Family

Wrapping up a visit with our beloved Nicaraguan family.

While the tropical rains poured down outside on an August afternoon in Nicaragua, we nestled into our dry space, enjoying our time together at our sponsor child’s home.

We had met at a local mall earlier in the day, where we shared lunch at Nicaragua’s fried chicken favorite, Tip Top. As soon as we arrived at the home, where we were warmly welcomed, we met our sponsor child’s family. Gifts were exchanged, and nerves had settled as more time passed, and we all became more able to share, to know each other, to get past that initial shyness.

We weren’t completely new to each other. We had sponsored this teen, Jose, since he was a young boy of 10 years, sharing almost monthly letters, getting to know each other in bits and pieces across the miles. And we had met in person one other time as well, two years earlier, at an amusement park in Managua during a Compassion group tour.

Jose’s mother told us he ran all the way home from the Compassion project when he learned of this upcoming visit, excited to share the news that we were returning.

With Jose’s beautiful mother and her youngest son.

Now we were sitting in our sponsor child’s home, in a little barrio in Managua, on a rainy summer afternoon. We were surrounded by our Nicaraguan family: Jose, along with his mother, his two younger brothers, a worker from his project and our Compassion translator. My two teen sons, Aidan and Logan, were there as well. 

We were arranged around the room in white plastic chairs, crowding the hard-packed dirt floor. Jose had carefully wiped each chair down with a cloth as he unstacked them and spread them out for us when we first arrived. Colorful woven hammocks hung against a wall from large hooks, folded in half, stowed away for the day. There were family photos framed and hanging on the turquoise painted brick walls. 

And there were two refrigerators in the room as well. Any refrigerator seemed out of place, but the presence of two was especially unusual. We soon found out those two refrigerators were a source of the family’s income. Throughout our visit, neighbors would stop by, calling out to our hosts in order to purchase baggies of ice and to get a peek at the family’s visitors.

We passed the two-hour visit with ease, asking questions, sharing stories, with a give and take that isn’t possible in letters. As always, the time passed too quckly.

As us two mothers shared about our teen sons’ interests, we found a common ground among the boys, just has we had during our last visit together. This time one commonality was that all three teens had participated in theater groups. Our enthusiastic translator seized on this piece of information, and while Jose and Logan were too shy to share their talents on command, she convinced Aidan to perform.

He nervously belted out the first song that came to mind, Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” With no music to accompany him, Aidan sang, 

“Wise men say only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you.

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can’t help falling in love with you?”

We all clapped, appreciated Aidan’s effort, as more walls broke down, more barriers were overcome.  And while we weren’t falling in love in the same sense as the Elvis song, we bonded a bit more, loved each other more, knew each other more. We really were sitting there together, falling in love even more with our brothers and sisters in Christ, our families normally separated by so many miles.

And having built up those bonds we had begun with our first letters, with our first visit, we made new memories together to see us through until our next visit.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion and expanding your family. You can see the children waiting for sponsors by clicking here. If you’re interested in reading about our first visit with Jose and his mom, click here.

Compassion Visit Fun

All it took was some stickers and a phone to take selfies to bring out these Compassion kids’ personalities. They quickly befriended my son, and didn’t leave his side all day.

Fun with Compassion kids in Guatemala in 2015.

Walk with Compassion

The first annual Walk with Compassion in Tucson was held last Saturday at Brandi Fenton Park, and photographer Jodi McGinn created this slideshow to showcase the event.

There were 85 participants, and seven children were sponsored.

Musical Gifts

As we settled into our seats in a theater in El Salvador, we had no idea of the awesome event we were about to enjoy.

This large group of sponsors filling the theater had spent that morning visiting Compassion projects in one of the most violent countries in Central America. It is a country ruled by gangs, and we learned of some of the challenges these children face.

We heard their stories throughout the day, sometimes from the children themselves, and sometimes from their tireless teachers and pastors at the projects. We worshipped and prayed with them, played games, danced to silly children’s songs and shared a meal. We laughed with them, and just as easily cried with them, as they made their realities known to us.

It was a day that left us with our hearts filled, and I could not imagine my heart could become even more full. But once the music in that theater began, it was clear that a heart filled by God knows no limits.

