Who gets that chicken or soccer ball you give through the Gifts of Compassion Christmas gift catalog?

Does a gift like that really make a difference? How does a soccer ball make an impact on a child in poverty?

It’s hard for me to answer these questions, because I’ve never wanted a pig or cow for Christmas. But after doing some research, I found this story from Tanzania showing how the gift of a soccer ball made a lasting impact.

Encouraging Talent in Tanzania by Charles Ngowi

Last year, the money given toward soccer balls helped fund not only the purchase of soccer balls for children, but also the second National Children and Youth Talent Festival in Tanzania, November 30 through December 4, 2010.

It was organized by Compassion Tanzania, and the event brought together about 600 children who had earlier been competing at the development center and regional levels in order to qualify for the national event. The children came from the 12 regions of Tanzania where we operate.

In addition to sports equipment, the festival provided opportunities for children and youth to display their God-given talents through competition, while socializing with others in a friendly environment and compassionate manner.

The festival also developed the children’s talents with the possibility of one day making them economically self-supporting using their skills in sports and arts.

The children participated and competed in different kinds of events including soccer, javelin, high jump, singing, drawing, painting, netball, discus and many more. At the end of the event, the top students and overall regional winners were awarded trophies and medals.

One of the Compassion children who attended the festival was Hemedi, 15, who is now in secondary school. He was registered with Compassion in 2004 when he was 9 years old and got involved in sports with the Compassion team when he went to Arusha in 2007 to play in the first Talent Festival.

What has Hemedi gained by being involved with sports?

“Sports help us know each other and socialize well. They also help us be in unity; it’s easy to support one another when you know what someone needs.

Through sports, I have been able to know many people. Sports also help me be fit physically, and by playing different sports it is not easy to be attacked by opportunistic diseases.”

Whether it’s competing at a national level, understanding the value of teamwork, or getting healthy and fit, your gift of a soccer ball is giving life to dreams of Compassion children around the world.

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

During the past year, our ministry in Mexico organized the first soccer tournament in which young people between the ages of 12 and 15 played on teams representing their child development centers. Participating church partners organized their teams and started training, and the children were given professional uniforms and soccer shoes.

Across central Mexico, as the tournament progressed, development center staff, pastors, children and youth all talked eagerly about the same subject: soccer. The teams, the uniforms, the shoes, the games, the points, who won the local and divisional matches, who scored — all were easy conversation topics whenever people got together.

Preparation for the tournament helped instill the discipline of training and practicing on a regular basis. Children learned how to keep their bodies in good shape by eating well and exercising. Attendance at the child development centers increased because youth were not allowed to play soccer or participate as cheerleaders if they missed center activities.

The youngsters also learned about teamwork and the discipline of playing by tournament rules. They were continually reminded to play clean and to maintain a good attitude of fellowship among themselves and between teams.

Youth from nearly 40 child development centers in central Mexico participated in the tournament. Church members attended the games and cheered for their teams. Many parents became more involved at their child development centers in order to support their children during their training and their games.

To select division champions, each team first played against neighboring development centers. Division champions then challenged other divisions for their state championship and, once at the state level, the state-champion teams traveled to play against winners from other states. Traveling to represent their child development centers became one of our young people’s most-cherished experiences.

Strong Tower Wins

Strong Tower is a very disciplined team from the community of San Antonio. They trained twice a week on their community field with a very strict coach: the church pastor. Along with their physical training, the pastor taught the boys about teamwork and sportsmanship and encouraged them with scripture. This was evident in their behavior both during the games and off the field.

For many of the registered children on the Strong Tower team, traveling to tournament games was their first time outside their community.

In the last game of the tournament, they represented the state of Toluca against the winning team from the coastal state of Veracruz. The climate and altitude were different from what they were accustomed to, and they were significantly smaller than their opponents. Although they lost the final game, their cumulative scores and their second-game goals gave Strong Tower first place for the tournament.

Each teammate received a gold medal and the team was awarded a beautiful championship trophy.

After the game, the players were able to stand at the ocean and contemplate the expansiveness and sound of the sea. Most of them were overwhelmed. Soon after enjoying their first impression, they started playing in the water.

