Stories to Connect You With Compassion & Grow Your Faith

As a sponsor during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been hard to lose the connection to my child in Colombia through our letters. I miss learning about his life and hearing him describe his day-to-day activities. Yet, as I reflect on our past letters, I realize they reveal a whole world of support that my child has hopefully been able to stay connected with during the pandemic!

Like most families with young children, my husband and I don’t have a ton of disposable income. There are always diapers to buy, groceries to replace or the unexpected medical bill or home repair to cover. So with the little money we do have at our discretion, we make sure to use it wisely. Intentionally.

I still remember walking through the doors of the Global Ministry Center, Compassion’s headquarters, for the first time. An indescribable feeling came over me — I had arrived home. I knew that I wanted to work for children, see God’s kingdom come by upholding the cause of the oppressed, and build a bridge between different cultures that need each other. But, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that his plans for me included being a part of the Trips and Visits team at Compassion.

To answer some of sponsors’ common questions about exchanging letters, we asked sponsored teenagers in Ethiopia and Colombia what they like most about their sponsors’ letters — and what they’d love more of.

The tiny house movement that’s sweeping North America is actually nothing new. People have always found peace in the simplicity of tiny homes. Here are some remarkable photos of tiny homes from communities where we work in the developing world.

For the next 40 days (plus Sundays), Christians around the world will recognize the season of Lent. Please enjoy this mini Lent prayer guide that includes a portion of Scripture, thought and prayer for each week over the next six weeks. Also, because we know that you’re busy and juggling multiple priorities, we’ve included a set of prayer reminder cards!

For 46-year-old Behailu, a farmer in Ethiopia, hearing of locusts reminds him of stories told by his father’s generation of farmers. But today the threat of locusts is no longer just a folk tale for Behailu and other farmers in East Africa — it’s a nightmarish reality.

Here’s a look at some of the great lengths children around the world are going to every day to get themselves to the classroom.

Poverty places children at physical risk, but it also places them at risk of damage within. It robs them of the belief that they matter, that they have value and that they can dream of — and achieve — a different future. Breaking down destructive thought patterns and helping children see themselves for who they really are — beloved by God and capable of changing their circumstances — is vital to helping them break free from emotional poverty. But it isn’t easy.

After one of the most challenging years of their young lives, children from all over the world still have inspiring messages of hope.

Just as their families and Compassion tutors have supported them through the struggles caused by the pandemic, the children have handwritten, heartfelt signs of encouragement to share with YOU. Their message — from Nicaragua to Tanzania, Bangladesh to Ecuador — is beautiful: You are loved, you are not alone, and you will get through this.

I love words and always have. Early on, I began collecting the words of others. From famous quotes I integrated into my papers to the collection of handwritten notes I gathered from beloved family members, the beauty of words were clear to me. And yet, as a young woman with a sensitive heart, I also felt the pain of a harshly spoken word or a message delivered with a cold attitude.

During this tumultuous time, specific words are needed — the gospel, a message of hope.

David Choi has been sponsoring a child through Compassion since he was a teenager growing up in Australia. When he moved to the U.S. for work in 2014, he began sponsoring a boy from Uganda who was the same age as his eldest son. Now, with two active boys and a career in product marketing for a Fortune 100 technology company, David stays busy, but there are two annual reminders on his calendar that are very important to him.