This was no ordinary show. It was an extraordinary musical experience, put together and performed by more than 100 Compassion children for a theater full of sponsors.

The conductor walked on stage, and as the music began, I was instantly lost in the beauty of the moment. The children played compositions including “Days of Elijah,” “Stand by Me,” “Ancient of Days,” “Open the Eyes of my Heart,” Agnus Dei,” and “Our God.”

Before my eyes was an entire symphony orchestra and choir made up of Compassion children, using their God-given talents, and playing at a level made even more impressive when I later learned how infrequently these children played together.

They could not take their instruments home, but had to leave them locked up, only to be brought out once each week when they gathered to practice.

Listening to these children perform, sharing their musical gifts with us, and feeling the music wash over me, I thought this must be very close to the soundtrack of heaven.

Please enjoy the following videos, and if you feel moved to do so, you can donate to this talented group by clicking here.

 

This Boy is Mine

Pastor Raul and Israel share their inspiring story to a group of Compassion sponsors.

“This boy is mine.”

These are the words Raul, a Compassion pastor in El Salvador, spoke to a local gang to reclaim his student, Israel.

Israel was only 7 years old when an accident with a kite and electrical wires severely injured his arm. After the incident, Israel spent two years in the hospital recovering.

When he finally left the hospital, young Israel returned to school, where he was bullied due to the visible disfigurement of his arm. His peers told him he would never hold a job or be able to support a family.

Desperate for acceptance, Israel later joined a gang, where he gained a sense of belonging. He stopped attending the local Compassion project where he was registered, and Raul noticed his absence and began to search for him around the community.

“Whenever he would see me, he would run away,” Raul said of Israel. But Raul did not give up.

Eventually, Raul spoke with Israel and asked him what the gang was giving to him.

Israel answered, “Two dollars a day and friends.”

Not to be outdone, Raul replied, “I will give you two dollars a day and a family.”

Israel self-consciously rubbed his injured arm as he told his story to a large group of Compassion sponsors, who later lined up to hug this inspiring young man.

Israel and his megawatt smile!

He explained how Raul convinced him to leave the gang and return to his Compassion project, where he did, indeed, receive a family.

And now, this young man radiates warmth and a humble spirit. With the love of his Compassion family and by the grace of God, Israel has even overcome his greatest fear: electricity.

Israel is earning a certificate in electrical engineering.

Which child will you claim as yours? When will you partner with Compassion to keep a child off the streets of El Salvador? Click here to see who is waiting for you.

 

God is in the Details

Sunsets are beautiful, but I find their beauty greatly increased when I take the time to appreciate their details.

The many shades of yellow, orange and red, slowly cooling to shades of pink and purple are details that can be overlooked with just one glance. The sun’s warmth heating your face, then fading, cooling over time, requires a few minutes to enjoy. Sunsets are beautiful, but these details greatly enhance them.

It’s when I take a moment to notice the details that I find myself truly appreciating an experience, and it’s in that time that I often reflect on how God is in each of those details.

Sometimes God’s presence in the details is subtle, and I have to slow down to see it, but one afternoon in Nicaragua last summer, His presence was as undeniable as crashing into a wall.

My two sons and I were visiting my sponsor son Jose’s Compassion project that day. It was our second time meeting Jose, and we had already spent a couple of hours with him at lunch.

I’ve found my meetings with my sponsor children to be intense bits of time, full of emotion, and always finished too quickly. They’re the kinds of experiences where the clock seems to speed up, and the desperate attempt to enjoy every precious moment to the fullest somehow makes those moments a blur.

This day seemed to be heading in that direction. It was slipping past too quickly, and I was already dreading its end. Jose showed us around his project, stopping at the kitchen, the chapel and the main office, where we were able to look though his records.

Next he took us to his classroom, where his classmates were seated in desks, listening to a teacher. Their usual teacher had been spending the day with us, so today they were being taught by a young man.

He looked up as we all walked in, and our translator introduced us to him and the children. Then a look of recognition appeared on his face. He excitedly told our translator something in Spanish.

“I remember her,” she translated, as the young man named Kevin gestured towards me.

