Passions of the Soul

Tanzania! (Updated)

See the two widgets in the right sidebar? They're new, just added, because some Compassion bloggers are on a trip to see Tanzania--more specifically, to see Compassion-assisted children and some of the student centers, the Compassion Tanzania country office, and probably a few sights. They might even do some work for a project, while they're there. Each blogger will be writing about the experience and sharing photos, every day. Some posts will bring smiles, some tears, possibly other emotions, as well. To follow their experiences, click on the top widget.

I wish I were with them. I sponsor two girls in TZ, Tausi (15 yrs.) and Warda (7). I'm not hopeful that the bloggers will get as far south as they would need, to have a hope of seeing either of my girls or their projects, but if I were there, I would move heaven, earth, and the gates of Hades to go see them!

We sponsor children in 9 different countries, in every region except South America. Tanzania is the only country from which I ever receive photos (other than bi-annual photo updates) of my girls, showing or wearing gifts for which we have sent money. So while we love all of the children we sponsor, Tanzania is especially close to my heart. (But, then, so is the Dominican Republic, where I have two girls and have visited; and Rwanda, where I sponsor a girl; and Kenya, and . . . sigh.)

Sponsoring has eternity woven through and written all over it. Sponsoring a child through Compassion International is one of the best investments you can make; it's a way to send money ahead, as Randy Alcorn says (Managing God's Money)--storing up treasures for yourself in heaven. Your sponsored child will also have many opportunities to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and will be discipled, while also being developed in every identifiable area of life. And (back to earth, now), usually around 12 or 13 years of age, she or he will begin to learn at least one life skill, helping to provide some income for her or his family. 

I know about our economy in the U.S. Trust me--it's a heckuva lot better than the economies these kids live in. Please consider sponsoring a child in Tanzania. Just click on the smaller of the two widgets and choose your child.

Please. So many children struggle to survive, often having not even one meal a day. You can change the story for one child, today. Please.

O Give Thanks to the Lord!

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our Salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song."
                                    Psalm 95:1

I make a point of nurturing an attitude of gratitude throughout the year, even as money has tightened so much and life is not as easy as it was, a few years ago. We have seen so many friends lose jobs, homes, cars and most of their other possessions. We still have our home, our cars, our business--which sort of limps along, but it isn't down for the count--and we truly are grateful.

But when I think about gratitude, I remember a particular letter from Uwizera, in Rwanda. I had sent some special gifts with friends who went over there, almost two years ago. Her letter recounted the various items and then said, "Our whole family is so grateful that we all stopped whatever we were doing to pray for you for half an hour."

We have so much more than do any of the children Compassion serves, more than any of the children we are blessed to sponsor. But the very poor of the world tend to be more deeply grateful for what little they have, and I want to be that grateful.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, wherever you are, and encourage you to do whatever will help to center your heart and your thoughts less on the food and football and more on all the blessings God has poured out on you. And if you want to show your gratitude to God in a practical way, why not sponsor a child? Or make a donation to help the ongoing efforts in Haiti, or donate $10 or more for treated mosquito nets, or give a Christmas gift to a loved one that will help someone far away? Look:
    $10 buys a mosquito net, helping to save lives;
    $13 buys a soccer ball;
    $16 buys a chicken that will provide food for a family, as well as a source of income.
    And so much more! See all the other great gifts in the catalog!

Now...go check on your turkey, or whatever it is you're fixing, and experience the joy of knowing you can do so much for people, for so little!

Guatemala

A group of Compassion bloggers is in Guatemala, for the week. You might not have heard about the rain, flooding, mudslides and loss of life going on there, right now.

Even in fair weather, Compassion bloggers--like Compassion sponsors, child advocates, and others who visit areas of stark poverty--open themselves up to be broken by what they see, hear and smell. There will be times of laughter, especially among the children, as even children in deep poverty can find joy in life, but the tears will also flow as hearts break. Sometimes the heartbreak comes as the visitors learn things about themselves. They come home, changed.

And about that home-coming - it's hard. When I have returned from trips to see two of my girls, I have found re-entry difficult. Ordering food in a restaurant is a challenge: Portions are usually so big! I know I won't be able to eat it all, and I can't stand to waste any...especially not after I've just seen children who are starving, or who do well to get one nourishing meal a day. A trip to the grocery store, where I see produce that is safe to eat and plenty of meat available, proves hard to take; so much food, and most any, single item would cost a day's wages or more, for the parents of our sponsored kids. And then there's our indoor and outdoor plumbing, all of it producing water you can see through. We take it all so for granted, and at no time is that more clear to us than when we travel to visit the children of poverty, and then when we come back home.

