A Plea for Pascal

Last September, I cam across a slightly scowling young man from Uganda on the Compassion International website.

Pascal was listed in both of the searches I do when I go to the Compassion website to pray over children. As one of the oldest on the site and also an orphan, by heart went out to this young man.

Knowing that teen boys do not easily find sponsors, I shared his profile here and there, hoping he would be chosen.

He was actually sponsored in September but his sponsorship was ended within a month or two. I had searched for him a few times, but had not found him on any Compassion sites.

This morning, though, a familiar face popped up when I went to Compassion to pray over the oldest children.

Pascal is looking for a sponsor and I would be so happy to know that he was chosen by a caring and dedicated sponsor who was willing to see him through to the completion of the program.

Is that sponsor you?

If you would like to visit Pascal’s profile, please click on his image above. If you cannot sponsor, please consider praying for him and sharing this post with others.

Thank you so much!

Mail Call Monday!

Several Mondays each month, Compassion International sponsors link up to share the news from their sponsored children around the world.

This past week, we were blessed to find two Compassion letters in our mailbox!

The first was from our little Madina in Uganda.

Madina drew a picture of a school using bright colors for the doors, windows and roof.

With the help of CDC staff, Madina thanks us for the letters and tells us that she always “admires reading them”. She says that they have interesting pictures that she enjoys.

In response to letters we sent out in March about mail in our area, Madina tells is that they do not have mail boxes near by. She doesn’t answer the questions we asked about how letters are delivered to her development center, but it is nice to see at least a reference to our letter.

Madina then commented on the letter we sent about snow activities. She says, “I am happy to hear about a skis, I have never seen it.” During the winter we sent pictures of the girls trying out some cross country skis. I do wonder what our Ugandan girlie thought about all of the snow!

The other letter we received last week was from Elin Xiomara in El Salvador.

It must be a universal thing. I smile when I see how Elin draws tiny circles to dot her eyes.

This is our second letter from Elin who was assigned to us as a correspondent in December. When she appeared on our account, I emailed Compassion to ask how often she had received letters. I was told that the last letter she had received was in 2008 and letters before that had not come frequently at all.

So, when I read through Elin’s letters, tears came to my eyes.

It just touches my heart – her statement that she never imagined she would see us in photographs. 

By now, she has not only seen us in photos, but also our pets, our hobbies, our friends, our church and much more.  I cannot wait to hear what she thinks of all of those pictures and letters.

I am so happy to have the chance to write to these children and share a bit of ourselves through words and pictures. It really is just such a blessing!

What about you? Have you heard from any of your compassion children lately? I’d love to hear about your letters!

Friday Features

Yes, it is true…  With many things on my schedule and on my mind, blogging takes a back burner. I had mail to share, but on Monday I lacked the gumption to get a post together.  I had randomness to talk about, but morning plans and a car with blown brake lines got in the way of a Thursday This & That post.

My best intentions of being a consistent blogger often get pushed aside because of this thing called real life.

I’m sure you’ll forgive me!

If you’re a Compassion sponsor, you might have already seen the recently released findings of a study on international sponsorship. In case you haven’t, you can read a bit more about the study and its findings here:

Research Shows: Child Sponsorship Through Compassion Works

I’ve been convinced that sponsorship works for a few years now, but the study reaffirms this!

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In April, I shared the story of a little girl named Winter and her mission to raise fund to sponsor a child of her own!

Well, I am happy to share that Winter has reached her fundraising goal! Praise the Lord!

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Here in the boonies, the weather has been just about perfect and we have enjoyed visiting nearby gullies and spending time outside on our property.

Yes, we’ve had our fair share if trials recently. I am diligently trying to look for the blessings in each day. Mindfully, I am trying to notice and give thanks to the things that bring joy - the gifts of each day.

I hope that you have been blessed. If you’re facing some trials today, I pray that you would notice the moments of joy or peace and that they would bring you comfort.

