What’s More Important to You?
Election day is less than three weeks away. Do you know how you’re gonna vote? I do.
But that’s not what I’m really interested in. I’m interested in what you think about this.
When it comes to ending global poverty and fighting the war on terror:
- 80 percent of those surveyed* by the Barna Research Group, who self identified as strong McCain supporters, believe fighting the war on terror should be a more important priority for the next president than the global effort to end extreme poverty.
- 11 percent of McCain’s strongest supporters feel the opposite; the fight against global poverty should be a greater priority than the war on terror
- Whereas, on the other side of the political aisle, 30 percent of Obama’s strongest supporters place a greater priority on fighting terrorism than on ending global poverty. And 45 percent reverse that priority.
What do you think about that?
*1,005 U.S. adults were surveyed in the custom research Compassion commissioned Barna to conduct.
Bailout Plan
“It’s extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases.” –Bono.
I don’t mean to make light of the current economic crisis in the United States, but there’s a part of me that wonders if we don’t deserve this.
As a country, we have been getting fat and lazy while two thirds of the world struggles just to stay alive. Not all of us, mind you, but collectively — as a country — we’re complaining not because we can’t survive but because our luxuries cost us more than we want to spend.
We want cheap gas and “affordable” four-bedroom homes. We want 200 channels on television and to be able to go out to eat two or three times a week.
As Americans, many of us believe we deserve those things. There’s a sense of entitlement. Meanwhile, on the other side of this tiny little planet of ours, someone is praying, pleading to God for a slice of bread.
So our government is working on a bailout plan. How can we maintain the “American way of life” without suffering the consequences of our decisions? A loan. We’ll loan ourselves money and turn a blind eye to the root causes of greed and selfishness.
We do that so well, don’t we? We attack problems by trying to change the circumstances, instead of battling the root causes. I know I’ve done it in my own life, so this is as much an indictment on me as it is on anyone else.
Then I start to think about the poor.
What is the bailout plan for that family living on less than $2 a day in a developing country? The family who struggles not with wants for luxury but needs for survival. Who will bail them out?
The answer, oddly enough, is us. Yes, the same “us” that’s struggling in the midst of this economic downturn. When our economy is bad, it trickles down to the poorest of the poor.
Higher food costs and fuel prices mean their $2 a day doesn’t go nearly as far. We have to look beyond ourselves, now more than ever, to be the church God intended us to be.
The Church is God’s bailout plan for the poor.
I’m not saying we should throw money at poverty and turn a blind eye to its root causes. I understand why Bono is frustrated over the lack of funds, I really do. But money alone won’t stop poverty.
It goes deeper than that. Besides, I think the Church can do better than any government. We understand the spiritual implications that despair and hopelessness cause. And no one can meet those needs better than the Church. If we’ll just be the Church.
This is a time to pray. Not just for the economic crisis in our country, but also for the ones hit hardest — the poor. And, there’s something else we can do: give more.
That’s right . . . more. I know it sounds odd, but what if, instead of hording our money during this time of economic struggle, we decided to be more giving? Wouldn’t that be something?
Imagine the headlines: GIVING TO THE POOR IS UP — EVEN AS STOCKS DECLINE. At the very least, we can’t afford to cut back on our giving. The poor simply cannot survive if we do.
I don’t know what giving more means to you. It could be sponsoring a child. It could be giving to a fund that feeds the hungry.
Maybe it means going on a mission trip and getting your hands dirty. But this is the time to do it. Now. Not tomorrow. Not to change circumstances . . . but to attack the roots.
A Smart Risk
Shaun Groves wrote this post. It’s been approved by the powers-that-be.
Be careful going around having ideas and talking about them. You might just get put to work. That’s what happened to me.
About a year ago, I think it was, I started talking to the folks at Compassion about a crazy new idea. I wondered if they could spread the word about their ministry to children through bloggers the way the Compassion message has been spread through artists and speakers for decades. I proposed Compassion take bloggers on a trip to see the ministry for themselves and, of course, ask them to blog about what they see.
When the powers-that-be decided the idea was worth trying out, a small team went to work finding the right bloggers to travel to Uganda. Then we took a very long flight to Africa together back in February, deplaned and played with children, and learned about the needs of Ugandans and how Compassion and sponsors are partnering to meet them. And we blogged. With very slow connection speeds, we blogged.
We posted pictures, stories, videos and lots of links to compassion.com. Thousands read along daily. Hundreds of children were released from poverty and hundreds of Americans were released from wealth as a result. And the Web lit up with applause.
My favorite online compliment came from a fund-raising expert who wrote:
“Looked at with old economy eyes, Compassion is taking a huge risk, letting go of its marketing to 15 different near-strangers who might do anything. Looked at with modern eyes, Compassion is smart: willing to give up control in favor of being talked about by real people.”
In other words, some institutions would call this kind of idea crazy but it worked: People are talking about children, about loving them, about perspective and grace and kindness and Jesus.
Now, when I’m not singing or speaking (or blogging), I’m working part time these days for Compassion – developing more and better relationships with bloggers.
