Back to School

Here in the USA, kids have started the school year.  Around the world, some kids are not so lucky, as education isn't free in all countries.  Education is something we often take for granted, but children in developing countries long to be able to go to school and learn.

Here are some amazing statistics:

• Worldwide, nearly 80 percent of primary-school-age children attend school. In least developed countries, this figure is around 66 percent.
• The largest out-of-school population is in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 45.5 million children of primary school age are out of school.
• Of the 67 million primary-school-age children who do not attend school, 53 percent are girls.
• Worldwide, only 49 percent of children of secondary school age actually attend secondary school.
• Of the 49 percent of secondary age students who do not attend school, 52 percent are girls.
• The world’s functional illiterates include more than 130 million children who do not attend school, 73 million of them girls.

Sources: www.crin.org, www.unicef.org, www.childinfo.org

If you feel like making a donation to a great cause, click the link below to make a donation to the Compassion International textbook fund.  Thanks!


Click here to donate to the textbook fund.

Serving Those In Need

Today we received a new blog prompt to write about the following topic.  "How did you start serving those in need and what works best?"

This is such a broad topic that I'd like to throw a few random ideas out there of ways to serve those in need in small ways, as well as our main way of helping those in need:   Sponsoring kids with Compassion International!

Some random ways we help those in need are by giving money to our church, to other local/national charities, helping donate food to a food drive, donate items to women's shelters, etc.  We went on a mission trip to Costa Rica a few years ago with church and helped out at an orphanage for a week.  We try to help our neighbors, friends/family, etc. when we can and just be helpful people (since those in need might not always be in poverty....they might just be someone without the same skills as you).  What works best is doing what you financially and physically are able to do at the time.  No one can be expected to give millions or work full time volunteering (although it would be awesome if we had those capabilities!) so any good deed is appreciated by the recipient.  Even kind words of encouragement can go a long way to brighten someone's day (which is free).

Our main way of helping those in need is by sponsoring children with Compassion International.  Over the past 3.5 years, being sponsors has been so rewarding for us.  By sponsoring, we see the good it does in their lives to have a sponsor who cares for them, writes to them, and helps them with their basic needs (through the Compassion project they belong to).  We've also had the opportunity to visit 5 of our 14 kids so far and those are life changing experiences and memories.  Being able to see their homes, the poverty they live in, meet their families and see the joy they have in their lives (despite their poverty), etc. was amazing.  Even being a correspondence sponsor has been a really rewarding thing to bring encouragement and support into the children's lives through the letters we write, stickers we send, and birthday gift money we send too.  

I strongly encourage you to sponsor a child today.  It is $38 a month (for us, its eating out one or two less times a month) and you are helping one child help break the cycle of poverty through sponsorship and encouraging words in the letters you write them (and they write back wonderful letters too!).  Click on the links on this blog to sponsor a child today.  Thanks for reading.

Happy Fathers Day!

I know I'm a day late, but its never too late to celebrate our fathers!  I want to thank my own dad for being such a wonderful guy.  He has always been there for me, he's a silly and fun guy, and a great role model.  My father-in-law is also an awesome dad.

Our heavenly father is also a great dad.  He blesses & loves us each and every day even when we probably don't deserve it.  I want to thank God for always being there for me too :)

I know this is a short post, but sometimes life gets crazy so back to work for me.

Happy belated fathers day everyone.

Anyone want to sponsor Lebron James?

Last week I went to a meeting with other advocates to learn some new ways to tell people about Compassion and the different programs (Bite Back, Water of Life, etc.).  It was a fun meeting but we also got to look through some child packets to take to advocate for.

I was immediately drawn towards little Lebron James.

Isn't he a cutie!  He's from the Philippines, which holds a special place in my heart (since our two correspondence kids are such great writers from the Philippines and we were able to visit them last November and see where they live).

When we were in the Philippines we saw just how much they LOVE basketball so I thought it was cute that this little guys parents may have named him after a basketball player from the USA that they like.

His birthday is the day before Christmas (December 24, 2011).  He's 3.5 years old now.  He lives with both his parents and there are two kids in the family.  He likes art.

If you, or someone you know would like to sponsor little Lebron James (any basketball fans out there?), just let me know.  I have this packet for the next month.  Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all mothers out there for the work they do every day!  I've had one of the best mom's ever growing up and I am lucky that she is still healthy and a big part of my life.  She has shaped me into the woman I am today with strong morals, good budget/saving skills, a kind heart, etc. (not to brag).  Without her good example, I wouldn't be who I am today. 

I was blessed with other positive female role models too such as coaches, grandmothers, aunts, family friends, etc.

While I am not an actual mother myself yet, I do consider myself a "mom" to my 14 Compassion sponsored and correspondence kids.  While in the Philippines, 14 (almost 15) year old Zymvra asked if he could call us mom and dad which was a special moment.  Now every few sentences he calls us mom and dad in the letters he writes to us.  Some of the other kids call us parents too and a few call us auntie & uncle.  I care about each of them as I would my own child. 

I'd like to thank all mothers out there and encourage you to sponsor a child today in honor of your mother :)  Or even just write to your sponsored children and tell them to give a special message of thanks to their mothers. 

Older Kids Needing Sponsors

On Monday I mentioned how I had found several kids from the projects where our Compassion kids are located that still need sponsors.  I had posted about "Alone" from India, and today it looks like he was sponsored!  I am so happy for him to get a sponsor (and glad I won't be tempted to sponsor him myself now).