This song has come on the internet radio first thing for the last four mornings in a row. It has been nice to start the day being reminded that all I am is His.

Thursday’s This & That

Around the house… Two girls are munching toast while coloring at the dining room table. Lately, they seem to like to get up and get right to drawing or coloring or watercolors.

Outside of my windows…

Everything is so green and lush right now. Hot and humid weather is predicted for later today, so it is good to get out and enjoy a bit of the boonies in the morning while it is still cool. I really love the sound of the birds singing all around the property. Their songs change throughout the day and I find the morning and evening playlists to be the most vibrant.

And a side-order of Mail Call….

Yesterday was one of those great mail days where I found three cream colored envelopes waiting for me!

The first contained a letter and photo of Onen Patrick from Uganda.

Onen is our correspondent that is sponsored by our church.  Last fall, the children in Sunday School collected tithes and offerings to go towards a financial gift for Onen.  He was able to buy school clothes and shoes and also a suitcase for storing his things!

I love that children in Uganda write in English and Onen’s letter sweetly shared what he had been doing in school recently. He also tells us that “the Bible is God’s love letter to us.”

The next letter was from our lovely Uwera in Rwanda.

Uwera’s letter started with a sentence that just grabbed my heart.

“I love you so much!”

Such sweet words to read! Uwera goes on to say that she is so happy with the letters that we send to her. She tells us a bit about school and her family and then closes with another sentence that makes my heart leap with joy.

“I received Jesus as my Savior!”

It really doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Praise God!

The last letter was from the baby of our family – little Akimana Sonia in Rwanda!

The letter was written on a template titled “My Dreams”. It had several fill in the blank sentences where we learned that our wee girl would someday like to visit us and would like to see God.

We also learned that one day she would like to have a dolly. That sentence stuck with me as I thought about my girls and their room full of toys and dolls and stuffed animals. It is hard to imagine a little girl without a doll to play with.

On the back of the letter, which was written by an aunt, it says that Akimana is so happy with the letters we've sent her and she is excited to receive them. Then, once again I read the words, “She loves you so much together with her family.”

Such a blessing to have these sweet children in our lives and in our hearts!

But, the thought of a little girl dreaming for a dolly stuck with me after I set the letters down. On a whim, I took to social media and stopped by a few Facebook pages dedicated to Compassion Advocates.  I asked if anyone was planning to go to Rwanda in the coming year and would be willing to take a dolly for little Akimana.

Within the hour, I had a reply from a woman in Florida who said she was actually leaving in 24 hours for a trip to Africa and she would be visiting her children in Rwanda. I didn’t know how I could possibly get a doll to her in such a short time when this woman made an offer that brought tears to my eyes. She volunteered to go to a store before leaving for her trip and buy a dolly for little Akimana.

In a few weeks, our sweetie in Rwanda will have her wish!

Isn’t God so good?  I hope that Akimana has a lot of fun playing with her baby doll! Will you join me in praying for Sherie as she embarks on her journey to Africa?

I need to get started on my work before the heat of the day comes.  I hope that you have had a good week so far! Do you have a little bit of This & That to share? Please share in the comments section!

Thursday’s This & That

Outside of the window… Hummingbirds are chattering and zipping around and visiting our feeder. The sky is grey with a hint of impending rain.

Around the house… One girl reads on the couch while another colors at the dining room table.  Mikey the cockatiel is ringing the bell in his cage, sounding like a Salvation Army kettle volunteer at Christmas-time.

Things in our neck of the boonies…  Truthfully, we’ve got a lot on our plates and are navigating several stressful situations. You know the image of the circus act where someone tries to keep a dozen plates spinning on rods? Life has been feeling like that a lot lately, only most of the plates seem to be wobbling to the point that they’re just an instant from falling and shattering.

I’ve been getting by, trying to focus not on the big picture but the little joys and treasures to be found in each day. When my mind wanders to a place of worry and anxiety, I try to stop myself and turn my focus to little moments in the day that bring a smile. Lately it is those little gifts in the day that have really helped, forcing myself to seek them out and acknowledge them.

