New Year, new adventures...

Happy New Year, Compassion Family blog readers! Almost three weeks into this New Year and I'm just logging into this space to say hello. 2016 has been off to a speedy start, that's why... and I'm here to tell you why.

I wrote the words below at the start of 2015... yet, never in my wildest imagination would I have envisioned what God would have for our family this past year:

... and I have suddenly found myself, at the start of this New Year, in a place of seeking what God's next steps are for us this year and for the longer term.

And so, I will seek... because...

"When you seek Me in prayer and worship, you will find Me available to you. If you seek Me with all your heart and soul, I will make Myself available to you," says the Lord.

Little did I know just how many yeses this resolve-to-seek-God would entail... and just how wild the joy is that would follow them. All year, this quote by Kristen Welch resonated with me:

Our yes to God should scare us.

Not to keep us immobile, but to keep us dependent on the One who asks us to say it in the first place.

Fear keeps us moving towards God.

Yes, there is fear in obedience. But peace keeps us on the journey.

And the joy that follows our yes to God is wild.

One out-of-comfort-zone YES was followed by another and another and another...

Yet, the biggest YES that God asked our family to say came towards the end of the year in the form of a big change for me... in the form of a new job.

I have always loved this quote by Frederick Buechner: "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."

And, that's just where He has asked me to say YES!

#1000gifts ~ Yes, this...

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on Sep 30, 2015 at 3:03pm PDT

I am beyond excited to share that, in the New Year, I stepped full-time into the role of Ministry Relations Representative for the Greater Toronto Area for Compassion Canada!

I am still pinching myself... as sometimes I still think that this can't be really happening. It is a huge gift to be able to work for an organization where every.single.day I can live out Micah 6:8 in the most tangible and realest way.

This decision definitely didn't come easy... only after much prayer, contemplation and soul-searching. It is a scary YES, but also equally exciting!

In the early days of considering this opportunity, these verses from Ephesians 3:7-21 have been paramount as God used them to speak to me:

This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

There were also many markers, allowing me to see God's hand in all.of.this.change... markers that God seemingly put in place to let me know that He's got this!

Little details such as the verse from Leviticus 23:22, the verse we found bookmarked, highlighted and underlined in our beloved Papa's Bible as we sifted through his earthly belongings after his home-going to heaven. We have since sought to live out the meaning of this verse in our family's everyday life.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.

And I don't think it's a coincidence that this very verse is the explanation behind Compassion International's blue corner. I was absolutely blown away when I recently realized the connection. 

#1000gifts ~ A new photo wall here at home with photos of us & our beloved Papa. The framed verse is the first verse I saw that he highlighted & underlined in his Bible when I flipped through it as we sorted his earthly belongings at his home in Cebu a few weeks ago. It is from Leviticus 23:22... "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am The Lord your God."

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on Jul 22, 2014 at 8:49am PDT

Or little details such as this video of Wess Stafford's story. Wess, or Papa Wess as he is fondly known to many, is President Emeritus of Compassion International. In the video, he invites everyone to join him as advocates for children, all children.

He says, "Maybe it's joining us at Compassion..." and "together, we can make the world a better place for these children."

His story caused me to look back to my childhood and it resonates strongly with me... once a damaged child, now entrusted with a ministry serving the world's most vulnerable children... evidence that God is in the business of transfiguring brokenness into something beautiful! 

And that question at the end of the video... "What about the rest of them?" That question fuels me. It is the very reason our family tirelessly advocates for Compassion for many years now.



Or little details such as God's hand in ensuring that the transition from my current job is done well and that I leave with a good testimony. This is of paramount importance to me as my manager has been such a blessing to me all these years.

I absolutely count these thirteen years that I've worked for her as pure gift because it has allowed me to stay home for my children during their most formative years. Not many mamas have had the same opportunity!

I have been utterly blown away at how impeccable the timing is and how seamless the transition has been. Only God could have arranged those details... for which I will forever be grateful!

Now, a new God-adventure has begun... one that is beyond what I've asked for or even imagined, just like the verse from Ephesians 3:20 says.

How awesome is it that I get to have my family along (sometimes!) with me at work? How awesome is it that they are all equally as passionate about Compassion's mission as I am? How awesome is it that we acknowledge this as God's calling on our entire family, and not just for me?

