Please Help

If you've hung out around me very long, you know I have a passion for kids. I especially want to help children without a voice of their own. To that end, I sponsor 2 Compassion International kids -- Kayirangwa and Margarita.

Christmas is coming and in the last two day I've read 2 posts from Compassion International and Christmas for Compassion kids. Some kids, like Kayirangwa and Margarita have sponsors like me. They will get presents and a letter. Unsponsored kids will still get something from people who give to the Christmas fund but they won't get a letter. This is hard for them to understand.

Please read these two links: Christmas for unsponsored kids and How you can help!

Basically, you have the opportunity to send a letter to an unsponsored child and let them know why God loves them.

I'm going to turn it into a give away of a Christmas book for kids with a grown up theme (A Tale of Three Trees). If you participate a card (follow the directions in the second link), leave a comment below and say "I wrote!". December 1st, I'll select a winner. Be sure to leave an email too so I can contact you. (If you write more than once, I'll enter you more than once! Let me know how many you send.)

Help me out. If you have a blog could you post a link to this post or tweet it or facebook it etc.? You will be my hero.

Wouldn't it be great if the letters were like the loaves and fishes with more left over than what they started with?

Hope Isn't Flat

This weekend, I sent my Christmas gifts to my Compassion kids. Okay, part of them. I sent the money that Compassion International will use to buy my two girls and the other Compassion kids Christmas gifts. But there is that yearning to send a bit more.

I've actually started working on cross-stitched bookmarks with their names on them. They are simple and flat. Flat is the key ingredient when mailing a gift to a Compassion child.

I also found myself wandering in a craft store today wondering what other flat things I might send. I already send stickers and coloring pages. I just so wish I could send big boxes of things for them to unwrap.

I didn't find anymore flat ideas. The bookmarks and the things that Compassion picks out will have to suffice. But my search got me to thinking about that McDonald's kid's meal commercial. It says that hope is in the box and all the kids keep looking for it and saying that they don't see it. The gist is that a little money goes to McDonald's charities for every kid meal that is purchased.

Hope isn't in the box. Hope isn't in the envelope. It isn't even in the carefully cross-stitched bookmarks I am making. Hope is in being released from poverty. It is coming to know Jesus. It is knowing that someone on the other side of the world is loving you and praying for you.

The world isn't flat and neither is hope. Hope is three dimensional and it sets the captivates free.

Still, I find myself wishing I could send those packages. One of my dear ones, keeps writing and asking me to come. I wish I could. I think. Honestly, I'm not much of a traveler and making my way to Rwanda sounds daunting. It isn't a country that has ever even been on my someday travel list. But I would love to meet Kayirngwa. I've sponsored her for 3 1/2 years now. What a gift it would be to meet her! But Rwanda is several thousand dollars and miles away. Still, it is something to pray about. Because hope isn't flat.

Sometimes I Want to Choose Pigs

It's one of those stories in the Bible that you may remember with little prompting. Jesus had traveled across the lake to Gerasenes (Mark 5:1-20). He and the disciples are greeted by a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs. The towns people had tried to bind him with chains, but he broke free. The demons drove him to cut himself with stones.

When the demons saw Jesus they knew who he was and they made the man kneel and cried out asking why Jesus had come to torture them. The demons were fearful of being sent away. My assumption is that they feared no longer having anyone to torture. They came upon the idea of Jesus sending them into a herd of nearby pigs. Jesus complied. But there nature was destruction and they drove those two thousand pigs off a cliff and into the lake to drown.

I'm posting today at the Internet Cafe. Click here to finish reading this post.

Roots and Wings

I don't like relationships to end. But the truth of the matter is that some relationships are meant to end. They are a learning place for someone to jump off from. I understand that, but I am still a bit sad about some news I received yesterday.

I've been a Compassion International sponsor for a number of years now. My first two children were Kayirangwa from Rwanda and Delia from Ecuador. Two years ago this summer, I learned that Delia's parents had opted to pull her from the program. There was no real reason given. It felt like a loss.

