Guest post: Compassion Sunday

April 15, 2013

Hello, it’s me again, Kelsey. So my mom asked me to do a post on Compassion Sunday. I hope I do a good job telling you all about it.

When my mom asked me to do Compassion Sunday, honestly, I freaked out. I have never liked public speaking because I have to talk to tons of people staring at you. And that is just not my thing. But my mom really wanted me to do it so I did a little research to help me prepare and get ready.

I was going to write out my own speech but I decided to do the speech in the Compassion Sunday packet. It took a little while to get a date set but we finally set one. Me and my mom went on to the Compassion website and ordered our packet.

When it came I was pretty excited! I pulled everything out and looked at it. I also looked at all the children. When we get child packets,, I love looking through all of them and reading about where they live, what they like to do for fun, how many children are in the family and all the fun stuff.

A few days later my mom told me that there were some videos that Amy Coddington had made to show you how to prepare before, during, and after. The videos helped me a lot.

As the day was drawing near, I was getting nervous. I kept thinking that I was going to blow it and it was going to be terrible. But I remembered that God says to not worry and to trust in Him. So I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would help these children get sponsors and I wouldn’t get so nervous.

On the day of, my mom and I set up a table in the lobby with the child packets and pens. After that we went to Sunday School and my sub teacher told me I was going to do great and to not worry about it because most people get nervous and it was totally normal.

I had been given a list of when things were going to happen during the service so I knew when to come up to the front of the church. When it was my turn I was shaking so much. I said a quick little prayer and started. Looking at all those people made me nervous. My mouth went dry while I was speaking but once I started getting into it, I was able to talk without freaking out. It went smoothly after that and I was proud of myself. After I went to sit back down I was still shaking a lot, but I had finished and I did it. I thanked God for helping me get through it.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/62272657 w=500&h=281]

Compassion Sunday Presentation from Yvonne Reynolds on Vimeo.

So, after the service my mom, my brother and I went into the lobby and stayed at the table. That day we had three children sponsored. We were so happy! Our pastor let us keep the table up for another week and the next week we had one more child sponsored. So, total we had four children sponsored! Even though it was just four children, four of those lives were changed that day.

Everyone said I did well and I was glad that I did! Well, maybe I will do it next year but I will have to think about it. :)

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading about my Compassion Sunday experience! Thank you! :)

My Compassion Sunday

March 25, 2013

So you have heard that Compassion Sunday is coming up, but for whatever reason, you are just not able to schedule a Compassion Sunday at your church.

You still have the opportunity to change the story for children living in extreme poverty by creating your own My Compassion Sunday page! By creating your own My Compassion Sunday page, you tell your Compassion story and share your page with your family and friends. Share your page on your blog, in an e-mail, on Facebook, Twiiter, Pinterest, etc. Share it with all of your social media contacts.

Why would I want to do this? Because by changing the story for one child living in extreme poverty, you may be making an eternal difference in the lives of more than just this one child. We may never know how many lives are changed when just one child is sponsored through Compassion. Their family, their community, their friends.

Not convinced that child sponsorship through Compassion is effective?

“. . . that children who participated in Compassion’s holistic child development through sponsorship program stayed in school longer, were more likely to have salaried or white-collar employment and were more likely to be leaders in their communities and churches than their peers who did not participate in the program.”

Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/charity-research-research-shows-that-child-sponsorship-through-compassion-works/#ixzz2OZLQUhUB

This quote is from a study that is being released in the Journal of Political Economy in April 2013. Child sponsorship works and you can read more about this research on the Compassion blog.

So what are you waiting for? Sponsor a child or create your own My Compassion Sunday page today and help to change the story for a child living in extreme poverty!

Capture Your 365

March 20, 2013

Ring the bell, I actually have photos for all 7 photo prompts from this last week! Ding, ding, ding!!

ISO 100, 50mm, f/3.2, 1/25 sec

Day 72 – Messy: My freezer was getting a little low on homemade pasta sauce. I usually like to clean up along the way while I am cooking, but who can resist a good photo prompt and an excuse to leave it all a little messy?

ISO 100, 50mm, f/2.0, 1/4000 sec

Day 73 – Branches: Many of the nut and fruit trees are in full bloom around here right now. Makes me wish I could drag by camera around with me all the time!

ISO 100, 50mm, f/3.2, 0.6 sec

Day 74 – In A Field of Green: Most pool tables have green felt, but my husband and I had a chance to play pool on this pool table with red felt which dates back to the very late 1800’s. By the way, my husband won the game (re-match for next time!)

ISO 100, 50mm, f/2.2, 1/1000 sec

Day 75 – Green: Starbucks stop on our way home from a couple of days in Monterey with my husband! Caramel Frappuccino is one of my favorites, what is your favorite Starbucks drink?

ISO 100, 50mm, f/2.2, 1/20 sec

Day 76 – Wearing of the Green: We had a really good reason for not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day! My daughter did our Compassion Sunday presentation so we all wore our Compassion Sunday t-shirts, which just happen to be one of my favorite colors. You can watch the video of her presentation here. I love that our pastor gave her a big hug when she finished!

ISO 400, 36mm, f/5.0, 1/20 sec

Day 77 – Spots: or marks. This is how I keep track of our homeschool days. I just write in a ‘P’ for days that we did any kind of school work, field trip, or life skills lessons. Daily attendance is one of the very few requirements we have here in California for our homeschools. You can print out a calendar like this one here.

ISO 100, 50mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec

Day 78 – Play a Game: Today was one very busy day! My morning started off at a MOPS meeting to listen to my friend, Kendra, share with the moms there about the hope we have in Jesus. Then after a quick lunch, Kelsey and I headed on over to our ladies Bible study. We have been going through John MacArthur’s Fundamentals of the Faith book with our pastor leading the teaching and discussion. After the study we were back home again to get a couple of loads of laundry done and throw together a quick dinner. Then my family all went off in different directions for the evening. There was definitely no time to sit down and play a game today! But seeing how many of my bulbs in the backyard are blooming, I cut a few and brought them inside. Great reminder that in spite of the busyness of some of our days, we can still stop and see the beauty that God provides all around us.

Do you love these photo prompts as much as I do? Be sure to visit Katrina’s blog, Capture Your 365, and join in the fun!

You can…Change The Story!

February 11, 2013

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/56554209 w=500&h=281]

Short Main Video from Compassion International on Vimeo.

As a Compassion sponsor, one of the things you can do at least once a year is share your love for this ministry with your local church family. Each year in the spring, Compassion gives us the materials and opportunity to share how sponsoring a child not only impacts that child’s life, but your life as well.

Right now on the Compassion Sunday website, you can view video testimonials, order a free planning guide, read facts about poverty, and many other things.

Planning a Compassion Sunday is easy: