Best Of: The Value of Family

The value of family in the life of a child is priceless. And because of the lies of poverty, the value of family in a child’s life often suffers.

Some of our best blog posts have tackled this topic through the years. From reasons why sponsorship benefits a family living in the developing world, to an entire family embracing their sponsored child, the value of family is a theme you will often see woven into the stories we share.

We took the liberty of choosing some of our best family-related blog posts for you. As you read them, please think about this question and share your thoughts in the comments:

“What about family is most valuable to you?”

Our child development activities in developing countries are facilitated by the local church. We don’t work through missionaries, and every child is guaranteed to be taught the Gospel. Whether children accept the Gospel is up to them. We work with the poorest of the poor to change the community inside out…starting with the kids and moving into the family.

We cannot do global child development and neglect our own families. God would not be honored if we poured ourselves into the world’s children and neglected our own.

“If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” – 1 Timothy 3:5, NIV

We had grown up with Nuy, reading her letters around the dinner table and praying for her.

I didn’t know what to expect when we met her, knowing she had grown up in poverty. And when I saw her, right in front of me — beautiful, intelligent, nicely dressed — I wondered if she’d really needed us.

Then I realized, it worked. It really worked. She’s no longer in poverty.

Yes, she has chosen to stay with her mother in simple surroundings, caring for two small nephews, but she has a good job, is supporting her family, and is out of poverty. Wow! Compassion works.