Stories to Connect You With Compassion & Grow Your Faith

What I found while I was in the Philippines were communities of children living in poverty but not allowing poverty to live inside them. I think it’s because they are also focusing on the One.

By the end of their 3,000-mile bike ride, Travis and Alissa Hilley and Jason Hardrath will have changed a small corner of Guatemala, providing lifesaving safe water systems for impoverished children and their families.

Children are given the freedom to start dreaming. They are told they have hope for a future, one that doesn’t have to be controlled by poverty.

Our latest team of Compassion Bloggers will be in the Philippines May 29 through June 4, 2011. So mark your calendars and be sure to check in often to read firsthand what God is doing to eradicate poverty in this beautiful country.

One sentence from a little girl an ocean away immediately and forever changed my perspective.

For most parents, the trip to the school may seem death-defying to them, but those trips usually only consist of a quick drive or a walk to the school gates. But the families of Ngandong village, in central Java, Indonesia, take their lives in their hands every day walking to school.

Pastoring in Uganda is a big call that God puts on one’s life. It’s a tough calling because many of our churches have quite a number of challenges.

What is Rakiire? Rakiire consists of two people within the same big family or between two different ethnic groups telling jokes that are often very sour and border on insolence.

The process of identifying highly vulnerable children starts by observing them among their peers. Then home visits and discussions with the child’s parents help the center workers learn more details about the child’s living conditions.This procedure determines whether there is a need to provide help to the caregivers in addition to the support their children already receive from the development center.

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

I can’t help but long for summer. I can’t wait for long drives with the windows down, cookouts with friends at a local park, and nice refreshing afternoons spent in a pool.

Emilda is competing at the 2011 Greece Special Olympics in June and we are watching her train. She has been training daily since February, with her mother as a constant and faithful companion.