Pray for your Compassion children

My One Word for 2016 is pray.

At the end of last month, I was trying to land on the right word for 2016. While I was out shopping, I saw a sign in a store that said, "Pray without ceasing." At that moment, I just knew that that word and that verse were meant for me for 2016.

After seeing The War Room movie, I knew prayer is one thing I need to spend more time doing.

But not just pray in general.

I need to pray more for my Compassion children.

In every letter I receive from one of my kids, they share a prayer request. They request prayer for many thing.

In addition to the prayer requests our kids share with us in their letters, you can sign up to receive a monthly prayer calendar from Compassion to pray for the many needs around the world where Compassion is working. And if you want to have a prayer guide to pray daily for your sponsored child, my husband put together printable prayer cards (based on the daily prayer prompts from Compassion) to help you and your family keep your sponsored child in prayer daily.

15 MORE Signs That You Might Be a Crazy Sponsor Parent ~ PART 2

This is a repost from Uwimana Hannah who blogs at The Path of the Carpenter. You can see Part 1 HERE

1.   You hold your wedding outside on a 97 degree day so that it won’t interfere with the timeframe or budget of your already-planned sponsor tour.

2.   You convince your new spouse that a sponsor tour to a third world country can actually count as a honeymoon!

3.   You’re disappointed when you don't receive a letter from your child even when you just heard from them last week.

4.   You devote multiple pages in your scrapbook to your children.

5.   You refer to your parent's sponsored children as your siblings and your parents refer to your sponsored children as their grandkids.

6.   The most exciting part of your day is when the mail truck comes.

7.   Your heart melts when you see a pencil smudge fingerprint on a letter from your child....  and you press your finger to the print to "touch" that child.

8.   You’re constantly on the Compassion Forum to talk about your sponsored children and to hear about others.

9.    You count down the days 'til it's time for a photo update.

10.  You refer to your sponsored children as your kids in public and in private.

11.  You keep looking for and finding kids you want to sponsor on the web site.

12.  You jump down almost a full flight of stairs in your eagerness to open a letter.

13.  You look at your child's weather online and wish you could move to their community because it's warmer/colder there than it is in your city.

14.   You want to name your future child after your sponsored child.

15.   You decide to like washing dishes because your child says their favorite thing to do is wash dishes!

15 Signs That You Might Be a Crazy Sponsor Parent ~ PART 1

This is a repost from Uwimana Hannah who blogs at The Path of the Carpenter

So you think you might have the makings of a crazy sponsor Mom or Dad? Here are some sure-fire signs!

1.       You have pictures of your sponsored child(ren) hanging on your wall or displayed on your desk at work, and their artwork is on your fridge.

2.       You find yourself looking at stickers, postcards, etc. and exclaiming, “Oh, my kids would love this!”

3.       You visit places for the express purpose of taking photos for your kids.

4.       The postal workers recognize you on sight.

5.       You have a panic attack if a regularly writing child suddenly stops writing.

6.       When someone asks you to name a place you’d love to visit, your sponsored child(ren)’s country/countries are the first thing you list.

7.       You are seriously considering visiting or have visited your child(ren).

8.       You dream about your child(ren) on a regular basis.

9.       You wish you could adopt your child(ren) if ever given the chance.

10.   When you get a new child, you run around screaming for joy.

11.   You brag about your kids and show their pictures to people at home, at work, at church, at school, and to random strangers.

12.   You constantly re-think your budget to justify fitting in another child.

13.   When your child mentions losing a parent or family member or being hurt in some way, you are ready to buy a plane ticket and head out there to find your child.

14.   You keep all of your children’s letters in a special place so you don’t lose them.

15.   You never stop praying for and looking for your child, even after they’ve been gone for years.

Guest Post ~ Casey Snyder

A thank you letter to my sponsor child's mother

I  love getting letters from my kids and learning all about their lives and family. This mother's day I felt led to thank all of my compassion children's mothers for raising such a beautiful sweet child.

I made a card to send to each child to give to their mothers. I put the little note on the front and included a picture of their child on the inside.

"I wanted to thank you for raising such a beautiful sweet child. I feel truly blessed to sponsor, correspond, and get to know and love your child. I pray you have a blessed Mother’s Day with all your children. Wishing you God’s unending favor, kindness, and love this Mother’s Day."
 ~ With Love, Casey Snyder

Casey is mom to two daughters and blogs at Grace.Faith.Compassion. She and her family began sponsoring their first child in November of 2013 and have added 24 correspondent kids to their Compassion family.