So breathtakingly awesome. More than words can even express. 

I am utterly humbled and deeply grateful... can't wait to see what God has in store!

Our most favourite thing to do together as a family!

#1000gifts ~ Awesome two days representing @Compassion Canada at #LProof15 with my girl @_godsgal4ever and seeing 90 children released from poverty in Jesus' name! #TheDifferenceIsJesus Photo Creds: my sister @airanlee

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on Nov 7, 2015 at 10:34am PST

This photo is special to me because it was taken at my last official event as an Advocate... 

 but, once an Advocate, always an Advocate! I will always, always, always be an Advocate at heart! ♥

And did I mention that I get to work with this amazingly crazy bunch of people?
This awesome team represents Compassion Canada across this vast country of ours.

I am blessed. I can bless. Imagine! I could let Him make me the gift!

I could be the joy!

In an endless cycle of grace, He gives us gifts to serve the world. This is how to make a life great and eucharisteo embarks us on the path: "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave" (Matthew 20:26-27).

It's the fundamental, lavish, radical nature of the upside-down economy of God.

Empty to fill.

Here I can become the blessing, a little life that multiplies joy, making the larger world a better place.

God can enter into me, even me, and use these hands, these feet, to be His love, a love that goes on and on and on forever, endless cycle of grace.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor, an advocate and, since January 2016, Compassion Canada's Ministry Relations Representative for the Greater Toronto Area. In her spare time, she loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

The Children Outside the Gate...

Recently, I put together this photo collage to put up on my inspiration wall in my home office. It is now hanging on the wall right above my computer screen. It is the first thing that my eyes see when I look up from working on my computer.

All four are images of children outside the gate... and they are the reason why our family tirelessly advocates for Compassion.

If you are a reader of blogs, you might recognize a couple of the images above. Yes, I "stole" them off of Ann Voskamp's and Shaun Groves' blogs! ;)

But... they aren't just any random images... they are from two specific blog posts that have touched the very depths of my heart. 

The top left image is from Shaun Groves' blog. In his blog post, written while in the Philippines and entitled The Other Side of the Fence, Shaun writes...

At that moment that child development center may have been the happiest place on earth. And I was honored, amazed to just be there.

Then I saw them.

One.

Then two. Then a whole crowd. On the other side of the fence.

We’ll never lift every child over the fence. Heartbreakingly true.

But what about one more?

The bottom left image of the girl in the tattered purple dress is from Ann Voskamp's blog. In her blog post, written while in Uganda and entitled How to Be Beautiful & Have a Beautiful Home & Life, Ann writes...

A little girl named Nancy stands in these purple threads between Beldesmond and Nigarulu.

I had asked their names and they had whispered them and their eyes seared me alive with their faces.

Nancy in her royal robes torn and we’re Esther inside the palace and who in this blasted world will sacrifice their blatant palace prestige for the worth of this child God thought of and dreamed into being, this girl with these eyes and dress and named Nancy.

The top right image is from our family's trip to the Philippines in 2014. These children are our Florianlyn's cousins and neighbours... they were fascinated by my boy's Rubik's cube! These are children who aren't registered in a Compassion child development centre... children who could be if there are people willing to sponsor them.

The bottom right image is from our family's trip to Guatemala this past summer. I saw him right when we were leaving our Esperanza's Compassion child development centre. He stood there, across the road and right beside our vehicle, longingly looking at the children inside the gate... inside the Compassion project that we just visited. It was heart-breaking for me to just leave him standing there. 

Recently, Beth Moore and Living Proof Live came to town! Our entire family {including our two brave men!} was at the event to represent Compassion Canada. I say our men are brave because the event was attended by about 5,000 women! #AFewBraveMen :)

Even though being there pretty much wiped out most of our weekend, after a full work week... and then waking up on Monday morning feeling like there wasn't a weekend and time ran way from me, I would not have it any other way!

Because, you see... 90 children who were once outside the gate found loving sponsors at that event... and they are now inside the gate! 

90 children released from poverty in Jesus' name!

90 children who will not only be released from their physical poverty, but who will also have the opportunity to learn about Jesus and His great love for them! #TheDifferenceIsJesus

I would give up any weekend, in fact any day or any thing, just to see one child freed from extreme poverty to live the life God intended him/her to live!