In many cases, those moments of joy come from these two blessings….

An eleven year old who is growing and maturing a bit faster than I would like. A girl with a heart that is naturally compassionate and generous.  A young lady willing to give almost all of the money she’s saved up, in order to help pregnant women facing a big decision.

 

A spunky six year old who is full of confidence and adventure.

Freckles and giggles and sass, all rolled into one little package.

Subtle, or not so subtle reminders that the Lord God is with us. In times of trials or in times of peace, we have a Savior who loves us and we have the promise of a future in a place where there will be no more worries or tears.

Thursday’s This and That!

Outside of my window… The sun is shining on the vibrant green new leaves on all of the trees. In the last two weeks, the branches have gone from bare to flaunting leaves, making our little section of the boonies even more beautiful.

Around the house… One girlie is still sleeping peacefully while the younger one plays quietly. The washing machine is churning to its usual rhythm and the aroma of coffee is being carried through the house on the cool morning breeze that is coming through a few open windows.

Our week in review… We have really been enjoying the exceptional weather in our area.  For many days we have been blessed with sun, brilliant blue skies and comfortable temperatures reaching mid-70s to low 80s. Weather like this makes it hard to want to stay inside and so things like blogging (and sometimes cleaning) fall to the wayside. Instead, bike riding, walks, exploring creek beds, games of tennis, trips to the playground, riding horses and other outdoor activities have been preferred.

At the end of the day, you can tell how much fun has been had by how dirty all of the little toes are.

Thankfully….  When I feel too busy to work on an actual blog post, I can still check in and chat a bit on the Blogging from the Boonies Facebook page. (What? You’re not a part of our community yet? What are you waiting for? Click here and “like”! )

Here are just a few pictures from our week.

I hope that your week has been blessed.  What is one of your favorite moments from this past week?  I’d love it if you would share in the comments section!

Mail Call Monday!

Several Mondays each month, Compassion International sponsors link up to share the news from their sponsored children around the world.

 

Last week’s series ran from Monday through Friday, so I didn’t publish a Mail Call post.  I have been so excited to find some Happy Mail in our mailbox recently, so I have plenty to share today!

We received our first letter from Uwera Noella in Rwanda! She was assigned as a correspondent child in December, so we have been eagerly waiting to learn more about her!

In the introductory letter, Noella told us some of the basics, including the names of her family members and things like her favorite subjects and foods. We also learned that Noella hopes to become a medical doctor, which is a high aspiration! We will do all that we can to encourage her in this dream!

In the letter, Noella asks, “I wish to know when you will come to visit us here in Rwanda.” That is a question that I try to answer very delicately.  I know of more than one sponsor who responded to something like this by saying that they would love to come visit but cannot, and the child read it to mean that they actually would be visiting.

Noella’s prayer for us is that we will have peace and blessings from God and, due to some things we’re going through, this really meant a lot to me.  Also, her favorite Bible verse was listed as Matthew 7:7 which is a verse that was very important in my journey to seeking God.

We received two letters from Mkapa in Tanzania this week.

He thanked us for a financial birthday gift and also his Christmas gift and shares that he was able to buy some new pants and shorts. He also said, “Thanks for all of the letters and photos you send to me. I’ve enjoyed them a lot. May God bless you for your remembrance of me.”

Then, at the end of one of the letters was a closing that knocked the breath out of me. On a personal level, our family has had some difficulties lately and I had just received the news that our monthly income would be cut drastically.  I had been in a panic for over a week and have been praying for the Lord to show us some wisdom on the situation.

That wisdom came in the form of some words that travelled halfway across the world, penned by a sweet young man living in a hut on the plains of Tanzania.

I was quite literally stunned the first time I read this, thinking I must have misread. Reading it a second and third time, I could not get over the thoughts that this message was a direct hit.

