Today’s half sentence sprang from the minds of Compassion Dave and Judy Tremblay.

Before I sponsored a child, I used to spend $32 a month on . . .

Do you remember Richmond? He’s one of the Wess Stafford-Moody Bible Institute Scholarship recipients Celina told you about.

Do you have 21 minutes? If so, you’ll be hard-pressed not to be impressed by this humble man.

Greg Nettle, senior pastor of Rivertree Christian Church, conducts the interview.

Over on another blog post – Are My Letters Really That Important? – several sponsors have started trying to connect with other people who sponsor a child in the same child development center(s).

Until we have a better way to help you with this – which we are working on and we think you’re gonna love! – let’s make this post the home for making connections.

It’s been awhile … a looong while … since we last talked about winning a free trip by finding sponsors for children in poverty. Here is what happened since then.

143 people ordered a total of 1,633 child packets, and more than 50 of you successfully found a sponsor for at least one child. Many of you were able to get numerous children sponsored.

In all, because of how you responded to our request for help, 215 children in poverty now have new sponsors, and several of you won a trip because of  your efforts.

Thank you very much!

The winners are:

• Allegra Thowless
• Mary Choi
• Brittany Clarke
• Brenden and Carlene Murray

Yesterday was our birthday, and “Today Is My Birthday” … so says our newest widget.

The “Today Is My Birthday” featured child widget is now available for you to use on your blog or MySpace profile. It’s not available for Facebook, but we do have a featured child widget you can use there.

The “Today Is My Birthday” featured child widget DOES work on wordpress.com blogs.

And it can also be used in your e-mail signature block.

<br /> <a href=http://share-compassion.org/m/bday><img border=0 src=http://share-compassion.org/m/b></a>

Here is our original featured child widget. It works in the same places the “Today Is My Birthday” widget works.

<a href=http://share-compassion.org/m><img border=0 src=http://share-compassion.org/m/c></a><br />

I sponsor a child in poverty because . . .

I sponsor a child in poverty with Compassion International because . . .

It was Christmas morning, and I lay impatiently in my bed awaiting the sound of my parents stirring downstairs. We’ve never been the kind of family that wakes up and rushes to the living room to tear into the gifts before we have properly washed the “eye boogers” out of our eyes (disgusting I know, but hey . . . the truth is ugly sometimes). We tend to be a little more reserved about the process. 

We sleep in, which for our family is until about 8:15. We shower and dress for the day, as we usually spend the afternoon with extended family, and we often debate about what we want Dad to make for breakfast. It’s usually his world famous omelets. If you think I’m exaggerating . . . well, I’m not. They’re insane. 

This one particular Christmas, though, held one very unique gift, wrapped in a beige envelope and delicately placed in between the branches of our tree. There were actually two envelopes; one had my brother’s name on it and the other had mine, written in my mother’s elegant penmanship. 

Curious as to what could possibly be in something the size of a letter and thin as paper, my brother and I opened them slowly, simultaneously. 

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