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Teach Me Jesus Thursdays: A Heart to Give

13. December 2012 · 4 comments · Categories: Christmas, Compassion International, Teach Me Jesus

Opening the tiny door on the Advent box, he pulls out a plastic communion cup. “Why’s there a cup in here? Are we going to talk about Jesus’ death today?”

Each day of Advent, my boys pull out a tiny object from our Advent box. These objects give them a hint as to what our devotional topic and activity will be that day.

“No. Actually, the cup refers to the passage I’m going to read today.”

I read to them from Matthew 25:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (vs. 34-40)

Every Christmas season, my desire is to have my children learn the importance of giving rather than getting. It’s quite difficult in our materialistic culture for children to do that. From advertisements on tv to the catalogues we get in the mail, our children are bombarded with opportunities to make toys and material items idols of their heart. Without a parent’s influence in directing their children’s attention to Christ and his birth, they would spend the entire season dreaming of gifts they will get rather than the Gift they’ve already received.

I want my children to be cheerful givers, to give not because they have to, but because they get to. I want them to give out of the abundance they’ve been given, knowing that they have all they need in Christ. I want them to hold their material things loosely because Christ is more important than any toy.

And I want them to know that the greatest gift they’ve been given is Christ himself.

Some of the things we like to do every year to practice giving:

1. We start the season by filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas child. I recently learned that if you missed the opportunity to participate this year, you can give virtually by visiting here.

2. Then we shop for the child we’ve chosen from the Angel tree at my son’s school. This year the child we chose was the same age and gender as my son. Giving presents that my son wanted for himself to another child was a good lesson in sacrifice and putting someone else before himself.

3. Since December 6th is St. Nicholas day, the past few years we’ve practiced being St. Nick by giving to others, usually by filling stockings and bringing them to a ministry that serves those in need.This year, the kids filled stockings with toys and treats for local children who are in need. The boys helped pick out everything and filled the stockings themselves.

4. The past few years, just before Christmas, the boys have given gifts to Jesus. Last year, they selected a gift from the Compassion Gift Catalog that they wanted to give to Jesus-water for a family. They saved their change all year and this month we went online and placed our order for it. They then chose something else to save for over the next year.

Giving is an act that doesn’t come naturally. We naturally want to serve ourselves first. It’s through the convicting work of the Spirit in our heart that we realize just how much we’ve been given. We then give from a cheerful heart, one that is overflowing in gratitude for all that God has done for us. This then is my ongoing prayer for my own children-that the Spirit would help them see how blessed they are because of Christ, propelling them to love and give to those who need it most.

How does your family like to give to others this time of year?

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A Prayer for Compassion

14. September 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Compassion International

Father in Heaven,

I come before you so grateful for all the ways you have loved and blessed me. I live in comfort with family who loves me. I’m never hungry and my clothes never wear out. My kids have more toys that I ever did and they’ve been to Disney more than most American children.

I take all these things for granted when children around the world suffer. While my kids eat multiple times a day, other families take turns eating. While I rush to my children’s doctor at the slightest fever, children in other countries die from preventable diseases. And the amount of money I spend on legos could quite possible clothe several children for a year.

Yet, I wonder, is this the life you’ve called me to?

Forgive me for taking advantage of all the blessings you’ve given me and keeping them for myself. Instead of investing in the lives and souls of others, I have hoarded and spent on myself and my children. Forgive me for being so comfortable with this life you’ve given me.

Today, I ask you to make me uncomfortable for the sake of others.

I thank you for ministries like Compassion who open my eyes to the suffering around the world. Through this ministry, I’ve been honored to share my abundance for the sake of another child. Open my eyes more. Pierce my heart deeper. Help me to forsake the things of this world so that others will have hope for the next.

And I pray especially for our sponsored child, Ambrose, in Kenya. I know he goes to sleep at night fearful of the dangers that surround him. I pray for your peace and comfort to envelope him. May he feel your presence and trust in your love and grace. Provide for him and his family and draw them to you.

And continue the work you are doing in my heart.

Because and through Jesus I pray, Amen.

Pray for Compassion’s Children

07. September 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Compassion International

Did you know one in seven people battle with hunger everyday? Did you know that more than 6 million children die each year from malnutrition? How about the fact that In developing countries, approximately 130 million children and teens have lost one or both parents? There are over 1.4 billion people in the developing world who live below the poverty line.

I didn’t know any of that either.

Until I became a Compassion Blogger.

Compassion International’s mission is to rescue children from poverty and its devastating effects-in the name of Jesus. They provide clothing, medical care, food, and the opportunity to attend school where they learn about Jesus’ love for them. Getting an education opens the door to a world outside of poverty for these children. Being in school keeps them safe from the dangers of the streets, especially the danger of slavery.

Would you join me in praying for these children? Compassion currently helps over 1.2 million children, and there are many more that are waiting for a sponsor of their own.