As a reminder of their fun at the beach, they packed some sand in their backpacks to show their families and to remember the beautiful creation of God. Several teammates reflected,

“It was a dream come true.”

For Pastor Pablo, pastor and coach of the winning team, the soccer tournament was a deeply rewarding experience. He enjoys the sport and was delighted when he first heard about the initiative. Pastor Pablo says,

“It has been a great satisfaction. God helped us because when the tournament started we were going through a very difficult situation in the church. But when we started to get results with the teenagers, the church began taking the children seriously.”

The results of the soccer league varied from program to program, but overall it brought encouragement, nurture and character to the teenagers. It also created a sense of belonging, which at that age is very important to ensure that young people stay close to the church and their child development center.

One of the best outcomes from their months of work was the new level of unity and trust among the youth.

“I know if the teens have a problem, or if they find themselves in a difficult situation, they will come to me and I will point them to the Lord and help them walk through it.”

Winning the championship will always stand out in the memories of these San Antonio children, along with the good memories of training, teammates, games and victories. Each team member has a gold medal and a small bag of sand as a reminder that dreams are worth dreaming.

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

Abandonment, hunger, solitude – Cristiano has been through tough situations in his life and now his experiences are the foundation of his job as a Partnership Facilitator in our Brazil office.

A Partnership Facilitator (PF) is responsible for overseeing all issues related to the partnership between our ministry and the partner church. A Facilitator works with the partner church in a very professional and respectful way in order to:

• make sure they have the same vision and goals,
• build respect and mutual trust,
• promote shared commitment, and
• establish the function, expectations and responsibilities in a very clear way.

Cristiano has been a Partnership Facilitator since 2008. His main function is to make sure that all the results we strive to achieve really happen.

Cristiano, his wife, Sheyla, and his daughter, Leticia

As a teenager, Cristiano was asked to leave home because he had abandoned his father’s dream for him to become a famous soccer player. This resulted in mistreatment from his father, so young Cristiano lived in the center of Recife and had to sleep on the street with nothing to eat.

“I used to go to the supermarket and use the deodorant and other product samples for my personal hygiene.”

He used to say to himself, over and over again,

“I’m not a thief. I’m not a thief.”

Cristiano’s life is filled with the small victories that God saves for those who remain faithful to Him. For example, Cristiano worked hard to get a job as a janitor at a midsize company. In six months, he became the local manager.

Cristiano’s father had had a plan for his son to be a soccer player. But God, Cristiano’s heavenly Father, had another plan. Now Cristiano is one of the coordinators of the Brazilian Sports League, a Christian organization that uses sports as a tool for evangelism.

Through this work, Cristiano helps churches implement evangelistic sports projects. (Brazilian people love sports!) Thousands of lives have been reached – and many of them are children.

“When I’m at a child development center, I look at the children and I know exactly what they need, because I have lived in hunger, abandonment, neglect and solitude. I know and understand why God allowed me to go through all these things.”

Cristiano’s life story is unique and inspiring. He loves his job and knows that he was chosen by God to help release children from poverty. Here is more from a conversation I had with Cristiano:

How did you hear about Jesus?

I was a teenager and crazy about soccer. My big idol was Silas. He was a World Cup player (team of ’86 and ’90) in Brazil. One day I was reading his book, and at the end of the book he invited the readers to join the team of Jesus. He was a Christian, and I didn’t know that. I was curious:

“Who is Jesus? Why is Silas talking about Him? Why is this Jesus so important that ‘the great Silas’ wants to praise Him?”

So I looked for Jesus in the Bible, and I found Him. I realized that soccer was not the reason for my existence, but the Lord Jesus was this reason.

And then you had to leave your house because your father was persecuting you?

Yes, my father had lived all his life planning my career as a professional player. After I became a Christian I lost my motivation for that because I saw that life was not just about soccer. I understood that God had another plan for me. My father was frustrated and said I should leave the house.

How did you start working for Compassion?

I heard about this job opening and I sent my resume. I participated in interviews and I was not called for the job immediately, but I was sure that I would be called one day. I knew that God had prepared me all these years to work with Compassion. I waited for a year to be called. I was sure that they would call me.