Since he's off my list now, I figured I'd post a few more kids still in need of sponsors.  Today I figured I'd concentrate on the older kids since they hold a special place in my heart.  These kids (young adults really) are 18 years or older so they have less than 4 years left in the program (some are older yet, so they have even less time).  If you want to sponsor someone for only a couple years, these kids would be perfect since the time frame is shorter than sponsoring a 4 year old.  Older kids are awesome too because they can write their own letters, write longer letters, and you can be a great friend/mentor to them for the last few years of the program.

So without further ado, I present the young adults.....

Tanzania:

Rose

 

Rose's birthday is November 28, 1995 (so she's 19 years old...will be 20 in November).  She only has 2 years and 9 months left in the program so it would be awesome if she had a stable sponsor for the remainder of her time in the program to give her advice and encouragement.  She's only in middle school currently so your support would mean so much to her and could help her finish off school hopefully!  We've received report cards for some of our Tanzania kids so you might even get to see how she's doing in school too!  She's in the same project that our oldest (Selemani) was from (he left the program when he moved out of the area a little before he turned 21). 
 
Click here to learn more about Rose or to sponsor her.

India:

Chandralega

Chandralega is from India and her birthday is November 13, 1996 (so she's 18 currently...will be 19 in November).  She's from the same project that our Priyanga is from (our girl is 15 now).  Our girl from this project writes to us in English so it makes it easy to send her things in English as well.  She did write to us once in her other language (but also translated her own letter) so it was pretty seeing the other language too.  Chandralega lives with her parents and there are 4 kids in the family.  I'm assuming that she's probably getting close to graduating HS but would then go on to skills training or even college hopefully depending on the situation.  She likes singing and art.

Click here to learn more about Chandralega or to sponsor her.

Rwanda:

We have an 18 year old girl from the same project as the next 3 kids.  She writes nice letters when she's able to (since she's at boarding school for her high school....so these kids might be as well, in which case they would write when they go to the project during breaks and such).  Our girl Diane might even know some of these kids since they are all similar aged (which is why I'm trying not to sponsor them myself since my letters would be the same and I'd hate for them to compare...lol).

Furaha

This young lady- Furaha has a birthday on July 26, 1996 (so she's 18 currently but 19 in July).  She lives with both parents and there are 3 kids in the family.  She's in High School currently. 

Click here to learn more about Furaha or to sponsor her.

Jean Paul

This young man has been waiting 211 days for a sponsor!  Jean Paul's birthday is October 16, 1996 (so he's 18 years old now, 19 in October).  He lives with his parents and there are 7 kids in the family so I'm sure he and his family could really use the support of a loving sponsor.  He likes volleyball, soccer, and he's in High School.  Consider sponsoring Jean Paul to end his long wait!

Click here to learn more about Jean Paul or to sponsor him.

Ruvuta

Ruvuta has been waiting for 230 days for a sponsor.  His birthday is May 25, 1996 (so he's 18, but soon to be 19).  He lives with his parents and there are 5 kids in his family.  He likes soccer, basketball, marbles, and singing in the choir.  He's in High School as well.  Help end his wait for a sponsor!

Click here to learn more about Ruvuta or to sponsor him.



Please let me know if you end up sponsoring any of these kids since I'd love to find out how they do.  Thanks again for praying for these kids and feel free to pass on their information if you have a friend that might be interested in sponsoring them as well.  Thanks!

Help "Alone" not be alone anymore!

Today I did the dangerous task of looking to see if kids were needing sponsors from the centers we already have kids in (since its hard not to click the sponsor button!). 

I noticed that of the 14 centers where we have kids, there were 12 kids total available on the US website still needing sponsors.  Some are older (6 are over 18...so only a few years of sponsorship left) but some are younger.  Some were waiting for awhile.  It is all so tempting, but I am trying to be good and not click the button.

They all stuck out to me for various reasons, but today I want to advocate for the little boy named "Alone".

 Alone

This name is very fitting for him as he is an orphan.  He lives with his grandparents.  He lives in East India (the same project as our boy Ignatius).  He just turned 10 in February (his birthday is Feb. 4, 2005).  Workers in his village earn an average of $22 a month (although since he lives with his grandparents, they might make even less if they don't have stable jobs). 

Our boy from this project writes pretty regularly and draws us great pictures.  I know that within the last few months I saw a Compassion project alert that there was a fire in this project destroying a few of the kids homes (I'm hoping it wasn't this boys or my boys....but either way, I'm sure the community and these kids could all use some extra love!).

Would you consider sponsoring 10 year old Alone today to help him not be alone?  Could you be his mentor, friend, and sponsor?  Help put a smile on his face today by clicking on the link below.  If you do sponsor him, please leave me a message since I'd love to know how he does when you get future letters.


Click here to learn more about Alone or to sponsor him.

Sponsor Group Trip vs. Individual Trip

In 2014 we were blessed enough to do 2 international trips....a sponsor group trip to Peru to visit our 3 Compassion kids there in May, and an individual trip to the Philippines to visit our 2 Compassion kids there in November.

We still have more Compassion kids to visit someday but I wanted to get to see several of them now while we still had the chance (both financially, and before we get too busy if we have kids of our own someday).

