#CompassionHunt

As many of you know, George and I sponsor four children through Compassion International.  

In 1998, we began sponsoring Israel from Haiti who was 4 at the time.  He will be completing the Compassion Program this fall.  We have been blessed to visit twice in his country. Our prayer is to stay in touch with him.

In 2011, we began sponsoring Lovely from Haiti who was 3 at the time.  She lives only 12 miles from Israel. They were able to meet each other in November of 2011 when we visited with both of them.  Her name was perfect as God has shown us so much love through sponsoring Israel.

In 2012, we became sponsors to Lawrence in Uganda and Ruth in the Dominican Republic as we shared the child sponsorship program through Compassion Sunday.  We met Ruth in January of 2013 and hope to visit Lawrence next year in Uganda.

I am very excited about the photo scavenger hunt as it allows me to share more about the work of Compassion and the love we have for our sponsored children.

As you view the photos I have collected to complete this #CompassionHunt, please consider becoming a sponsor. 

Rice...A food staple common to the developing world.

A flag of country where Compassion International works...Here is the DR where Ruth lives.

Seeds I plant...For many in the developing world, if they don’t grow their own food they don’t eat.

Compassion International's Child Survival Program (CSP) helps save the lives of babies and mothers in poverty. Compassion keeps track of the ongoing health care CSP helps deliver. While in Haiti visiting a CSP, we say the chart posted of each child's weight.  Wish I had an actually photo of the scale they used there

Israel playing futbol with us. This soccer ball waited almost two years to be be given to Israel due to the Haiti earthquake.

Livestock equals livelihood for many in the developing world. When we send birthday and family gifts, our children will tell us with great appreciation how they bought a pig, cow, or goat with it.

Did you know that 24,000 children under the age of 5 die every year, mostly from preventable diseases. We are sponsors through Compassion to help children receive medical care. 

Braided Hair...Our Ruth had the most beautiful braided hair with pink braids.  Both of us love pink.

Compassion partners with the local church. Here is a photo of a Compassion sponsor who wanted to show his sponsored girl where he went to church.

Add caption

Many families in the developing world earn a living by selling food on the side of the road. Here is a photo from our 2008 trip to Haiti. We saw many people earning a living by selling on the side of the road.

Sponsor a Child ~ Transform a Life

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=119183 -

Power of Prayer

I have seen the power of prayer through our sponsored child Israel. In one of his letters, he wrote how he was praying to meet face to face. Then a few years later, we met face to face! After meeting Israel, he wrote how he was praying that I would have more love. God has answered this prayer as well. My heart overflows with love and compassion. As a result, we began sponsoring another child in Haiti this past January. When I saw her and her name "Lovely", I knew she was the one. Her name means many things to us...the prayer Israel prayed and was answered, the love God has shown me through sponsoring Israel, the love shared between Israel and us, and the love God wants to pour out to others through us. While preparing for our Compassion Sunday, I was praying the children to receive sponsors. The love Israel prayed for us to have more of is overflowing into two more lives. We know our God hears, sees, and is concerned. He hears and sees the cries of many hearts. May we be ready to respond and be His hands and feet to those cries by sponsoring children and speaking the love of Christ into their lives through letter writing.

Check out the Compassion Blog on prayer.
http://blog.compassion.com/national-day-of-prayer-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-28005

World Malaria Day

Did you know yesterday was World Malaria Day. You wonder what is the significance of this day. Well, I wondered that myself. Seeing my only experience with malaria was for my own prevention of this disease when planning trips to Haiti and Ecuador. I just knew I needed a prescription from the doctor for anti-malarial tablets and to bring plenty of insect repellent with Deet. When traveling to Ecuador, I was even looking for clothes with insect protection.

As I read this blog last night (http://blog.compassion.com/world-malaria-day-2011-its-okay-to-get-angry), I learned more about malaria. Here are some facts that have me thinking and wanting to act on behalf of those in 106 countries who face the risk of contracting this preventable disease...

How about some stats from malarianomore.org for you:
In the year 2009, Malaria took 780,000 lives.
85 percent of malaria deaths globally were children under age 5.
Every 45 seconds, a child dies from malaria.

Will you act today on behalf of those who are at risk in 106 countries?
If yes, please visit http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=119183 -
and go to "Make a Donation". From there, you can contribute to "Malaria Intervention Fund".

Thank you for making a difference in someone's life!


Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/world-malaria-day-2011-its-okay-to-get-angry/#ixzz1KeRdHAPF

My Top 10 Compassion Blogs

1. http://blog.compassion.com/prayers-needed-encourage-our-haiti-staff/
I love how this blog has provided the Haiti staff notes of encouragement and prayers.

2. http://blog.compassion.com/haiti-earthquake-development-center-image/
This blog entry helped me know more about what was happening in Haiti afer the earthquake. With having a sponsored child in Haiti, this was so important to me.

3. http://blog.compassion.com/the-making-of-a-special-olympics-champion/
This blog shows how we can be overcomers!

4. http://blog.compassion.com/protecting-our-children-can-my-sponsored-child-visit-me/
I love how Compassion protects our children and encourages us to speak encouragement into their lives through letters.

5. http://blog.compassion.com/too-small-to-ignore/
Too Small to Ignore is a great book and once again this blog encourages letter writing to sponsors.

6. http://blog.compassion.com/sponsorship-in-six-words/
I love how God has shown me "Through Israel Love Has Been Shown".

7. http://blog.compassion.com/holistic-child-development-what-does-it-look-like/
I love to hear how Compassion sponsorship is a holistic approach.

8. http://blog.compassion.com/ana-morales-a-hero-of-the-faith/
I love this story about the Godly influence a mother has on their child.

9. http://blog.compassion.com/relationship-building-through-child-sponsorship/
I love how this blog stresses the imporance of building a relationship with your sponsored child. This is a message I want to stress at Compassion Sunday.

10. http://blog.compassion.com/sponsor-letter-the-most-desired-thing/
I love how the children prefer letters over gifts. This speaks volumes!

I love reading about overcomers!

As a special education teacher and a Compassion International sponsor, this story touches my heart. Take a moment to read about Emilda and let it impact your heart.

http://blog.compassion.com/this-is-where-you-come-in-special-olympics-2011/

http://blog.compassion.com/the-making-of-a-special-olympics-champion/


Join me in being a part of helping Emilda reach her goals by donating.

http://fcrps.me/3o

Begin Your Own Journey

Save Children

Learn more about Compassion...
www.compassion.com
http://blog.compassion.com/

Late Summer of 1998

While at a Rebecca St. James concert in Hudson Falls, New York, I heard Rebecca share about child sponsorship.  What she shared seemed like a neat idea, but wondered if we could afford a $24 a month commitment (Seriously, what was I thinking.  Less than $1 a day!).  During intermission, I went out to the Compassion table and began looking at the photos of children living in poverty.  I wondered how do you decide on which child.  They all needed a sponsor, an opportunity for an education, to be released from poverty, but most of all they needed HOPE.  While scanning the tables, I found a photo of a four-year old boy from Haiti with the same birth month as me.  Honestly, I didn't know much about Haiti and I probably didn't even realize where it was on the map.  I have never been very good with geography.  What do I remember most about my decision to sponsor Israel?  His eyes captured my heart and continue to, to this day.  This is where the journey began...