Does This Excite You?

After these wonderful revelations, I can hardly wait to get to Heaven.

I hear it's even bigger than New York City.

HT:RI

Half a World Away

I've been following all the Compassion bloggers in Uganda this week, eagerly reading each and every blog entry as they trickle into my reader. If you're just hearing about this, I highly recommend visiting some of these blogs to see what all the fuss is about!

Time and time again the things I'm seeing and hearing tug at my heart. We sponsor four children, but before hearing these reports, I really don't think I grasped the full impact of the work Compassion does. It doesn't just effect the children we sponsor, but also has a profound effect on the entire families of the sponsored children.

Please visit this post by Shaun Groves to watch a brief video that shows exactly what a world-shaking difference each and every one of us can make.

And if you don't already do so, please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today!

I Can Only Imagine

Choosing Compassion

One of the first things I'd like to address here is why my family has chosen to make Compassion International a ministry and cause that we wholeheartedly support. The longer I've had interactions with Compassion, the more impressed and amazed I've been by them. If you've ever considered sponsoring a child or getting involved, but just weren't sure, I hope you'll consider some of the things that helped us in deciding on Compassion International.

The first and easiest reason I can give is that the effects of sponsoring a child through Compassion are immediate and tangible. I'm saving the specifics about our sponsored children for later posts, but if you've worked hard and made sacrifices to provide for your family like I have, then it's important to you that the stewardship of your giving is in hands that can be trusted, and which truly honors the Lord and makes a difference in our world. Compassion does not just use a child's face to lure you into giving to a "general fund" of some sort, and then pull a bait-and-switch once you've begun your giving. They literally put you in direct contact with a specific child, and your involvement in that child's life has visible effects. Studies have shown that this approach is much more successful than a nameless/faceless entity that shows up and drops off some food and water and then just leaves. This is a long-term ongoing commitment in the life of a specific child, and it is really quite an amazing and effectual thing.

One specific example of this sponsor-to-child relationship I'd like to mention, which we've enjoyed very much, is giving a child gift or family gift through Compassion. You are allowed to give a dollar amount, over and above your normal sponsorship, that goes to your child or your child's family. 100% of this gift goes directly to them. We've been privileged to receive letters and photos back from our kids, telling us of their very exciting day at the market, and showing us the beautiful new clothes and other items they purchased with the gift money.

Another reason we've chosen Compassion is that we are extremely confident that we can trust them. Compassion is constantly getting high marks with all the ministry watchdog agencies, and even better than that, I've personally had direct dealings with the folks at Compassion, and with people who know the inner workings there. It all paints a clear picture of an organization which, from top to bottom, operates with absolute integrity -- and more importantly, that this is a group of people who truly love what they do and want to be the best they can.

Finally, there is one more aspect of giving through Compassion which, in my mind, is the single strongest argument to be made. That is simply this -- the best gift I can possibly give, and the most critical need in the world, is Jesus. Compassion teaches these children from a very young age about the love of Christ, and demonstrates it in the most practical way possible. Knowing that these little ones are being filled with hope and joy through the Gospel is by far the most rewarding part of this entire experience for me!

Something to Blog About

After a long, self-imposed break from blogging, I finally have something which has drawn me back into doing it again.

This month is blog month at Compassion International, and I feel very strongly about the great work they do, so I've decided to add my "voice" to their cause.

My wife and I sponsor four children through Compassion, and I will be taking some time over the next few weeks talking about each one of our children, and telling you about my experience as a child sponsor.

Also this month, Compassion is taking 15 Christian bloggers to see the ministry's work firsthand. You can read their blogs and get an insider's view of Compassion as the bloggers send live updates. I will be highlighting and linking to some of my favorite posts from this group.