I have printed the image above and have it placed on my refrigerator. when worry starts to sweep over me, I remind myself to read the words Mkapa sent to us and it really has helped me tremendously. I thank the Lord for the encouragement it has brought.

We also received our first letter from Meenadevi in India. My girls think that this beautiful girl looks like some sort of princess.

I had been eager to hear from Meenadevi since she was assigned to us as a correspondent in December. I had no idea what a sweet and thoughtful lady she would turn out to be!

The letter was written in English and filled the front and back of the sheet of paper. Here is an excerpt:

“I am excited to read your three loving letters with many beautiful photos on them. How are you Jason Uncle, Michelle Aunty sisters Luna and Kaya? Aunty, I thank you very much for your love on me. I am so happy to write this letter to you. Aunty and Uncle, I am so happy to know more about your family, your interests and pets. Aunty, yourself and Uncle, sisters Kaya and Luna are very cute in the photos.....Your pet dog Scruffy is beautiful in the photo. aunty, I wish to play in the snowflakes upon seeing the snowfall in the photos. We do not receive such snowfall in our area. Aunty and Uncle, I wish to share all about me to you through letters. I read all of the things that you shared about Jesus and your family. Aunty, I am so happy that you call me as a special child.... In some houses here, they decorate houses and trees with lights, hangings, bells stars, etc. Some stars hanging at homes seem to have come down from the sky....I pray for you all daily.”

In the letter, she also shared some personal details about her family, her home and her prayer requests. The letter was just filled with details and affection.

A first for our nearly four years of being involved with Compassion, Meenadevi also attached something extra to her letter.

Yes, she sent us a package of stickers!

I thought that was just so sweet, that she would think to send us something with her letter to us.  I have read her letter many times since it arrived and I am blessed by the excitement and love that Meenadevi shared with her words. I happened to think of it last night and looked in my email folders to find the email Compassion sent with a little of Meenadevi’s history.

“Meenadevi has had only one sponsor and has not received any letters since 2007.”

I can only imagine how sad it must be to go years and years without receiving a response to her letters. I think she was probably very excited when our first letter was given to her and then more letters followed in the weeks after. I don’t know the reason why Meenadevi’s sponsors stopped writing and I wonder if they know that they are missing out on a relationship with a young lady with sweet words and love to share.

However, I am so thankful for the opportunity to step in and correspond. It really is a blessing!

What about you? Did you get any letters from your Compassion children this past week? If so, please share in the comments section below!

Wrapping Up with a Link-Up!

Today concludes my first week-long series here at Blogging from the Boonies. I have enjoyed putting these posts together and I hope that some of you are finding the tips and links helpful!

There are so many things we can do to foster compassion in our children. Helping your child be a part of something bigger then themselves can nurture their hearts and encourage them to look for opportunities to help and be involved!

Today, I want to have a Link-Up where you can share your blog posts on the topic of Getting Children Involved in the Compassion International Experience.

Do you have any inspiration to share? If so, please link up! (Be sure to link to the specific blog post on this topic, and not just to your blog. This will make it easier for people to find your post in the future!)

Winter’s Walk–A Guest Post!

This week’s series has been about ways you can help your child get involved in the Compassion experience. Today’s post shows that, sometimes, children can have a heart to do something without any nudging from their parents.

Today I am thrilled to share a guest post about an inspirational little girl with a big idea. My friend Kit, whom I have met through the blog-world and OurCompassion, wrote this post and I hope that it touches you like it has touched me!

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Parenting is always an adventure. If it’s not navigating mountains of laundry or cleaning what is that off the wall, it’s getting to know our kids’ unique personalities and helping them through issues-of-the-heart.

A couple years ago, we rented the movie “Soul Surfer” to watch as a family. It proved to be a perfect example of highlighting the differences between our children. We knew our son would love it because he likes fish and sharks and all things “ocean” (despite having always lived in land-locked areas). But what would his two younger sisters think?

