A week in the life of Dr. Wess Stafford, President and CEO of Compassion International, doesn’t allow much down time, but all the hard work and effort is worth it to him.

Over the years, Wess has discovered that even the quickest minute can make a big impact in the life of a child, and he’s determined to use each minute he’s given to continue releasing more children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

What does a typical week for Wess look like? Typical is a word that’s difficult to attach to Wess and his schedule, but here’s a look at one week from early November.

Monday

8:30 a.m.

Wess begins the day by driving to a local conference center to meet up with the rest of the Global Executive Leadership Team for a retreat. This team is made up of vice presidents from different divisions within the ministry, regional vice presidents who oversee field office ministry, and a few leaders from our Global Partners.

10:00 a.m.

The retreat begins with devotion and prayer time. Wess was asked to share a devotional, and he leads a discussion centered on the concept of his new book, Just a Minute. Wess asks the members of the team to recount a time when one person encouraged or discouraged them in about a minute, impacting their lives forever.

Noon – 7:30 p.m.

The day continues with meetings on ministry strategy. Our top leaders discuss where the ministry is now in light of where they would like it to be 10 years from now.

Tuesday

8:45 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The retreat’s second day begins with another devotional time led by a co-worker. After devotions and prayer, the team discusses a variety of topics ranging from technology and how it’s used within their work groups, to what employees are saying about their experience working for Compassion.

The team takes a welcome break for lunch. This is a good chance for them to recharge before jumping in to more meetings for the rest of the day.

Wess is a great storyteller, and over lunch he shares with the others some of his latest adventures.

Wednesday

8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

This is the last day of the Global Executive Leadership Team retreat, and they enjoy another meaningful time of reflection before diving in to more strategy sessions.

The rest of the team will stay at the conference center for the day, but Wess has a flight to catch!

3:00 p.m.

Wess hops onto a flight to Little Rock, Ark., where he will be interviewed for an upcoming radio program.

After arriving in the area, he picks up his rental car and drives to the hotel to prepare for the next day’s interview.

Thursday

8:00 a.m.

Wess re-reads the Just a Minute manuscript to get ready for his interview with Family Life Today. He goes over the chapters again to make sure his mind is focused on the topics he hopes to cover during the interview.

2:00 p.m.

The radio interview begins!

Wess talks with Family Life Today hosts Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine about the upcoming release of his book. He recounts the inspiration for the book and shares some of the stories found within its pages.

They are supposed to record enough for one radio program, but all three men are so engaged in the topic that the conversation grows into enough for three separate programs.

Along with Wess, Dennis and Bob also share stories from their own childhoods about how someone impacted their lives in just one minute.

7:30 p.m.

After a great day of recording, Wess gets on a plane home. He’s excited to see how children’s lives will be changed for the better after people hear the radio program and read this new book.

Friday

7:30 p.m.

Wess uses Friday to recharge for the week ahead, when he will write, attend several speaking engagements, and participate in more interviews.

For now, it’s time for a little fun at the Air Force vs. Army basketball game.

Wess enjoys the game, but he’s a little nervous as a former soldier surrounded by Zoomies!

Each week is full of new challenges and inspiration for Wess Stafford. He loves what he does and works hard to be an advocate for children everywhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ashley Mays and her husband live in Colorado Springs where she enjoys rock climbing, playing the guitar and writing. You can find out more about Ashley on her website at: www.ashley-mays.com.

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Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened to you isn’t important or doesn’t matter.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences for the hurt done to you by someone else.

And forgiveness doesn’t mean you always have to reconcile with the person who hurt you.

So, what is forgiveness? And what does it mean to forgive one another?

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“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” — Jeremiah 33:3, NIV

One night, alone in a field, our president and CEO cried out on behalf of children around the world, and God answered.

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You are more than a sponsor. You are an answer to prayer, a vital helping hand, a voice of hope, a mentor and a friend.

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“Thank you, merci, gracias, धन्यवाद, salamat, di ou mèsi, and คุณขอบคุณ

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In one of my recent posts, I wrote about a visit to Zambia that changed my life.

“I remember how horrified I was at the depth of poverty I witnessed while visiting Zambia a few years ago. The guilt I felt upon returning to my warm home and fully stocked kitchen was debilitating for several days.”

To this day, several years later, I still struggle with this guilt. It ebbs and flows. Sometimes it is too difficult to bear and other times it doesn’t cross my mind. During Compassion’s Christmas banquet, it was particularly heavy.

I was reminiscing and remembered a conversation I had with one of my Zambian friends as we passed a Subway restaurant. He told me how excited he was for Christmas. It was the one meal when his family ate chicken. My heart sank as I remembered this and looked over the beautiful meal that was in front of me.

