One of the greatest gifts God ever bestowed upon me was the courage to open my heart and welcome a child in need.

I feel so honored and privileged to introduce you to this special friend of mine. While considered ordinary when looked at through the eyes of the world, in my eyes, everything about my friend embodies the word extraordinary.

My hope in sharing her story is that you find encouragement. May her testimony serve as a reminder for us that even the simple things we do can have eternal significance.

Answering the Call

I am never shy about telling others that answering the call and becoming a sponsor at the age of 21 was the best decision I’ve ever made.

God blessed me with the honor of cheering on my precious friend, Katerin, starting when she was 10 until she graduated from the Child Sponsorship Program at age 17. And when opportunity knocked in the form of a sponsor tour to Peru, I happily answered.

As I reflect on that special time, meeting Katerin proved to be a life-changing experience in many ways. God provided me an up-close-and-personal encounter with Katerin, her family, and many of the precious angels who so gracefully reflect Jesus’ love to all the children at the Forjadores de Esperanza Student Center in Peru.

During this visit there were four things that Katerin helped validate:

• She Prays
  “How is your dad?” were the first words that came out of her mouth.
  My dad had been stricken with cancer. While I never maintained any suspicions, clearly Katerin’s concern demonstrated that indeed she was doing as she said in her letters. And in that moment, I could not help but imagine this precious little girl on her knees interceding faithfully on behalf of my father.
• Letters Matter
  Upon arriving at her home for a visit, Katerin dashed inside. Before I could blink an eye she was outside again, trotting toward me with arms outstretched. From a distance she appeared to be holding something.

  As she motioned for me to accept her folder, there must have been a dust storm or something because right then, as I opened the folder, my eyes began to moisten at the sight of items once very familiar. Yes, those letters and other simple-but-sincere acts of love really do mean something to our sponsored kids.



• Winning Isn’t Everything
  On child-visit day I learned that when you delegate sole power to your child, in effect empowering her to choose which activity to participate in, don’t be surprised when you soon are strapping it on in the three-legged race. With a satisfied smile, Katerin later reminded me, “Padrino, we did our best.”
• Mom Is Supportive
  Katerin’s mom was her world. Bless her heart, on child-visit day I admittedly was not at all prepared to accept the following words spoken by her mother: “I quit my job to be here today.” 

  Knowing that she was the lone provider at home, I needed clarification and was relieved to learn that “quitting her job” equated to not working (as a seller in the market) on that particular day.

Less than a year after meeting Katerin, the anticipated-but-never-really-quite-ready-for final letter arrived in my mailbox.

Among other things, she expressed her goal and dream of one day studying and furthering her career through university training. In my mind I imagined the possibility of one day receiving an email or letter saying,

“Padrino, I did it. With God’s help I am now learning in the university.”

Since I didn’t fully understand the possibility of communication beyond sponsorship, Compassion kindly helped guide me through this delicate process. Essentially it meant that all inherent risks (on both ends) were fully weighed and considered.

If I was still interested, I was told, I needed to fully agree upon and sign a waiver form. Local Compassion staff would then pass along my desire to Katerin, who in turn would be responsible for initiating the first dialogue (if interested and/or able).

About three months later, in 2006, I welcomed her first greeting. Although I have never taken this privilege of communication beyond sponsorship for granted, I would be misleading if I suggested that the years to come were without heartache.

While details such as working and attending to her church and family life seemed to encompass most of Katerin’s messages, the next couple of years afforded me a beautiful glimpse inside her heart. Not surprisingly, Katerin continued to prove that she was wired just like so many of our dear, sponsored children — with that refuse-to-give-up attitude.

This attitude would soon be put to the test.

Hope, Despair and Answered Prayer

In 2009, the words Where are you, God? echoed from deep within my heart. This after learning that Katerin’s mother had died, succumbing to cancer after a courageous fight.