Compassion Translators - a Conversation with Cecilia Torres in Peru

If you've ever gone on a Compassion trip or even written a letter to your sponsored child, you know the importance of Compassion's translators. They are literally our voice when it comes to communicating with our sponsored children.

When I was in Peru, all our translators were excellent, but one in particular was super nice and I've kept up with her over the past four years. 

I asked Cecilia some questions about her job as a translator and she was kind enough to let me share her responses with you.

My name is Cecilia Torres and I have worked as a freelance translator/interpreter for Compassion Peru for about 12 years.  I don’t do much interpretation much now but I really enjoy to host visits, meeting sponsors from different countries is such a blessing.  The job laws in Peru changed a little like 3 years ago and I was given the opportunity and was asked by key people in Compassion Peru to start my own translation business to provide Compassion Peru translation services.  Back then I have been also working on and off helping in the PC area (Sponsors and Donors Ministries) evaluating other translators’ work, etc…  So I knew what the whole work involved and God led me to start my little translation business.  This is my second year providing translation services to Compassion and my business is named Global Voice S.A.C, I chose that name because many times I was told by sponsors “thank you for being my voice here in Peru”.  I enjoy managing Global Voice and so far I have 13 translators working with me.  [You can find us in Facebook and like our page].  God is good and I am grateful for this challenge and opportunity to be a blessing to others translators, Compassion Peru, children, and translators.  

1. How long have you worked for Compassion?

About 12 years as a freelance translator

2. What are the different aspects to your job as a translator?
As a translator I have to pick my packages of letters every Monday from 9:30am to 11am and drop off the packages I translated already.  I have to check every letter while I am translating just in case I find some content that Compassion wants me to observe or highlight.  I have to print each letter carefully (letters written by children) so I don’t mess up a letter, for this I have to be very alert while printing.  I also have to work with a manual/handbook mostly done by Compassion.

with Denise of Point of Grace

3. What is your favorite part of translating?
 It is to see, especially in the sponsors’ letters, how much of an encouragement they can be for their sponsored children… sometimes it is something I need to hear that that day as well.

4. What is the hardest part?
The hardest part would be when there aren’t many letters to translate or when you read that a child or a sponsor passes away L

with Darlene Zschech of Hillsong

5. Is there a particular letter that stands out to you in your memory?
There have been many through the years but I especially like the graduation letters when the children say that thanks to the sponsor’s help she/he was exposed to God’s Word and now follows Him. This is what is Compassion about right?

6. What can sponsors do to make your job easier?
To make my job easier, keep writing and make sure your handwriting is clear.  Keep the level of the message age appropriate. If you don’t know Spanish well, it is better to write the letter in English otherwise we are trying to figure out what the sponsor is trying to say.

with James and John Micah of Kutless

7. Approximately how many letters do you translate each month?
Around 250 to 300 letters a week, but some of my coworkers can translate as many as 700 letters (children letters) per week.

8. How has being around Compassion and seeing their ministry in action affected you?
It has affected me in positive ways like: every time I host a sponsor visit and go to the poor areas, it reminds me to be grateful for the things I have (running water, a toilet, hot water, etc…).  Also how generous the sponsors can be with others, something I have learned.  I’ve also learned that being poor doesn’t mean sadness or misfortune, I have met many poor people through Compassion who have the joy of the Lord and are so grateful for what the “little” they have, etc…

with Compassion Korea

9. Do you sponsor a child? If so...could you tell us a little about him or her?
Yes, four translators got together, after working with Canadian advocates for a week, and decided to sponsor a little 4 year old boy from Dominica Republic named Adonis J This happened in 2010. Adonis is 8 years old and doesn’t write his own letters yet. We all are hope to visit him someday and that’s kind of why we chose a child for the DR, not too far from Peru (we were not allowed to sponsor a child from our own country)

with Jonathan Martin of The Martins

Aly's Compassion Story

Aly is a daughter of the King and a recovering school teacher who still loves to tutor. She's not a mom, but she is a wife to her ultimate fave who has a smart, funny little boy. She is also a sponsor mama to three children in three different countries. Each one holds a part of her heart. Aly is founder of onedaylighter.com and an author/minimalist/gluten-free/thrifter. Our Father gifted us with each other to lift up. Encourage. Be a light. Aly is devoted to making life lighter today. No guilt, only grace.

She hums “Jesus loves me” as she plays with her dolls made of dirty rags. She is sitting on the dirt floor her mama just swept. The last meal she ate was yesterday and her stomach is letting her know it. Her papa darkens the doorway after leaving not long before. She knows this means there was no work for him today. Again.

