Praying one night with my youngest before he went to bed, I prayed for a ministry we support that serves orphans in China. In my prayer, I asked God to provide parents for each of the orphans.

Ian interrupted my prayer and said, “And God, please give mommies and daddies to all the children of the world.” After we prayed he said, “Mommy, why didn’t you pray that all children have mommies and daddies?”

Why indeed!

Living in America, it can be challenging to help our children care about what is happening in the rest of the world. Without the exposure to how the rest of the world lives, the everyday reality for other people is beyond their understanding. But as with all spiritual growth, a heart for the world develops over time and in deeper ways as our children mature in their faith. As parents, I believe it is important that we expose them in as many ways as we can to the realities of life around the world, not only physically but spiritually as well.

Jesus called us to go into all the world and spread the good news. I want my children to play a part in the Great Commission. I want them to develop a love for the lost. I want them to have a generous heart toward those who are in need. I want them to know that there is more to life than accumulating things, entertaining themselves, and living selfish lives.

I want my children to have a heart for the world.

To that end, there are a few things we have been doing in recent years to teach, disciple, and help our children develop a compassion for the lost.

1. We have been learning about other peoples and cultures around the world. We’ve used a great book this year called Window on the World: When We Pray God Works
that not only teaches children about the different people groups around the world but also tells us how to pray specifically for them. A friend of mine at Hive Resources shared a great idea that she does with her children, making food from other cultures and praying for the people there. Click here to read that post.

2. We also read biographies about famous missionaries. One series we love is called, Christian Heroes Books 1-5 Gift Set (Christian Heroes: Then & Now) (Displays and Gift Sets)We have learned about Amy Carmichael, David Livingstone, Gladys Alyward, Nate Saint, and many more. These books reveal stories about their childhood, their heart for missions, how God brought them into missions, the struggles they had and how God provided for them each step of the way. These books provided opportunities for great conversations about how God works through us to spread the gospel throughout the world.

3. Our family sponsors a child through Compassion International. We pray for our child and send him letters. The money we send provides for our child’s education, clothing, food, and medical needs. He learns about Jesus in his school and Compassion also reaches out to the rest of his family.

4. The past couple of years the boys have given “gifts” to Jesus at Christmas. This past year, they selected an item from the Compassion gift catalog that they want to save for throughout this year. At the end of the year, they will purchase their “gift” to help the “least of these.” Last year’s gift was to help a village get fresh water.

A cute story to go along with this: This week the boys have been home sick. The other day they decided to put together a scavenger hunt for me. I followed the clues all around the house until finally I arrived to the prize. And what was that prize? A pile of change to put in the savings jar for the Compassion gift this year.

5. On my heart for this next year is for us to do a mission’s trip as a family. A friend of ours takes groups on mission trips each summer and invited us to go on one next year. I’m not sure if we are ready to go to Kenya, but I am praying for wisdom and opportunities for a trip we can all do together.

I’d love to hear your ideas for ways to help our children have a heart for the world. So please share!