As is often the case with this disease, her death was preceded by a painful, heartbreaking, prolonged decline in bodily function. The decline and death of Katerin’s mother left the children in deep despair.

You need to understand that the loss of her mother wasn’t an ordinary loss, as callous as that may sound (with due respect to the order of life). For Katerin and her two siblings, you see, their mother was the rock. While their father is alive today, for reasons unbeknownst to me he has not been a regular part of their lives.

Thankfully the local church and Compassion graciously provided an umbrella of support, tangibly illuminating God’s love through merciful hands of compassion.

One month after Katerin’s mother died, I had the privilege of sharing a conversation with Katerin on Messenger. With all the strength she could muster she reassured my doubting heart:

“I will be okay. I will continue on. This is what my mother would have wanted, after all.”

Fighting back feelings of despair, Katerin dug deeper:

“If God would have allowed, I willingly would have traded places with my mother.”

I could not have been more proud of my friend than at that moment.

Less than a year after her mother’s death, I received an email. Receiving that email was no different than if I had reached into my mailbox and found one of those unmistakable letters.

You know – those letters that contain arguably the five most beautiful words ever: Message from your sponsored child.

Katerin’s message came stamped with the very signature of God with this news: She would begin studying in college! God in all His faithfulness had answered Katerin’s prayer to attend college.

What Is Katerin Up to Today?

This year, thanks to God, Katerin celebrated her 23rd birthday. Studying in college has been put on hold (Lord willing, for only a season). Earlier this year she became pregnant and recently she welcomed into the world a precious little baby boy.

Katerin named him Jeremy.

The name Jeremy was chosen out of honor, she said. Although I admit to being a little biased, in one of the most precious messages I’ve ever received (you know the type — those capable of making grown men cry) she told me why she chose the name Jeremy.

The name she chose for her baby makes my heart smile with more pride than you will ever know (after all, come on now, Jeremy is a pretty amazing name, right?). But in all seriousness, her story is really OUR story. Her story is YOUR story.

May you always remember that, as a sponsor, you are making an eternal difference in the life of your child(ren). Whenever you bless another with an act of kindness or an affirming, encouraging word, don’t forget to smile because you, my friend, are bringing a little heaven to earth.

Your sacrifices help spread God’s love and truth to your child and family.

• Your faithfulness reminds your child how much you love him or her.
• Your prayers reinforce the truth that God is listening and always able.
• Your encouragement helps fan the flame of hope, keeping your child’s candle lit.
• Your letters of love inspire your child to dream and imagine.

If Katerin could say one thing to you today, I imagine she would begin by saying “thank you.” Then with all her strength, undoubtedly, she would challenge you to have the courage to sponsor a child. Or another.

As I have come to know my friend Katerin, time and time again I have been humbled by her uncommon resolve, her perseverance to discover a way when everything around might suggest tossing in the towel. Within her exists a courageous, never-say-never attitude very much reflective of sponsors just like you.

Included in her final correspondence letter was a challenge to me. As a way of honoring Katerin, I’d like to share her challenge with you:

“Have the courage to sponsor another child so you can give him/her the same help, because there are many here who need it.”

Do you know someone who may have this courage that Katerin speaks of? Who may be waiting for an invitation to make a significant difference?

With God actively at work and always going before you, imagine the power and potential of your testimony as a Compassion child sponsor. Might it even hold the key to unlock someone’s heart?

May God bless you and may you always go forth with courage!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeremy Vance became a sponsor in 1997 and then became an advocate in 2006. Currently he sponsors seven children and is a correspondent sponsor with nine more. He lives in Grand Rapids, Mich.

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

Every time I visit one of the child development centers in the southern cone of Lima, I look in the sea of children’s faces for Darwin, a small 5-year-old boy.

When I find him, I touch his hair and give him a big smile. Especially when the center workers tell me that he is one of the first children to finish his food and is on time to the program.

I met Darwin while visiting his home on the hills that decorate the crowded region where he and his family live. The tutor took me, anxiously seeking help for this family who had suffered a fire in their home.