Ways to pray:

Go to Compassion’s website and pray over the children listed there. Pray that they will get sponsored. Pray for them to know Jesus. Pray for their protection and safety.
Look at the Sponsor a Child page and spend time asking God to reveal His heart for the poor to you.
As we’ve done in our own home, sit down with your children and look at the site together. Open their eyes to have compassion to the least of these. Show them what the world looks like outside the comforts of their home. Help them to see how blessed they are.

This month is blog for Compassion month. The goal is to have 3,108 children sponsored during this month. Will you pray with me that all 3,108 children get sponsored?

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

September is Blog for Compassion Month

01. September 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Compassion International

The month of September is officially “Blog for Compassion” month. Compassion’s goal for the month is to get 3,108 children sponsored. I will be joinging other Compassion bloggers in spreading the word about their ministry and encouraging sponsorships.

Want to join and become a Compassion Blogger too? Sign up here.

Blog for Compassion

04. August 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Compassion International

As my regular readers know, I am a Compassion Blogger. What is a Compassion Blogger? Someone who believes in the mission of Compassion International and uses their blog to spread the word about the work they are doing for children in poverty around the world.

For the last few years, our family has sponsored a boy in Kenya. We receive letters from him every month and see the progress he is making in Compassion’s program. Compassion’s ministry to children in poverty around the world saves lives, gives hope, and teaches them about Jesus. Sponsored children are able to attend school each day, eat meals, and receive needed healthcare. Being in school gives them hope for a future outside of poverty and prevents them from being drawn into slavery and prostitution. And most importantly, through Compassion, they learn about their Savior. These children hear the gospel and often learn for the first time that they are loved by the God who created them.

It’s because of the amazing work they are doing that I chose to become a Compassion Blogger. Once a month, I receive an assignment to blog about. Sometimes it is about a specific child who needs prayer and support. Other times it is about a specific project Compassion is involved with. Would you be interested in blogging for Compassion? Visit the Compassion Bloggers site here to learn more. There you will learn how to sign up as a blogger, view the blogging assignments, and find additional resources (including badges to add to your blog). You’ll see my blog listed there, as well as all the other Compassion Bloggers.

Will you help spread the word about Compassion through your blog?

Survive125

29. June 2012 · 7 comments · Categories: Compassion International

This month’s assignment for Compassion Bloggers involved playing a game online. Who doesn’t love the challenge of playing a game? My son and I sat down to try out the game on the 58: website. What is 58:? “58: is an unprecedented global alliance of Christians, churches and world-class poverty-fighting organizations working together to end extreme poverty in our lifetime.” Compassion International is one such organization.

We were assigned a woman from India and we were to make the decisions she makes each and everyday. Living off of $1.25 each day, we were presented with a series of choices to make in how to use our money. (My son is seven, so I edited some of the questions that had to do with topics too old for him). The challenge was to make it an entire month on our little income making choices such as: should we pull our son out of school because we couldn’t afford his uniform?, should we eat food that was covered in mold after a recent flood or starve?, should we vaccinate our children? and should we pull our child out of school once a week to walk three hours for clean water or just drink the dirty water close to home?

We only made it to day 17.

My son learned a lot from the game, and frankly so did I. It was eye-opening to the realities faced by real people around the world. Every day parents have to make tough, life or death decisions that I simply don’t have to face.

To be honest, I could not live on $1.25 a day and neither can anyone else.

Yet 1.3 billion people live in poverty around the world. Want to get involved? Learn more about 58: and its mission here. Join Compassion International’s efforts here. And see how you do at living on $1.25 a day by playing Survive 125 here.

Compassion in Tanzania

05. May 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Compassion International

Have you been to Tanzania? I haven’t. But this week, six Compassion Bloggers will be joining Shaun Groves on a trip to Tanzania. They will be exploring Compassion’s ministry to children there. Some of these bloggers will get to meet their own sponsored child, face to face. Can you imagine?

Each of these bloggers will be sharing their own thoughts and feelings in response to their experiences, both on Twitter and their individual blogs. For a list of these blogs, click here.

I know it will be a great experience, both for the bloggers and the children they meet. Maybe one day, I can join Compassion on a trip to Kenya…

Until then, I’m excited for this group and pray for God to do amazing work in and through them. Won’t you pray too?

Teach Me Jesus Thursdays: Developing Compassion

03. May 2012 · 12 comments · Categories: Compassion International, Teach Me Jesus

It sits on the counter in the kitchen, a reminder of our goal this year.

Earlier this year, we shopped the Compassion Gift Catalog and they made their selection. The kids decided to save their money to help a family buy a water treatment system.

Recently, we had problems with our well water. It tasted and smelled horrible. We drank bottled water and called a repair company. Soon everything was back to normal again. Easy. Not so, for those in poor countries around the world. They may have to walk for miles just to get dirty water. Not drinking it is deadly, because their bodies need water to live. Drinking it can be just as deadly as well, because of all the parasites and bacteria it contains.

