Passions of the Soul

Bite Back!

I know--two and a half weeks without posting, and then I do two posts, today. Cope with it. :)

Today is World Malaria Day 2010. If you haven't donated to any organization for this cause, please consider contributing to Compassion International's Malaria Intervention Fund. Every $10 that you contribute provides a treated bed net, plus money toward education, prevention, and treatment of those children who are infected.

Every penny of your contribution will go directly for this purpose. Not one red cent will be used for administrative, fundraising or marketing costs. Count on it. CharityNavigator.org gives Compassion its highest rating (4 stars) for the 8th consecutive year, for Compassion's consistent financial integrity, stewardship, and transparency. The American Institute of Philanthropy also rates Compassion very highly.

Malaria literally sucks the life out of way too many children under the age of 5 yrs., every day. Your contribution can truly save a life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

May all of you experience God's very best in your lives, in your hearts, in all that you do.

God gave me the very best of husbands when He gave me Bruce, and I am profoundly and deeply grateful for this gift that keeps on giving. Bruce is my husband, my best friend, my strong support, my partner, and so often my perspective-adjuster. I love being with him, living with him, working with him (when there is work coming in), enjoying life with him, and above all, worshipping our Lord with him.

I am grateful for the opportunities we've had to spend some time with my mom, this year.  Yes, for previous years, too, but this may be the last year that she is able to enjoy our times together.

I am thankful for the love of my sister Judy, my niece Heather, other family whom I've not seen in far too long, and my friends, all who share life with me on one level or another.

I am so thankful that God led me to a Compassion table, almost 7 years ago, where I found two little girls to sponsor. Being registered in a Compassion project and then having a sponsor has changed life in such profound ways for Tausi and Denisse, and for Maria and Uwizera who joined our "family" later.

What I did not know, when I began sponsoring, was that in sharing life with my girls, even by long distance, my life and my world view would change so profoundly. I had no idea how God would bless me, as He allowed (and allows) me to bless each of them.

As you give thanks today, or whenever you read this, please consider what you can do to share your blessings with someone in need. Opportunities abound to help someone in greater need than what most of us are experiencing, and it may not take much to bless someone, near or far. 

If you want to be part of something that lasts longer than the latest gadgets, the latest styles, consider joining Compassion. You might sponsor a child; just click on the link to choose a child for yourself, or on the widget to the left to sponsor the child pictured there. (See video linked to, below.) But please don't do either, if you want only a financial commitment. True child sponsorship through Compassion is about building a relationship with a child who desperately needs your love, your prayers and your encouragement. (If you really want to sponsor a child but, because of serious time constraints or other reasons, know that you will not be able to handle the correspondence, you can ask Compassion to find a correspondent sponsor for your child.)

If you cannot--or are not moved to--make that monthly commitment of $38, you might consider sponsoring a Child Survival Project for $20/month. There is no letter-writing involved, no relationship-building, but you will receive updates from or about the project you sponsor. And you will truly help to save the lives of children under the age of 5 years, who might otherwise not survive. That is fact, my friends, not hyperbole.

And then there are the Complementary Interventions, including (but not limited to) the Bite Back! campaign against malaria, the HIV/AIDS Initiative, Disaster Relief, and support for the Unsponsored Children's Fund, which enables Compassion to care for children who are registered but not yet sponsored. If you want to see still more options, go here.

*BONUS: Watch and listen to four of the graduates of both the child-sponsorship program and the Leadership Development Program as they talk about how their lives were changed. The video is just over 5 minutes, and it will take a couple of minutes for it to load. If the video screen is too large for your monitor, click on View (top left) and choose Fit to Screen, Half size, or another option, until you can see it all.

"If you think one person cannot make a difference, you've never spent a night in a closed room with a mosquito"--African proverb.

Our visit to Maine

We returned night before last from a too-brief visit with our youngest grandkids, Cassia and Ethan.  Parents Jeff and Cathy are wonderful parents to these two incredibly bright kids.  NOTE:  Keep in mind that I am not grandma by blood, so I can brag on them with no shame!

I'm scrambling, these three days--yesterday, today and tomorrow--to (1) get caught up and (2) get ready to leave again, on Friday morning, so I'll just refer you to Bruce's blog, for now, to read about it and see a few of the pic's.  I may be able to do the visit better justice, later.  We did have a great time.

Oh--given that I had just had a birthday a few days before we went, and that Bruce's and Ethan's birthdays are coming up next week, Cathy had prepared for us to celebrate all three of them, during our visit.  What great fun that was!  Cathy had also asked each of us what we would like--as if there's anything we need--and I had requested a donation to Compassion International's BiteBack! campaign to help wipe out malaria.  Cathy came through, so somewhere in Africa, a child who is now terribly at risk for this disease will be protected by a treated bed net.  Thank you, Cathy and Jeff!!