He continued explaining to her, and we found out that he did, in fact, remember me. When I first visited Nicaragua in 2014, two years earlier, Kevin’s sponsor was on that same group tour. On the last day of the tour, all of the sponsors were able to meet their children at a local amusement park and spend the day with them.

Kevin remembered seeing me on that day, when I first met Jose.

What were the chances that we would ever see each other again?

Well, it was clear this encounter did not happen by chance. God was in these details.

There are 177 Compassion projects in Nicaragua, and on that day, we walked into the one project where Kevin was working. There are 46,514 sponsored children in Nicaragua, and two years earlier, Kevin was one of about 25 Compassion children at the amusement park on visit day.

Project director, Kerri and Kevin

I stood there amazed realizing God’s hand in this meeting. We took photos together, and Kevin told me his sponsor’s name. I assured him I would contact his sponsor and share his message and photos with him. I was so excited to let Kevin’s sponsor know that after he graduated the Compassion program, he had gone on to become at teacher with Compassion, helping young children like he had been.

We both were a bit emotional by the end of our quick meeting. I was honored to stand in for Kevin’s sponsor, and to hug him and encourage him.

And as we walked away, exclaiming over how incredible that meeting had been, I knew God was at work, slowing me down, reminding me to appreciate the smallest details throughout the day.

We went to Jose’s house next, and it was raining, so we crowded into his home, which was small, but dry, and we sat together. Jose scrambled to find chairs for us, carefully wiping mine down with a rag before letting me sit.

We were quite a group, including Jose, my two sons, me, our translator, Jose’s mother, two younger brothers and his teacher. We talked, laughed, and even sang a little, enjoying a rainy afternoon together inside. And when the day ended, it still was difficult to say goodbye.

But God had slowed us all down that afternoon, and He had certainly been in all the details.

 

 

Churches of Granada

Iglesia Xalteva

Iglesia Xalteva

 

Granada Cathedral

dome of Granada Cathedral

 

La Merced

inside of La Merced

inside of La Merced

inside of La Merced

inside of La Merced

La Merced tower

statue on La Merced

Between Two Worlds

Sometimes following Christ’s call on your heart can be quite uncomfortable.

It can lead you into situations and to faraway places where you’d never have thought to go on your own; situations where your heart is stretched, bruised and broken, only to be patched back together and filled up again, stronger and better than it was before.

But I’ve found stronger and better doesn’t necessarily mean free of pain.

For me, Christ’s call recently has taken the form of two trips: one to Nicaragua and one to Guatemala. There’s a pain that lingers beyond those incredible experiences. There’s a sorrow and a joy, a devastation and a hope, and an emptiness left by the people you grew to love during the visit.

And there’s a strangeness in coming back to live in my world after visiting theirs.

The stark differences between the two worlds, the plenty and the poverty were on my mind as I spent the past weekend watching my son compete at Irish dance.

It’s what he loves, and in that world, he has found so much happiness from classes, competitions and performances. In three years, he’s had lessons in hard work, persistence, setting goals and winning and losing gracefully. He’s learned new skills, including stage presence and focus. And he’s made a wonderful circle of like-minded friends who have become family, who push him to dance better, and who support him always.

It warms my heart to see my boy in this world that he loves.

And yet, my mind kept moving towards next weekend, when I will return to Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America, and the second-poorest in the Western Hemisphere, just behind Haiti.

Nicaragua is a country where, according to the CIA World Factbook, 21 percent of children leave school in the first grade, and where the average education level is only 5.6 years, dropping to 3.6 years in rural areas.

It was surreal to sit in the ballroom of a resort hotel, knowing I’d soon be unable to brush my teeth with sink water, using bottled water instead; to know that I’d be visiting a country where 75 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day, while watching dancers compete in dresses that cost more than the average Nicaraguans’ annual income.

It was surreal and uncomfortable, but something I wouldn’t miss, anymore than I would miss the opportunity to see my sponsored children again next week. I’ll see them once again in their worlds, and the reality will be hard, but the smiles and hugs will be beautiful.

And with any luck, my heart will be stretched, bruised and broken, only to be patched back together and filled up again, stronger and better than it was before.

