Tag: Kimberly

Being involved with Compassion, both as an employee and as a sponsor, has allowed me — and sometimes forced me — to consider things that I used to not give a whole lot of attention to.

One of those things garnering more of my attention lately is the many blessings God has given me.

It’s not that I’ve never thought about my blessings before. I’m very thankful for everything God’s given me — family, friends, food, shelter, clothing — not to mention the many “extras” that we as American Christians get to enjoy.

Working at a ministry, however, has helped me to focus on the greatest blessing — other than the blessing of His Son — God has given all of us. That blessing is people.

Ministry is first and foremost about people. It’s about building relationships that will last an eternity. It’s about sharing with people the good news about the ultimate relationship with their Savior.

I, like most people, have no problem thinking about the family I come home to everyday as a precious blessing from God, but here is where my time with Compassion has challenged me.

My family isn’t just my wife and two kids anymore. My family now also includes my sponsored child, Kimberly, who lives in Guatemala.

Kimberly may have started out as a monthly “feel good” payment, but many letters, pictures and prayers later, she has become — like family — more precious than gold.

There are always competing items in any household budget, but Kimberly, like the rest of my family, has no competition. She has, for me, become as important as putting food on the table for my family.

Although balancing a budget is never easy, many are facing even more difficult choices as jobs are being lost across the country. Yet those who find themselves in difficult situations like this are still making the decision to invest in people and not give up on their relationships.

This article, The Not-for-Profit Surge, in Christianity Today talks about one widow’s decision to continue sponsoring three Compassion-assisted children in these difficult financial times. It also talks about how even in tough times, Compassion is doing better than most people would expect. Praise God.

Hi, my name is Stephan Archer. I joined Compassion a few months ago as the U.S. Communication Specialist. Although I am in the business of communicating from day to day, this is my first attempt at blogging, so bear with me as I try to figure this out.

My calling to Compassion was really a journey that began at home, and it began with two small children — my own.

You see, my wife and I are homeschoolers. Our two girls, ages three and five, are now in preschool and kindergarten. Like other children this age, they have a million questions, most of which I struggle answering.

• Why is God invisible?
• Where does the sun go to bed at night?
• Why are yummy things bad for you and yucky things good for you?
• Why won’t Bambi see his mother again? (Those of you with young children who have a movie collection that teeters heavily towards the cartoon genre will appreciate this question.)

But while our children ask many things, there are many more things they don’t ask that they need to know.

For example, in such a richly blessed country as America, I don’t suppose too many kids learn on their own what it means to be thankful and content. Yet this is so important for children to understand if they are to grow up and be the adults we want them to be.

Thus, like many homeschoolers in search of ideas, my wife and I turned to the internet and started Googling — using words such as “contentment,” “thankfulness,” and “compassion” for those less fortunate.

We came across Compassion’s website and were so moved by what we saw that we immediately decided to sponsor a little girl named Kimberly in Guatemala.

Sponsorship has been nothing short of a wonderful experience for my entire family, as both my girls pray for Kimberly regularly. My oldest even draws pictures for Kimberly and sends encouraging notes with them.

I went one step further and read Wess Stafford’s book, Too Small to Ignore. After reading his book, I was more motivated than ever to be a part of this ministry.

During this time, God led me on a six-month employment-seeking journey as I communicated with various people at Compassion. I was able to examine my own heart and pray for God’s leading.

Now that I’m here at Compassion, I can say with confidence that this ministry is everything it purports to be.

Like any ministry or church body, the day to day things are managed by human beings, and with that, comes challenges. However, everyone here knows that God is ultimately leading this ministry. I’ve never seen a leadership team more dedicated to God’s will than I’ve seen at Compassion.

I’ve enjoyed reading what all of you think and would love to share with you from time to time what’s on my mind. Sometimes, I’ll jump in on your conversations and share my personal thoughts on the matter as well. Either way, I’m looking forward to being blessed by our discussions, and my hope is that you benefit as well.