#1000gifts ~ Awesome two days representing @Compassion Canada at #LProof15 with my girl @_godsgal4ever and seeing 90 children released from poverty in Jesus' name! #TheDifferenceIsJesus Photo Creds: my sister @airanlee

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on Nov 7, 2015 at 10:34am PST

Friends, can I encourage you to consider the children who are still outside the gate? Check out Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell's video and hear them talk about why they love Compassion's ministry:

  Beth Moore and Travis Cottrell from Compassion International on Vimeo.
Friends, if God is speaking to you about releasing a child from poverty in Jesus' name, please click here and welcome one child who is still standing outside the gate to life inside the gate --- to abundant life that can only be found in Jesus.

Trust me, it will change your life! It has mine... :)

Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. (Mark 10:14)

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

After Guatemala, Reflections...

As this summer draws to a close, I am somehow in a reflective mood because, in one way or another, this end-of-summer feels strangely different than previous ones.

My last guest post on here was about summer pilgrimages and I shared that we were headed to Guatemala this year.

Central Market, Guatemala City.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Highlands.

Mixco Viejo, Chimaltenango.

Trekking up to the crater of Pacaya Volcano.

Solving his Rubik's cube at the crater of Pacaya Volcano.

Antigua, Guatemala.

This end-of-summer feels strangely different because my heart seems heavy as this summer draws to a close.

It's been an eventful summer... both in our family's life and in world news.

In Guatemala, we came face-to-face with our Compassion daughter, Esperanza whose story unfolded not quite the way we expected. See photos from our visit and read my account of that day at this link. My daughter Alyssa's reflections can be found at this link.

In Guatemala, we came face-to-face with young girls who have been forced into child labour or experienced physical and/or sexual abuse whose lives are being restored at Oasis Girls' Home.

In Guatemala, we stood stunned, speechless, frozen... gazing at the scene in front of us, with a multitude of vultures circling above our heads. A scene so surreal it was as if it was playing on a TV screen. Right in front of us is a massive pit known as the Guatemala City Dump with many, many, many people, including children, working and scavenging and l-i-v-i-n-g in it.

One month after returning home, the scene still haunts me today. The only thing that is a balm to my heart is knowing that God is at work in that place through the ministry of Compassion. If you have read Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, you will definitely want to click on this link to read about its beautiful connection to this garbage dump.

Our world is broken, very broken.

We return home to atrocious news of leaked videos about body organs from babies being sold, to shocking news of leaked data from an infidelity site, its main office located right here in our city, that proves Christians not being immune to it.

We receive news of childhood friends dying, both mine and hubby's... gone to soon, way too young.

Cerro de la Cruz, Antigua.

Main Square, Guatemala City

Our world is broken, very broken.

We are inundated with election news and with trivial social media posts on one's political stance when in other news, there's this report of ISIS enshrining a theology of rape, a news article that had me in an ugly cry before I even finished reading the first paragraph.

We were inundated with social media posts of people up in arms about a dead lion when in recent news, there's a dead baby who has washed ashore in Turkey because the world has ignored the worst refugee crisis we've seen since World War II. We knew the name of the lion faster than we found out what that sweet little boy's name is. His name is Aylan Kurdi. 

No wonder my heart seems heavy as this summer draws to a close.

It just wants to scream, "Lord Jesus, have mercy! Lord Jesus, heal our land."

... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14.

It just wants to pray this prayer of confession...

But amidst the heaviness of heart, hope rises...

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. ~ Lamentations 3:21-23.

Ciudad Vieja, Sacatepéquez.

Hope rises because we serve a faithful God whose love is unending and whose mercies are new every day. 

He compels us to love big, to reflect His image, to be bold and courageous.

Because...

... love will run on.

And we could be like a river of that living water.

We could widen and deepen, we could course our way through hard things and plow fresh new ways.

And our perspective could reflect a Kingdom, our lives could be a refuge and our choices could be a courage that goes against the current.

You can feel it in the air these days:

Something beautiful is rising.

~ from this must-read blog post by Ann Voskamp.

Friends, can I encourage you to let love run on? Can I encourage you to click on one of the links below and do even just. one. thing. so that something beautiful can arise? 