People have asked if we preferred the group trip or the individual trip more and the answer is......both!  They each had their pros and cons so I think it really depends on the person, how many kids they sponsor in that area, how familiar they are at arranging travel plans, language barriers, finances, etc.  Both trips were so special and life changing that we really wouldn't trade them for the world.  We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet our kids.....it just makes us love them even more!
 
A reminder of where we went:
In May we went to Peru to visit Said (sponsored), Flor (sponsored), and Yessica (correspondence child) on a group trip.
In November we went to the Philippines to visit Zymvra and Precious (both are our correspondence kids) on an individual trip....so we did the visits and then had a vacation of our own with snorkeling, swimming with whale sharks, etc.

Below I will go over a few of the pros and cons of each based on our personal experiences.  Of course these might be in different categories for you, or not an issue so this is just my perspective to give you a few things to think about. (Obviously it is a win-win situation either way....so the con's aren't really that bad, but just things to think about when deciding.)

 Visiting with Child Survival Program participants in Peru.

Sponsor Group Trip: (with a Compassion leader, they arrange everything, go to several Compassion projects, and then have one (maybe 2) fun day to meet your sponsored child...where the child comes to your location)

 Pros:
* Nothing to plan (other than your plane ticket from your location to the group meeting spot....Miami in our case).  Then sit back and relax (and shop like crazy for gifts for your kids).

* You get the knowledge and expertise of the Compassion staff who have arranged every detail, the schedule, the projects you are going to, the travel arrangements for your Compassion kids, etc.

* You get to socialize with other sponsors who love Compassion just as much as you!

* You learn about all the Compassion programs first-hand by visiting several Compassion projects, home visits of kids in those projects to see living conditions, Child Survival Program, meet LDP kids, etc.  It is amazing at the wonderful work going on around the world with this great organization.

* TRANSLATORS!  Every step of the way, we had translators and I can't tell you how important this is when you want to be able to understand what is going on and to be able to connect with your child.  On our fun days, each sponsor has a translator so that you can have that one-on-one time with your child to get to know them more.

* Able to take gifts for other sponsors for their sponsored kids (drop them off at the country office, or give to local Compassion staff to take it there for you).


Cons:
* Having the kids share a "fun day".  In most countries, there is only one "fun day" to meet your sponsored/correspondence kids.....so if you have several kids, they are sharing your attention.  Thankfully in Peru we had 2 "fun days" since we were in different parts of the country during the week (so kids went to whichever location was closer for them).  This helped us by having 1 kid the first day, and 2 kids the second day.  Having more than 2 at once might get too overwhelming trying to learn about each of them and to make them each feel special.  Thankfully since both my husband and I went, on the day with 2 kids he was Said's buddy and I was Flor's buddy for rides and such, which did work out well.

* Not visiting the actual homes, Compassion project, etc. of your own sponsored child (unless you are lucky enough to have a child in one of the 3 projects you visit that week).  This obviously wouldn't be possible for everyone, but it is something to keep in mind if that is your goal...since an individual trip would work better for you then.

* Having to stick with the group at all times, and the group schedule.  Sometimes we allowed way too much time to get the group together (and sometimes people were still late from their rooms).  If we were by ourselves we would have just left and been on with our day much sooner.  Sometimes we did more shopping or filler activities than we would have done ourselves, but its hard to please the whole group regardless :)

* Expensive:  This trip cost over $6000 for my husband and I to go on (plus domestic flights...since you meet the group in Florida before continuing on to Peru....thankfully I have plenty of frequent flier miles so that portion was free for us).  Some countries you visit cost even more....plus I was lucky enough to use my advocate discount towards my portion (not my husbands) so that helped a little.  I like planning trips so I know I could have found cheaper deals on our own hotels (but then we wouldn't be on the group bus, same hotel, following the itinerary, etc. so it would be totally different too).
           *Disclaimer:  Part of the fee you do pay for a group trip does cover the travel costs of the kids to come to see you on the fun day.  In Peru, this worked easier than an individual trip for us since our kids are in the very north, middle, and very south parts of Peru so it would have been a lot of traveling for us to have to go to each of their locations (although now that we've been there, we might try it the next time).  This also allowed the kids and one of their parents an opportunity to travel, stay in a hotel before meeting us, etc. (if they lived farther away.....2 of our 3 had to do this).  This was a fun opportunity that we are glad we were able to give them.  Getting them there does cost money, which is why it is worked into the cost of the trip....regardless of if you are visiting 1 kid or 10.

This is us meeting Said on one of the group fun days.

Individual Trip:  You plan the details, let Compassion know the day you will be in the child's town and they help arrange that day (and give you the costs so that you bring enough cash to pay for it all), etc.

Pros:
* You can visit more of the country..... at your own pace..... doing your own interests (snorkeling, hiking, relaxing, etc.)

* Costs less (in some cases it might be close....totally depends where you are going).  Since you are booking your flights from your home location, you might get better direct flights or plane schedules at least compared to needing to meet up with the group in a set location (or use your frequent flier miles and such).  You are able to book hotels you choose (some people like fancy, others do not since its only a bed), and restaurants you want.  This saves a lot in some cases!  Our trip to the Philippines only cost about $1600 for the two of us (food, hotels, inter-island plane tickets, taxi's, tours, snorkeling, etc.), including what we spent on the two days we met the kids.  International airfare would be extra but I used frequent flier miles so it was free.  This made our trip so cheap that it was a no brainer to go!  The exchange rate and costs of hotels and such is so cheap in the Philippines so in this case, an individual trip did make more sense.

