Compassion by the Numbers

For the past four and a half years, I have been serving as the Volunteer Coordinator for Compassion events in Northern California. In this role, I do a lot of behind the scenes activities to make sure that there is volunteer coverage at all events in Northern California where the Compassion sponsorship opportunity is being presented. This could be any number of events: conferences, concerts, Compassion Experience events, etc.

Our region can be extremely busy!

Over the last six months, I learned that we had 19 events in our region.

For these 19 events, we had 449 volunteers.

At these 19 events with these 449 volunteers, 1293 Compassion children were sponsored!!

What? Say that again!

One thousand, two hundred, ninety three children!

That is basically FIVE Compassion centers of children!!

But the thing I love about Compassion, it is not about the big numbers.

When one child is sponsored, it changes that one child’s life.

That child will have their basic needs met.

That child will learn about how much Jesus loves them.

And when that one child decides to follow Jesus, it impacts them for eternity.

When we look at the overall issue of global poverty, we can feel stuck.

Compassion is helping each one of us tackle global poverty, one child at a time.

I would love for everyone who takes the time to read my blog to sponsor a Compassion child.

Will you sponsor a waiting Compassion child today?

The ABCs of Compassion - Individual

When I starting thinking about this series of posts about Compassion, I knew some letters would be a challenge to come up with an appropriate word for the letter. Take ‘I’ for instance…

International? Could work, but I just did a post on ‘Global’ which kind of means the same thing.

Invest? Sounds more like a financial term.

Integrity? Another one that could work.

Impact? Well…

Then, it hit me…Individual!

And why ‘individual’?

Each individual child registered into Compassion’s program is individually known, loved, and protected at their local Compassion center.

Each individual Compassion child at every center around the world has their own individual binder. Entries are made in these binders for the registered Compassion children in four key areas: Socio-emotional, physical, educational, and spiritual development.

Copies of birth certificates, immunization records, health check-ups, copies of letters from sponsors, receipts of purchases for financial gifts from sponsors, profession of faith certificates…these are just a few of the items in the binders for each individual child.

And best of all about the word ‘individual’?

When you sponsor a Compassion child, you are the only sponsor for that individual child!

If you are not a Compassion sponsor already, what is stopping you from becoming a sponsor today?

The ABCs of Compassion - Holistic

The next installment in my series on the ABCs of Compassion is the word ‘holistic’.

Why is it important that Compassion uses a holistic child development model?

Merriam-Webster defines ‘holistic’ as: “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts”.

All of us have critical needs that need to be met every day.

We all need water.

We all need food.

We all need shelter.

We all need clothing.

We all need basic medical needs met.

We all need to know we are loved.

Imagine trying to survive without one of these basic needs and you will have a hard time. Period.

Compassion realizes that children growing up in extreme poverty need more than just clean water and food.

Compassion realizes that children growing up in extreme poverty need to have their physical, social, economic, and spiritual needs met.

Holistic.

The whole child.

When you sponsor a child through Compassion, you become a partner with the local church and that child’s family.

Your monthly sponsorship provides for the holistic needs of the child, their physical needs, their social needs, the economic needs, and the spiritual needs.

You are providing more than just clean water and food.

You are given the opportunity to pour into that child through letters and prayers to help them dream and have a bigger hope for their future.

Will you sponsor a Compassion child today?

Speaking of global...

Taking a slight detour on my current series on The ABCs of Compassion to share about another non-profit that has taken things global.

Sometime after we started sponsoring with Compassion, I started reading blog posts from people who had opportunities to travel with Compassion. One blogger that I have continued to follow for the past nine years is Kristen Welch who blogs over at We Are That Family. This post about one day she spent in Kenya is probably one of the most powerfully written posts about how hope can be found in the middle of unspeakable living conditions.

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know” - William Wilberforce

I believe one of the reasons I have continued to follow Kristen’s journey is that she came home completely changed and did something.

Mercy House Global was started to give hope and provide sustainable jobs to women living in poverty around the world.

Currently, I subscribe to the Fair Trade Friday monthly original box which includes 3-4 Fair Trade items each month. The items in this latest box have to be some of my favorites!

I was able to paint this batik print with the colors provided and now have a beautiful piece of art that was created by people in Malaysia.

Over the last nine years, I have read many books and watched many documentaries that have made me really think about how life is so different and challenging outside of our country.

Want to be part of changing lives? Be sure to explore the Mercy House Global web site and learn more about this wonderful ministry.

The ABC's of Compassion - Global

One definition for the word global is “relating to or embracing the whole of something, or of a group of things”.

Compassion has made it their mission to “release children from poverty in Jesus’ name”.

This is a big mission and goal, especially since there are approximately one billion children living in poverty around the world.

This Colorado non-profit is not working alone though. Back in the 1960s, Canada became Compassion’s first global partner. Now, there are fourteen countries who have come alongside the United States headquarters to work toward their global mission.

Compassion’s most pivotal work takes place in 25 countries where millions of children are growing up in extreme poverty. Through the local churches in these 25 countries, children are known, loved, and protected, and given a chance to dream and to have hope for their futures.

You can read a lot on Compassion’s web site about their amazing work around the world, but the thing I want to share about the topic of ‘global’ in this post is the headquarters of Compassion in Colorado Springs.

If you are a Compassion sponsor, and you ever find yourself in Colorado Springs, I highly recommend you take the time to take a tour of the GMC.

The GMC is Compassion’s Global Ministry Center, basically their headquarters. On the tour you will learn more about the beginnings of Compassion and the important work that is happening around the world to “release children from poverty in Jesus’ name”.

The tours are free and are well worth your time!

I have had a chance to visit here a few times and I always learn something new about Compassion while I am there.

Have you had a chance to visit the GMC yet?