The bloggers who are currently traveling need our prayers, for the week, and for the return. And please include their families that wait for them. Follow their blogs*, and if you really want to light up some faces, sponsor a child!

*Bloggers' blogs:
http://www.aholyexperience.com
http://www.lindseynobles.com
http://thegypsymama.com
http://babybangs.blogspot.com
http://blog.compassion.com

To sponsor or not to sponsor

Whether you have ever sponsored a child, never considered doing so, have thought about it but are skeptical that your money would be used properly, or would dearly love to sponsor a child but don't know which organization you can trust (this was me, eight years ago), read this skeptic's story. It wouldn't hurt to read the comments, as well; there weren't many, when I read it a little while ago, and several were first-hand testimonials favoring (mostly) Compassion International.

When you have read all of that and checked out Compassion at Charity Navigator, and when you are ready to sponsor a child, please consider the child whose photo shows in the widget to the left (this blog), or here.

I have told many stories, on this blog, about Compassion, my sponsorship experiences, and a few about my sponsored children. Compassion also has a blog which has more stories and tons of information.

But whatever you do, don't do nothing. Find a place, find an organization you trust, and do something to help the children in poverty.

One Act = One Life

If you have not seen this video, please take 5 minutes to watch and listen to Tony, Jimmy, Michelle and Richmond.

All four of these young people are formerly-sponsored children through Compassion International. All of them did so well in the academic work, in their work at their respective Compassion-assisted student centers; all of them exhibit strong leadership abilities and a strong Christian testimony; and all of them were accepted into Compassion's Leadership Development Program (LDP). Now, all four are studying under scholarship at Moody Bible Institute.

I don't know if all four are yet sponsoring children, themselves (although I can just about guarantee that they will, eventually!), but I know Michelle is. She started with one. Then after she began studying at Moody, she figured out that if she ate just one meal a day (it might be two; I don't remember, for sure), she could afford to sponsor a second child.

I believe it is more common than I would ever have thought for former sponsored children to become sponsors, once they are out of the program (even if they do not go on to university). It is just one of so many ways that they "give back" for the opportunities they were given.

So...if they can do it, are you sure you can't sponsor a child? It's $38 per month; that comes out to $1.25 per day, and you will never miss it.

Spiritual warfare played out in the streets

This is about a young boy enrolled in a Compassion project in northern Brazil. It could be about any number of places where Compassion works...and many other places, as well. But at least the children have some place to go where they can be relatively protected and safe, and also learn to live right.

You could sponsor a child in that project, or any a project in any of 25 developing countries. Your $38 a month provides good food, every time the child attends the center, and supplemental nutrition where needed. It also provides spiritual training and Bible instruction; medical and dental care and help with emotional challenges; a safe place to play and develop good social skills; instruction in some disease-prevention measures, such as boiling water that is disease-ridden, before washing food, drinking, or other uses; instruction in good hygiene and the importance of eating the right foods; tutoring to enhance their education at the public schools; and the opportunity at appropriate ages to learn a skill that will make it possible for them to support their family and break the cycle of poverty.

That's not an exhaustive list, but it gives a little more of an idea than just saying they are aided in developing physically, spiritually, emotionally and economically. You can be sure, tho', that no area of a child's life is left unaddressed in the quest to help them grow into strong, fulfilled, contributing Christian adults.

If you would like to sponsor the child pictured in the widget at the left, just click "Sponsor Me" and you will be taken to the page where you can do that. Or you can click on the link in line 1 of the second paragraph, above, to choose a child. Or e-mail me and ask me to send you a child packet, or leave a comment and let me know what you want. The $38/month breaks down to $1.25/day; you will hardly miss it, if at all, but it will make a world of difference to a child.

Erina

Rina is the latest addition to "my girls," my sponsored children. My mom has sponsored her for several years, but as Mom can no longer write, she has asked me to take over the correspondence. So I am now officially a "correspondent sponsor." At some point, either at Mom's request or when she has joined most of her family in heaven, we will take over the financial sponsorship, as well.

I thought Rina was about 10 years old, when Mom began sponsoring her, but apparently not; she just turned 13 in November.