 

 

 

 

Priceless Child Visits

Playing basketball during child visit day in Guatemala, July 2015.

As child sponsors, we long for letters from our children. We treasure any new bit of information we can learn about the children we love so fiercely from afar.

Even better is a letter with a photo tucked inside. It gives us a peek into our child’s world, as we scour the photo’s background for details that a quick glance would miss. It shows us a new expression on our child’s face, or maybe even a smile that wasn’t there in the standard sponsorship photo. It’s an added bonus if a family member is in the photo, too.

If a simple letter and photo can bring so much happiness, can you imagine the joy and excitement of actually meeting that child in person? It’s something I imagined for four years before it became a reality for me when I visited my children in Nicaragua with Compassion International in 2014. Then in 2015, I was blessed to be able to visit my children in Guatemala as well.

I fully expected those visits to be life-changing for me, and they were. But what I didn’t expect was the incredible and deep connections with my sponsor children and their family members that were created in those visits. I knew we had all been deeply impacted based on the smiles and emotions in those first hugs, and the full hearts and tears in our goodbyes.

(Click here to see a video of those first hugs in Guatemala.)

Once I was home again and processing all that I had done and seen, I looked forward to my children’s next letters, to learn their thoughts on our days together.

Their letters confirmed to me the value of my visits.

Jose, 11, of Nicaragua, wrote: “I will never forget the meeting we had when you came to Nicaragua. It was an unforgettable day.” That letter was written shortly after our visit.

A few months later, Jose had more to say about that day, when he wrote: “I am happy for the day that you came to visit me in Nicaragua to know me. We share that day together, and it was beautiful. I will never forget it. I am thankful to God to have a sponsor like you. At the school, I told all my classmates about your visit here to Nicaragua. We had a great time together, and it was a fun day.”

A little more to the point, Esteban, 9, of Nicaragua, wrote: “I thank you very much for your visit. It was a special day.”

And as only a 3-year-old could sum it up, Jefry’s letter said: “Jefry says it was fun to drive the race car with you.”

I’m still receiving letters from my children in Guatemala about that visit.

Hania smiled all day.

A letter I received from Hania, 9, of Guatemala, said: “Hania wants to tell you that she is very happy for your visit in July. She thanks you for meeting her personally, also for the dolls, dresses, ball, backpack and for all that you gave her. She will never forget you, and that day she had a good time, and she was very happy.”

My son Logan, who traveled with me to Guatemala, met his own sponsor child there.

Logan and Osmar say goodbye to each other.

His child, Osmar, 13, wrote: “Thank you for the pictures you sent me and for coming to see me, which was an unforgettable day for me. I loved to make competitions with you in the inflatable games, to play ping pong and hide-and-seek and many other things. That day I was so nervous, but I was happy to see you at the door.”

Unforgettable, happy, special, nervous, fun, beautiful, thankful – their words match my own in describing our meetings.

If you can make it happen, visit your child! The experience will be priceless. And if you don’t sponsor a child, yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Winston shows off a bracelet my daughter made for him.

Logan brought Osmar his own Dodgers jersey and hat.

 

 

 

Compassion Thanks

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and with so many things in my life for which to be thankful, I’ve decided to focus in this post only on those which are Compassion-related.

This has been a very busy year for me as a Compassion sponsor and advocate. It’s been filled with many blessings, opportunities to serve, new friendships and new experiences. I’ll try to sum it up in the following list of gratitude:

Logan with our sponsor children: Osmar, Winston and Hania in Guatemala. Logan sponsors Osmar on his own.

Guatemala Sponsor Tour: In July, I had the incredible opportunity to travel with my son Logan to Guatemala for a sponsor tour. This was my second Compassion tour, and it was every bit as amazing and special as the first. There are so many aspects of this tour that stand out, but here are the parts for which I am most thankful: meeting my sponsor children in person; meeting other sponsors, including many who are Compassion staff here in the United States; meeting the Compassion staff in Guatemala; experiencing the sights and sounds of this beautiful country; and most of all, doing all of this with my son.

