Poverty Changed My Life
Compassion UK Advocate Martyn Legg was in a highly pressurized work environment, living with big demands and no room to back off. He and his wife Heather visited Kenya on an Advocate’s trip for ten days – ten days that changed their lives.
I Want to Be Part of Something Bigger
God doesn’t want me stuck, and I don’t want to be stuck either! I want to be faithful in my little piece of world, but I also want to be a part of something bigger.
How Deep Does Compassion Run in Your Family?
This past Mother’s Day I got an interesting gift from my daughter, Sarah, and I called to ask what it meant. The number 38 rang a bell for me, but I wasn’t sure what she meant by her note.
That Letter You Need to Write
The message from Compassion International on my voice mail said, “Call right away.” I had a knot in my stomach. Something was wrong. Compassion does not call sponsors just to chat.
On our Compassion tours, parents often bring their teenagers but rarely their younger children. Which raises the question: When should we start teaching our kids about poverty and exposing them to the needs in the world around them?
How much different would our lives be if we had to spend two to four hours each day just getting water to cook and do dishes?
Seven Ways to a More Rewarding Sponsorship
Sponsorship, when fully embraced, changes both the child’s and the sponsor’s lives. There are simple things you can do to make your sponsorship more rewarding.
You Are Not Helpless, You Are Empowered
One of Satan’s favorite tactics is to make you feel impotent. To get you to believe that no matter what you do, it won’t make a difference.
Sponsors Really Do Exist!
Matthew never stopped smiling as the children swarmed around him and wanted to shake his hand. Even though he was not their sponsor, the children were thrilled to meet the very first sponsor to visit their child development center.
Can My Sponsored Child Visit Me?
Child protection is something we take very seriously. We know that 99 percent of you would smother your sponsored child with love, prayer and encouragement. Regrettably, it’s the few bad apples we have to be careful about. Allowing a sponsored child to travel to his or her sponsor’s home increases the risk of abuse or…
Made for Each Other
Each of your sponsored children is uniquely yours. You may not know the reason exactly, but that child was chosen by you for a reason. And you were chose for for that child.
Baking Without a KitchenAid in Sight
The girls teaching me to bake were part of a baking class at the Compassion student center I was visiting in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. As part of the class, they make snacks for the nearly 400 students at the center. They also make baked goods they can sell in the community. With that money, they have…
A Pear and Prayer
There is nothing in the world like visiting a Compassion-assisted child’s home. Absolutely nothing. Nothing can prepare you for the sights, the sounds, the smells. Most of all, nothing can prepare you for the beating your heart is about to take. It’s like you got in a fight with the Holy Spirit. And every time,…
How would you describe meeting your sponsored child for the first time? Can you sum it up with one word?
If you can, please do. If you can’t, please use all the words you need.
Chico Accepts Christ
This week, I witnessed one of the most precious moments I’ve experienced since working at Compassion. I’m traveling as a writer with about 25 sponsors on a Sponsor Tour in Guatemala. On Monday, a few of us visited Chico’s home.
Chico is an adorable 9 -year-old sponsored child. He and eight other family members live…
Who Can You Sponsor a Leadership Student With?
In 2006 my wife and I went on a sponsor tour to the Dominican Republic. Before our trip, we thought we knew what Compassion did, but our understanding of the ministry fell far short of what we saw.
When I came home from that trip, I signed up to be a volunteer child advocate. I…
The Happiest Day of a Sponsored Child’s Life
If you can’t visit your children, and we understand that it’s not always possible, you need to know this. It’s an absolute truth. Your sponsored children want to hear from you!
Sean Dana, an International Trip Manager, has been leading sponsor tours for more than three years. On one of his first sponsor tours, he had an opportunity to bring a lifetime of joy to children who rarely get to play, run or laugh because they live in the midst of extreme poverty.
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Meet Compassion Rwanda’s Eugene Bahire
As birds sing morning songs to begin their days, Eugene Bahire, in charge of Tours and Visits at Compassion’s Rwanda office, starts his day with a morning prayer at 5:30 and prepares himself for work.
He leaves home at 6:30 a.m. and takes 45 minutes to reach his office.
After morning devotions with all Compassion Rwanda staff,…
Sorry for so abruptly abandoning you yesterday. Please rest assured that if you’re ever on a tour with me, I won’t do that to you.
So, where did I leave off? Oh yes – 10 a.m.
10 a.m. Training with church partners that will be visited by another tour arriving in a few…
My name is Soledad Agreda, and I am the Tour and Visits Team Leader of the Peru office. I have been doing this work for about a year and a half now, and my main responsibilities are to organize, facilitate and host individual sponsor visits and tours along with Elia Sipan, the Tour and…
My Best Day in Ministry: Fruits of Our Labor
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Catherine Hilger
Editor’s note: The audio begins after 10 seconds
Yesterday, I promised you some insights into Steph’s Compassion Traveller experience, so here you go. – Irene
Steph in 30 seconds:
Age: 14 and a half
Siblings: I’m the eldest. I have a 13-year-old brother named James.
School: Year nine (third year in junior high school)
Pets: We have two cats: Maddison, a white tortoise-shell cross Persian, and…
Children and Poverty: Do They Mix?
As a kid, did you ever daydream about venturing into the slums of Kolkata? I know a gutsy 14-year-old who did … who ventured into extreme poverty. But that’s for later.
I, Irene, grew up in a sheltered, middle-class family. Whilst I didn’t make it to India at the age of 14, I ventured…
India Sponsor Tour
The India communications manager wrote this short article about the recent sponsor tour to India for the country office’s internal newsletter. So we thought we’d share her perspective with you.
In the midst of turbulent economic times, political uncertainty and a global food crisis, 29 of our sponsors proceeded with their decision to come to…
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