Upon reaching Darwin’s house, I found three children sleeping in a small room with no windows or doors. The youngest was in the best spot, an old and dirty baby carriage; his 6-year-old brother was on top of him. I heard the cry of a child alongside his brothers. He was lying on the dirt floor among wet stones. It was Darwin. He was using dirty clothes as a pillow and was crying from pain and cold.

When I saw him I felt his pain, poverty and distress. I couldn’t contain myself and I cried. At that moment I felt the pain of a mother, sister and daughter. It was the Holy Spirit who grieved at the scene.

The tutor looked at me, surprised. I held back my tears and hugged Darwin. His mother, a woman who was limited by her poverty, came and shared their needs. At first, her face was hard and suspicious but eventually gave way to a friendliness and hope. Yes, hope despite facing such adversity.

When I see how hard poverty hits those who have the least, my mind is not at peace. I can’t not do something. Our good God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control. Dear brothers and sisters, as children of God, let’s be His hands, His instruments to bring peace, love and good news to those living in despair.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. — 2 Timothy 1:7, NIV

Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for giving us the opportunity to serve in this wonderful ministry with the members of Your Church. I pray that you would keep pouring out Your grace and Your spirit so that more children will be blessed and touched by You.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jessica Arce Huancacuri is a partnership facilitator in our Peru office.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Okay folks, the time has arrived. It’s time to spice up this blog!

Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll take you on a culinary journey around the world. Together with my wife, I’ll prepare, eat and describe some recipes from the countries Compassion works in. Hopefully, they’ll be enticing enough that you’ll want to try them out yourselves.

If you’d like to join us on this adventure, prepare the recipe and come back to tell us what you thought of the meal.

If you write about your meal on your blog, share a link to your post below so we have more than one perspective represented here.

So, to kick off our culinary series, I chose Moqueca de Peixe, a Brazilian fish stew recipe shared with us by Liv Almeida Nunes Ribeiro Dias, a Program Implementation Assistant with Compassion Brazil.

To tell you the truth, I chose this recipe because it didn’t seem too difficult to begin with. Despite watching hours and hours of the Food Network, I’m still cooking challenged, unless we’re talking tiramisu or my grandmother’s handmade ravioli.

To begin with, Liv’s recipe calls for us to use sole, flounder or plaice. My fishmonger didn’t have any of those fresh, so I looked at the basa, a Vietnamese catfish. It was the only fresh white fish I saw.

However, my pregnant wife isn’t fond of bottom dwellers and we had a tense exchange about what to do because when I’m cooking it’s my way or the highway.

Fortunately, a second look at the fish counter, after my wife threw up her hands and walked away, revealed some tilapia which meant I didn’t have to sleep on the couch last night. Whew!

Although the recipe calls for one clove of garlic (chopped), when it comes to garlic in my house one means three.

The same Italian-style math applies to olive oil. More is better. Olive oil runs in my veins, which means I used three tablespoons instead of two.

To compensate for the extra garlic and olive oil I reduced the amount of salt. Actually, the recipe doesn’t specify how much salt to use.

When I cook I don’t use salt at all, but in this case, because the ingredients were fresh I used some (one teaspoon). However, the dish needed more salt than I used in order to bring out the flavors; I added more at the table.

The chili peppers were supposed to be chopped and seeded, but I like spicy so I left the seeds in and just chopped, chopped, chopped it all up. I didn’t notice any heat in the meal at all, and my wife who has a lower tolerance for spice didn’t think it was spicy either.

Next time, I’ll use four of five chilis.

After prepping the vegetables, I pureed them to make the marinade, which is essentially a salsa.

Then I introduced the salsa to the tilapia, “Hello,” and let it marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.

After an hour it was cooking time. The recipe says cook for five to 10 minutes.

I split the difference and went with eight, which was perfect. Then served it up.