The heaviness that hangs between her parents doesn’t escape her tiny radar, but she keeps singing. Singing of hope and a Savior who will rescue her every day. Singing of a Best Friend Forever when playing companions are scarce. A Protector when darkness falls. A Provider when the hunger pangs are all she can focus on.

Singing of this man, the Son of God, because someone is sharing the Good News with her.

That someone is me.

Through Compassion International, I have the honor of raising up a daughter of the King. I am not her birth mother. I am a bonus mama who gets to pour into her all the love I have in my heart. Love for her and for Jesus.

In March of last year, I stood in a packed stadium excitedly anticipating the Rock ‘N Worship Road Show. What I didn’t anticipate was sitting in stunned silence listening to Bart Millard, of the band Mercy Me, speak an arrow of truth straight into my heart.

I was a teacher, living in an apartment with no savings account. But when those sponsor packets came out on the heels of Bart’s testimony, I closed my eyes and asked God to send the one he had for me. I raised my hand and the Creator of the Universe placed Bithi into my open heart.

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:40

See, this isn’t about 38 dollars per month. This isn’t about giving up a cup of coffee a day to sponsor a child in need. It’s about opening my hands and my life to the God who gives and allowing him to pour out his love on us both.

8 truths I have learned from Bithi and Compassion:
1. $38 is nothing to me. It is everything to her.
2. It’s not about the money. It’s about relationship. Revealing Jesus to her and giving her hope.
3. I can fall completely in love with a child while holding only a photograph and a crayon drawing of a purple flower.
4. Through praying for my sponsor child, God is revealing to me more of who He is.
5. A sponsor child is a beautiful way to teach young children about humility and selflessness and compassion.
6. I suddenly have an itch to start a vacation fund to Bangladesh (yes, they encourage you to visit your sponsor child and see what Compassion is up to).
7. One is just not enough.

And lastly, 8. I don’t have to travel overseas to be a missionary. I volunteer to help at Compassion tables in my area and attend the event for free (and so can you). This summer, I rocked out with Bart and Mercy Me on their new tour. We received 127 new sponsorships in one night.

Are you not in a place where you can afford to sponsor a child financially? Email or call Compassion to find out how you can be a correspondence sponsor. Many corporations sponsor a group of children with a lump sum. While it’s wonderful that these kiddos get to enjoy new clothes and food and scripture lessons that money provides, they crave the relationship more than anything.

I have been told that when these children hear they have been sponsored, they are overcome with joy. Some jump up and down and laugh, others cry with sweet relief. They begin praying for their sponsor immediately and as a recipient of these prayers, I can tell you with certainty this is the real deal.

Hey, no pressure here.

All I ask you to do with my story is pray. Pray for how this opportunity could grow you and your family along with that child who will owe so much to your support and love.

Pray for the children who have been waiting for more than a year, wondering when their sponsor will come (click here to see priority children).

Pray for the local Compassion project workers in many countries who are taking our few dollars and stretching them to care for the immediate needs and salvation of hurting families.

The question Compassion asks is not, “Will you give us your money.” 

The question Compassion asks is, “Will you give them Jesus? Will you give them your heart?”

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Would you like to share your Compassion Story at Compassion Family? Simply email Jill at fiddlejill(at)outlook(dot)com and we'll get it up here!

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. 

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"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.

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.

Guest Post ~ Hannah Hinojosa

Today we get to hear from Hannah Hinojosa about letter writing. Hannah is a wife, mom (one son with a baby on the way), college math professor and long time Compassion sponsor (almost 15 years!). Hannah recently joined the advocate network and blogs regularly about her Compassion sponsorship experience at Because of Shamin.




Why do I write to my Compassion kids? This is a question that I like to revisit each year to evaluate my motives and to reconsider my vision for writing to our kids!

It is so easy to write letters to my kids for selfish reasons—for the sweet comments, for the cute drawings, for the good news of hearing that a child has received Christ or that he or she has improved in school, to feel important and that I am making a difference in a person’s life. These aren’t bad things and are frequently the bonuses of corresponding with Compassion kids!

But what happens when I have a kid who writes shorts, impersonal letters? When I hear the news that a sponsored child has left Compassion’s program to move in with her boyfriend? What happens when a child we have sponsored for over 7 years graduates and I never learned anything about her personal life, her hopes and dreams, whether or not she has received Christ and what she will do with her future? Will I be content? Will I love these children as much as the others? Will I continue to be an advocate via prayer for that child who left? These situations are always wonderful checks to my attitude and purpose behind writing. 