* You can go when it works the best for you.  The Peru group trip wasn't ideal (since it was over payday....and that is one of my job duties so I had lots of planning to do in order to be gone).  For the individual trip we were able to go over a holiday (Thanksgiving) when it worked the best for being gone from work (less vacation days).  Group trips are set dates, where individual trips are totally up to you!

* You are able to see your sponsored child's Compassion project, meet their local project workers (those there that day), visit their home (which is awesome to see how they live), do a fun activity together and take them out for a nice meal, take them shopping to buy them what they need, etc.  You pay for the actual cost incurred for the day so in some cases this might be a few hundred, but other times not as much.
                *In the Philippines, we paid for our private driver to drive us the 1.5 hours to Zymvra's town, wait for us all day, and then drive us back to our hotel at night (about $60 or so).  Then we paid for the vehicle in his town that took us around all day (along with his family) which was another $60, then lunch (probably like $40 or so), entrance fee to the pool at a hotel ($20 or so), shopping (probably close to $95 since we couldn't tell him no when he picked out some more expensive shorts/shirts and hair gel...lol).  Then the second day when we met Precious we flew to her island (only about $100 round trip for 2 of us), then paid for groceries ($60), playing at an indoor playground ($20), lunch ($30), swimming at a hotel ($25 or so), and a driver for all of us for the day ($60 or so).  We also paid Compassion $25 for making all the arrangements and plans for these two days (very good deal!).  Usually you just meet your child and one of their parents, but in our case we requested to have the whole families come along (which they can do....you just have more people to pay for in terms of food, fun activities, etc.).  It was totally worth it to us though to be able to meet them all and make them all feel special.  Some of these costs would go up or down depending on the country, activities you do, how many in the family (if you include them all or not), how much you say you are willing to spend at the market for things they need, etc.

Cons:
* You have to visit the kids Monday through Friday....so make sure to plan your vacation around which days you can be in your child's town.  This isn't a huge deal, but something to keep in mind.  Since it is during a school day, your child will skip school (for a good reason though!).  This means that when you go to their project, no other kids will probably be around if its during the day.....again, not a huge deal unless you really wanted to interact with more of them.  It does make it nice doing activities though, since the hotel pools and such will be pretty empty in the middle of the day! (so this is both a pro and a con).

* You are responsible to arrange your trip and to make your arrangements to get to your child's town.  If you are not a savvy travel planner, this might be difficult (especially if they are in a remote location).  I think you are able to have the child come to you in some cases, but then you are paying for their travel costs instead of your own (which might also limit the time spent with them), and you wouldn't see where they actually live.

* You are limited to up to 3 visit days within a particular country (only one day with each kid though).  If you have more than 3 kids in a country, you would need a few of them to share a day together meeting you (at least this is what I was told at one point....since I have 4 in Rwanda, plus the girl my mom sponsors so I wanted to meet 5).  This is still way better than a group trip when you only have 1 and in some cases 2 days total to meet all your kids.....but still something to keep in mind. (I originally mentioned 4 days, but I have since edited this to 3 days total after being reminded by others....I had mixed this up by mistake (sorry)).

This is me with little Precious in the Philippines on an individual visit.

Whether it is a group trip or an individual trip, your sponsored kid will feel so special that you came around the world to see them!  They are all smiles, and usually can't sleep the night before from excitement (us too!).  It builds your relationship and you are able to ask (and get answered) all the questions you feel like asking but don't always want to put in a letter.

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but this is a great start of things for you to consider.  If you have any questions at all, please leave me a message and I'll try to help out :)

Consider sponsoring a child today.....or visiting the ones you do sponsor!  They will cherish it always.

Advocacy Kids

I've been good lately and haven't checked out the kids awaiting sponsors (since otherwise I want to sponsor them all myself and I know I can't do that!).

I have a real heart for the older kids.  They are sometimes without a sponsor for various reasons, but I know they are harder to find sponsors for because people gravitate towards the young/cute ones.  These older kids are just as special and really need someone to write to them and encourage them the last few years in the program.

Sponsoring an older child is also great if you know your life circumstances will change in a few years and you don't want to commit for too many years (but you could handle a couple).  You would make such an impact in their lives (and of course they impact you right back!).

A few different older kids jumped out to me today for various reasons so I want to advocate for them.  If you feel like you would like to sponsor any of these kids, just click the link I provide and it should take you to the Compassion website to sign up.  Thanks!



Gatie from Kenya

She just turned 20 a few weeks ago so she only has 2 years left in the program.
Since my name is Katie, her name stuck out to me (different, but similar).  There are 5 kids in her family and she is above average in school.  You could be a great friend to her and encourage her to follow her dreams.  She's so pretty!



Click here to sponsor Gatie



Selemani from Tanzania

His birthday is tomorrow (Jan. 29th) and he will be 20.  He jumped out to me since we used to be correspondence sponsors to a Selemani in Tanzania too so it was kindof fun finding another one on the site.  Our guy left the program at about 21 years old (to find a job in another community) so hopefully this Selemani can finish the program.  It says he is in vocational training right now so he's probably already finished high school.



Click here to sponsor Selemani


Sintayehu from Ethiopia

He is 20 (will be 21 in November).  He is only in middle school at this time so your help would be great to help him continue on in school.  He lives with his mother, who is at home so I'm sure they could really use the help!  He was the oldest child available for sponsorship on the Compassion site at this time so I was hoping to advocate for him to help finish his time off with a great sponsor!