Why did you wait for so long without looking for another job?

Working for the growth of the kingdom of God was always a goal for me. When I heard about the ministry’s mission I prayed,

“Lord, this is what I want to invest my life in. Give me this privilege.”

And how did your family react?

Our financial situation was complicated, and they were putting lots of pressure on me. But I was convicted that God had chosen me to work at Compassion and that conviction was greater than the difficulties we were going through. I waited in faith. Now it’s been two years and six months that I have been serving in the ministry.

Tell us about your job and your daily life.

I usually wake up at 5:30. I prepare everything the night before — clothes, materials, plan of visits, the schedule for the day. I usually go to the child development center by bus. It takes about 50 minutes to get to the center in Recife and two hours to get to the centers in João Pessoa. I always visit one development center a day and answer emails during the intervals between the visit and when I’m working from home.

When I’m working from home I have many activities such as preparing plans for the facilitation visits of the week; answering emails; calling the centers to talk about partnership issues, disputes, and so forth; and studying facilitation module and curricular programs.

What do you most enjoy about your work?

When I’m at the child development centers and give them some individual attention. I interact with the team of the center, the children and families.

Share an experience or situation that you witnessed that really touched you.

On my first visit to the development center, Vida VI, I saw a 2-year-old child playing alone in the trash — no clothes, and completely dirty. I was touched by that. That’s where the church of Christ comes and fulfills its role in society. Such scenes are becoming increasingly rare.

What does releasing children from poverty mean to you?

It means looking at the situation of each child who lives in social risk and seeing opportunities. Releasing children is being compassionate, acting intentionally, doing the best I can to provide real opportunities for them to become responsible adults and authentic Christians who will make a difference in this world.

How can you see God’s care in your life?

God’s love overwhelms me. When I was in pain I had the best experiences with God. I could see the greatness of His love. I feel His care everywhere. In spite of the suffering and all I have been through, He was always by my side and helped me right when I needed Him.

What motivates you in your work as a Partnership Facilitator?

Knowing that I am an instrument in God’s hands to help the church of Christ rescue an entire community that may not have a perspective for the future, that is full of children and young people with no opportunities in life.

Would you like to say something to the sponsors?

Sponsors, never stop being a blessing in the lives of the children you sponsor. Keep praying for them. You are so important to them. You are instruments of God in their lives.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

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

Thanks to all the media coverage, and the connectivity and immediacy of Facebook and Twitter, it seems like absolutely everyone in the world has World Cup fever.

But this year, the World Cup is more than a global soccer tournament. (Or football, depending on where you reside.)

For one small, devastated country, it’s so much more than that. It’s about hope. It’s about unity. It’s about joining together in support of a team simply for the fun of it. It’s an escape from the reality of daily life.

After six long months of trying to piece their homeland back together, it’s a way for Haitians to relax and de-stress, if only for 90 minutes.

The most recent report I read from our staff in Haiti included this:

When Brazil scored its first goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a cheer went up that could be heard all over this earthquake-ravaged capital.

Haiti, which is still digging out from the catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake that killed about 250,000 people, did not qualify for the soccer competition in South Africa. But the Haitian people badly need a team to root for to lift their spirits, and most are cheering for the powerful Brazilian team.

Many Haitians hope that, sometime in the near future, Haiti, which played its only World Cup in 1974, will qualify again.

“We are surrounded by the evidence of the earthquake, but the World Cup is at least momentarily resurrecting our people,” said a young man.

Around his neck, another young man wears a light blue rosary, identifying himself as a fan of Argentina, the second most popular team among Haitians.

Crossing the city, it is impossible to escape Haitians’ support for Brazil. Motorcycles and cars fly the yellow, green and blue flag. Men and women wear the bright yellow shirts of the Brazilian team.

“What we really need is jobs, development, and education. But the World Cup is very good for us right now because it is helping us get rid of stress.”

The World Cup is now more important to me. I don’t know why exactly, but competitive sports create a spirit of unity that lifts up battered souls.

It happened after 9/11. It happened after Hurricane Katrina. And it’s happening now with the World Cup.

Even though I’ve never followed professional soccer before, it makes me smile to think of the joy the World Cup is bringing to Haiti. I just might join the Haitians in cheering on Brazil.