:: Learn about how you can respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, the worst since WWII.
:: Sponsor a child with Compassion and release a child from poverty.
:: Pray alongside Micah Challenge... to change the world. 

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

Our Summer Pilgrimages

In just a little while our family will be setting foot on a land of majestic volcanoes, lush rainforests and ancient Mayan ruins. And... we are most excited to soon be face-to-face with our Compassion daughter, Esperanza. 

Esperanza whom we didn't choose. Esperanza, whose name means hope, whom God chose for us!

Yes, we are headed to Guatemala!

Guatemala... where we thought we would go last summer until God changed all our summer plans and sent us back to the Philippines instead, where our hearts woke up and broke afresh for those things that break God's.

Guatemala... the first destination we are headed to, as a family, where we know no one and where we do not speak the language. 

Ah, yes... that oh-so-familiar outside-our-comfort-zone place where God somehow seems to always call for our obedience, our yes!

That yes that always leads to this wildest joy.

Since our family started answering God with this wild nod of a yes over these past few years, it is changing everything. Among other things, it has changed the way we spend our vacation time... that's for sure! 

As Jennie Allen so eloquently wrote in this must-read guest post on Ann Voskamp's blog, "... something is happening — not a feeling or love of adventure or desire for glory but something within us that is from God, a call to more: to die — to live. My heart is bleeding and I can’t make it stop. So we are praying and willing and dreaming of living for heaven instead of the American dream, and it is changing everything. And I am strangely okay with that."

Yes, I am indeed strangely okay... strangely okay.


D0 come on over to my blog to read the rest of this story...

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

True Story...

My heart is bursting with joy writing this post today. Last summer, for my first guest post on this blog, I wrote about releasing my baby girl to fly.

And fly she did... spending 10 days with a filming team from Compassion Canada, in the Philippines, a Compassion International field country which also happens to be the country of hubby's and my births... filming a youth curriculum that they are producing which she is hosting.

Friends, with immense joy, I am so excited to share with you today that this youth curriculum has finally launched! It is called True Story: What God wants us to do about poverty.

I am unbelievably proud of this girl, my girl! God has been doing an amazing work in her life. His grace truly is a beautiful thing... I am humbled and moved to tears every time I think about God using us in ways that are beyond what we've asked for or even imagined.

I am blown away by His relentless love, His constant goodness and His amazing grace.

Friends, I would love for you to learn more about True Story and read my girl's perspective of it in her own words... because it is so much more than just the videos! So please hop on over to her blog and check out the post she wrote introducing True Story to the world.

Before you go over there... just a note about the Internet. Don't you love how it transcends borders and boundaries? So, even though True Story is produced by Compassion Canada and not yet available via the Compassion U.S. office, it is available online for free to anyone and any church who would like to use it! All the videos and accompanying resources are available for download from the website. 

And oh... here is the trailer. Can you tell that I am one proud mama?!? :)

True Story: What God wants us to do about poverty from Compassion Canada on Vimeo.
Okay, after watching the trailer, please be sure to head over and read Alyssa's blog post. And if you can help spread the word about this on social media, it'd be awesome! Please remember to use the hashtag #TrueStorySeries on social media.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, friends!

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

Our Rechelle's LDP Graduation...

When I woke up this morning, I scoured my Facebook news-feed and stalked my email inbox with eagle eyes hoping for photos and perhaps even videos to either be posted or to appear in my inbox.

You see, because April 30 is a very special day!

A couple weeks ago, I posted this on Instagram...

#1000gifts ~ Overwhelmed by Grace... just received our last official letter from Rechelle, our @compassion LDP student as she prepares to graduate from the program this month! We are so proud of her & so grateful to be a part of her life in such a meaningful way. My fave line in her letter... "You teach me how to give and how to live a life like Christ." She is now a school teacher & has received three job offers to teach in private schools in Cebu (Philippines) which she temporarily declined in order to fulfill her promise to God to serve one full year at the @compassion project she grew up in. So, so, so awesome... I am moved to tears!

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on Apr 16, 2015 at 8:00am PDT

And yes, today is Rechelle's graduation day from Compassion International's Leadership Development Program (LDP). She will be among the last sponsored children to graduate from the LDP as Compassion transitions from this program to focus on youth development in order to benefit even more young people in the developing world!

