Weekend Worship

This weekend I'm at an Experience Compassion Conference - soaking up the fellowship, encouragement and passion within the Compassion community.

Originally this conference was to happen last month, but was cancelled due to inclement weather. We have a whole new line up of speakers and presenters and last night was really, really good.

We heard from Ian Durias and Jore Lund about making ideas happen and coaching. We also heard from Grant Norsworthy, who shared with us what it means to worship with our lives.

Several years ago, Grant and his wife traveled to Rwanda to meet their sponsored children and see the ministry of Compassion. He wrote this beautiful song when he returned and I wanted to share it with you.






This blog will likely be very quiet for a while...we are packing our bags and will soon be off on our adventure. Three years ago I started this blog with the desire to experience the ministry of Compassion as a family. And soon...very soon...my family will stand on Thai soil and meet our Orm face to face.


 Pray for us?

Guest Post ~ Crystal Kupper

Crystal Kupper is a United States Air Force wife, freelance writer and SAHM of three littles ages six to 11 months living in Norfolk, England. Growing up with Compassion "siblings," she became a sponsor herself in 2008 and an advocate soon after. Today, she and her ridiculously good-looking husband Nickolas sponsor Barbie from the Philippines, Charly from Nicaragua and Wilmer from Bolivia while corresponding with Viona from Indonesia, Sitota from Ethiopia and Rodgers from Kenya. The things that make her happiest: long runs, social justice, adoption success stories, quality chocolate, books and kisses from her man. Catch her blogging on her unexpected life in the motherland at www.crystalkupper.net/blog. 

Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somwhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth

For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good

Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good

~"Something Good" from The Sound of Music

From the time we are toddlers, our parents teach us that good begets good. Finish your dinner? You get an extra bedtime story. Nice to your sister? That's five more minutes of playtime for you. The moral of the story: good things happen when you're good. And the opposite holds true in Parentville, as well. Negative behaviors earn negative consequences.

So we grow up with this idea that goodness comes from goodness. And often, it's true on the surface. So we slowly start to "earn" more good things by being good, even as adults. 

As First-World citizens, this mindset is especially prevalent when thinking about social justice. After all, we're the ones with the money, education, free time, healthcare and resources. We give to the poor; they don't give to us. We are big; they are little. We are the somethings; they are the nothings. If they were something, the thinking goes, then wouldn't they have something, too? If they have nothing, they must be nothing. 

Mother & Child in Child Survival Program project - photo by Teri Gerdes

If Maria von Trapp taught her viewers anything (well, besides how to become a drapery fashionista), it was that nothing comes from nothing, right? 

As much as I love Julie Andrews, I think she and the lovestruck Captain had it backwards. Let me tell you why. 

Recently, the UK (the country where I am currently living) has experienced devastating floods. While England is known for its wetness, it couldn't handle this much. The floods killed two and destroyed many homes, possessions and livelihoods. In a matter of days, thousands of British citizens went from having everything to nothing. 

And from "nothing" came an amazing act of hope and encouragement. 

Some kids from a Compassion project in Guatemala heard about what was happening in their sponsors' country. (Compassion International isn't limited to America; you can sponsor from any of nine countries). And they wanted to let these men, women and teenagers who had so positively impacted their lives see that they knew, cared and were taking spiritual action. 

So they made a video. 

)

"Dear sponsors in UK," the slides read. "Due to the recent events that hit your country, we wanted you ALL to know we pray for you! We love you! May God keep you! Our heart is with you!" Each smiling child, surrounded by the evidence of extreme poverty, is a beautiful breath of fresh air.

When all was reduced to nothing for Compassion's UK sponsors, something good came out of it. And it wasn't because these sponsors were intrinsically good. It wasn't because they were better than the kids living in extreme conditions on the other side of the globe. It wasn't because the sponsors sent the most letters, or the most money, or even remembered to pray for their kids. 

It was because they were. 