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

The eyes of hundreds of thousands of people are glued to the field. A commentator narrates the last seconds of the game: “… and there comes Landaverde with a pass from Valdez … Landaverde surpasses the defense quite easily; he aims at the goal … shoots … AND SCORES!!!” El Salvador wins. The people in the stadium shout and celebrate; the national team has won the World Cup.

For now this scene is just a dream, since Walter Landaverde is just 13 years old. But it is a dream that we at Compassion El Salvador hold onto tightly.

In El Salvador, our children are being saved from a country where the crime rate is out of control, where every day 12 or 13 people are murdered, where — according to numbers cited in the LA Times – El Salvador has about 15,000 gang members perpetuating violence, vice and broken families.

Walter lives in the Iberia community, which is one of the most feared places in San Salvador. It is divided into sectors A, B and C, but unofficially divided in two zones, the one for the MS-13 Gang, and the one for the 18th Street Gang. The community has become one of the headquarters for the gangs in the metropolitan area of San Salvador.

“Walter is a boy of few words,” says Sister Glenda, sponsorship coordinator at the Growing Up in Jesus Student Center. “We never know whether he will show up with a good mood or not. I think that his behavior is like that because of his family. Sometimes when we are on our way to his soccer school he cries, because his mother does not believe in him … but I tell him that I believe in him, and that is why Compassion supports him.”

Walter lives with six people: his mom, three brothers, an uncle and his grandmother. The only one sustaining the home is his mother, who is a seamstress. Walter’s father abandoned the family, and even though he and Walter have contact from time to time, the father does not provide for the family at all.

Walter’s family receives help from his participation in our sponsorship program. He is one of more than 35,000 children in the country that are receiving material and spiritual nourishment, and educational, social and emotional support through the love and lessons that our local churches share with them each day. But he is a sober young man.

To run the day-to-day operations at our child development centers and to meet the basic four components of our sponsorship program, your monthly sponsorship funds are used to help your children. To implement additional benefits, such as entrepreneurship workshops or to rebuild after a disaster, the Complementary Interventions program is the tool we use.

Complementary Interventions are additional funds that are obtained through specific proposals written by our country office with input from our church partners. The soccer school that Walter attends was funded by a Complementary Interventions proposal and it benefits 100 children.

The children attend the school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. The desired outcome is to help develop their kinesthetic intelligence, just as other initiatives at the center work to develop the children through music, art and other skills.

After a few months of attending the soccer school, Walter was chosen to go to the national federation and compete to become part of the U-13 national team. This is a team that represents El Salvador in the Olympic Games, in the age category of 13 and under.

Walter was not only accepted, but he was promoted to the U-15 division; he will train with older teenagers. He will get focused attention to further develop his skills and represent his country.

The difference with this soccer school is that at the beginning of every practice the Word of God is shared. God is part of the exercises and strategy that are taught. The children read the Bible, pray, and share before and after every session. This has moved Walter to become more involved at church and in the worship team.

Through this program, God is repeating to Walter what He says in His Word: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10, NIV).

“If I was not part of this program, I would be sad, feeling like I am worth less than other people,” says Walter.

This soccer opportunity has been given by God to His loved Walter to tell Walter that he is very precious and capable of amazing things through Him, no matter what his family or other people say or think. We are sure that he will not become another gang member.

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

Four years ago, the Alfa y Omega Student Center opened its doors to the children of the community in San Benito, Nicaragua. And the work that initially looked hard is now obtaining great results.

Little more than a year ago, the idea of putting together sports teams at the center flourished. Three teams were formed: baseball, volleyball and soccer, and children volunteered to be part of one of them.

“The purpose of these teams is to keep children healthy, to help them relate with one another, to discover their talents, and to make good use of their free time. It’s also a time of recreation and sharing among them,” says Melania, the center director.

The community is aware of this purpose, and they are thankful and support the activities held at the church. Some of the children have been invited to be part of the community’s league when they play with other schools or towns.

The center’s baseball team has boys ages 6 to 14; soccer is for boys ages 9 to 11; and volleyball for girls ages 9 to 14. The children practice for an hour each day they are at the center, to be ready for any game that turns up.