If I wrote to receive rewards, I would give up…some Compassion children are easy to get to know, but I have not found that to be the norm. But I believe that writing to our Compassion children is one way to live out our walk of faith on earth. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us,” (ESV). We aren’t to love because others love us in return, but because we have been loved by God! So I believe that we should write and show this tangible love to our Compassion children because God first loved us. I know that God doesn’t love me based on my attitude toward Him! Thank God for that! He loves me because He chose to. So I choose to love my Compassion children and to write to them. 

God has also called us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19a). As a mom with young children, it can be hard for me to leave the house. But writing to my Compassion kids is a way that I can disciple children from many nations! Reminding myself of this purpose helps direct what I share in my letters. While it can be good for my letters to be fun, I also have the unique opportunity to be in a position to really share and encourage each Compassion child in his or her walk with God! What a privilege! 

There are other reasons why we write that I could pursue. But today I feel that God has laid these two on my heart. My hope is that during this year of 2014 I focus on loving my children because God loves me and taking advantage of being able to faithfully encourage my children to know God more. And I know that God holds the outcomes in His hands. He loves our Compassion children more than we do—and I trust that He has a wonderful plan for their lives! I may not live to see it, but God is working and I look forward to seeing the bigger picture when we arrive in heaven. 

Freedom Creations ~ Guest Post by Alyssa Esperaz and a Giveaway

Today's post is brought to us by Alyssa Esparaz. Alyssa is a Grade 11 student that loves Jesus and serving His people. She and her family became Compassion sponsors in 2010 and traveled as a family to meet their sponsored child in the Philippines. Alyssa is an advocate for Compassion Canada and blogs at God's Gal.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela

The recent death of Nelson Mandela struck a deeper chord with me than it probably would have if he had died a few months earlier.

You see, in October, I started something called Freedom Creations – a social enterprise that sells handmade knitted accessories and donates 100% of the profit to International Justice Mission.

Freedom hits home for me more than ever, now, and Nelson Mandela’s death got me thinking of this quote of his: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

This man fought for freedom with his whole being – and therein lies his freedom.

His freedom didn’t come in being released from jail, but in enhancing the freedom of others.

The result? He freed a nation.

Yet there’s still so much work to be done.

The facts and problems can be staggering, even as you hear them for the umpteenth time:

27 million people – women, men, girls, boys, souls - trapped in brothels, bonded labour, or some other form of slavery.

Countless men and women who are victims of property grabbing, or illegal detention.

These facts and stories shocked me the first time I heard them. As I learned more about modern-day slavery, I became more disturbed, more upset, and more overwhelmed with the impossibility of a solution.

But then I realized this – I am in the position of freedom, not for my own good, but for the good of others.

Freedom only becomes real freedom when it’s used for the freedom of others, because we can’t afford to stand by while our brothers and sisters suffer in slavery.

I’d had the idea of using my love for knitting for social justice for almost a year.

In October of last year, I finally got it all (somewhat) together, and Freedom Creations was born.

I’ve been blown away by and so very thankful for all the response and support it’s received – Freedom Creations is proof that a little faith and boldness, with a heavy dose of God’s grace is all that’s needed for world change. :)

I like to think of Nelson Mandela’s quote as an in-his-own-words-version of this Bible verse in Galatians:

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13 NIV

Our freedom is so closely linked to our others-centred love.

Nothing is more freeing than having someone else’s freedom be just as, if not more important than your own – it’s this upside-down paradox of Jesus-type freedom. And it’s radically awesome.

Because we’re all enslaved in this First-world, self-absorbed culture, where we not only stand by as others are enslaved on this earth, but often employ slaves ourselves. I employ 27 slaves.

And our only chance at freedom is to chase freedom for our neighbor.

Freedom Creations exists not only to fight for the freedom of modern-day slaves – but my own, too.

I hope you’ll join me. :)

Connect with Freedom Creations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

and now for a giveaway....

One blessed reader will win this lovely, handmade, twisted, spring green ear warmer! (that's a lot of adjectives) 

To enter:

• like the Freedom Creations Facebook page
• follow Freedom Creations on Twitter
• follow Freedom Creations on  Instagram
• leave a comment here for Alyssa - a word of thanks or encouragement
• spread the word about this post and giveaway via facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest or other social media site

You will get 1 entry for each of the above items, for a maximum of 5 entries per person. Simply leave a comment telling me what you have done. 

Because of shipping costs, this giveaway is limited to US and Canadian residents. 

I will announce a winner on Monday, January 20th at noon EST. 

Guest Post ~ Jessi Jones

Below is a guest post from Jessi Jones of Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Jessi began her sponsorship journey in 2010. He has been advocating for Compassion since their far-away family expanded in 2011 with the addition of correspondence kids, but officially joined the advocate network in March 2013. Currently Jessi has 3 sponsored kids and 9 correspondence kids, but is hoping to add many more as God allows. Jessi is married to Brandon and recently celebrated their 4th anniversary (January 2).