It was because in the Kingdom of God, life is flipped upside down -- the least minister to the most, the smallest give the greatest. It was because like always, the kids in Guatemala learned it is far greater to give than to receive. 

Being a Compassion sponsor isn't about good coming from good. In this fallen world, we cannot produce good in and of ourselves. Instead, being a Compassion sponsor is about the wonderfully-backwards philosophy of goodness rising out of seeming catastrophe. Nothing coming from nothing -- both for the  sponsors and the sponsored.

Somewhere in their youth and childhoods, the Compassion kids from Guatemala definitely did something good. But it wasn't from them; it was from the ultimate source of good Himself.

Pastor Letters ~ Dominican Republic

We recently received two letters from the pastors of Veronica and Antoni, both of the Dominican Republic. I always learn so much about the community my sponsored child lives in when I read these pastor letters.

from Antoni's pastor - Antoni attends DR 408 Itegral Development Eben-ezer

Receive special greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the church of Christianization that I pastor.  

I am the pastor Florentino Corporan Reyes, responsible of the integral development center Ebenezer which works in the city of San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic, where your sponsored child Antoni attends.  

We want you to know that we are very grateful for the valuable investment you have been doing through your sponsorship of Antoni. Undoubtedly you have joined without knowing us, to the mission of this church, helping to realize our goal of combating poverty and improving the quality of life of Antoni and his beneficiary family. 

I share to you that this city has dropped the standard of living of most of its inhabitants. At other times this became the third city in importance and current financial resources; but several sources of income, that is big companies, providing jobs, have declined and many others have ceased operations in the past ten years.  

Naturally, for these and other reasons poverty has grown as well as insecurity. The closest neighborhoods of our institution are considered among the poorest in the city. Due to having the lowest levels of education, they offer almost no source of formal employment and there are very few public schools and private schools. The lack of opportunities for advancement, the loss of purchasing power, loss of moral and spiritual values and family breakdown, are all factors that adversely affect the children of the city. 

The work of our project, and other ministries of the church, have contributed to the promotion of values and the educative formation to hundreds of boys and girls for more than 10 years. You and we have been allies of hundreds of poor families to the protection of their children. We give all glory to God. 

Finally, our staff has been an example of excellence and passion in the work they perform. each one of them provides personal attention to each child. And as a testimony we inform you that we do an annual camp for parents and children, and we celebrate this year, several mothers and children received Christ. In addition, the lessons that my wife and I shared with men and women served to make their lives positively in their roles as husbands and fathers.  

Again, receive thanks, and God protect your life and your family. We will continue praying for you. 

With high esteem,Florentino Corporan Reyes 

from Veronica's pastor -Veronica attends DR 495 Integral Development Fuente de Esperanza

I courteously address you in order to greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm the Reverend Sebastian R. Perez Rodriguez, pastor of the Iglesia Roca de Salvacion Church (Rock of Salvation Church) into parnership with the Fuente de Esperanza (Source of Hope) Project, which your sponsored child, Veronica attends. This project is located in Las Flores sector, from the San Cristobal province, southern region, Dominican Republic. 

We thank you in a great way for the opportunity you offer us in order to give the message of health and salvation to those families from our community, and to reach the integral development of our participants, since this is affected by the spiritual, physical, economic and social needs which are shown by our community. 

I have felt impacted as a pastor to see how the participants of the community have been bettering themselves both in the secular and the spiritual areas, since the participants are now an example in their homes about what they have learned in the center, since their parents have given testimony of their good actions.  

We can't stop mentioning to you that your effort is not just a blessing for Veronica, but to the center's staff too, since they have grown not only spiritually but intellectually too. Our collaborators care for each one of our participants, and the love they feel toward each one of them encourages them to do a better work.  

Our participants commonly talk about their future visions, about reaching the Leadership Development Program, being tutors, and somehow being collaborators in the Compassion's national office. They also talk about getting to be computer specialists, doctors, teachers and sportsmen. The center has  implemented technical-vocational courses so that our participants somehow manage to reach the goals they have set themselves. We had the great privilege to have been visited by one of our sponsors this last year. This was something of great blessing for all of us. Meanwhile, we also receive approximately 180 letters per year. We congratulate our sponsors for this honorable gesture of affection that they give to our participants through letters, since this actions is much appreciated by each one of them.

