How a Year of COVID-19 Has Changed Us Forever
In early March 2020, I was on a storytelling trip to El Salvador for Compassion. One minute we were loading the van to head to a child development center, the next we were packing our bags to rush to the airport — urgently called home as COVID-19, a seemingly distant threat, suddenly became very real.
Here are beautiful moments from the past year that represent prayers answered, lives changed and lessons learned. They show what is possible when together, we rise as one.
Continue Reading ›11 Warrior Women With Unshakeable Faith
This International Women’s Day, we honor the strength of women around the world. They are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts and daughters. And with their unshakeable faith in God, they are all warrior women.
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25 Children in Poverty Share Encouraging Messages for Hard Times
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.
Best of the Blog 2020: Your Favorite Stories of the Year
As you might expect during an incredibly challenging year, your favorite stories on the Compassion USA blog were inspirational ones. The most popular blog posts we shared during 2020 were those that showed the resiliency of the human spirit and the ability for God to redeem the most desperate situations. Here they are — your five favorite stories on the blog during 2020. May they inspire you all over again — or for the first time if you missed them before!
The Thoughtful Christmas Surprise That Relieved a Worried Mom
Jenny was worried. The mother of three had been working daily in the fields, trying to recover what little remained of her corn crops after they were pummeled by hail. But the damaged crops weren’t even her biggest concern — it was the approaching Christmas without her husband. As Jenny wondered what the holiday would be like without him — and whether her family would have enough to eat — staff at her children’s Compassion center were planning a beautiful Christmas surprise.
These Kids in Togo Need Your Prayers This Christmas!
This Compassion center in southern Togo knows how to throw a memorable celebration at Christmastime. This year, however, a shadow of uncertainty is cast over the children and their families. COVID-19 restrictions have been enforced across Togo, prohibiting the center’s traditional Christmas gathering. Kids at the center are still grappling with what this Christmas will look like. Read their words below, and lift up a prayer for children like them around the world who are grieving this year.
Celebrate Giving Tuesday With COVID-19 Recovery
What better way to celebrate Giving Tuesday than with a gift to help families in poverty recover and rebuild? Compassion’s Gift Catalog is full of unique ways to make a big impact in the lives of children and their families. New this year are gifts specifically designed to help families impacted by COVID-19. Here are just a few of the gifts you can give this Giving Tuesday to help families overcome the devastating economic hardships caused by the pandemic.
How We’re Supporting Children Who May Wait Years for a Vaccine
Today, on World Children’s Day, while young people across the globe wait for COVID-19 relief, Compassion continues to support nearly 2.2 million children and youths — by equipping 8,000-plus church partners to meet immediate physical, spiritual and educational needs.
How Becoming a Sponsor Gave Me a Heart for Children
When I felt the Holy Spirit’s promptings to sponsor a child through Compassion almost two years ago, something held me back. It wasn’t timing, finances or a need to do more research. It was a fear that I wouldn’t know how to interact well with a child, let alone a child halfway across the world. Although I was eager to exchange words of love and encouragement with someone living in poverty, I’d never closely related with children before.
Put Food on the Table by Not Leaving Money on the Table
Compassion-assisted children and their families are fighting for their lives in the face of the global pandemic. Work is scarce, food is scarcer. The good news? Doing more might not require any additional giving on your part. Here’s how to find out if your employer has a matching gift program that could at least double the impact of your giving — and why it’s so crucial to maximize the miracles right now.
COVID-19 Has Created a Crisis of Hunger
The worldwide problems caused by COVID-19 seem nearly impossible to count, but millions in poverty share one obstacle that may eclipse all others: hunger.
4 Prayers of Praise During a Pandemic
Over the past several months, we’ve asked you to join us in praying specifically for the children and families living in poverty who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You answered. And so did God. Today, we want to lift up prayers of praise to our God who has answered our prayers — and who will never forget the hungry, the forgotten or the oppressed.
