Stories to Connect You With Compassion & Grow Your Faith

In the months and years following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, generous sponsors and donors around the world gave more than $31 million toward our Disaster Relief Fund for recovery efforts. It was the largest sum ever raised for one of our disaster relief campaigns. This fund enabled us not only to deliver provisions immediately following the disaster – such as food, water and temporary shelter – but also to establish long-term recovery efforts such as post-traumatic camps and counseling services, entrepreneurial training, low-interest loans for businesses, and the construction of new school buildings.

As a mom and a Compassion sponsor, I have tried to involve my children as much as possible in our sponsorship journey. My children helped choose our very first sponsored child almost five years ago. We have spent time learning about the countries where Compassion is working. And we have written a ton of letters! There are so many fun art projects that you and your kids can do together to send to your sponsored children.

As a U.S. citizen, I’ve heard many reactions to my nationality as I travel to other places. A few gems: “We love Americans!” “We hate Americans!” “You can print your own money at an ATM.” “You’re all fat.” People have ample opportunities to see the United States in news and entertainment, so they have ample opportunities to form opinions of us — for better or for worse.

Because of you, we saw over 1.5 million children in poverty go from weak to strong, from hungry to fed, and from lost to found. Thank you for a year full of lives changed in the name of Jesus!

A few months ago, our blog guru, Sam, asked me to write a Top Five Books of 2014 post. He probably asked me this because I’m a writer. And I read pretty much all the time. But also because I think reading is a way to expand the mind, to experience things on the page that we can’t always experience in person. So I carefully chose books that I think will broaden your views of poverty, community, and what it means to serve “the least of these.” (I also just chose four books, because, as you’ll see, some of these took a little longer to get through … and also because I’m a rebel!)

Who doesn’t love getting Christmas cards? The sweet family photos, the stories from your out-of-town friends, the glittery paper creations. Filling the front of your refrigerator with a colorful collage of those you love. Even though you can’t stick this one on your fridge, we want to tell you – our family and friends – that we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

One of the great advantages of working in countries around the world is capturing images and stories of the amazing people and places we see every single day. While we like to show off the best pictures on our Instagram feed, you might have been a bit busy this year and missed some of our favorites. So to catch you up with a year’s worth of photos, here are our top 10 Instagram photos we shared in 2014.

Time used to dance slowly for me. I remember my creeping countdown to Christmas break. Spring break. Summer…The beginning of our lives was marked with seasons broken up for us, with rest. Then there was college and marriage and all the responsibility that piles itself high. It feels like a new kind of time that believes you’ve exchanged wonder for a number. An age. I’m wide eyed in disbelief that it is almost 2015. This year, I’ve told too many people that I am 26. When in fact, I turned 30.

A woman came running to our business and amid uncontrollable emotions and said, “I have seen some abandoned bags at a bush near our house and I think it may be the things stolen from you.”

Traditions of dancing, singing carols, pageants, parades and nativity scenes fill our holiday season with joy. Uniting us with family, friends and church communities as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Enjoy these beautiful photos from our friends celebrating Christmas around the world!

Children everywhere have a strong capacity to be creative because God created us that way. And research shows that when the brain is growing, play is needed to make connections that contribute to memory, learning, emotional regulation and social intelligence. At the Compassion centers, sponsored children are given the opportunity to spend time playing and learning to play with others in safe and clean environments.

In the Philippines, tropical cyclones come and go frequently. The country is battered by an average of 9 typhoons a year; some don’t make international news, and those that do will have caused devastating destruction. Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby) hit the islands on December 6. And currently, it has affected 70 of our church partners and over 4,000 Compassion assisted children and their families. Damage is still being assessed and we will provide updates as news from our staff there becomes available. But a typhoon like this isn’t new to them.