We Had a Plan

Almost three years ago, when we started sponsoring Alfredo for Kelsey, we started dreaming and planning for a trip together to visit both of our Compassion sponsored boys in Mexico. We talked about how fun it would be to play with both boys together, spend the day with them, and maybe they would even become friends.

We had a plan...

But God had another plan...

And as always, His plans are better than our plans...

On the scheduled child fun day, I was able to spend the day with Kelsey and Alfredo, his mom and the project director. I was able to ask questions, take photos, and just enjoy watching Kelsey and Alfredo play together. I was in awe as I watched her love him just by spending time with him. I believe I would have missed so much if our plan had played out.

For this Type A personality of mine, it has been quite a journey to be content in His plans. Believe me, I still struggle in this area. But the older I get, and the closer I cling to Him, He continues to show me how His plans are better than mine.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7

Act for Compassion with Black Friday Bibles

You may be thinking, "What does Black Friday and Bibles have in common?"

Nothing really.

But a couple of weeks ago, I started an Act for Compassion fundraising campaign to raise money to provide children's Bibles for Compassion kids around the world.

The Black Friday part of the campaign was to encourage people to use some of their Black Friday savings to purchase Bibles.

Now that Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday have past, I wanted to take the time to have you and your family think about making even a $10 donation to this fundraiser.

Photo credit: Compassion International

Have you ever counted how many Bibles you have in your home?

Give your kids a fun activity today!

Send them around your home counting how many Bibles you have. For every Bible you own, put one dollar in a jar.

Have 5 Bibles? Donate $5 to my fundraiser.

Have 10 Bibles? Donate $10 to my fundraiser.

Every $10 donation provides a children's Bible for a Compassion child.

Will you and your family help today?

Help Haiti on Giving Tuesday

Every morning, I wake up in a comfortable bed. My home is more than large enough for my family. We all have plenty of clothes and there is always enough food to eat. Our home needs a new roof, but it still protects us from the elements.

There are a few things I want: new lenses for my camera, a gas stove for my kitchen, and enough money to replace the roof on our home.

Honestly though, there is nothing I need.

Photo credit: Compassion International

I have never had to go without shoes.

I have never had to go without clothes.

I have never had to go without food.

I have never had to go without a home.

When Hurricane Matthew stuck Haiti almost two months ago, families lost all of these things and more.

On this Giving Tuesday, you can help provide simple things that we take for granted.

You can provide temporary housing...

You can provide medical care...

You can provide food...

You can provide love to children and families in Haiti by making a donation today.

Using Snapchat for Compassion Letters

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to add one more social media channel to my online presence. But when Compassion took a couple of young men to Bolivia this summer, I wanted to be able to follow along. So I reluctantly started a Snapchat account. I did enjoy seeing a small glimpse of Compassion in Bolivia, but I wasn't really sure if I would continue using Snapchat once the trip was over.

Then, I learned this really neat thing about Snapchat that would make sending photos with letters to our sponsored children a bit more special. Compassion recently updated their list of things that can be sent with letters, so I want to make good use of my time and resources but still be creative with what I can send.

Last month, I was in St. Louis and saw the Gateway Arch for the first time. Now, I could just send a photo of the arch along with my next letter...

...but by applying a Snapchat filter to the photo, I can send them this photo instead...

I love that this looks just like a postcard!

And instead of sending a small postcard, I can attach this photo to a letter as a full 8 1/2 x 11-inch photo! The easiest way to do this is by using the Compassion app or writing a letter online.  It will be fun to visit other locations and share more fun Snapchat photos with our sponsored children.

What creative things have you been mailing to your Compassion sponsored children lately?

What's In The Mail? - Compassion Alumni

Volunteering at many Compassion event over the past five years has given me the opportunity to meet quite a few Compassion alumni and hear their stories in person. Just last month, while at the Compassion Experience in Texas, I was able to meet Keewani from the Philippines. Her story is on the Compassion Experience trailer that my son and his team are with.

Matthew, Keith, Keewani, Elsie, and Evan (from left to right)

I thought my own Compassion sponsored children might like to read about Keewani's story. So I copied Kiwi's story from the Compassion website, and added it to a page with a photo from the day we met her:

My hope is that this is encouraging to my sponsored children who will see that Kiwi was able to escape the poverty that she was born into.

Even if you have never met any of the Compassion alumni, you can still share their stories with your own sponsored children. Currently, there are stories of 17 Compassion alumni on the Compassion website.

Since I did my letters online this month, I also included this page which I created using the Canva website:

Click on the image above to download and share this with your own Compassion kids

I want my sponsored children to remember that God is good at all times and He is always watching over them. He loves them and He will always give them peace.

So, what's in the mail this month to your own Compassion sponsored children?