Compassion immediately sent me the picture of another little girl in Ecuador to consider sponsoring. Her name was Ambar. Though my heart yearned to know what was going on with Delia, I became Ambar's sponsor and began corresponding with her.

I logged onto my Compassion account to submit my giving for the month over the weekend. I was surprised by a note asking me to contact Compassion about Ambar. I confess that my heart sank a bit as I surmised that Ambar must have left the program. She was no longer listed on my account.

I emailed asking about it and left my work number so they could more easily get in touch with me. I got the email last night and a voice mail today.

I was right. Ambar's parents had decided to take her out of the program. However, it turns out that aside from missing her, there was really no reason to be downhearted about this turn of events. Ambar's family's circumstances have changed for the better. While I don't have the details, apparently they felt that the needs being met were no longer acute and they could care for her. They wanted a child who needed the spot to be able to benefit.

Ambar has continued to excel in school. She has now finished the fourth grade and her parents plan to allow her to continue her education.

And, the email told me that in the last several months, Ambar had become a Christian!

I've heard it said that being a parent is giving children roots and wings. They need both. I think, perhaps, that being a Compassion sponsor is a bit of the same thing. I'm so glad that I've been able to be part of giving Ambar roots and wings. I will continue to pray that God holds her close and brings her safely home to Him in the fullness of time.





I get to write Ambar one last letter. Please pray that I would know the right words.

Happy Birthday!

Today, one of my Compassion girls turns 9! Her name is Ambar and she lives in Ecuador. I've sponsored her almost a year and it has been fun to get to know her.

I think God must have known my heart would wish to make her birthday very special. Through the Compassion blog, I connected with a woman named Sara who was going to be traveling to Ecuador. I was able to send several small gifts (all inside a 1lb plastic bag). I got an email last night from Sara saying that she had dropped the package at one of the Compassion offices in Ecuador yesterday.

I was thrilled. While it may be much too hope that Ambar got it today (it would have to be passed on to her center), I love the idea of things getting to her so close to her birthday. I sent her a pretty, pink frilly top. I'm hoping it fits or is a bit big so she can grow into it. I sent lots of pretty hair things, a small purple photo album, stickers, and a small travel size Etch-a-Sketch! I wish I could have sent more, but it feels great to be able to send those items.

Life in Illinois is challenging right now for a lot of people. The economy stinks and the state is without a budget. Many social service agencies are discontinuing services. A major insurance provider is uping coverage cost. All of that is bad and hard and I do not discount any of that -- particularly the social service piece. However, when I think about how little my girls subsist on, I am more aware of the bounty we have.

I hope my few small gifts brighten your day, Ambar. May they be a tangible reminder that you are loved and cared for by me and even more loved and cared from by God.

Pass It On

This past Christmas I ventured into new territory in my gift giving. I love giving gifts, but sometimes it is really hard to know just the right gift for the right person. Yes, you can always give gift cards. I do that sometimes. But I prefer the gifts I give to have more thought behind it. Though at times, a gift card is the thing with a lot of thought behind it.

This past Christmas, I gave a friend's family two things -- 3 flocks of chickens and a child. That is to say, I gave a gift on their behalf sponsoring 2 flocks of starter chicks through Heifer International and money to Compassion International's unsponsored children's fund.

I've given to Compassion for awhile now, but this was my first involvement with Heifer. One of the things I liked about it was that once a family has received a gift, they are expected to give back by passing on some of the fruit of that gift to another family. I love the idea that the investment in those chicks will be passed on and on. Who knows, maybe some will end up in the hands of one of the children I sponsor through Compassion.

I don't know if you are a Survivor fan or not. But this week there will be a spotlight on the show about Heifer. I don't know how long it will be, but I think it is neat that Survivor is doing that. So, even if you don't normally watch, think about taking a peek on Thursday.

If you want to know more through info on the internet, click here.

Supporting a Future Farmer in Rwanda

I was so excited yesterday to see the Compassion envelope in my mailbox marked "A Letter From Your Sponsored Child." It was the first thing I opened. To my great surprise, it also contained two pictures. The first one was of Kayirnagwa and a sheep. Her birthday was in January, so I had sent money for a birthday gift. Last year, the money was used to buy a hen so they could have eggs. This year they managed to buy a sheep to breed! I think I am supporting a future Rwandan Farmer! It is fun to know that they gifts will be put to such good use.

