama, art and dance activities, and snacks, food and supplemental nutrition each child may need
• individualized care and attention (e.g., school progress reports, center attendance records, health records, home visits by social workers and adult supervision while at the development center)

Program services include activities undertaken by our staff to select, train, equip and oversee the church partners implementing our program, as well as programmatic research and evaluation. They also cover the costs of staff who direct and maintain the daily activities at the child development center.

More personally, this is where the money comes from for letter translation, postage, taking photos of your child, and updating you on your child’s well-being.

You can consider program services as the funding source for maintaining our program’s integrity and all the things that connect you and your child.

That about sums it up. I hope this explanation is useful to you. If you want additional information about our financial stewardship you can visit compassion.com and charitynavigator.com, as well as call us at (800) 336-7676.

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

My association with Compassion began 10 years ago this month as my family attended our very first Creation Festival at Agape Farm, Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania.

On a sizzling summer evening, our twins, Danny and Justin, age 11, responded to an altar call and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. To commemorate the awesomeness of the occasion, the next day, and led by the Holy Spirit, my wife and I allowed them to select a Compassion child to sponsor.

Prior to June 1999, neither of us had ever heard of Compassion. Perhaps we should have scrutinized the Compassion program a wee bit before diving in, but because we felt compelled by God to sponsor, we willingly took that leap of faith.

In hindsight, it really wasn’t that much of a leap — the cost of sponsorship, about a $1 a day, was not going to be missed when we paid the monthly bills. I didn’t actually examine Compassion’s ministry until about two years later when I decided to become a volunteer in the Advocates Network.

My investigation revealed that Compassion is the real deal — the program was and still is steeped in integrity, the fragrance of Jesus Christ wafting throughout.

As far as Christian, child development, ministries are concerned, I was sold on the fact that Compassion is numero uno in three critical areas:

• partnering with the local church
• bringing children into saving relationships with Jesus Christ
• discipling these kids in their newfound faith

Grateful to God

I also liked the fact that Compassion just didn’t take volunteers off the street. There was a process involved with becoming an Advocate for children living in poverty.

First and foremost, volunteer Advocates are required to be active, Christ-proclaiming Christians. In addition, references were needed as were background checks.

Despite all that, they still allowed me into their fold — I thank God quite regularly for using me in this capacity.

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.” — 1 Corinthians 2:1 (NKJV)

After being received into the Advocates Network, I worried that perhaps I was in over my head. The things Compassion was asking me to do were way beyond my comfort zone.

God calmed me then and He still comforts me now, reminding me that in my frailty, in my need and even in my distress, when it is for His sake, I am made strong. Just recently I heard an account regarding D. L. Moody, which offered some more assurance.

Although Moody was one of America’s most effective evangelists, he was not linguistically polished — a trait I can readily identify with.

After one of his sermons, he was approached by a congregant who was quick to point out 18 grammatical errors in his teaching. His response nailed his position while simultaneously convicting the woman in hers, “Ma’am, I am using all the grammar I got for the Lord. What are you doing with yours?” Amen, Dwight!

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” — 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)

Bridled But Not Broken

I credit God with using Compassion as an instrument in His hand to grow me up in the faith. Honestly, I cannot imagine where I would be spiritually if not for my involvement with Compassion and child advocacy. I suspect I would be wallowing away somewhere in pew wondering what God’s plan was and how He intended to use me for His good pleasure.

Ravi

But I don’t have to wonder. God wound up bringing me to India where He would impart to me a small portion of the throbbing ache contained within His heart .

Ravi was an astonishing guy. I heard him speak at a local New Jersey church about how the Lord was using him to share the Good News, save lost souls, and plant churches in and around his native Bangalore, India.

When he had finished his talk, almost nonchalantly he asked if anyone would like to go with him to India to spread the Gospel and plant some churches. My hand sprung up before I even realized what it was I was doing — before I had even discussed the matter with my wife.

Six months later I found myself walking among the children of an Indian slum. It took only but a few moments for my heart to break. From the heavens I think I heard a faint, “Mission accomplished.”

Did I mention that Ravi was a formerly sponsored Compassion child?

It’s true! This was not an official Compassion tour, but God still brought Compassion into the equation.

On the trip we estimated that perhaps 500 people gave their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, and five churches were planted.

One day, while we were all muttering around, Ravi stopped a Hindu priest as he walked home for lunch. Ravi shared the Gospel with him and he ended up receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

I learned after we had gotten home to the states that this former Hindu priest had in fact enrolled in Bible school! God is so good!

Anyway, that’s how I found Compassion (or how Compassion found me) and how the Lord has used His ministry to bless me, refine me and raise me in the faith.

I will never cease to be amazed how God can bless both the giver and the receiver, and anyone else who just happens to be passing by.

What’s your Compassion story?

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

What does it mean to live with integrity?

Listen to Mark Hanlon, Senior Vice President of Compassion USA, talk about the importance of living with integrity.

Integrity is not common.

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:14, NIV

To live with integrity:

• means we don’t compromise our faith in Christ.
• means the small things matter.
• means life can feel lonely.
• reflects the character of God who dwells within us.
• requires intention.

At Compassion, integrity means that we say what we mean and we do what we say. We value accurate information and full transparency. We hold ourselves accountable and share the full truth, even when it is difficult.

Officially, we describe it as:

“… aligning our thoughts, motivations, attitudes and actions with the ethical principles found in God’s Word. In both our personal lives and our ministry, what we believe, what we say and what we do should be consistent, congruent, reliable and transparent.”

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

“Integrity means doing the same thing whether people are with you or whether you are alone.” – Ed Anderson, senior vice president and chief financial officer

Integrity doesn’t just apply to big decisions. It also applies to your small decisions. It pertains to your whole life.

Integrity is doing the right thing, not necessarily the popular thing.

Integrity is being honest, upstanding and having a strong character.

Officially, for Compassion, integrity is:

“… aligning our thoughts, motivations, attitudes and actions with the ethical principles found in God’s Word. In both our personal lives and our ministry, what we believe, what we say and what we do should be consistent, congruent, reliable and transparent.”

• Do you think that the children at our child development centers ever “get tired” of “pleasing” the sponsors who briefly, but regularly visit many of the same centers on our sponsor tours?
• If the children do “get tired” and would rather be doing something else but can’t admit that they don’t want to greet another group of sponsors, for whatever reason, is this a matter of integrity?
• If it is a matter of integrity, of not aligning our thoughts with our actions, who is out of alignment? The child? The sponsor? Compassion?

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