Although my wife and I both liked the meal and will certainly make it again, I think I’ll take a few more liberties with the recipe next time, to give it more plate appeal (color) and a more robust taste.

I suggest adding some red, green and yellow bell peppers (one each) to the mix, a can of coconut milk, a bottle of clam juice and black pepper to taste, maybe even crushed red pepper flakes.

Also, rather than using olive oil, it’s probably worthwhile to get some dende oil (a Brazilian palm oil).

I hope all of this doesn’t dissuade you from trying the dish, especially if you sponsor a child in Brazil. Give the recipe a try and let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment or by writing a post on your blog and linking to it below.

Our next stop on the Amazing Compassion Culinary Adventure will be Mexico. We’ll be making Lasagna Azteca.

Allez Cuisine!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lizeth shares,

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

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

Miriam tells us,

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

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

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

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

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

Miriam says,

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

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

Lizeth explains further,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The doctors diagnosed Matías with anemia.

Rita shares,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to.

When Ann introduced you to Jonathan on Saturday she called him a child. I call him a man.

Even though Jonathan is just 15 years old, he is a man. He has to be.

Jonathan’s mother abandoned the family when he was 4. And his father walked out of Jonathan’s daily life not long after.

Jonathan lived in the jungle with his grandparents when his father moved to the city to find work. But last year when death took his grandparents, Jonathan’s father didn’t return. He stayed in the city – with his favorite son – and left Jonathan alone to care for himself.

Living in the jungle is isolating, which is why most people in Jonathan’s community are quiet and reserved. However, Jonathan is quiet for another reason as well; he’s hurting deeply.

And this is why I say he is a man. Jonathan refuses to succumb to the temptation of silence and isolation.

When we visited him on Friday, he allowed us into his home and shared his story with us. He embraced vulnerability, trusted us, and rose above the lies poverty is trying to convince him are real.

In the midst of poverty, from a life of loneliness, Jonathan demonstrates a rare nobility. He stands tall.

Although his life is incredibly difficult, Jonathan is maturing personally, spiritually and morally in the Body of Christ.

When a boy needs comfort he turns to his mother, or he turns to things in this world. When a man needs comfort, he turns to the Lord.

Jonathan told us that sometimes when he’s lonely he rests in his hammock and sings to God.

Jonathan isn’t a man because of his wisdom and behavior in desperate circumstances, although those are characteristics of manhood. He’s a man because he knows that God’s grace is sufficient for him, that God’s power is made perfect in human weakness.

When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to, regardless of age. For some, manhood comes at 15. For others, it may come at 50. And for a few, it may never come at all.

Being an adult male and being a man are not the same thing. A boy becomes a man when he understands and consistently demonstrates through humble surrender to God that the Lord’s strength abounds in human frailty.

From what I saw in Jonathan, I think I can learn a thing or two about being a man.

Sponsor a child in Ecuador.

Sponsor a child in Jonathan’s child development center (EC-273) or a center near him.

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

From Emanuel Student Center (EC-273) in Ecuador.

We find Jonathan in the jungle, off the banks of the Amazon. He’s fifteen.

He is scared. He shakes like a thin leaf in wind.

“My mother, she runs out on us when I was four.” He tells the translator this.

His voice’s a whisper, not even a ripple.

“I do not know where she lives.” I don’t need translation to know his fear, hear how his voice quakes.

“I have seen my mother only once in my life again.”

Jonathan keeps twisting his own hands, a wringing out of pain.

“My father, he leaves the city when my mother runs out. He brings us back to the jungle, so my grandparents can help us live.” A skinny hen clucks behind him.

“But there is no work for him here and he goes up the river to work at a village.” Jonathan glances out towards the Amazon.

“So, his grandparents are still here?” I look towards the translator —

The translator repeats the question in Spanish.

“No.” Jonathan shakes his head. “No grandparents anymore.”

I am trying to understand. Make sense of this.

“So you are here alone?” I glance up at this hut propped into sky. At all this jungle.