We just launched CompassionBloggers.com where anyone can read the best posts from our blogging trips, and where bloggers can go to grab widgets and banners, apply to go on a blogging trip with us, or sign up to receive a monthly blogging assignment from Compassion.
Our ranks are growing. There are now a few hundred bloggers scattered around the world blogging on behalf of Compassion every month.
What’s next? We’re taking a bunch of bloggers to the Dominican Republic Nov. 2-7, so read along that week and pray that we assemble the right gifted team for the trip, that we’re safe and healthy while overseas, that readers are inspired and mobilized to act, and that the blogosphere is filled with talk of children and Jesus once again.
A Mosquito Bite Away
One of the things that shocked me when I visited Uganda last month was finding myself scared to death of mosquitoes. It was the strangest feeling to be afraid of something so small — something we usually think of as just a pest. But in Africa mosquito bites don’t just make your arm itch — they kill.
Malaria, which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, is killing one million people a year. Most of these are children under age 5 in Africa. That’s right. Malaria, which is preventable and treatable, is killing more than 750,000 children a year in Africa.
Before visiting Uganda, I never really understood how mosquitoes managed to claim so many lives. But when I visited homes there, I understood. Many of the houses don’t have doors — just sheets covering the openings. And the windows are usually bare, too. So at night, the mosquitoes help themselves.
Catherine, a single mother I met in Uganda, told me that before Compassion gave her an insecticide-treated mosquito net, she did everything she could to protect her 10-year-old daughter, Irene. But her efforts were in vain.
“Every night, I tried to cover Irene with a blanket, but she would still get bitten all night long,” said Catherine. “I wanted so badly to buy her a net, but I couldn’t afford it.”
And when Irene got malaria, Catherine certainly couldn’t afford doctors’ bills. “Before Compassion, I would go pleading to doctors for help and beg to pay later,” she said.
Thank God that Compassion intervened! Through the ministry’s Complementary Interventions Program, Irene is now getting medicine and sleeps under a quality net. Today, she’s healthy and thriving.
You can make a difference and help protect vulnerable children like Irene! Since today is World Malaria Day, take a minute to learn more about this disease and see how you can join the fight!
Travel With Us to Uganda
I shouldn’t say travel with “us” to Uganda, because I’m not going. The “us” I mean is Compassion. Compassion is going.
Travel With Compassion to Uganda. Grab this great widget for your blog, MySpace page, Facebook profile, etc., and follow along with the folks who are actually going, as they get a firsthand taste of Compassion’s ministry in the developing world. And we invite you to come back here to read what you won’t read anywhere else.
Please show some love to Shaun Groves for creating the widget and for joining us on the trip.
I’m Chris Giovagnoni, Web Communications Specialist, and I approved this post. I’m “that guy.”
Christian Blog on Child Poverty – In the Beginning…
Hello and welcome to Compassion’s Christian blog on child poverty! As a tent evangelist, the Rev. Everett Swanson was a grass-roots man with a grass-roots ministry. So it was no surprise he started a Christian charity when a pastor handed him a $50 check. Rev. Swanson used that small seed to help create a global ministry to fight child poverty.
Since that time more than 55 years ago, Compassion has remained a ministry of the people. Our sponsors, donors and supporters are family. And while we’re now an international Christian ministry serving nearly 1 million children, we cling to that homey, under-the-tent feeling from the old days spent evangelizing others to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. That’s why we created Compassion’s blog. We didn’t create a blog because it was the cool thing to do, or because someone else did. We created it as a way to keep Compassion’s ministry partners, like you, connected — with us and each other.
So what’s the deal with Compassion’s blog? In this blog you’ll get an inside view of Compassion’s ministry. You’ll hear from:
- people who work here,
- Compassion Child Sponsorship graduates,
- Leadership Development Program students and graduates,
- church staff who work with our children around the globe,
- and many others.
These posts will give you a behind-the-scenes view of Compassion at work and at play and, of course, exclusive looks at our child development ministry around the world. And don’t be afraid to talk to our bloggers. This is our first blog, so we ask for your patience. Our bloggers are committed to interacting with you, and we appreciate your grace in advance as we endeavor to answer your comments, questions and inquiries. Remember, our bloggers would love to engage with you. So speak up! We want to hear from you. Share your comments, thoughts or general musings with us. Tell us what you like about our ministry, how you evangelize others, what we’re doing wrong, and how we can be better. And if you just want to give us a shout out, that’s cool too.
As blogs go there’s no right or wrong. Well, not quite. The usual inappropriate behavior won’t be tolerated. No clue what that means? Well, if you can’t say it in church you can’t post it here!
Our blog will be moderated. But we pledge to allow open and honest feedback here. After all, this blog is a two-way radio — from us to you and from you to us. Oh, and if you just want general information about Compassion or to make a charitable donation, try compassion.com or our Sponsor and Donor Relations Department. You can:
- Contact them online,
- by e-mail,
- or call (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT.
Thanks for supporting Compassion’s ministry to children in need. And let us know if you like the blog. Good or bad. Remember, we’re family. We can take it.