Click here to sponsor Sintayehu


There are over 1000 kids over the age of 14 still needing sponsors.  If you would like to sponsor one of these older kids, I would love to help get you signed up, give you pointers, or just share in the joy of sponsorship.  These older teens write great letters and some even draw great pictures for you (our Yessica is an amazing artist and she's almost 15).  We sponsor/write to kids from age 3 to age 18 so we have some of all ages. 

Let me know if you have any questions at all.


Or to sponsor a different child, click here:

The Story Behind the Gift

This month we were asked to write about the story behind a gift.  This can be a precious Christmas or birthday gift, or a gift that can change someones lives such as the ones offered in the Compassion International gift catalog.

Click here to see the Compassion gift catalog.

There are many awesome gifts offered in this catalog that to many would be great to receive (and to us wouldn't seem like the typical gifts), such as clean water, medical treatments, emergency food or shelter, etc.

Today I'll talk about the gifts mentioned under the "Children at Risk" heading.  For $25, you can provide food and water following a disaster.  This is important since just recently, there was another typhoon in the Philippines and those kids at the centers affected will probably need this extra food/water while they are in the process of clean-up, while their parents are without work, etc.  It can mean the difference between going hungry and being cared for and knowing they are loved.

You can also purchase "Emergency Shelter" for $50.  I saw this first-hand while in the Philippines a few weeks ago.  There was an area that was affected by a fire, and there were families living in tent cities.  To us it is not glamorous, but to them, it was at least a roof over their head and a little bit of privacy compared to being forced to live on the streets.  These people who have so little can be devastated when something happens beyond their control (fire, storms, floods, etc.).  Providing these kids with shelter for only $50 sounds like a great deal!

There are many more wonderful gifts you can offer to kids around the world this year.  Offer them hope for a better future, by helping them stay healthy, fed, sheltered, and protected. 

God bless you all this holiday season.

What does it mean to be a child of God?

This month our blogging assignment is to write about what it means to be a child of God.  I think having a relationship where you turn to God, just like you would a parent is a huge part of it.  I talk to God (in my head) like I'm having a normal conversation with a friend or parent.  I turn to him with my problems, and no that no matter what, he'll be there for me like a parent is. 

We were given this verse as one of the examples of being a child of God:

Jesus said,

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)

  
I think having the mindset of a child is key here, by believing in God through faith like a child.

I also believe that caring for God's children should be a priority to us.  Not only by raising up our own children in the faith, but in spreading the faith to other kids around the world.  Compassion International is one example of this that through the word of Jesus, these kids are given a future (in heaven), as well as getting their physical needs met by providing them with an education and job skills, food, clothing, medical needs, bible training, etc. 

To me, I see Jesus through these kids.  Their innocence and faith is astounding.  They have gone through so much and have so little (financially), yet they are constantly in prayer and thankful for what they do have.  These kids are a great example of what it means to be a child of God.

This past week we received a few letters from our Compassion kids where they mention that they will not go to bed before praying for us (and we do the same for them too).  It is just amazing the love they have for us, as well as for their father in heaven.

I encourage you to sponsor a child today (or write to yours if you already to).....it is so worth it!

15 kids I'm advocating for still need sponsors!

I still have 15 child packets of kids needing sponsors with Compassion International from Uganda, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Peru, Philippines, and Kenya (both boys and girls of many ages...but mostly pretty young).

Below are links to pictures/brief info on a few of them (one from each of the countries I listed), but let me know if a specific child stands out to you and I can get you even more info on them (more about their family, etc.). I only have these kids for about one more week before their packets go back into circulation so I'm hoping to find at least one of these kids a sponsor. If you want to sponsor one of these (or want me to get you links to the other 8 packets I have), let me know (either comment on here or send me an email to ca85@yahoo.com) and I'll help get you signed up. Thanks for considering it.  






If the links don't open automatically, please just copy and paste. 

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=KE7720267&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=GU9510422&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=UG7310134&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=HA8670191&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=PE5250266&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=PH8930277&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

https://www.compassion.com/cart/NeedBioPopUp.aspx?needKey=IN9890126&CartItemGroup=ChildSelected&tcmid

Back to school time.....and for some with Compassion, school for the first time!

All around the US kids are getting ready to go back to school.  School that is free and open to all kids (other than some school supplies and lunch of course).

In other parts of the world, kids aren't so lucky.  Education is not always free and poor families are not able to send their kids to school if they can't afford tuition, books, uniforms, etc.  Or they may only be able to send one child in the family to school, leaving the others at a disadvantage.

Compassion can help!  When you sponsor a child with Compassion, they are ensured an education, since this is a huge key in breaking the cycle of poverty for these children and their future generations.  Education is valued so much to these kids and they love going to school.

Consider sponsoring a child today for $38 a month with Compassion International to allow them to go to school, get proper nutrition and hygiene training, skills training, bible studies, medical check-ups, and so much more!  You can write to your sponsored child, encourage them to study hard, and let them know how much they are loved.  They will also write back so you will be able to build a relationship with them over the years (don't worry, letters are translated).  This would even be a great thing to do as a family with your kids.  Your kids can become the pen pals to your sponsored child, teaching your kids letter writing skills as well as about other parts of the world.  What a perfect lesson for this back to school time of year.