We soon had our answer when at the end of the movie, our sensitive daughter Sarah Winter observed that when Bethany went to help people in Thailand after the tsunami, she learned that even though she lost an arm, she still had so much. She could be thankful, and help others.

Our other more adrenaline-driven daughter simply said, “Take me surfing.”
Thus began a grand adventure in our family, as one daughter decided she’d like to help a child also, and the other daughter began amassing a collection of swimming-pool kick boards because they do not sell real surfboards in Wyoming.

Around that same time I was surprised to win a drawing because I never win anything, and we received a children’s book about child sponsorship called, “African Heartbeat” by Barb Christing, put out by World Vision. We had already been sponsoring a few children through Compassion International for a couple years. After watching her parents sponsor children, seeing Bethany Hamilton’s story through the movie, and reading this children’s book, Sarah Winter came up with a crazy birthday wish and our lives haven’t been the same since:

She asked us if she could sponsor a child for her sixth birthday.

Seeing as we already sponsored a few children, I offered one of them to be “hers” to write to and pray for. But she said no, she insisted we should help “one more child.” I told her I couldn’t afford to sponsor more kids, but she would not let up. We began to discuss the idea of her raising the money herself.

But how would a barely-six-year-old come up with that kind of money? Were we crazy to agree to such a thing? Maybe we were. But maybe that’s just where God wants us to be!

Just prior to turning six, I helped my daughter get onto the Compassion website and look for a child her age. She initially wanted to help a child in Thailand, like Bethany had. But at that time there were no children on the website from that area. I suppose that was meant to be, because Sarah Winter chose a little girl in Indonesia instead, and it’s been love ever since. I can’t imagine anything else now.

 

For her sixth birthday, our daughter told her friends not to bring presents to her party. Instead, she shared the photo of her new sponsored child and asked if they would bring a small donation for her instead. Between that birthday party and friends/family being so encouraging of our little girl’s kind heart, almost a year’s worth of sponsorship funds were raised!

These two girls of the same age but living a world apart, began to write back and forth to one another. Lovely drawings have been exchanged. And faithful prayers have been said every night. It was definitely a risk, a leap of faith, to allow our young child to sponsor another child on her own. But it is plain to see that Sarah Winter is serious, committed, determined, and faithful in this endeavor.

So far, this is a risk worth taking. I’d even say it would’ve been a greater risk to her heart to have denied her this.

 

We’ve all grown and been blessed by saying yes.

 

Our daughter has been a sponsor for eighteen months now. When the birthday party money was used up, a cousin helped us make and sell necklaces to earn some more money. Now it is time once again to raise some more.

My daughter and I weren’t sure what to do as we were in need of a fresh new fundraising idea. I thought about a 10k race that I have begun walking every year with my own mother, but I thought, “Nah, 6.2 miles is too long for a seven year old to go.”

But then I thought, isn’t that exactly the point? That this sweet seven year old is going above and beyond, further than I expected or asked her to go? To train for a distance of 10k at only 7 years old would indeed show dedication and sacrifice, which is what we made clear to her that this sponsorship would take (and she has made more than clear to us that she understands)!

I presented the idea and she excitedly said yes. She will walk a 10k in her sponsored child’s honor on Memorial Day weekend, and she requests caring individuals to support her by pledging per kilometer for her efforts.

 

We have just about a month until the race day and have been enjoying great times together as we train and prepare. This whole experience of letting a child sponsor a child has been blessing upon blessing for me—I learn from my daughter’s faithfulness in praying for this child, am humbled by her willingness to sacrifice for her, am awed in watching her faith and love for Jesus grow, and overjoyed to see even her surfing obsessed sister be affected by this sponsorship…. And now I get to spend extra time with this special soul as we go on training walks for the upcoming 10k!

If you would like to support Sarah Winter in her fundraising for her sponsored child, we are asking people to pledge $1 per kilometer ($10 total) or whatever you feel you’d like to contribute. We are able to accept donations through the link you’ll follow if you click the image below.