Kay wrote that she had a good Christmas. The Christmas money was used for bread and meat for her family. She wrote that the dress she is wearing in the picture above is the one that she wore for her church Christmas program. I am so encouraged that she is going to church.

The second picutre is of her family. This was real treat! I've asked questions about her family, but I don't usually get concrete answers. It looks like there are 4 children in her family, with Kay being the eldest. Aren't they adorable?





At the end of the letter, she wrote that her whole family loves me and prays for me. Who is getting the bigger gift -- her or me?

The 411 About Supporting a Child

I had the privilege today of helping out at a Compassion booth at a Christian Women's Conference (Hearts at Home) that is sponsored here in Normal, IL, MN, and MI. I know a lot about Hearts at Home as the founder is a friend of mine. Still, not being a mom, I've veered away from helping out at the conference (don't want my I-wanna-be-a-mom jealousy meter to raise too high) and instead helped out with a couple of Jill's kids. But, they are out growing me.

Last week, Compassion contacted me and asked about helping out at their booth. I love what Compassion does and even though it risked tweaking that meter, I decided to do it. I am so glad that I did. We were busy the entire time. And I got to work with Lisa Martin from Compassion and learned a lot about how to answer the questions.

Here are some of the common questions we got and the answers:
How does this work?

• For $32 a month you sponsor a child. It is a 1 to 1 relationship. No one else will be sponsoring your child. This allows you to build a relationship with the child. (I got to insert bits about the children I am sponsoring.)

Do the children really write you?

• Absolutely. They have to write at least 3 times a year. However, they can write more than that if they want. I had taken along a couple letters that my kids had written to share.

What do you write about and can you send gifts?

• Write about whatever is on your heart. When you do, you will find that your children's letters reflect their concern for you and that they are praying for you. Coming from such family oriented cultures, my children struggle to understand how I can be single and live by myself. They've offered up advice like joining the church choir. When a friend moved, one wrote that she wanted to come to me so I wouldn't be lonely.
• If you have kids, write about them. I write about kids I know.
• You can't send packages because of the cost involved and the fact that things might not make it through Customs in other countries.
• You CAN send small, fun, flat things: pictures (They treasure these), coloring pages, pieces of bright colored paper, stickers. Think "Flat Stanley."
• A couple times year you CAN send extra money for gifts for birthdays or the family or Christmas. The Christmas money gets pooled so that all the kids get things. On the birthday or family gifts, Compassion workers in that country find out what the child/family needs and they go from there.

How much of the money goes to the child?

• 80 cents of every dollar is used to directly benefit the children. The other 20 cents is overhead. Compassion is a very fiscally well run organization. The money is used for education, food, spiritual development, etc.

What about if there are other children at home?

• Typically, only one child (depending on the family needs) is involved in the program. But Compassion understands that in these countries, sharing is a strong family value. Children take home what they learn. They teach their siblings letters by writing in the dirt. They can tell their parents that the reason they get sick so often is that the water isn't boiled. The children become advocates.
• The children at the center have their nutritional needs addressed. This means there is more to go around at home.
• By only having one child in the program, Compassion can influence more families. If there were 5 families with 5 children each with each child enrolled in the program, that would be 25 children impacting 5 families. Compassion thinks bigger than this. By taking 25 children each from different families, they impact 25 families and a bigger segment of the community at large.

Is Compassion a Christian organization?

• DEFINITELY. The program is run in conjunction with a local church. Families are encouraged to go to church but it isn't a requirement. Even if they don't go to church, the children are taught scripture during the day. Again, this is carried back to the families.

How do you pick a child?

• If you are at an event, you can pick up a packet with the child's info and everything you need to get started. But how do you decide? For some people it is a country they are interested in or one they think they might visit. For others, it is wanting a child close to their own child's age.
• You can go online (see the link in the sidebar) and search for a child that way.
  