Please consider sponsoring a child today.  I have several child packets of kids in need of sponsors that I can tell you more about.  Otherwise, Click here to search for a child to sponsor.  It will be the best decision you ever make! 


To give you more to think about, here are some facts on education around the world:

• Worldwide, nearly 80 percent of primary-school-age children attend school. In least developed countries, this figure is around 66 percent.
• The largest out-of-school population is in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 45.5 million children of primary school age are out of school.
• Of the 67 million primary-school-age children who do not attend school, 53 percent are girls.
• Worldwide, only 49 percent of children of secondary school age actually attend secondary school.
• Of the 49 percent of secondary age students who do not attend school, 52 percent are girls.
• The world’s functional illiterates include more than 130 million children who do not attend school, 73 million of them girls.

Sources: www.crin.org, www.unicef.org, www.childinfo.org

What Inspired Me?

This months Compassion blogger assignment was to write about what inspired us to sponsor a child with Compassion in the very beginning.


For me it wasn't one specific thing.  I'd always thought about eventually sponsoring a child, but I wasn't sure on what organizations were out there, what was involved (time/money/writing, etc.).  I didn't research it either though, so at the time it was just a thought that it might be a good thing to do "someday".  I don't know what I was waiting for really. 

In January 2012 we went to a Christian music concert (there were like 6 different bands).  Compassion had a booth and the different artists talked about what child sponsorship was, how they had met their kids, etc.  Tenth Avenue North was one of the groups who talked about it along with Mercy Me.  During a break between artists they did a "packet pass" where you raise your hand if you are interested in sponsoring and volunteers walk around with packets of kids needing sponsors (I have since helped out at many of these events and done this exact same thing for others). 

We decided that we had the funds and we should sponsor a child.  We raised our hand and were handed 5 year old Said from Peru.  He looked so cute.  You can either sponsor the child you were handed or go to the table at the booth and look through the pile of other kids.  We decided to keep Said since we felt that God had them hand him to us for a reason.  Plus, how can you really pick one child over another.....its so hard deciding!  They all need the help so we filled out the form, handed it in, and haven't looked back. 

Said has been a great letter writer and artist.  Now that he's 7 he is finally writing his own letters (before it was his tutors) so it is neat seeing his handwriting improve.  Right after we signed up to sponsor Said I did a ton of research on Compassion.  I learned about how the money helps the kids in various ways, how to build a relationship with them through letters, etc. I found great blogs and Facebook groups to join and learned that I could be a correspondence sponsor as well (where someone else sponsors them financially but they don't want to write to them for whatever reason, so the correspondence sponsor does that instead......and the kid thinks you are their new sponsor).

In February 2012 I signed up to be a correspondence sponsor to Selemani from Tanzania and Priyanga from India.  I was doing great for about a year with those three, and then decided to get a few more correspondence kids.  In February 2013 I decided we could financially sponsor more than one so for my birthday I decided to sponsor someone.  A fellow advocate was posting about Sonia, who was 5 (almost 6) from Rwanda whom Laurent could go visit and take pictures for us when he let her know who her new sponsor was.  To me that was an awesome opportunity so that helped me decide to sponsor her. 

After Sonia, I got a few more correspondence kids and then cut myself off, since I wanted to make sure I had enough time to write to them all every month.  I said to stop at 8, but then they accidentally added 2 more to my account (which I can't say no to since I'm sure God had a reason for it), so after that I had them for sure take me off the list so that I could keep up.  They were my perfect 10.

Then God really tested us.

As I just mentioned I added Sonia in February 2013, bringing our financial sponsorship to 2 (with 8 correspondence kids whom we also sent birthday money to and letters and such).  In April 2013 we took a missions trip to Costa Rica.  We came back to a voicemail from Compassion stating that Flor's financial sponsor had dropped her sponsorship.  We needed to decide if we wanted to pick up her financial sponsorship or let her go out into the system to be sponsored by someone else.  We hadn't received a single letter from her yet since she was only added a few months before (but I had already sent her like 10 letters telling how much we loved her and such).  Now as I said before, I can't say no to any of them, especially once I've told them we care for them.  After talking to Adam we decided we'd take on her sponsorship too.  Now we were at 3 sponsorships and 7 correspondence kids.

Then a month later we were tested again, when we received that dreaded phone call.  Priyanga's financial sponsor dropped her.  She was our first correspondence girl and she wrote wonderful letters to us (in English even), calling us auntie and uncle.  How could I ever drop her either?  After having them delay the start of the financial charges by one month, we picked up Priyanga.  She was told her sponsor dropped her so she wrote a new "first letter" to us again.  It took a little while for her to realize it was still us!  But now we are back to our great relationship. 

After that I was scared that it would keep happening to our correspondence kids.  We can afford 4 right now (since we don't have any actual kids) but I don't want to get into a position where I'd have to give any up if our finances change so that part worries me with correspondence kids.  I just pray and know God will provide...either for us to keep them, or to allow my heart to let them go if that ever does happen. 

We've been fortunate enough to get to go to Peru and meet our 3 kids there (2 sponsored, 1 correspondence).  We are so happy that we were able to keep Flor since I can't imagine not getting to know that sweet girl.

