Compassion bloggers in Nicaragua - Touching stories of real life

Have you heard of the Compassion bloggers? If you read Ann Voskamp's - A holy experience - you have seen the pictures and heartfelt words of love for these children of Compassion.  

The Compassion blogger team has returned from Nicaragua this month & just in case you haven't yet read about their wonderful journey or looked at their photo's  - photo's that often say much more than any blog post could- I encourage you to go ahead and take a look.

Grab a cup of coffee, and sit back & read through these posts. Open your heart to the truth shared here & allow God to speak into your life.

We are here to serve. We all have a job to do. God has given each a gift to share. It may be a blog post, or a book. It could be a song, or a sponsorship. It may be that God has given you a special heart for those in your community - wherever He leads - just go!

Their trip to Nicaragua may be over - but the stories remain . . .

Read the highlights from the June trip here 
See the other posts from Nicaragua 2013 here 

Read about blogger Christy Jordan Southern Plate - meeting the child she sponsors - here. 

And here where "things are changing" "families are being restored" and "children are dreaming of becoming someone"

Share Compassion with your children & enjoy free homeschool curriculum materials  - here 

Monday 4 Moms - Showing Compassion

When I need to brush my teeth - I walk on over to my sink, turn a knob and don't think twice as the basin begins to fill with water. I don't even consider it as I splash water on my face - or sink down into a tub of hot water for yet another bath. 

The dangers of drinking dirty water are many, and are serious - yet I don't give it the time of day. Do you? 

It isn't that way for everyone. According to Compassion: 

It’s hard to imagine water being dangerous. But for thousands of children in the community of Gomoa Kweikrom, drinking contaminated water from open wells caused illness, disease and often death. And that’s when there was water. During droughts, the wells and nearby ponds would dry up, taking away even unclean water.

The child development centers in Gomoa Kweikrom applied for a grant from Compassion to provide filters to 2,320 families. In addition to the filters, the centers sought to educate families on hygiene—through a series of classes and workshops they taught families personal hygiene, cholera prevention, water pollution and proper use of their new filters.

Just two months after families began using the Compassion Water of Life filters, centers were already reporting amazing results. Water-borne diseases, including diarrhea and scabies, were nearly eradicated. Families no longer had to buy clean water and could afford food for their families. At one center, 85% of children were now able to bring fresh water to school instead of drinking the polluted water offered there.

Today, 2,320 families in Ghana benefit from renewed health because of Compassion Water of Life. Children who have never known clean water, water without risk of illness, can finally have fresh, pure, life-giving refreshment.

I don't know about you, but that kind of information has a tendency to put a different spin on things for me. It reminds me to stop and appreciate the fact that I have clean water. It helps me remember to be content and to be grateful for the blessings I have in my home and family. 

Psalm 82:3 

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed."

If you have been blessed recently and want to reach out to make a difference in the world, you can find immediate satisfaction by donating to Compassion International's Meeting Critical Needs program here. 

      

Meet needs from the Gift Catalog for as little as $4 

Or Sponsor a Child today and begin to transform their life! 

I'm thankful for the opportunity to take part in supporting such a wonderful cause. I'm grateful for the clean water that comes out of the faucet when I turn it on each day. 

Compassion provides information, in the form of a study guide, to aid you in teaching the ideal of caring for others around the globe to your children here: 

#1000 Gifts and counting: 

clean water, hot water, teaching these things to my boys, seeing their compassion grow, opportunity to serve

If you need encouragement in your marriage this week - see this new series:

Linking with all or some of these blogs: Miscellany Monday  Better Mom  Modest Mom   Welcome Home The Wellspring #ifellowship Seeds of Faith - Thought Provoking Thursday - Hear it on Sunday  Gratituesday   Soli Deo Gloria    From My Mountain View     Titus 2's Days  Raising Mighty Arrows - Good Morning Girls - 1000Gifts   Thankful Thurs Kids in the Word

What does biblical giving look like today? What can we do?

Matthew 25:45
 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'







We participate each year in helping local children by stuffing stockings full of toys with our local homeschool group. It's a wonderful way to teach our boys to think of others instead of themselves (especially, this time of year). 
We have spent time buying toys and clothing for children who need them.

 But, is it enough? 

The local children certainly need to enjoy a toy or two for Christmas. I'm glad we have participated and believe it is a worthwhile cause, but there are needs that go far beyond a few items in a Christmas stocking. 

Last year was the first year we got involved with Compassion. Although our budget is limited, we are a self employed family and we are making huge sacrifices so that I can stay home to school our children, we felt the call to do more. 




(photo credit Marilyn Moss Whitten who organized the homeschool project) 

As gifts for family members, we purchased chickens for families. Yes, chickens. 
Turned out, my mother was far more moved by the gesture of providing for a Compassion child than by yet another pair of earrings. We made hand made cards letting our family members know that a gift in their honor had been made to Compassion providing much needed support to children and families in need. 

A gift of just $13 can help a malnourished child receive emergency feeding. 
I may even print a few pictures from the Compassion web site to insert into the cards this year. Looking at those eyes and a full plate of food is about as heart warming as it gets. 

A baby and mother can be fed for a mere $14. Or, you can opt to feed them for 6 months with a gift of $84, a year of food and nutrition for $168 for both mother and baby. 

The medical needs of a baby can be met at $55 for an entire year. Most Americans spend more than that on the family Christmas tree each year. 




Even a gift of $4 can treat a child for parasites - a very real danger for those living in less than sanitary conditions. There are gifts available - which you can specify and gift in the name of a loved one - in every imaginable price range. 

As we go about our busy schedules, taking care of kids, balancing life and the Christmas season, making sure all the bases are covered - let's remember to be grateful for the clean water coming out of the faucet today, for the light bulb that comes on when we flip the switch, the medicine we distribute before the hot meal we feed the family.

 As we put the final touches on our Christmas list this year, perhaps we can find a way to reach across the miles and change the life of a child today. 

The Compassion catalog is the perfect place to start. You can be certain your money truly goes to provide for the Compassion children. 

Learn more about giving with Compassion here. 

My goal is to raise a mere $100 
I am asking for 10 of my readers to give just $10 
Or 5 people to donate $20 to the gift of their choice from Compassion. Perhaps there is someone reading who is looking for the perfect $100 gift to give Aunt Millie, who has everything. If you are one of the readers who plan to do this - please let me know - either in the comments below or in a private message. Our efforts will go a long way with this program! 

Please use this link to donate and make a real difference in the life of a child. 

~Merry Christmas! 


Counting #1000 Gifts I'm grateful for today: *clean water, hot food, Christmas tree, washing machine, fresh food, medicine, soap, shampoo, family, healthy children 

linking with: Miscellany Monday  Better Mom  Modest Mom  God Bumps Welcome Home  The Wellspring #ifellowship Seeds of Faith - Thought Provoking Thursday - Hear it on Sunday  Gratituesday   Soli Deo Gloria    From My Mountain View     Titus 2's Days  
Raising Mighty Arrows - Good Morning Girls - 1000Gifts   Thankful Thurs Kids in the Word