There are no words to fully describe meeting your sponsor children in person. It is an experience filled with emotion, and the opportunity to see their facial expressions and movements, to interact with them and to meet their parents and project workers, really adds so much to the relationship. It is definitely the highlight of a sponsor tour.

Sponsors and translators in Guatemala.

A close second, though, is meeting the other sponsors on the tour. They are, in a word, amazing. While they share a love for children in poverty with you, they come from all over the country, with all kinds of unique experiences to share. And long bus rides and many meals offer lots of time for sharing. Sometimes you are lucky enough to meet members of Compassion’s U.S. staff on these tours, and they can give special insight into the ministry, and always confirm to me what a great organization Compassion is. These new friendships are invaluable.

Meeting the in-country staff is really fun as well. These very special people are dedicated and hard-working, and they are a wonderful source of information about Compassion and their country. They love their country and its children, and they love us sponsors. On our last night in Guatemala, one translator said to me, “Thank you for loving our children.” To be thanked after being blessed so greatly all week by her was quite humbling.

Logan and Favian, our formerly sponsored child and Compassion graduate.

Making this trip with my son, who is 14 years old, is something neither of us will ever forget. To share so many wonderful experiences was priceless. I deeply enjoyed watching Logan make new friends, interact with the children at each project, and take in all of the new things going on around him. Since returning home, I have seen the ways the trip has changed him many times. He seems to have a deeper appreciation for the many blessings in his life.

Logan Becomes an Advocate: After returning from Guatemala, Logan was on fire for Compassion and its ministry. Within a week, he decided to become an advocate. He sponsors his own child in Guatemala, and he corresponds with another child in Kenya. He is passionate about helping children who are living in poverty, and I am proud of him.

Sponsoring Gladys: We did not sponsor a new child while on the sponsor tour in Guatemala, but we did sponsor a new child two months later from one of the centers we visited. I had requested child packets from centers we visited on the sponsor tour in hopes of connecting sponsors to children from the areas I had seen in person and photographed. One of the five packets I received was for a little girl who looked very familiar. After looking through my trip photos, I found a photo of her with Logan, so we welcomed Gladys into our sponsor family!

Continued Close Relationships with my Children in Nicaragua: After meeting my four boys in Nicaragua on a sponsor tour in 2014, we have continued our relationships with great letters filled with love. They are truly members of my family, and I know they feel the same. I can’t wait to visit them again.

Letters: Letters are our connection with our sponsor children, and this year, I continued to write monthly to each of my children, and to receive many letters in return. It can be a slow process, but it is worth it to build these relationships. Our letters are a blessing to our sponsor children, but their letters equally bless us.

Logan with the Compassion Experience truck.

Compassion Experience: In May, Logan and I volunteered at Compassion Experience. I had been waiting for Compassion Experience to come to my city, and was so excited to have this opportunity. I was thrilled to see how accurately Compassion has recreated sponsor children’s homes and projects to tell their stories effectively. For more information about Compassion Experience, click here.

Concerts: Another great opportunity to be involved with Compassion is in volunteering at concerts. Compassion partners with musicians who sponsor children and promote the ministry by encouraging others to sponsor as well. We volunteered at concerts by For King and Country and Matthew West this year, and more than 100 children were sponsored at each event! It is a lot of fun to see new sponsors connected to waiting children.

Sponsorship Anniversary: Finally, this fall marked five years since I first became a sponsor. When I chose my first child, I never would have imagined that in just five years, our sponsor family would continue to grow, and I would leave the country not once, but twice, to visit my sponsor children. This has been a wonderful journey with Compassion, and I look forward to seeing where it leads in the future.

If you are interested in beginning your own Compassion journey, please click here to see the many children who are waiting for sponsors. Contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Thanksgiving and God’s Peace!

The Meetings!

I find it hard to express in words the emotions in meeting my sponsor children, so I’ll let this short video show the beauty of the moment.

This video shows me meeting my two children, Winston and Hania, in Guatemala on child visit day, and my son Logan meeting his sponsor child, Osmar.

International Day of the Girl Child

It’s International Day of the Girl Child today! Please spend some time praying for the girls in your life, including your sponsor children. They face so many challenges and difficulties in this world, but with Jesus in their lives, we know they are well-loved.