Back in March 2014 our oldest (and first correspondence boy), Selemani decided to move out of his Compassion project area (so he could no longer be part of the program).  He was almost 21 and had finished high school so it was still a great success.  He was moving to find a better job for himself so that is always a good reason!  It was still a sad day.  I decided to replace him with another correspondence child as they were posting that there was a great need for correspondence sponsors at that time.  I received Diane from Rwanda who is 18 and sponsored by a business (so I can be safe that she won't get dropped, thankfully!).  I was back to my round number of 10.  Then there were still kids who needed correspondence sponsors and I took a leap of faith and got 2 more (one of whom is also sponsored by a business so that should be safer too).  I've kept my requests to the same countries:  Tanzania, Philippines, Rwanda, Peru, and India so that I have multiple kids per country (Tanzania is down to 1 kid now though after Selemani left the program).  That way if we are ever able to visit, we can see more than one kid at a time.

I am content with my dozen :) 

That is my long version of why I started with Compassion, how I've grown in numbers, and grown in faith by picking up additional sponsorships, etc.  I've became an advocate, helped spread the word about Compassion, and helped at events.  I just love this organization and all the blessings it has brought me. Thanks for reading my story.

If you feel ready to sponsor your first child, please Click here to see kids waiting for a sponsor  It will bring you to the Compassion website where you can search for a child to add to your family and heart :)  Thanks.

Finally....a little about our trip to Peru!

I can't believe I haven't blogged about my sponsor trip to Peru with Compassion International yet.  I was busy catching up when I got back, and now I guess I've just been slacking :)

Here are a few highlights:

*Obviously #1 on my list will have to be meeting our 3 sponsored kids!
*Getting to meet other great sponsors who are also passionate about Compassion.
*Learning more about the different aspects and programs of Compassion such as the Child Survival Program, Leadership Development Program, and of course the Child Sponsorship Program.  Seeing these programs first hand was great to be able to see how the kids benefited in each one.
 *Meeting the great staff in the country....tutors, pastors, project workers, translators, etc. Our staff from Colorado was great too :)


Here are a few pictures from meeting our Compassion kids in Peru:

On May 7th, we had a fun day at a water park where we met Yessica (our correspondence child).

Here we are when we first met her.  We were all smiles.  I had cried on the bus in anticipation of seeing her for the first time.  Then when we got there and saw all the kids from a distance I found her in the crowd and got excited.  I held back tears for the hugs....but the end of the day the tears came back during the goodbyes.

Yessica came with her dad.  They had a 6 hour bus ride to the location and came the night before and stayed in a hotel.  I'm sure that was a fun experience for them.  Her dad had a baby only 10 days before so we were able to give them some baby clothes as a gift (we knew they were pregnant but not how far along....it was a little boy).  Her dad was so thankful for our support.  He made a sash for Adam and a messenger bag for me (which took him 5 days to make!).  He does these sort of textiles as a business so it was special for him to share his skills with us.

Here we are with his handiwork (Yessica and her dad are in the middle).

We gave Yessica lots of presents and clothes, including this Minnesota Vikings shirt.  I have the same one so we can be twins :)

Towards the end of the day Yessica and I were crying when we looked at each other and thought about having to say goodbye.  We wiped away our tears and took more group shots so that we'd have memories in the future.  She has red cheeks from the sun (and from crying)....and me too.

 One final group shot towards the end of the day.

Obviously this is only a portion of our pictures.  I took about 100 or so...which I printed out and will be sending to her 20 at a time because of the thickness restrictions per letter.  She'll keep getting pictures as the year goes on and will keep remembering new moments from our fun day together.  She is 14 years old and wants to be a doctor someday.  We love this girl so much!


Now on to the next fun day......where we met our two sponsored kids at an amusement park on May 9th.



First up was Said (age 7) and his mom.  Said was our very first sponsored child.  Adam gave him a big hug and spun him around.  We later found out that his dad is out of the picture so I'm sure he appreciated having a male figure show him affection and love.

 I awkwardly waited for my turn to say hello.

Next up was 11 year old Flor and her mom. 

Adam and Said.

Me and Flor.

We went on rides at the amusement park.  It was the first time they were on a roller coaster (for the mom's too!).  They enjoyed it but were a little scared.  

Flor and Said waiting in line to go on the roller coaster (again).  I love her smile.  She was shy though so when she noticed I wanted to take a picture she sometimes turned away so these moments had to be captured quick!  Said was hyper and talkative like any 7 year old boy so he lead the group around and Flor was quiet and shy and just followed him along.  Flor lives near Lima (so had about a 2 hour bus ride to get there that morning).  Said is from southern Peru so he had a 16 hour bus ride.  Said and his mom came the night before by bus and stayed in a hotel.  It was his 2nd time in a hotel he said, but the first time in an elevator :)  The transportation and hotel costs for the kids and their parents were covered by our trip costs so we were glad they were able to travel and have these fun new memories.

Flor and Said (and Adam) checking out the parrots in the small zoo area of the park.

The four of us being silly.

We had two great translators with us (both on the right side of the table).  With two kids, and two parents having two was awesome!  Said was super talkative so having a fast translator helped us understand him.  And having a second translator helped me try to ask Flor questions while Said was talking with Adam and the others too.

Adam and Said went on the log ride.  We used the towels we brought them (in case we went to the water park portion...but it was too chilly) to keep Said a little dry.  They still got wet but he didn't care.

Flor loved the animals, especially the chickens.  She got a sole (like 30 cents) from her mom in order to get chicken feed from the machine to feed the chickens (we later got more for the other animals).