Friendly games with other centers are organized once a month. These games give an opportunity to make new friends and to share experiences between children and staff.

The baseball team also plays other teams from the community every Saturday; they are currently struggling to make first place. These games allow the children to witness to other children. The games are held at the community’s basketball court and baseball field, since the center has enough space only for volleyball.

Before each game begins, rules are discussed, and then a word of prayer is given by the pastor who coaches the center’s baseball team. During this time baseball lasts for six innings and volleyball two quarters. At the end, drinks and snacks are served for everybody.

Since this is a very tranquil community, there aren’t gangs to take children out of the good way, although there are vices like alcohol and smoking. But with sports and reading activities, children keep busy, learn, and even challenge themselves with competitions among their group.

Many other children want to be part of any of the teams. To integrate them, competitions are organized between those who have the uniform and those who don’t, to begin training them.

The experience of having formal teams organized at student centers is giving good results to those centers that are implementing sport as one of the extracurricular activities. Children get excited and practice on their own as they play during their break and any other free time they have. Staff also is motivated by the excitement children show.

Because of the results seen during this time, Melania says,

“I encourage other centers to begin sport activities because there is a lot of benefit in it. There is a lot to explore in children, we get to know them more, we find out what they want, they learn to express their ideas, to be spontaneous and original. Children have to learn to lose and to win and to be Christians anywhere.

“For the center staff it has been a positive experience. Those who didn’t like sports are now enjoying it as they see children interested and dedicated to it. We have a vision for children to have a sound mind, healthy bodies, and be able to interact with others.

“These sports are important because they give children life, energy; the children are always on time for practice and they carry the equipment where they need to. Sports help children to stay motivated and active in the center. They joke among themselves that if they miss regular center activities, they could be taken out of the team.

“The center is important in this community because we help kids spiritually and materially . . . The community speaks well of the center because they have seen we are here for the children to give them moral and spiritual support at any time they need it.”

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

Lilian, his young mother, enters the colorful room. “Wake up!” she says.

The children’s bedroom used to be the family’s kitchen before the improvement they made after receiving a Christmas gift from her son’s sponsor: a new floor and new paint on the bedroom’s walls. The children decorated the room.

Renan stands up and starts making his bed. The boy goes to the bathroom and brushes his teeth — just like he was taught at the child development center where he is enrolled –  and combs his hair.

He carefully puts on his student center uniform before leaving home with his older brother Jean, who also attends the center. The church gives each of the children a T-shirt to wear.

He has only three minutes to be at the student center in order to eat the first meal of the day with his brother and friends. And three minutes is all he needs to get there; the family’s house is right next door.

The big yellow gate opens and all the children start to enter. On the table are delicious salted cookies, and milk with chocolate.

After the children eat, they go to the bathroom and brush their teeth using the hygienic kit they received from the center; it is kept there so the kids won’t lose it.

It’s almost 9 and the classroom is silent … just the voice of one of the kids can be heard praying to the Lord.

When it is 9 o’clock, it’s time to learn about Jesus and His disciples. It is also time to begin reading the Bible and writing to the sponsors.

Before leaving the classroom, the children pray again, thanking God for the privilege of being at the student center and asking Him to be with their sponsors.

It is 10 o’clock and Renan can barely breathe. It’s soccer time! Renan loves playing soccer, and he also enjoys playing board games with his brother and the other children. Running from one side to another in the yard, he plays and learns at the same time about teamwork, strategies and respecting different opinions and points of view.

The student center works with the children on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; one group in the morning and another one in the afternoons with the same activities such as educational support, Christian education, games and a library where with books and toys. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, staff workers meet with the parents and plan activities.

The smell of food starts filling the rooms and the yard: rice, beans, sausage, bananas and lettuce salad – a typical Brazilian meal.

It’s 11 o’clock and Renan goes to the sink and washes his hands before enjoying his second meal. Thanks to the support Renan and his brother get at the child center, Lilian spends less on food.

She is employed now, but her husband is only employed once in a while doing odd jobs. Lilian works as a cleaning lady at the student center.