This is only the third photo (I think) that Mom has received of Rina. She looked so somber in the first two, but oh, my! how she sparkles, now! I love to watch that change in the children we serve, as it suggests that they have been lifted out of their spiritual poverty, as they move toward leaving their physical and economic poverty behind.

If you have any questions about sponsoring a child, or about corresponding with a child whose sponsor cannot--or does not--fulfill that aspect of the sponsorship, just let me know.  Correspondent sponsorship costs you nothing but a little time, now and then--maybe once a month, though some people write more often.  Full sponsorship is $38/month, only $1.25/day. You can't buy a Starbucks for that. Heck--you can't buy a bottle of water for that, in any airport!

Last paragraph modified 1/2/10.

Priority Children

I currently have packets for five children who need to be sponsored.  Three of the five are considered Priority children, because they have waited for at least six months to be sponsored, and they may have been waiting as long as 18 months (or even more).  I heard a year or so ago about a boy in Africa who had waited for three long years, before he was sponsored.  Can you imagine how that feels?

Compassion International has 18,000 children who are registered in Compassion-assisted projects (aka student centers).  Well, no--somewhere around 1.1 million children are registered, and most are sponsored.  The 18,000 children have been waiting 12 months or longer to be sponsored.

Sponsorship costs $38 per month, and the benefits to the child (and her/his family) and to the sponsor far out-weigh the cost.  It can literally mean the difference between life and death for the child.  How can you help?  Thanks for asking!  Here are several ways:

1) Click the widget in the left sidebar to sponsor the child pictured there.

2) Go here to select a child.

3) Select any of the children pictured below and tell me you want to sponsor him or her.

UPDATE:  These first three are Priority children:

Yolanda (Yola), 9 y.o., lives with her parents and two siblings in Indonesia. She enjoys playing with friends.

So often, these children do not receive the encouragement they need from their families. Whether that is true for Yola, I don't know, but I do know that a sponsor often becomes more important to a child even than her own parents. Yola needs a sponsor who will love, pray for, write to and encourage her.

 

Selvakumar is 15 years old. He lives in India with his parents. He enjoys soccer, singing and art and also regularly attends church activities, Bible class and Vacation Bible School.

Because of his age, we know that Selvakumar has had and lost at least one sponsor. Losing a sponsor is huge, for these kids. No matter the reason, and even if the sponsor has written a most loving letter of explanation and to say "Goodby," the child wonders: "Did I say something wrong? Was it my fault? Will anyone ever choose me, again?" Selvakumar needs someone to see him through graduation from secondary school and the sponsorship program, so that he doesn't grow discouraged and drop out.

Four-year-old Alonso lives in Peru with his mother, father, and two siblings. He enjoys soccer, playing with cars and playing with marbles. He is at a great age for being registered in a Compassion-assisted project and for being sponsored. Given the love and encouragement of a sponsor, Alonso is young enough to thrive, in this program. But he does need a sponsor who will give him that love and encouragement and pray for him.

Waiting less time, so far, but in need of sponsors are these two kids:

Aishwarya lives in India with her parents and one sibling. She is almost 9 years old (February). She enjoys playing house, reading and playing group games.

She sounds like millions of American kids, doesn't she? But Aishwarya lives in extreme poverty. Her hope for a future outside of poverty lies in Jesus Christ, and she needs a sponsor who will represent the love of Christ to her; who will reinforce the message that she is vitally important to Him. Letters of encouragement and love will reinforce that message and help her to become a productive and fulfilled Christian woman as God intends. 

Jordy lives in Mexico with his mother and one sibling. He is nearing his 12th birthday (February). Jordy enjoys soccer, playing with cars and bicycling. Drugs and crime beckon to him on a regular basis, as they do so many, many of the children Compassion serves.

With no father in the home, Jordy could especially benefit from a strong male sponsor, although any Christian sponsor can love and encourage him. He is no doubt surrounded by strong male influences, but many of them are not good and would rob him of the life God has planned for him.

Please let your heart be moved by these kids and by the millions like them. Even if you don't sponsor any, please don't forget about them.  Pray for them and consider their needs.  And remember the words of Abraham Lincoln:  "No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child." (That's true for women, too.)

Great stuff on letter-writing

Check this out and watch the video.

Oh, wait...you don't sponsor a child through Compassion? No sweat! I can help you change that!

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.