• Compassion can also pick a child for you.
  
• There are priority children. These children have been waiting 6 months or more for a sponsor. Think how much it would mean to sponsor one of these children.

What do the communities think about Compassion?

• Lisa shared with me how much the communites appreciate Compassion. Compassion typically tries to buy food and supplies locally. As a result, they are investing in the local economy.

Do the letters from sponsors matter?

• YES!!! It is a tangible way that a child feels loved by the sponsor. If you support a child, please write!
  
• It is also possible to go on Compassion sponsored trips and meet your child. I'm praying about that.

Why do I sponsor my two children? Because Jesus calls us to be people of compassion. Compassion is not just being moved by suffering but being moved enough to want to do something about that suffering. After working the booth today, I have a greater realization of the impact that my sponsorship has not just on my child but on the families and the community. It's a ripple effect.

Give Me Your Eyes -- A Compassion International Post

I am one of those pesky adults that likes to ask children questions. It can be the kids at church or a niece or nephew or one of the ones that come into the bookstore.

• What did you do at school today?
• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite book?
• Do you like puppies?

Not so often, but sometimes I ask (especially if there is a chocolate milk mustache), "What did you have for dinner?"

I've recently fallen in love with Brandon Heath's song "Give Me Your Eyes." Here is the chorus:

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the brokenhearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your yes so I can see

As I've listened to that song today, I've found myself imagining asking, "What did you eat today?" to children around the world. God has had me imagining wide eyes and distended tummies as His children look, crestfallen at the ground and shrug thin shoulders.

Compassion has a lot of information on children in poverty. Here are some of the sobering statistics:

• Over 600 million children in developing countries live on less than one US dollar a day.
• 9 million children under the age of 5 die every year with malnutrition the cause of one third of these deaths.
• 1 in 5 children does not have access to safe water

My sponsored children are involved in Compassion International (obviously) so they had at least one meal today. But so many others didn't. (And one meal? Is that enough?) As I write I have a full stomach. Here is what I ate today:

• Breakfast: 2 Waffles, OJ
• Snack: Juice, peanuts
• Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwich and fresh fruit
• Dinner: 2 KFC Snackers and a pop
• Safe water available at all times

By US standards, it wasn't a huge amount of food. By developing nations standards, by imagining big eyed children with rumbling tummies and parents that ache to feed them, it seems almost obscene.

Given the delay in posts being delivered, by the time you read this, it will be tomorrow. It's just one day, but for tomorrow I will fast and pray for all those children and pray that God shows me better how to reach the ones that He sees.

"Give me your eyes" could be a dangerous prayer. I wonder what would happen if I prayed that every day.

40 to 40 (Gratitude 37)

In these economic troubled times where I sometimes feel a true pinch, I am grateful for having enough to share. I am particularly blessed by my Compassion International children and getting to know them.

Knowing that what I give each month helps meet even there basic needs is humbling in light of everything else I have. So, yes, money is tight, but I am coming to believe that I do not know the true meaning of tight.

I am thankful for the ability to give.

1st Snow

This is what I woke up to. I suppose if I paid any attention to the weather on the news I would have known it was coming.

While it is very pretty, snow always makes me feel melancholy and antsy. I hate the thought of being snowed in. I think it is probably that I am snowed in with just myself and the cats.

Though, so far it doesn't look too bad out. The main road looks pretty clear and I've cleared my drive way. I think I'm going to dash to the store for a bit. And then I have to be at B&N at 2:00. Hopefully, the weather won't get worse before then.

I did use the opportunity to take a picture of the tree. I've just placed an email photo order at Walgreens for a pictures of trees in the summer, trees in the fall, and this one of a tree in winter. I am going to send them to my Compassion International children.

Hope you are having a great Sunday.

A Bounty of Snail Mail

Lately my mailbox has been very busy. Much to my surprise, Jesus has been writing me. I've gotten several cards with Bible verses tucked inside them! They have been very encouraging to me. I know that some hands must be helping, but I appreciate the effort and do feel like Jesus is writing.