Gladys and Logan in Guatemala.

Hania in Guatemala.

Parents Play, Too!

Winston’s father, Guillermo, prepares to race his son on the inflatable obstacle course.

Child visit day is special in so many ways.

There is nothing like those first hugs with the sponsor children to whom you have been writing. Having the opportunity to observe them in person, to talk and play with them, and to see their facial expressions gives great insight into their personalities.

You learn things that you just couldn’t learn through letters.

And as wonderful as all of those things were for me to experience as a sponsor, there was an added beauty in the day in being able to see my sponsor children’s parents joining in the fun.

Winston’s father on the obstacle course.

These are parents who struggle to provide for their children daily in ways it is impossible for me to imagine. Yet in spite of the difficult circumstances they face, they each took a day off work and traveled several hours by bus to meet me, a stranger from another country who sends letters to their children.

It was humbling to meet them and to receive their thanks throughout the day.

It was heart-warming to be accepted instantly into their families, as their sister in Christ; to be loved as one of their own.

And it was beautiful to see the joy on their faces as they played with their children.

After Winston beat his father, Guillermo, in an obstacle course race, his dad requested a second race. He wanted another chance to win against his son, and he did. And the smiles and laughter between father and son were priceless.

Hania’s mom, Onifacia, seemed quiet and shy at first, maybe overwhelmed by the day’s events. But with an air hockey paddle in her hand, she was a fierce competitor! After I played several games with her daughter, I invited Onifacia to give it a try. She was tentative at first, getting a feel for the game, but in no time, she was slamming that air hockey disc hard and fast across the table, smiling the whole time.

And Osmar’s mother, Delores, had an easygoing, fun-loving manner that was impossible to resist. We were teammates in a serious boys vs. girls soccer match, where I saw her steal the ball from her son more than once, and tease him about it afterwards.

Quick moments in a day filled with emotion and activity, but priceless and unforgettable memories that I’ve tucked away, as I’m sure those parents and children have as well, to be treasured forever.

Hania’s mother dominating the air hockey table.

Osmar’s mother guards the goal.

The racers take a break: Guillermo, Winston, Osmar and Logan.

Book Review: A Way Beyond Death

“A Way Beyond Death,” by Jemimah Wright.

“A Way Beyond Death,” by Jemimah Wright recounts the struggles and unceasing missionary work of a married couple, Marcia dos Santos and Edson Suzuki, in the Amazon jungle.

The couple works tirelessly to help the indigenous Indians in the area to combat their own tribal customs of infanticide and suicide, and eventually succeeds at getting new laws enacted to protect indigenous children who are at risk.

Facing challenges ranging from illnesses, threat from wild animals like jaguars, and sometimes even from those whom they are trying to help, Marcia and Edson rely on their faith in incredible situations.

Marcia describes her first encounter with the Surawahá as she and her husband prepare to live in the tribe’s community.

“Immediately they started to inspect me. They couldn’t tell if I was a man or a woman under all my clothes. I had hands grabbing me from every direction. The Surawahá were so intrigued by me that they wanted to take my clothes off to ins pet me more. As quickly as they tried to peel away my clothing, I put it back on.”

After that embarrassing welcome, the tribe celebrates the couple’s arrival by dancing all night.

In her first week there, Marcia learns of the tribe’s suicide custom: “If a person has no value among the Suruwahá or is not liked, when that person eats kunaha he or she is left to die. But if the person is much-loved, then everyone does all they can to bring the person back.”

Her first experience with this happens when an 18-year-old boy sucks the poisonous juice from the root, giving his desperate family only 30 minutes to save him. When the family gives up, accepting the boy’s death, they leave him alone, but while Suzuki continues to pray over him, he gasps and starts breathing again.

The book is well-written, and engaging. In fact, it is difficult to put it down because the challenges the couple faces are so interesting and difficult to imagine. I wanted to finish the book as quickly as possible to find out what would happen next.

Enjoying the Show

These girls at the side of the stage are watching their peers perform traditional dances to welcome Compassion sponsors to their project, GU-479. They are wearing traditional Mayan clothing, and they live in the mountainous community of Cantón Paxot II, Guatemala.