6 things I learned about COMPASSION...

You really never understand a ministry until you see how they function in their ministry setting. Looking from a distance will never give you the true picture of what is happening. This week I had the chance to see Compassion International in action in Ecuador and I saw first hand the difference they are making in lives around the globe. Here is what I learned while I was in Ecuador...

• Letters matter // Compassion is built around connecting one sponsor with one child. Relationships found the basis of the compassion strategy. If you sponsor a child those letters you write really do get to your kid. I saw them myself. Every time we met a kid and asked about letters from sponsors their face lit up. We even saw that most kids keep and save every letter and picture they get!

• Sponsors are changing the lives of kids // every kid I met in Ecuador was so thankful for their sponsor...they understood that someone cared for them. When you sponsor a child you give them education and a chance to hear about the love of Christ.

• Compassion partners with the local church around the world // every project around the world is connected with the local church in that city. The local church is advancing because of Compassion.

• Investing in one child can change an entire family // we saw entires families rescued from poverty because of Compassion. One kid with an education can change everything and break the cycle of poverty for a family.

• Compassion fights poverty in Jesus name // compassion is not just interested in fighting poverty, they fight poverty in the name of Jesus. This is an organization passionate about seeing people become followers of Jesus.

• Compassion wants to partner with the local church in the United States // Compassion is ready to link arms with the local church. They want to find ways to allow churches and compassion to work hand in hand on projects around the world. I hope you will pray about how your church or ministry can link arms with Compassion

Compassion...empowers the family

The boy in the blue shirt is named William. I had the chance to meet William in his home who lives with his grandmother. William lives with his grandmother because his mom abandoned him. When his grandmother told the story William began to cry. He told us that even though he missed his mom he knew he was important because we took time to visit him. William also told us he had a bed to sleep in because his sponsor gave a gift to the family on his birthday. They also had a table to eat on because of that same sponsor. That is just one story of how God is empowering families around the globe to provide their kids (or grand kids) education, health care, food, clean water, and hope. Over and over we saw that when a kid is sponsored their entire family is impacted. The entire family hears about Jesus Christ. The entire family has hope and knows that things could be different. When a child finds hope in Christ and is blessed with education they have a chance to break the cycle of poverty for an entire family. Compassion is not just about rescuing children from poverty they are rescuing families from poverty and all in the name of Christ. The lesson I was reminded here in Ecuador was that if you want to help a family invest in their children. It was amazing to see the love that parents had for their kids here in Ecuador and the hope Compassion gave them when their kids were sponsored. These families needed hope and Compassion brought hope! Pray about joining Compassion as they invest in families around the world.

Compassion...connects lives

These two pictures help reveal the connection that compassion helps to make around the world. Compassion Internatinal believes in one kid...one sponsor and that link creates a connection between lives as letters are shared. Today I had the chance to visit the Compassion Ecuador staff office and see how the operation works. I glanced over and saw the lady above getting real letters written from real sponsors prepped to be translated for kids in Ecuador! YES, when you write a letter to your compassion kid they get it, they love it, they treasure the relationship. I also had the chance to see a Child Sponsorship Program site and got to meet these amazing little girls. These are the kids that get your letters. The lives of these kids are different because of the gift and love of a sponsor. These kids are getting to hear about Jesus and experience the love of Christ through your gifts. Compassion helps lives connect.

I hope your family will consider sponsoring a child together. In our family we have sponsored Lilly who lives in Kenya for four years and our family loves her. She is like an extension of our family. Go check out Compassion and pray about allowing your live to connect with someone trapped in poverty.

Compassion...brings hope

This is Fannie, I met her and heard her story today. Yes Fannie has a funny name if you live in the United States but her story was inspiring. Fannie is 27 and mom to a healthy little boy. If it was not for the the Child Survival Program of Compassion International neither Fannie or her boy would be here today. Fannie was raped...she did not choose to have a child. On top of this tragedy no one would give Fannie a job because of her disability so she moved in with her grandmother to have her baby. Because of the rape and the pain of knowing she was about to have a child she could not care for, Fannie became suicidal and began to plan how to end her life and the life of her new baby. 9 months ago she was asked to enter the Child Survival Program so she could get the help she needed to raise her child. A caring worker from compassion began to meet with Fannie every week and simply help her learn how to deal with being a new mom. Fannie was able to connect with a local church and the pastors began to help Fannie walk through her depression and pain. The program helped provide her little boy health care and proper nutrition. Fannie found someone who actually cared for her and helped her meet Jesus Christ. Fannie found hope because churches and sponsors across the world gave money to fund this program. Fannie told us today that she now has hope, a plan for the future, and friends to walk through life with. Because of this program a local church in Ecuador was actually able to save a life!

If you are a Christian I hope this week you will take some time and process how you are helping free people from poverty? What if I told you could release people from poverty and share the hope of Christ with them at the same time? Take a few minutes and visit http://www.compassion.com/ and process how you, your family, and your church can battle global poverty!

the day ahead...

Arrived late last night and woke up to this as my view. So excited to have the chance to meet the people of Quito, Ecuador. Today we are going to get to connect with some local pastors who sponsor Compassion Projects...every compassion project is connected to a local church! We are also going to visit a Child Survivor Project and have the chance to meet some kids Compassion is investing in. Excited about the day ahead. Please pray for safety as we travel in the city and for God to allow us to see all he is doing in this country through Compassion. Excited about day 1!

heading to ECUADOR with Compassion...

Very excited about the week ahead. I am headed with Ron Edmondson and a team of 20 other leaders to Ecuador to see the work of Compassion International first hand. Chelsea and I have sponsored a child for the past four years (her name is Lilly and she lives in Kenya) and even though I will not be meeting my child it is going to be amazing to see how compassion is releasing families from poverty first hand. If you want to change the world start with changing a life. With compassion I know that we are making a difference in the life of a family. This week I will be blogging about how your family, your church, or the ministry you lead can partner with compassion to make a difference in the lives of kids. Praying our hotel internet is working well and you will see a post from Ecuador by Tuesday morning!