Just how do you teach children about compassion?

Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Compassion is more than just feeling sorry for someone else’s pain. It’s more than seeing someone hurt and shedding tears out of empathy. Compassion is stepping into the pain of others and helping to change the problem. It’s being willing to get one’s hands dirty and to sacrifice for someone else. Just as Christ did for us.

Recently, I found a homeschool curriculum on Compassion International’s website designed to teach children about compassion. We’ve been using and love it. It takes you on a geographical tour around the globe, learning about different countries and the needs of the people. There are passages of Scripture to read and discuss. There are also fun activities that help explore the lesson further. We made our own rain forest in a bottle when studying Brazil.

The curriculum covers a five-week period with two lessons per week. Best of all, it’s free! You can check it out here.

Compassion for others comes from the heart. You have to realize how much you have before you can see how little someone else has. You have to see how blessed you are in your particular circumstances before you can help someone who is not. I like to point out to the kids regularly what we have that those in other countries do not have. Something as basic as clean water is something we all take for granted.

As a mother, I would be horrified to give my child dirty water. I can only imagine how mothers around the world feel as their children drink from contaminated streams. This curriculum is a great way to open the door of your child’s heart to a suffering world around them. And perhaps they too can give a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus.

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A Way to Help Children in Poverty

03. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Compassion International

I’m a Compassion Blogger and about once a month I write a post for Compassion International.

This month, Compassion is teaming up with Sevenly, providing an opportunity for you to help children in poverty. Sevenly is a company whose mission is to “harness the power of art and community to build sustainable awareness and funding movements that support charities in their efforts to change the world.” This partnership will only last through next Monday, April 9 at 9:59 AM PST.

Between now and April 9th, when someone sponsors a child through Compassion, they will receive a free t-shirt. Or when someone buys a shirt through Sevenly, $7 will go to provide a mosquito net for a child in Rwanda. A simple mosquito net can save a child from Malaria which kills a child every 30 seconds.

Remember, this partnership only lasts through Monday, April 9 at 9:59AM PST.

Book Review: Just a Minute

21. February 2012 · 4 comments · Categories: book reviews, Compassion International

I remember the first time I heard it. I was fifteen and it had been mere months since my grandmother had died unexpectedly. He had called to catch up. I don’t remember the details of our conversation, though I probably talked about school and my part-time job. We finished talking and before I hung up the phone I heard him say in his deep baritone, “I love you.”

I had never heard those words before from anyone in my family. My grandfather, the WWII veteran and retired police officer from our nation’s capital, had always seemed fearless, strong and invincible in my youthful eyes. Yet the sudden loss of my grandmother changed him, humbled him, and softened him. When he spoke those words to me that day on the phone, I didn’t know what to say. Like my grandmother’s death, those words were sudden and emotionally shocking. Yet unlike her death, they planted seeds of hope in my hurting and frail heart.

As the years went by, we all learned to say those words. Not a day has passed in my children’s life that I have not spoken those words to them.

I recently wrote a post about Wess Stafford’s new book, Just a Minute. Since that post, I received my own copy to read and review. Compassion International’s president has traveled the world many times over and in doing so, has heard many stories about the power of words in a child’s life. This book compiles about sixty stories of the lasting impact that words of affirmation make in a person’s life.

Just a Minute: In the Heart of a Child, One Moment...Can Last Forever

The book includes stories about children in the Compassion program as well as stories of famous people, both present and past. Some are hope filled and reveal the power of encouraging words. Some are stories of tragedy, like that of a young Hitler. Wess Stafford encourages us to be intentional with the children in our lives and take advantage of each moment with them. Taking just a minute to speak affirming and truthful words to their heart can impact them for years to come. We ought to do this with any child we meet or have contact with, not just our own children.

These affirming words aren’t just praises like “good job,” rather they are meaningful words that speak to the heart of what God thinks of them and what he is doing in their lives. It’s encouraging them in the gifts and skills he’s given them. It’s also showing unconditional love and a genuine interest in their lives.

This book struck me deeply, especially as I reflected on the missing positive affirmations from my own childhood. There were moments of grief as I experienced again the painful messages I had learned instead. Yet this book also has challenged me to be more proactive in using each moment with a child to speak blessing to their hearts. I’ve also been more intentional in our letters to our Compassion child to speak words of affirmation to his heart. Instead of merely sharing with him our daily lives, I’ve begun to share with him our specific prayers for him, how we see God working in him and how God is preparing him for a great future.

“You, even for a moment, are part of a tapestry of people engaged in the life of any child with whom you have a minute. Others may have hurt them deeply. Some may have neglected them, sending a “you don’t matter” message deep into their spirit. We don’t have to know all the dynamics that bring us to the present moment. But we must all be faithful to play our part when the moment presents itself.(p.122)”

What can you do with just a minutes time to speak hope into the heart of a child?