We recently had a contest with our participants about composition and singing, and we were really surprised about the talents that were shown. We also had marches in which we proclaimed Christ's name in our community, where many people were impacted. 

We ask for prayers for each one of the participants and their relatives, for the staff and for our sector. May God bless you and your family greatly! 

I courteously say good-by, Sebastian R. Perez Rodriguez

Going to Thailand

In addition to meeting Orm, our sponsored child, we will be visiting our friends. Almost three years ago we were introduced to the Eubank family. Dave, Karen and their three kids are missionaries with Free Burma Rangers. Originally from the pacific northwest and avid adventurers, we met up with them to hike when they were here visiting. We had such a great time getting to know them, and were hungry to know more about their mission in northern Thailand and Burma.

My husband kept in touch with Dave throughout the year and the following summer we met up with them for another hike in Washington. Our friendship grew and we began dreaming of the day when we could go visit them in Thailand and see the work they are involved in.

Then again last summer, we had the honor and privilege of spending another day with them here in Oregon.

Dave and Karen are amazing people. Because of their work, they know what it's like to depend on God in any and every situation. In fact, when you are in conversation with Dave, if something comes up that is prayer worthy, he will just stop the conversation and PRAY - right then and there.

So this really is our tie and our pull to go to Thailand. It just so happens that we also sponsor a child in northern Thailand and we'll get to meet her.

Dave has connections with Compassion, too. Just a few weeks before we met him for the first time, he was in Colorado Springs at Compassion's global minsitry center and gave the chapel presentation. You can watch it HERE. In it, you'll hear Dave's sister share a little about the success of Compassion's ministry in northern Thailand, and how some formerly sponsored children are now working with FBR.



I love hearing from you - your comments make my day! If you have trouble finding the comment button, try clicking on the title of this post. Hopefully that will solve the problem and you can say hi.

Guest Post - Judy Myers

My name is Judy Myers from Calgary, Alberta in western Canada. I have been a passionate child sponsor with Compassion Canada since 2001 and have been an equally passionate and active advocate for child sponsorship since 2011. 

In 2005 I started sponsoring one of my Compassion children, Milton Paredes at project EC124 in south Quito, Ecuador and had the honor and privilege of meeting him on individual child visit trips in 2006 and 2007. He will be turning 16 years old on April 26th. 

I've been encouraging him recently to apply for Compassion's Leadership Development Program (LDP) as he has been class president at his school since he was 11 years old, is youth leader and Sunday School teacher at his church and organizes youth retreats.

 I found another letter from him in my mailbox yesterday and read the most wonderful news a sponsor could ever hope to receive!! Milton just returned from giving his testimony at a youth conference in Same, Esmeraldas in front of youth from all over Ecuador and shared the fantastic news with me that "something wonderful happened there, I confirmed my call to the Ministry". 

God confirmed his call for Milton to go into the ministry!!! My boy's going to be a pastor, or better yet, an evangelist!!! Now when he applies for the LDP, he can apply for a Theology degree!!!

He said "I am still very young but I feel God's call on my life". This is one proud sponsor momma here!!! Wouldn't it be wonderful if he ended up being a pastor at a Compassion partner church, or even at his very own project? Now, that is what I would call paying it forward!



You can learn more about Judy at her blog, Passionate for Compassion!


I love hearing from you - your comments make my day! If you have trouble finding the comment button, try clicking on the title of this post. Hopefully that will solve the problem and you can say hi.

Welcome

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

-Jesus in Mark 9:37

Joining with Scripture and a Snapshot

I love hearing from you - your comments make my day! If you have trouble finding the comment button, try clicking on the title of this post. Hopefully that will solve the problem and you can say hi.