Then, I've picked up a pen pal. Elena and Grace use to live here. I sent Elena (8) a birthday present. She sent me a thank you not and said, "Write back!" I did. I asked her if she was asking to be my pen pal. I promised a letter for every letter she writes me. I've gotten my third since the end of September!

Lysa Terkuerst looped me in on a project for Sharon at Joy in the Truth's son. It involved a traveling journal and postcards and info about different parts of the country. It was through school. Interestingly enough, his teacher's name was Mrs. Barnhart. Mrs. Barnhart was the name of my kindergarten teacher. (No, we don't live anywhere near the same state.) I passed the journal on as instructed to Elena in Michigan who was going to send it to someone in Florida.

And then there is my Compassion child. Kay (Kayirangwa) from Rwanda wrote me the sweetest letter ever.She asked for prayer for school and for her mother who has pain in her back. Then she told me how beautiful Grace and Elena's pictures were. (I send pictures of various people and thought getting pictures of two little girls might be more fun than just adults or cats!) I had mentioned their mother moving and might not have been clear that they had moved too. She wrote:

She asks if Grace and Elena moved too? Kayirnagwa liked those children alot. If they too moved it's sad and if she had been able she would have come to remove you from that loneliness.

She's praying for you that you have a happy Christmas.

How sweet is that for her to think that I might be lonely because Grace, Elena, and Allison moved and want to help?

I love email. I'm probably addicted to it, but I must say that all of this snail mail ROCKS!

40 to 40 (Gratitude 9)

I am thankful for my Compassion International children. Kayiranagwa and Ambar are my current children. Delia was my child in Ecuador until the middle of July. For some unknown reason, her parents pulled her out of the program. I was troubled by this. Compassion International invited me to take another child in Ecuador and assigned me Ambar. Thus far, I've only gotten one letter from Ambar, but I was so excited to get it!

There are times when I don't necessarily feel like I have the funds to send. But then I also know I took on a responsibility to these children and it is humbling to read about how little they and their families survive on. I am thankful that they are teaching me to give both monetarily and through writing. I really try to write every two to three weeks.

And they bless me. They tell me that they are praying for me and send me pictures they drew. So, I am thankful for Compassion International and particularly my girls. I still pray for Delia.

A New Use For Leaves

Do you have a Compassion child? I read somewhere that we can send laminated leaves or flowers or such. I found some self adhesive (and it sticks right away) at the office store and did three note card size ones. I may give one to a friend of mine to send to her child. They are small leaves, but I didn't want anything that would mess up the envelope.

This is what the three cards together looked like. It just sounded like a novel idea, so I thought I would give it a try. Maybe I can find some small orange or yellow ones too.

Sign Post -- Please Check This Out

I regularly read a blog concerning Compassion International. This post really spoke to me about the impact sponsors have on the lives of children and families and even communities as the children grow. To read it click here.

My Mailbox Is HAPPY

My mailbox is so HAPPY! I've been praying and waiting for it to come. Today, I found this in my mailbox! It is the first letter from my newest Compassion child, Ambar. (Some of you may recall that Delia left the program. Compassion immediately matched me up with Ambar.) It was this summer and I wrote to her right away and have sent a few letters, but I hadn't heard back yet.

Ambar is 8 and lives in the capital city of Ecuador. She wrote me about going to church and school and playing dolls with her cousin. She says she lives in a small house with her parents and siblings and that she has fun with her dog on the weekends.

I had received the packet on her, but it is nice to have something actually from her! She wrote the end of August, so it took about 6 weeks to get here.

How sweet to read her promise that she will be praying for me always.

If I get excited over a letter, imagine what a letter from you might do? Imagine how happy that would make an impoverished child. So, if you sponsor a child, your homework tonight is to write a note to them. If you don't sponsor a child, please pray about sponsoring one. On my sidebar you can link to children that are waiting for sponsors. Maybe the picture showing now is the child for you!

Does It Matter To Me?

It's a small unassuming little book with a big message: Just Courage by Gary Haugen. The subtitle is "God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian."

