Snowflakes in September

It is mid afternoon here in Central California, about 100 degrees outside, and about 80 degrees inside my house. So why am I talking about snowflakes??

Since it takes a good couple of months for our letters to be received by our Compassion sponsored children, sometimes, I like to plan ahead and talk about things in the upcoming future. For instance, today, in my letters to my Compassion kids, I talked a bit about the seasons.

And since I was talking about the seasons, this was the perfect opportunity to make some coffee filter snowflakes to include with my letter! I made a few for each of my Compassion kids, then put them inside a ziploc bag (along with a photo of Yosemite in the winter). Then I stapled the bag to the back of the letter. I made sure to include my sponsored child's name and number, as well as my name and sponsor number, to the front of the ziploc bag. This way, if the bag becomes detached from the letter, they can match up the ziploc bag with the right letter.

I have to say, I am loving the convenience of the Compassion app, but I love to send extras with some of my letters. And I know how much the kids love to receive photographs!

What fun thing have you mailed to your Compassion sponsored child lately?

Life is so unfair

We get frustrated at so many things in this life. I know I do...

Costco stopped carrying frozen orange juice concentrate

It is Monday which means I need to do laundry, meal plan, and grocery shop...again!

There are potato chip crumbs on the couch

We need a new roof and currently don't have any funds available to pay for a new one

But then, I watch a documentary like 'The True Cost', or read a book like 'Jesus, Bread, and Chocolate', or receive a letter from one of our Compassion kids...and it makes me wonder...

What about my life is so unfair?
Why do I feel I have the right to be frustrated?
How can I even try to make a difference?
I am only one person, so why should I even try to make a difference?

I understand that many of the problems in this world are really too big for any one person to tackle...

and I believe that God orchestrates and plans for each person to be on this planet at just the right time for His purpose...

So where can each one of us begin to make sense of this unfair life?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. - James 1:2-4

Educate yourself - read up on topics that stir your heart, make your blood boil, and that you deeply care about.

Educate others - share quotes from books you read, share statistics about the impact of organizations you are involved with

Volunteer - seek out volunteer opportunities with an organization you can partner with

Yes, life is so unfair...but each one of us can use our voice and our actions to make a difference in the lives of many who are less fortunate than we are.

Colombia Day Six: Our Final Day

Our final day in Colombia was spent at a church with the most energetic, passionate pastor I have ever met. Here is a video of his sharing with our group at the end of our day together:

So you know if he had this much energy at the end of our day together, you can just imagine how much energy he had at the beginning of our day!

Our day at this center started like many other center visits with presentations by the children. But I don't believe any of us were prepared for this (be sure to have kleenex handy...):

I know you may want to pass over the video, but don't...it is one of the most precious things I have ever watched.

Yes, God is in this city in Colombia.

And He is in many more cities just like this one.

In many more communities and countries around our world.

He is waiting for His people to do His work to share with His children just how much they are loved by Him.

I am not saying that you need to sponsor a Compassion child. 

But if you have ever felt that tug at your heart...

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.”

— https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+58%3A6-10&version=ESV

Colombia Day Five: Meeting Lina

The night before our planned Fun Day with our sponsored children, we received quite a surprise! Becca, one of our awesome trip leaders was praying at the end of our evening together at the hotel. She was kind of taking her time too. Imagine our surprise when we opened our eyes and saw a big group of children in the front of the room...it was all of our sponsored kids!!!!! I immediately jumped up from my chair, my chair fell backwards, so I turned around to pick it up. By the time I stood back up and looked around, there was a beautiful young lady standing next to me. And I knew exactly who it was!!

There are no words to describe this moment...none at all! How do you put into words the moment of meeting someone you have loved from miles away, someone you have prayed for, someone you have exchanged letters with, someone you never thought it would be possible to meet in this life?

We didn't have long to spend with the kids at this initial meeting, but it sure helped to alleviate some of the nervousness that we had been experiencing about the next day.

Our fun day with our sponsored children was spent at a water park near the coast of Barranquilla, Colombia. I really didn't take a lot of pictures this day because we spent a lot of time in the water! Lina had never traveled outside of her community, so she had never been to the coast of her country. This was her very first time to the Caribbean Sea!!

Angelica (the center director from Lina's project), me, and Lina loving our day at the beach!

Me, Lina, and Mauricio (our translator)

Even though we spent a lot of time in the water, we still had time to talk quite a bit.

I learned that Lina almost left the program before we started sponsoring her. Her previous sponsor didn't send her any letters. Angelica told me that when the letters we sent to Lina when we started sponsoring her made a big difference in Lina's life.

Did you hear that?

Letters...a few words written on a page to encourage a young girl who lives thousands of miles away from us.

They.made.a.difference.

The thing is though...not only have those letters made a difference in Lina's life...they have made a difference in my life.

Almost every month, I set aside time to write letters to our Compassion sponsored kids. I don't write really long letters.

But in each letter I share a Bible verse and remind these kids that God loves them.

Doesn't it make you feel good when someone reminds you that God loves you?

Maybe if my words don't convince you that child sponsorship works, maybe this will:

Are you ready to make a difference in the life of a child living in extreme poverty in Jesus' name?

Explore Their World Printable

When we first started sponsoring a Compassion child in Colombia five years ago, we were eager to learn more about that country. 

We found Colombia on the globe and read more about the country where our sponsored child lives. As we were learning about Colombia, I thought this would be a great way to learn more about all of the countries where Compassion is working.

I created a pretty simple printable for us to discover more about each of the countries where Compassion is working through the local churches to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Since that time, I have been wanting to create something to share with others to help them on their own journey to help educate their children about the countries where Compassion is making a difference.

With help from my creative husband for adding the fun doodles, I now have an Explore Their World Printable to share with you! By clicking on the above image, you can access this printable to use with your own family.

In the future, I hope to add a few more printable images covering a few other topics to help your family build a relationship with your sponsored child. Enjoy exploring!