After lunch each day, one child is chosen to help Lilian put everything back in the right place, practicing the Christian principle of stewardship.

It is noon and Renana will soon be at home to grab the notebook his mother bought, also with the Christmas gift his brother’s sponsor gave them, and head to school. Lilian watches her little boy until he disappears along the dusty street.

The school is not far from home, and Renan walks alone for about 10 minutes and arrives at at 1 o’clock. He is now in fourth grade.

At 4 he goes back home, takes a shower, and has dinner with his family. He is given basically the same food he had at the student center. Then he will do his homework, play with his brother, paint or draw, and then brush his teeth before going to bed.

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

The area of Tulancingo holds great history from the ancient Toltec and Otomi cultures. Although the inhabitants are mostly dedicated to farming and agriculture, a few other industries are also in the community. Their major products are dairy, meat, maize, barley and vegetables.

Tulancingo is the community where Proyecto Hormiga has worked with the support of Compassion México for more than 10 years now. They serve nearly 170 children from the community and have raised many children in their classrooms.

Most of the children here come from families with single moms or with parents who work either on the farm, as masons or in the nearby fields. The salaries are too small and the money earned to support the families is not enough.

The Compassion program has been a real blessing in the lives of these children; for most of them it means the opportunity to study beyond elementary school.

In the last year the student center graduated 15 teenagers in two different ceremonies where all families, children and staff recognized the success of these youngsters who have been considered “the pride of the program.”

We interviewed and visited some of them in their new activities. Most are studying for a high school education with a vocational orientation to graduate with a technician degree in the different areas of study they have chosen. Some others are in high school or even at the state university.

These youngsters prove the Compassion development model through sponsorship and the church works here!

Zeydi is one of the most outstanding graduates from the program. She is 18 years old and got into the technological institute from Pachuca, the capital city of the state of Hidalgo. The school she chose is one of the best in the state. Many students apply there but only a fraction get selected.

Zeydi is studying civil engineering. She has already faced challenges with her teachers and professors who do not follow the values she has learned, and she is committed to her studies.

She dreams about building great bridges, tunnels and other great construction projects for the city, state or even for the country, but she knows it will not be easy for her. She is very much interested in physics and mechanics.

Zeydi had to move to a rented place she shares with her cousin and a friend to be able to attend school. The school is actually far from her home and she needed to relocate.

Maria, best known as Lupita, is 17 and is already in her second year of high school in nursing studies. She always dreamed of being a nurse.

She dreams about getting a good job in obstetrics helping mothers deliver or taking care of newborns because she thinks babies are the most wonderful creations.

Her favorite class has been studying all about pregnancy because she is fascinated by it.

“I love seeing babies and learning about their growth in the womb,” she says.

Lupita lives with three older siblings, two sisters and a male brother who works as a mason, and her mother who was left single some years ago.

Keny is 18 and is not in school but is saving all she can to get into school next year. She and her mother were abandoned by her father when she was a little girl. Now they sell homemade tamales to live on and to start saving for her future education.

She would like to become a physical education teacher because she once had severe health problems that were overcome with lots of exercise and by keeping a strict diet. Then she decided to do something to share what she now knows to help others.

Denisse is currently 17 and in high school. She likes to practice tae kwon do and she likes science. She enjoys biology, math and chemistry classes the best, and dreams about opening a cosmetology shop.

When not at school, Denisse can be found practicing tae kwon do or at the Internet café talking online with friends.

She lives with her mom and dad and has an older brother who had to leave the family to find a better life opportunity.

Omar is 17 years old now and works with his older brother as a mason. He wants to study electricity to get a better job. School starts next December.

As a younger student in junior high, he always enjoyed the electricity workshop, and ever since he decided that was going to be his path.

Omar lives with his family — his father, mother and two other siblings — an older brother and a younger sister who attends the student center.

he used to think about not attending school any further than elementary school, but his teachers and leaders at the student center challenged him to finish high school, and he did.

“If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be the same I am now. I know for sure I would have dropped school.”

Jorge is 18 and very happy because he just got his registration for college to study a career in administration and entrepreneurship. He wants to start a small business. His favorite class is math, and he also likes to play sports, especially football.