A few minutes later, Wess Stafford was asked to say grace. What followed in the few words he said touched the depth of my heart:

“We know that what we have before us is so much more than those we work for and serve. We are thankful for this blessing and promise to use the strength gained from this meal to work harder for those living in poverty and witnessing injustice.”

No, it’s not fair that I was born in America instead of Africa. It’s not fair that I enjoy abundance while billions endure extreme poverty. But gosh dog it, I will not feel guilty for it. Moving forward, I resolve that it will empower me to work harder on behalf of those I care for so deeply.

I know that many of you may have struggled with this same issue. Maybe you visited your sponsored child or maybe you did mission work in college. You came home with the same guilt I did. This guilt is not what God intended for us to take home from our visits.

Take heart — do not let this guilt paralyze you. Instead, use it to propel you into action. What can you do to influence those around you and spread awareness?

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God has been faithful to Compassion in 2010, steadying us through some beautiful highs and terrible lows. We will trust in Him in the year ahead because we know He is good!

Happy New Year, everyone.

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Our president, Wess Stafford, recently asked you to share your stories with us – moments when a kind word changed your life, when an encouraging gesture caused hope to rise in your heart.

In this video, Wess describes a simple moment he witnessed that epitomizes the kind of action that can cause a child’s confidence to skyrocket. As you watch it, we hope it brings to mind similar experiences in your life that you will share with us!

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“At its very core, poverty is a mindset that goes far beyond the tragic circumstances. It is the cruel, destructive message that gets whispered into the ears of millions by the enemy Satan himself: ‘Give up! You don’t matter. Nobody cares about you. Look around you: Things are terrible. Always have been, always will be. Think back. Your grandfather was a failure. Your parents couldn’t protect or take care of you. Now it’s your turn. You, too, will fail. So just give up!’” — Wess Stafford

The internal condition of poverty is one of disempowerment, fatalism, hopelessness and lack of initiative. The person in this condition will often be a victim of his circumstances rather than an agent of positive change in his community.

That person’s extremely low self-view will translate into a low regard for others and likely into damaged relationships. Damaged relationships then reciprocate and reinforce the message of worthlessness.

The belief that “it won’t get any better” may undermine initiative. It may not matter how many opportunities are created, because the effort of striving, risking and capitalizing on those opportunities requires a belief in the possibility of a better future.

The majority of individuals in that state are incapable of transformational development. To sum it up in one word, they lack hope, and hope is a major engine of growth and wellness.

The marred identity includes a self-view of powerlessness, of being victim to circumstance, of not only low self-esteem but also a projection of low value on others in the community.

When one sees poverty as having its root in human identity [self-concept], then it profoundly impacts the strategies chosen for development.

When one defines poverty primarily as an internal condition resulting from external devaluing messages, it holds significant implications for poverty-fighting strategies. One must ask:

• How and when did the internal condition become entrenched?
• How can “the lie” be exposed and the person freed from its oppression?
• Can we prevent it from being heard or being believed?

It also becomes clear that when the lie is deeply entrenched in adults it is difficult to reverse. However, intervening early in childhood offers the best opportunity to reverse or prevent the lie from gaining traction in the identity-shaping stages of human development.

There are pivotal moments in human development, defining moments, that shape long-term self view and identity. Those pivotal moments must be won by truth and not by “the lie.”

• The lie speaks in abuse; the truth must protect.
• The lie speaks by ignoring; the truth must listen.
• The lie criticizes; the truth must praise.
• The voice of truth must carry throughout the early and most vulnerable stage of human development to break the power of the lie.

The statement “poverty is a lie” is not meant to deny the reality of poverty. Poverty is absolutely real. Nor is the statement meant to imply that overcoming poverty is as simple as a change of mind. And the statement certainly does not mean to blame the victim in the sense that they were the person who chose to believe the lie.

Rather, the concept conveys the idea that we are surrounded by false messages about who we are — about our nature, power and value. These messages mask the truth of our identity:

We are people made in the image of God, granted unique talents by God and capable of receiving the Holy Spirit. We are dearly loved by God.

All of us believe “the lie” to some degree, but for the poor it is debilitating.

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You’ve heard it mentioned before. In fact, if you’ve been with Compassion long enough, you’ve heard it eight other times already. We have once again received Charity Navigator’s highest rating – four stars – for responsible financial management.

It would be easy to hear this news and say, “Yeah, yeah, they did it again. They and umpteen other charities, right?”

Well, not exactly.

According to the largest independent evaluator of charities in the nation, receiving the four-star rating nine times is “exceptional.” Only 1 percent of charities has received Charity Navigator’s highest rating as many times as we have.

“We take stewardship very seriously – for the sake of the children we serve and the donors who entrust their giving to us. We are deeply honored to again receive this significant recognition.” – Compassion President Dr. Wess Stafford.

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