 Here she is feeding a horse.  I love her joyful smile/laugh.

They both love the horses.

Here we are with both kids, parents, and our one translator (the other took the picture). We gave them backpacks full of school supplies, books, toys, etc.  We also gave each kid a bag of clothes as well as towels and gifts for their families.  I loved shopping for them :)

A group shot at the end of the day.  Said held on to his new soccer ball and liked his new stocking hat (even though it wasn't that cold...lol).

Us with Flor and her mom.

Individual shots so each kid felt special.

Said and his mom with us.

Again, we had a ton of pictures (probably between 150-200) of this fun day.  We printed a ton out for Flor and Said so they will be getting them a small stack at a time throughout the year.  We had given each kid a small photo album to put the pictures in but I should have given them a couple since they won't all fit...lol.

This second fun day we knew more what to expect after already going through one a few days before with Yessica.  I didn't cry at the beginning but at the end after we took these pictures, Flor started to cry so I hugged her and cried....and then Said started to tear up a little!  It was sad waving goodbye to them when their bus left.

These fun days were some of the best days of our lives.


Obviously I have more to talk about with going to the different Compassion projects and such too but this will end my post for today.  Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like help sponsoring a child of your own.  It is so worth it!

Click here to find children who are in need of sponsors.

Advocating for two cuties from Peru!

We went on a sponsor trip the beginning of May to Peru to visit three of our Compassion kids there.  It was an amazing trip (sorry I haven't blogged about it yet....soon I hope!).

After the trip, I received 2 packets for kids from Peru (plus one I had picked up on the trip, whom I found a sponsor for). 

Below are the two kids I'm advocating for another week or so here:

Here are Briggtte and Nilton.

Nilton is 6...almost 7 (birthday is August 23, 2007). He's from the north/central part of Peru, lives with both parents and there are 3 kids in his family. Briggtte is 8...almost 9 years old (birthday is June 20, 2005). She's actually from one of the centers we visited in the north part of Peru (but I didn't have her packet at the time so I didn't get any individual pictures of her unfortunately since I didn't know to look for her). I can show you general pictures of her project though if you do sponsor her. It was a wonderful project with lots of great skills training, great project staff, etc. She lives with both parents and there are two kids in her family. 

 Let me know if you are drawn to either of these kids and want to become their sponsor.  Our Peru kids are great writers so far, and we get letters pretty on schedule every two months or so.

Host your own Compassion Sunday....online!

Each year, there is an official date for Compassion Sunday (May 4th this year), although you can really do it any time that works for your church.  This is a chance for advocates to tell their churches more about Compassion, help people get signed up for sponsorship, etc.

Not everyone has a church that allows this.  And some people are nervous about getting in front of a crowd.  Now there is a new way that allows everyone to participate....online Compassion Sunday :)



Click here to go to my online Compassion Sunday page.

I have created my own page to tell a little about myself and to advocate for one particular child.  If that child is sponsored, then I would just pick a new child to advocate for.  You can also create your own page like this to advocate for a child, or just tell your friends to go to Compassion.com to search for a child they would like to sponsor.  It is easy to advocate and tell others about Compassion.  Finding sponsors isn't always easy but it is fun telling others about the organization, even if it just helps them recognize it again when they hear about it in the future.  It might put the thought on their heart and someday maybe they too will be a sponsor.


Maybe even one of my readers will want to sponsor this cute little Peru girl I'm advocating for on my site (see the link above).  Thanks for considering it :)

Oh Happy Day!

Today I got an email response that I've been dreaming about.....that our church might consider letting me do a Compassion Sunday!  I've emailed everyone there that I can think of with no response, so after checking on another page on the church website, I noticed another email address to try yesterday and I got a response this morning.  The gentleman has never heard about Compassion so he'd like to hear more but thinks it might be a good fit based on what I told him in the email.  We leave for Peru very soon so we might not get to work out the details before our trip but I'm glad I at least found a person who is willing to listen.

I am beyond joyed!  This is a huge church so I figured it would be a tough road trying to find someone to listen or let me do a talk (or even just a table with packets) so I am psyched that the first step is finally broken through!  Plus, this would be a great opportunity to get more children sponsored or maybe even create a letter writing club or something like that to teach sponsors about the importance of writing to their sponsored child.

Please pray that the next steps go well also and for courage at speaking in front of such a large group if they do allow it :)

Cute Video!

This is a cute video of a little boy who you will fall in love with. 

Compassion also helps with medical needs of children in poverty whom would not be able to afford it otherwise.  It is another great benefit of this wonderful organization.  Sponsor a child today :)

Getting ready for our Peru Sponsor Tour

I have been preparing for the past 3 months for our trip to Peru.  It is finally only a few weeks away.  I've gone overboard with gifts for our sponsored kids, promised to bring around 9 or 10 baggies of gifts for other sponsors kids, and then we need to bring gifts for the projects we visit, homes we visit, child survival program, etc.  I'm totally running out of room.

We'll just have to pack really light for what we'll wear for the week and such ourselves.  That way I can cram as many gifts into the suitcases and carry-ons that I can.  The way home we'll combine suitcases inside each other since the majority will then be empty but on the way there will be the main mystery.

Please pray that the remaining preparations go well, for safe travels, and for good days meeting our kids!

We can't wait to give Yessica, Said, and Flor a big hug.