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

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?

This Made Me Cry

For the past four years, I have been part of a very special team at Compassion. One of my volunteer roles has been to manage the Compassion Pinterest account and write some of the blog posts for Compassion's Second Friday Letter Writing Club. As part of this team, I have had the opportunity to work with some great people at Compassion! 

Chris, Jacquie, Sam, Eryn, Susan, Emily, and Sarah have included me in conference calls, Google Hangouts, and numerous emails over the years, listening to my ideas and truly making me feel like part of the team.

But as new volunteer opportunities have come along for me, I have felt that my time in this role needed to come to an end. I sent an email to the team a couple of weeks ago to let them know about my decision. They graciously accepted my 'resignation' and wished me the best of luck in whatever the future holds. In fact, they almost made me rethink my decision!

So Friday, when I arrived home, there was a package on the table from Compassion. Now this isn't usually a strange thing. I had just placed an order to have child packets delivered for an upcoming conference where I will have a Compassion table. But the strange thing about this particular box, it was really light and a bit larger than the usual boxes that arrive.

When I opened the box, there was a card with my name on it taped to something wrapped in tissue paper. I opened the card and started reading it, that is when I started to cry. The card was signed by all the members of the social media team at Compassion that I have had a chance to 'work' with. Their very kind words truly made me feel loved!

And then I opened the tissue wrapped package and found this:

This very special team of people had a canvas created for me of Skippy (the official, or is it unofficial, mascot of Compassion) with images from many of the Second Friday Letter Writing Club board posts I wrote for the Compassion blog!

The past four years has been filled with creating new boards, deleting boards, following people, adding new pins, putting together letter writing posts, and most importantly, helping to share about the children who are still waiting for sponsors.

Just because my time helping with the Compassion Pinterest account is coming to a close, does not mean that my volunteer time with Compassion is done. This ministry is one that I love and will continue to serve with, even if they do make me cry!

Thank you Chris, Jacquie, Sam, Eryn, Susan, Emily, and Sarah for allowing me to be a part of the team!

What's In The Mail? - A Simple Reminder

When was the last time you received a simple note in the mail from a dear friend? I don't know about you, but most of the time my mailbox is filled with bills and junk mail. 

A simple note is a sweet reminder that someone was thinking about you. Someone actually set aside time and wrote a few words that brought a smile to your face.

Often times, when writing letters to our Compassion kids, I have spent a lot of time wondering what to say and what to send to them.

I think we make things more difficult than they really need to be. A simple reminder that God loves them, that we are praying for them, and that we made the time to mail a letter to them is all that is needed to bring a smile to that child thousands of miles away from us.

This month, I decided to do just that, send a simple reminder to our Compassion kids. I selected the card option. Have you seen these yet? I picked this one:

This is one of four cards currently available

Inside each card, I reminded each child that I believe they are a special person and that God loves them. I also included the words to Ephesians 2:10:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

Then I added a photo page with an image I shared on the Compassion blog this month:

I had to crop this image down to add it to the photo page. But the message of the image is the important part of that simple reminder, God has created each one of our Compassion kids for a special purpose.

If you wish to share this image with your sponsored children, you can access the file here: God created you for a special purpose

What simple reminders do you share with your Compassion sponsored children?