I'll probably be reflecting on this book for a long time and hope to share some of it over the next couple of weeks. But I don't just want to share it here, I want to give a copy of the book away. To enter, leave a comment below with some aspect of God's concern for the world and maybe how you are responding to that. You see, I need ideas on how God may want me to respond!

About half way through the book is this quote:

We must seek to rescue our neighbors with dedication and urgency with which we would go about trying to rescue our own family or even ourself. In a world of injustice, loving intervention on behalf of the oppressed is simple obedience to Jesus' must fundamental command to love our neighbor.

Do I have the same urgency to help those around me -- particularly the oppressed that I would have if it were happening to someone I knew and loved?

I think I have in the past. I think of my time as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). I spent 3 years representing two children in the foster care system. It was a demanding volunteer position. I averaged about 40 hours a month on my case over that time. I had that sense of urgency for those children.

But what about now? I have a couple children through Compassion International. That's a good thing. I pray for them daily. But what am I doing on a more active level to advocate/love someone who cannot do it for themselves?

Ideas please!

If there is some way you are showing that what matters to HIM matters to you please let me know. Or maybe you know someone who is taking action for God. I'd love to hear about them as well.

The contest will go until September 30. Every comment will be an entry. Oh, and I'm adding some quotes from the book to the quote section of my blog. Just click the word quote in the navigation bar and scroll down until you see "Gary Haugen: Just Courage."




ps: I'd love to have you promote the contest on your sites. If you want to, you can add the graphic by right clicking on it and down loading it to your site. Then click the paper clip/world icon and enter the address of this post or my general address of http//amylbrooke.blogspot.com Thanks!

Compassion -- Jesus in Action

I'm blogging today for Compassion International. I've gotten to know Compassion over the last couple of years through sponsoring a couple children. At right is a picture of Kayirangwa. I call her Kay for short.

Kay is a wonder to me. At nine she has lived most of her life in poverty. There are three children in her family and she lives with both her parents. Can you imagine a family of 5 living on about $5 a month?

Compassion minsters to over a million children in the world's poorest countries. The parents want more for their children. Compassion partners with parents and the community to do more for these little ones.

Kay showed me that she knows what the word compassion means. In the letter at right, she thanks me for the birthday money I sent her. In stead of buying something just for herself, she bought a hen for her family so they can have eggs. Compassion is doing what you can for someone else. Kay does that! I am so proud of her. In this, I think she showed Jesus love and compassion.

Have you ever thought of sponsoring a child and thought that it just wasn't for you? What part of it isn't for you? It's a chance to have a relationship with a child in poverty. It's a chance to give a child hope because they know someone cares about them and believes in them. In turn, they give hope to their families and their communities.

Unfortunately, there are more children than sponsors! Will you sponsor one today? For the cost of $32 a month you will know a child is receiving an education, food, and health care. That's just slightly over a dollar a day -- a dollar we might carelessly spend on a candy bar or in the pop machine. Could you drink water or have a candy bar only once a week if it meant a child could buy a hen and her family could have eggs?

Do you have kids? I know some people who have a meal once a week like a meal their child might have. One friend's kids sell rocks for money to support their child. They send pictures they have drawn.

Does a child need you? Yes, but do you need a Compassion child? Yes. If only for the simple fact that your child will be praying for you. Kay writes that she is praying for blessing for me and how surprised she is that like her I eat rice and beans! These kids care about their sponsors and together discover all the ways that we are similar in spite of being in the middle of IL and Kay being in the African country of Rwanda.

You can look at my sidebar to see photos of Compassion kids. But I want to encourage you to click here to be taken to the pictures of kids who have been waiting 6 months or more. Just imagine waiting and waiting for a sponsor and suddenly someone picks you! It might seem a bit like God looked down and smiled. You would probably run home with the news. "I'm sponsored! Someone loves me!"

Won't you be a part?

I love having the link on my sidebar for Compassion children. But I confess, I struggle with not being able to sponsor every one of them myself!

Other links about my involvement with Compassion:
The Search for Ecuador
Gifts
From America with Love
A Child in Rwanda
Last letter to Delia
When A Child Buys A Hen