In a few short weeks, I will be flying to Tanzania with Compassion on a sponsor tour. I am beyond excited about the trip and am always happy to talk about where I’m going and what we’ll be doing with whoever asks- from family and friends to patrons at the library where I work. But I had not initially intended to go to Tanzania in March! Along this journey, I have received confirmation after confirmation from God that this is where He wants me to go, and I’d like to share some of that with you.

Back in the summer, I was feeling so restless. I felt like someone was literally tugging on my heart- I needed to travel. I needed to obey the Great Commission of the Bible, to “go” all over the world, sharing God’s love with His people, instead of just sitting at home talking about it! I never thought I would be traveling anywhere outside the country (much less by myself), though I have always been interested in missions and other cultures. I’d listen to visiting missionaries at church with 100% of my attention. I read books, fiction and non-fiction, about people who traveled around the world to help people, and I dreamed of a life like that- but I assumed that that life would never be for me. I’ve never been very adventurous, and my anxiety disorder had me convinced that the most involved in other cultures I’d ever be would be sponsoring children. Back in July, after a lot of prayer and reading and discussion, I decided to go. I spent an afternoon just browsing Compassion’s website, reading about the sponsor tours. I got so excited about all of the tours, particularly the one in Tanzania. My sponsor boy Said, who lives there, has been asking me to “welcome to Tanzania” since his very first letter, which I received two years ago. I’ve had an interest in Tanzania since I was in the third grade, when I discovered Jane Goodall and read every book the public library about her life and studies in Gombe. But I decided (note that I said “I decided”, not “I prayed about it and sought God’s will”) that I would go to Indonesia first. That’s where my first sponsor child, who calls me “momma”, lives. There was an advocate tour heading to East Indonesia in May 2014, according to the website, and the registration would be opening up in about a week. I waited, and waited, and waited….the registration opening date came and went. A few days later I got in touch with Compassion, and after a few phone calls I learned that they were unable to make arrangements for the East Indonesia trip. It would now just be the western areas where Compassion works. They mentioned that they were looking in to whether they could bring Tasya over for the child visit day, but I told them that she lives in an incredibly remote area at the very northeast region of the country, and I doubted that would be possible. I did some more praying and reading and registered for Tanzania instead. I will admit that at first, I was a little worried that I was just picking this trip because I was so dead set on going somewhere, anywhere.

Not long after I registered for the trip, I got a letter from Said that absolutely broke my heart. I had written to my kids asking about their siblings, hoping to get some specifics like names and ages. Said admitted in his letter that he and his sister “were now two”, because his other sister Huba passed away recently. At that moment I knew that Tanzania was where I was supposed to be. Said’s introductory letter said that his family has no idea where his dad is. His mom works so hard to raise him and his sisters. She has contracted and defeated malaria since I’ve known his family, and they always make sure to travel to Said’s grandmother’s farm after their own planting and harvesting is done, to help with hers. They are wonderful people whom I love very much. I am honored that they consider me a part of their family, and I definitely consider them part of mine.

There have been other confirmations along the way, too. I started advocating solely for kids in Tanzania, hoping to find some new sponsors since I was offering to take gifts to the kids when I go on my trip. One boy, Bonifas, was waiting almost a year for a sponsor, despite his adorable smile. After a few months of advocating for him, he became a part of my own far-away family. Meanwhile, I had been waiting almost two months on the list for a new correspondence child. Fearing my name had gotten lost in the list, I sent an email asking about it. I got an email shortly thereafter informing me that my newest correspondence child was a little boy named Elisha, almost the same age as Bonifas, who lived in....Tanzania! One day a patron donated a few boxes of books to the library where I work. Most of them showed some signs of wear, enough that we wouldn’t be able to add them to the library’s collection. They were headed for our book sale table. Among the boxes of books were Tanzania travel guides, Tanzania memoirs and biographies, a beautiful book of pictures of African wildlife, and books about conservation in Africa. I know they were meant for me! I bought them all and proudly carried them home to add to my bookshelf.

If God wants you to do something for Him, like travel halfway across the world to a foreign country, He will make it clear if you are on the right path! Making the commitment to go on this trip was a big leap of faith for me, but I am already seeing the rewards of obeying God’s will and following His commands! 

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear about this trip! Thank you, Jessi, for sharing with us today. Would you all keep Jessi in your prayers - as she prepares for this trip and for safety and well-being while she's gone?