Another way to help is to sponsor a child through Compassion.  The cost is $38 per month; the benefits last forever, for both the child (and family) and the sponsor (and family).  See the widget on the left?  You can click there to sponsor the child whose photo appears, or you can go here to choose the child of your heart.

The race is on!!

One of my Facebook and Compassion friends and I share the same birthday.  And each of us has set up a "birthday wish" on Facebook--not for gifts, real or virtual, but to raise money for Compassion's Bite Back! campaign. So since we share the same birthdate and want the same thing, this year, we've agreed to a challenge: Which of us can raise the most money and take the biggest bite out of malaria?

To donate, go here.  No amount is too small...or too large! The great thing is that, no matter whether I raise more or Steve does, everybody wins!! But (ahem!) Steve has a head start of several days, so....

And here's something else you may or may not know: Among the families with whom Compassion's field partners work, many have only one bed, and the whole family may sleep on it. If such a family has a bed net, everyone is protected!

UPDATE: I slowly figure things out, some of the time. Instead of the detailed instructions for contributing either through here or on FB, I have simplified it by providing the link, above. I don't think you have to have signed up on Facebook, but if you run into a problem, do let me know.

UPDATE 9/20/09: Today is the day!!  Steve met his goal of $200 maybe two weeks ago; my total (as of last night) had climbed to $65.  This is the last day to grant my Birthday Wish by clicking on the word "here" in the second paragraph.  (If you read this too late for this deadline, you can still contribute by going to www.biteback.net.)  Coming up to an even $100 would provide a treated bed net for 10 children, plus medication for the infected, education in preventive measures (including use of the net and much more), and development of additional preventive measures for communities.  It's a good thing to do.

"It's all about Jesus"

This is one of my favorite Compassion stories told by President and CEO Wess Stafford. I will never tire of hearing it. Wouldn't you like to have a part in this incredible ministry that lifts up Jesus Christ, instead of shoving him behind the furniture? Here are just a few of the ways that you can participate:

- Sponsor a child for $38 per month ($1.25 per day). Click on the widget to the left or here;
- Donate to any of Compassion's funds, such as:
- Disaster Relief Fund;
- Unsponsored Children's Fund (from which Compassion supports children who are registered but not yet sponsored);
- Malaria Intervention, through the BiteBack! campaign;
- Child Survival Program (or commit to just $20 per month in support of a specific Child Survival Project), which is not only saving the lives of infants and young children, but seeing them through their first few years, until they can be registered in the sponsorship program;;
- AIDS Initiative;
- Help Highly Vulnerable Children;
- Any of the other funds listed.

Relationships with the children are built primarily through our correspondence with them. That is where the real substance of a sponsorship plays out: exchanging letters, expressing our love and encouragement, assuring them that they are so important to God and to us, praying for them and their families and letting them know that we do...building a relationship that can change both lives. But not all sponsors are able to write to their children; those who understand the vital importance of that function often ask Compassion to find a correspondent sponsor. Often, this is a person who wants to sponsor a child but whose finances will not allow that; others are already sponsoring one or more children, but have the desire and the time to write to more. All it takes is to call 1-800-336-7676 and ask to be put on the list of correspondent sponsors. You will receive a child's packet, but not necessarily right away.

So many ways to help; what can you do?

$10 to save lives? Why not?

More than a year and a half ago, Compassion International was ramping up its Malaria Intervention program and fundraising.  Then the global economy took a nosedive, and fundraising for Malaria Intervention took a back seat to the Global Food Crisis.

Malaria Intervention is back, in the form of the Bite Back! campaign.  Watch this video,* read the brief text, surf the site, if you wish.  And then decide:  Can you spare $10? $20? $50?  More?  Or can you give no more than $5?  Please give what you can; no amount--repeat, no amount--is too small.

If you sponsor a child in an area that is heavily affected by malaria, you can ask your child if she or he has a treated bed net; if not, you can call 800-336-7676 to arrange for a small gift to provide a net.  I think the Bite Back! campaign is focused in Africa, right now, but you can call the 800# to ask if nets are available through Compassion for your child's region.

Another great way to help is to sponsor a child.  It costs $38 per month; that's only $1.25 a day, far less than a cup of St*rbucks coffee.  Click on the widget in the left sidebar, or go here to choose that special child to love, encourage, pray for and write to.

So little is needed from us to make such a huge difference in the lives of those in deep poverty.  And if you still think one person can't make a difference, you haven't been in a closed room with a mosquito!

*UPDATE: From now through September 20, 2009, please use this link to donate.  Thank you!