“My father, he takes my brother with him when he goes.”

I nod slow.

And why not Jonathan?

“My brother is my Father’s favorite.”

“My father tells me to stay here. My father leaves me alone here.”

Something flashes – and I understand. And I don’t at all.

Someone named him Jonathan — but no one loves Jonathan like a brother.

No one loves him like their own soul.

Jonathan is a boy abandoned in the jungle. And only for a moment —

I am looking into the whites of his eyes.

How do you turn away?

What do you say to a son right between the ages of your two oldest sons, a son with no courage left, both halves of his heart leaving him here at the edge of the Amazon river – the river streaming on without him?

How do you abandon a child to poverty when you’ve looked right into the begging whites of his eyes?

Read the entire post by Ann Voskamp.

Visit compassionbloggers.com on a daily basis to experience the highlights of the Ecuador blog trip through the words, pictures and videos of the team.

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

What does poverty mean? It all depends.

What does poverty mean to a child orphaned by cancer and abandoned by his father? It means he has to learn how to dream again.

What does poverty mean to the great aunt taking care of him, and his six year old sister? It means fear. Fear that someone may take the children away from her.

What does poverty mean to a mother who lost her two-year old child to pneumonia while waiting at the hospital for treatment? It means the Body of Christ is a refuge.

What does poverty mean to a man once persecuted because of his faith? It means he becomes a pastor and serves His Savior for 28 years and counting.

What does poverty mean to a boy who learns about Jesus Christ on a regular basis? It means self-respect, self-esteem and the ability to love.

What does poverty mean to you? I don’t know exactly.

But I do know it’s an opportunity to provide an opportunity. And it means possible discomfort and sacrifice.

It definitely means joy too.

It means hope for one who may have given up hope.

It means a future.

What does poverty mean to a child without a sponsor? It means a sponsor is needed.

To the masses of poor, poverty means dependence, marginalization, scarcity, incapacity and restrictions on rights and freedoms.

Poverty is defined by the World Bank as hunger, lack of shelter, being sick and not being able to see a doctor. It’s not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty means not having a job, fear for the future and living one day at a time. Poverty is powerlessness.

But the most important question we need to ask ourselves and each other is,

What does poverty mean to God?

Photos by Keely Marie Scott and Patricia Jones from the Compassion Bloggers trip to Ecuador.

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

From Vida Abundante Student Center (EC-431) in Ecuador.

“Is that kind of persecution still common in Ecuador?” I asked Pablo, one of our translators, over the sound of rattling windows as we bumped down broken roads.

“Among the indigenous people it is, yes.” And I didn’t expect such barbarism still lingered. Not here. In a democracy? In my hemisphere? In a developing nation?

I leaned across the aisle and turned an ear.

“Two years ago my friend, George,” he began. “George was teaching the bible and they came and poured gasoline on him. He kept preaching. They told him to stop or they would light a match. He kept preaching. They lit a match and threw it on him. Nothing happened. He kept preaching.”

Pablo was grinning. Becoming more and more animated with each sentence.

“They kept lighting matches and throwing them on him. Nothing happened. He kept preaching! And many know Jesus after that.”

Read the entire post by Shaun Groves

Visit compassionbloggers.com on a daily basis to experience the highlights of the Ecuador blog trip through the words, pictures and videos of the team.

And follow the team on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a single thing.

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

What is poverty?

Poverty is a termite eating away at a child’s heart, mind and self-esteem. And poverty is a liar.

Poverty is overwhelming, frightening and debilitating, but not invincible.

Poverty is a monster. Poverty is a cancer. Poverty is a thief.

Poverty is a prison cell with the key in sight, but just out of reach. Poverty is a lack of opportunity.

Poverty is a plague, chain and a cockroach. It’s also the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Where is poverty?

It isn’t in the future for our children.

All photos by Keely Marie Scott from the Compassion Bloggers trip to Ecuador.

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