Stories to Connect You With Compassion & Grow Your Faith

Our culture praises comfort and ease. With online shopping, pre-made dinners and social media, it would be entirely possible to live our lives without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes. I know, I know … that’s extreme, but the reality is that fewer and fewer of my friends are willing to take risks.

When our daughter Hailey was 11 she heard about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and wanted to help. She found out that kids her age needed backpacks and school supplies, so she quickly organized and collected 30 backpacks to send to New Orleans. Families can help each other grow in awareness of the world’s needs and support each other to engage these needs with compassion. Here are some steps you can take together to raise compassionate children.

There are days recognizing almost everything — puppies, storms, doughnuts, etc. For March’s edition of “Totally Worth It,” we’re highlighting a few world days of recognition we think deserve a little extra attention. We’re declaring today as Totally Worth It Day!

Sandeep Maity, a Compassion graduate from Calcutta, India, talks about his experiences growing up, getting a sponsor through Compassion International, and his perspectives on India and Compassion’s announcement to close our work there.

To say losing a child you sponsor is devastating is an understatement. Whether that student graduates or passes away, whether her center closes or her family moves away, it can feel almost physically painful to sever that tie.

Compassion has served children in poverty in India for 49 years. But due to the government of India restricting us from sending funds to the country, we must end our sponsorship program there. Today, we take you through the years of our history and work there.

We adopted our son Sambhaji from India five years ago. He loves to read, pretend he’s Batman, and get mail from his friend Ranjith in the Compassion program in India. Compassion’s program in India will soon end. And my family’s relationship with Ranjith will end too. I’m struggling.

Today I am submitting the blog post I had hoped would never see the light of day. With our hearts aching, Compassion has begun the process of ending our operations in India. If nothing changes in the next couple of weeks, our last day of operation in India will be March 15.

Around here, we believe Valentine’s Day is every day. It’s the second greatest commandment from Jesus that inspires our work: to love your neighbor as yourself. So for February’s installment of “Totally Worth It,” our series designed to ignite compassion through inspiring stories and news, we’re focusing on people in the Compassion family who are spreading that crazy little thing called love.

When I was a little girl, I had an Aunt Joan who would always send me cards. Every holiday I would peek into the mailbox and see her familiar handwriting on that heavy white envelope. She sent a Christmas card. Birthday. Easter. Fourth of July. No holiday went by without a letter from Aunt Joan. And each one made me feel special. Loved. Remembered. Encouraged.

Born in Villa El Salvador, southern Lima, Peru, Rosa Cueto Vega was surrounded by hills, sand and poverty. She experienced hunger and suffering. In the midst of her family’s struggle for survival, she didn’t have the luxury of dreaming for a future.

Every volunteer has a story. A story behind the moment God placed the desire in his or her heart to move from spectator to participant. Having attended Compassion-partnered events as both a volunteer and a staff member, I’ve had the opportunity to hear our volunteers’ stories and witness the personal impact they have.