And since Philippines is twelve hours ahead of us, when I woke up this morning the graduation had already happened {while we were sleeping}.

This is the first photo of Rechelle that we ever saw.

We first met Rechelle four years ago. It was during our first trip back to the Philippines after twelve years of not being back, the trip that broke my heart anew... for the things that break God's. 

One week before our departure date, God made our path cross with Rechelle's in a way that only He can. You can read that story here.

We arranged to meet Rechelle in person and at the end of that meeting, we knew that, despite the steep cost of LDP sponsorship as compared to regular child sponsorship, we would be sponsoring her. You can read that story here. 

I can truly say that sponsoring Rechelle has turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made!

Then last summer, we visited her again.



Please hop on over to my blog to read the rest of this post and to see photos and a video from Rechelle's graduation day!

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

About This Man With 50 Kids!

Recently, on my own blog I wrote about...
... what it looks like to live a counter-cultural way of life, a life lived the Jesus-way. This radical way to live out my every-days has hugely been on my heart and mind since our return from the Philippines this past summer.

I have come to see that... it is the only way to live as Christ-followers, not because of obligation or duty, but because... it is the only way we can live out that freedom for which Jesus sacrificed His very life for.

It is saying YES to living this counter-cultural and radical way of life and saying NO to the patterns of this world.

Brothers and sisters, God has called you to freedom! Hear the call, and do not spoil this gift by using your liberty to engage in what your flesh desires; instead, use it to serve each other as Jesus taught through love. For the whole law comes down to this one instruction: “Love your neighbor as yourself..." - Galatians 5:13-14.

Today, I would like you to meet a man who lives this life...

I first came across David Chalmers' story during my wanderings on the Internet one day. I started watching this video that I stumbled upon and was really inspired by this man's story. A man who, like me and the rest of my family, is an avid Advocate for Compassion International. I quickly gathered the whole family and had them watch the video as well.

Friends, you can watch the video for yourself here:


Soon after coming across David's story on the Internet, we got connected on Facebook and I learned that he was spending the year (2014) in the Philippines serving at an orphanage called Ruel Foundation.

It is no secret that the Philippines is very near and dear to our family's heart. It is not only the land of hubby's and my births, it is also where we have four Compassion children and where the building-that-Eucharisteo-built now stands and where True Story was filmed, Compassion Canada's first-ever youth curriculum video series of which my girl is the face and voice of. {Side note: We are extremely excited for the upcoming launch of True Story. I can not wait to share it with you all!}

Needless to say, David's connection to the Philippines hugely piqued my interest!

As I started following David's journey...
I quickly found out that he had a book in the works and was soon going to be a first-time author. The topic of the book excited me even more... yes, he's writing about his extensive experiences with the ministry of Compassion International as a result of sponsoring the many children that he does and his travels to visit many of them!

I could not wait to get my hands on this book!

David visiting his Compassion children in the Philippines.

Friends, this book was released earlier this month and I've had the honour of reading one of the very first copies of Go Into All The World. Here are a few of the many quotes that gripped me:

One thing I love about being a servant of God is that it doesn't matter who you are, if you make yourself available and are willing, He will use you to do amazing things for the good of His kingdom. I am proof of that.

I want people, when they see my life of sacrificial generosity, to see God in me. I was left with the profound realization that when everything else is stripped away and we're left with nothing but complete and utter dependence on God, that's when He does His best and most powerful work. 

One day we will all be accountable to God for the way we have used what He has given us. He has also given us free will. This is a double-edged sword: we have a choice to make, and with that choice comes consequences that affect ourselves and others. You can choose to use what you have been given to fund a lifestyle of comfort, convenience, security and ease for yourself. Or you can choose to make your life count on earth and in eternity by using your time, money and resources to help and invest in other people.

Aside from the gems of wisdom found in many places in the book much like the quotes above, I think the most valuable part of the book lies in the wealth of information that David shares, outlining details of his travels to visit several different Compassion projects in several different countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nicaragua and of course, the Philippines!

If you sponsor a child with Compassion and wonder about what it looks like to visit your child or if you ever wonder about how a Compassion project is run or if you would like a sneak peek into the daily life of your Compassion child, this book is for you!