Or, if you would like to donate with a check or other means, you can get in touch with us by leaving a comment below. Michelle will contact you with our personal email address.

And above all, please pray for our daughter and her sponsored child. We thank God for this blossoming relationship and the growing faith of these two young girls. Pray that God will always find a way to encourage the “faith of a child.” Thank you!

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What a sweet girl Sarah Winter is! Friends, I am hoping that we can work together a support these sweet girls. Whether it be in prayer or financial donations, we can all do something to honor this wonderful connection and the step of faith that Winter (and her parents) took when they said, “Yes!”

 

If you have any words of support for Sarah Winter, you can leave them in the comments below!  Also, if you make a donation of any amount to this fundraiser, please let me know! I will choose one of you and send out a package of colorful stationary for your Compassion correspondence!

 

A Family Affair-Part 3

This week, posts at Blogging from the Boonies have been focused on ways that your children can be involved in sponsorship through Compassion International. So far, we have covered letter writing and culture study.

Today’s topic is going to touch on an activity that has sparked a lot of excitement in my own daughters. While today’s post will go a bit broader than speaking specifically to sponsorship, I think it is something worth sharing!

Fund Raising!

We have been a part of several fund raising efforts, just within our family and also as part of a larger group effort, and I have always been so amazed to see how eager and willing children are to take part!

Our daughters have raided their piggy banks to pitch in when we have sent Financial Gifts to some of our sponsored children. Their offerings have been small in sum but have been given with such cheer and love that I know the Lord has blessed and multiplied what they have shared. (When you send a child a Financial Gift through Compassion International, 100% of those funds go to the child or family to buy needed items. Read more about giving gifts like this here.)

I’ve also heard many stories about families working together to have yard sales, ridding their homes of the “extra” and sending those funds to their Compassion children.

(Click the image to see the original post!)

Compassion International has several Complementary Interventions that lend themselves easily to fundraising efforts.

In 2010, our oldest daughter was given a homeschooling assignment to write a persuasive essay. That assignment evolved into a project where she created a video presentation for Bite Back (Compassion’s Malaria Intervention) and raised $70 thanks to friends and family. You can click the link to go to the Bite Back page. They even have little kits available for anyone wanting to do a fundraiser!

 

Together with our local homeschool group, we had a Walk For Water fundraiser last summer where we raised funds for Compassion’s Water of Life campaign.

As you can read in this blog post our actual “walk” for water did not go as planned, but the Lord blessed the efforts of these sweet children and over $1,400 was raised by the group! Amazing!

We’ve also participated on Compassion International’s One Meal One Day fundraiser. These funds go towards Compassion’s Supplemental Food Intervention.

This year’s involvement on One Meal One Day was really eye opening and challenging for our 11 year old Kaya, who went above and beyond my expectations. Not only did we raise $430, but Kaya really put her heart into the experience and as you can see in this video, it really had an impact on her.

With each of these projects we’ve taken on, we have spent time looking into the issues at hand and it has led to some eye-opening learning opportunities. As a family, we have more awareness about things that affect people around the world. We realize that people really can die from something as small as a mosquito bite. Some people in the world have no access to clean water and many have to spend hours a day walking to and from water sources. We learned that there are people who are so hungry that they resort to eating cakes of dried mud to fill their stomachs. All of these revelations lead to changes in perspective.

Thanks to Compassion’s many Complementary Interventions, there are so many ways to get involved in a family and work to raise funds for a cause that you want to support. I have been blessed to see how opportunities spark excitement and drive in children. The joy and willingness to help make a difference is such a wonderful thing to foster in young ones.

Has your family been involved in any fundraising for your Compassion children or for any of Compassion’s other funds? I would love to hear more!

Tomorrow, I am thrilled to share the story of a remarkable little girl with a BIG mission on her heart.  I know you will not want to miss this, so please stop back tomorrow!