He lives with his parents and six siblings. His father is a mason and his mother runs the home.

“If it wasn’t for the student center program I could not get to be what I am or what I aspire to be,” he says.

Once, in high school, he was about to quit because he did not have enough money to pay for his studies. The student center provided the resources to cover his education fees.

Before attending the student center, Jorge used to spend entire days on video games. He only needed two pesos to start his game and would not end it until the shop closed.

“Many times I had to sneak home at night, I did not go to school or eat because I spent all many days there,” he say. “But the pastor would make me come to church and would make me come to the program. But now I graduated and I am proud of it.”

Esmeralda is 19 and starting her university studies in agro-industrial engineering. She is studying at the state university and dreams about starting a dairy business to sell yogurt and cheese internationally.

From school she specially enjoys chemistry because she likes the formulas and the reactions the elements make together. Besides school, she likes to read, listen to music and get together with all her friends.

Enedina is a 17-year-old girl who aspires to become a nurse. She is studying in her third semester, and although she still has a long way to go in terms of her studies, she has found the support of an older cousin who is already a nurse and has committed herself to helping her complete her studies.

Her dream is to become a forensic investigator nurse, and she loves the computer classes. Her siblings are all older than her, and her mother is currently working as a cook at a small restaurant.

Elizabeth is a 17-year-old who studies at the vocational high school. She just started a couple of weeks ago, but she dreams of becoming a professional nurse just as her former sponsor from Canada is.

Elizabeth dreams of working at the pediatric hospital in Tulancingo, which treats children from all the surrounding communities.

During the time she was registered at the student center, she was very happy to hear about the work her sponsor did as a nurse and that inspired her to pursue this career.

She got into a high school that offers vocational training on nursing, and although she has to travel 40 minutes by public transportation every afternoon to school, she won’t waste this opportunity.

Her father works as a mason and is highly committed to work hard and make enough for her to go to school and to pay for her school materials.

As a hobby, she enjoys playing with her younger brother and caring for him. She is part of the youth group at church and enjoys talking to her friends. Her favorite class is reading.

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

Compassion staff decided to extend grace and enroll ages 4 to 12 years.

That was the moment I knew I was now completely netted. I could see my mother smiling broadly after the pronouncement. She had her fingers crossed all this time.

I was among the first lucky ones to get a sponsor, and when I did I had a new family — the Pendleton Browns from Atlanta, Georgia. I became a big brother.

They had two sons: Eliakim, who was 5 at the time, and Ace, who was 4. Later my sister, Hossanah Joy Brown, was born.

I remember going to school with the family photo they had sent me, and when I showed it to my friends, they asked me, “Who are those?”

I answered them with so much joy — “My family in Atlanta!”

One of the kids gave me a mean look, then replied, “Hmm … they’re white and you’re black.”

Sure enough, it did not matter to me what color they were or what color I was not. All I knew is that I had found a family. I cherished every single letter they wrote me.

Every Saturday I attended the Compassion Saturday program. When I was first enrolled I knew for sure the weekly meetings would interfere with my soccer time, which was also on Saturdays. But when sports were introduced I became comfortable with the idea of attending.

I looked forward to receiving a letter or photo from my family, and if I did not get one, I went home unhappy thinking that maybe I did not do a good job in replying to their last letter.

Compassion took care of my educational needs by buying school uniforms, books, clothes and other necessities. This played a big role in restoring my self-image because I used to go to school in a torn pair of shorts that had patches all over and some of my classmates made fun of me.

Medical care was also provided by Compassion, which played a great role in ensuring that we had access to better medical facilities.

Health screenings at the child development center ensured monitoring of health conditions and those cases were referred to the medical facility before it was too late.

Spiritual development through the Saturday devotion program and Bible study at the child development center facilitated my decision to receive Christ as my personal Savior at the age of 15 when I was in high school.

I became an active Bible Study leader and during Compassion Sunday, I got a couple of opportunities to preach and share my testimony before the congregation in church.

During the vacation, the child development center organized camps, hikes and game park tours. My social life was now active through exposure from various activities offered by the center.

Life skills training also became an integral part of life at the child development center. I learned soon how to cook, weave and how to operate computer applications.

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

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