If you are looking to start sponsoring a child but have unanswered questions about Compassion's ministry, this book will answer all your questions and will inspire you to start your journey!

If you are still a skeptic and are still not quite sure about child sponsorship or about Compassion's ministry for that matter, I can assure you that this book will make you a believer!

You can read more of David's personal story on his blog. You can also check out his YouTube channel where many of the videos from his visits to Compassion projects all over the world are posted. Finally, you can also interact with David on the book's Facebook page.

So, what are you waiting for? 
Friends, this is a must-read book. It is eye-opening and thought-provoking both at the same time. It will surely change your life... or at the very least, how you live your every-days.

Trust me... you will be freer and more alive and more joy-filled living with the counter-cultural and radical version of yourself! :)

There are several options to buy a copy. Get yours today!

Amazon.com | CreateSpace.com | Word Bookstore (Australia) 

ARKhouse Press | Directly from David

 

About Aimee Esparaz... Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.

On Celebrating Christmas and its True Meaning

December...

The month of December always seems to have a life of its own, doesn't it? Our calendars get booked up way too quickly and it seems like there just isn't enough time to accomplish everything that needs to be done.

Everyone is hurried... lost in the hustle and the bustle of the season.

For several years now, our family has intentionally tried to do Christmas counter-culturally... the upside-side way! Doing so isn't always easy... but doing so has reinforced in our hearts and minds what Christmas is really all about.

This video is a bit dated and you might have seen it before, but I think it is worth watching again every year as we prepare to celebrate Christmas...

Christmas Change from Kujilana on Vimeo.

So, how should we give gifts on Christmas?

In my early days of joining Twitter, I came across a tweet that I've favourited and often think about when I start to see all the hustle and the bustle and the commercialization of Christmas starting up each year. Here it is...

X-MAS INSANITY: multitudes stress out b/c they "can't find something" to buy loved ones while children in their community need food.

— Greg Boyd (@greg_boyd) December 7, 2011

Ah, so true. So sad and just so plain wrong! 

When we smother ourselves and our children with over-indulgent gifts, focusing on us rather than those around us who are in need, how are we as Christ-followers living out the true meaning of Christmas?

How should we then, as Christ-followers, celebrate Christmas? 

As we mark Advent and prepare for Christmas... 

Our family is intentionally mindful of how we should be celebrating... focusing on the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place!

This year, as is our practice for many years now... there will be very little for ourselves under the tree so that we can give more Jesus birthday presents... intentionally making our Christmas simple in order to give generously to those who are in dire need, in want, in poverty... to the least of these... an upside-down Christmas!

Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.' (Matthew 25:40, NCV)

So... Christmas shopping on your mind?

How about an egg-laying chicken or a rabbit or guinea pig for the least of these in Ecuador... in the Andes Mountains, to help the neediest moms start a small animal breeding business together?

How about the gift of classrooms for the least of these children living in the Peruvian rain-forest... so that they can learn life skills, receive tutoring and discover the Bible?

How about clean water for the least of these in some of the neediest areas of Uganda?

How about homes for war-torn families and orphans, the least of these in Northern Uganda who are affected by the LRA?

Friends, you can turn Christmas upside-down!

Be the gift this Christmas. Many people on our family's Christmas list will be receiving a Gift of Compassion this year... much like the ones I described above. Many on your list can too!

You can check out Gifts of Compassion online. You can even print off a card to give to that special person on your Christmas list to let them know which Gift of Compassion you got them for Christmas!

For my Canadian readers, please click here for the Gift of Compassion catalog on Compassion Canada's website.

If you are visiting this blog from the United States or from another country, please click here for the Christmas Gift Catalog on Compassion International's website.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

May the Christ of Christmas be the focus of our celebration this Christmas season... and may His love compel us to be a blessing to those around us who might need to feel His touch and sense His presence!

I am blessed. I can bless. Imagine! I could let Him make me the gift!

I could be joy!

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

About Aimee Esparaz...Aimee is mother to two teens and is passionate about living out Micah 6:8 with her family. She is a sponsor and advocate through Compassion Canada and works in global marketing. She loves to read and garden, and blogs at A Mom On A Mission.