Archive - February 2014

Do you remember the very old advertisement for Remington shavers where the Victor Kiam said, “I was so impressed I bought the company”? He told us that after his wife bought him a Remington electric shaver he wanted to own the company that produced such a wonderful product.

I guess my story’s not that different. My first trip overseas with Compassion was in April 2008. I travelled as a radio announcer to see what was happening in the countries where Compassion was working. The trip gave me the opportunity to tell many thousands of people about what I experienced.

I’ve written a number of times about the impact that my trip to Haiti and Dominican Republic had on me and continues to have on me. It was the start of a stirring within me that has eventually led to me working full time for Compassion.

It’s more than a job.

Late last year when I applied for the job I now have with Compassion, I wasn’t really looking to leave my job in radio. I wasn’t actively seeking a change but when I saw that there was a position available that would allow me to tell others about how Compassion is releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name, I had no option but to apply.

I was so impressed I joined the company.

I’ve had a number of interactions with Compassion since that first trip in 2008 and my visit to Indonesia last week has further convinced me that Compassion is a leader in bringing hope to those who would otherwise have no hope. I don’t work for Compassion because it’s a job.

I work for Compassion because I am convinced that there is no more effective organisation serving the world’s poor. I have seen no other method of working with those in poverty that even comes close to the way that Compassion is working.

That’s not the marketing spin of someone who works for the organisation, it’s the heartfelt conviction of someone who has seen the light streaming in to some very dark corners of this world and wants to be part of seeing more light and hope filling the lives of those around the world who are the poorest of the poor.

I Wish

I wish you could have visited Indonesia with me last week to see how local churches in partnership with Compassion are changing communities. I wish you could have seen those babies who are getting a great head start on life because their mothers are being taught, supported and loved.

I wish you could have met the hundreds of children I saw. Despite their difficult circumstances, they now have hope for tomorrow and dreams for the future. I wish you could have been with me at the filthy rubbish dump I visited last week. As I walked through squelching mud with the stench filling my nostrils, I was humbled and thankful that the local church, partnering with Compassion, is seeking to reach into that place where twenty families live with their young children. The local church want to find sponsors for the children who live in such horrific circumstances.

If only you could have shared a meal with the high achieving university students as I did. Having completed Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, they are now part of the Leadership Development Program. They’re being mentored as future leaders in their communities and countries.

I wish you could have been with me because having seen what’s happening in any of the 26 countries where Compassion is working, you would be as much of a fan as I am. Guaranteed. Having witnessed what I did last week you would be totally convinced of the need for Compassion to be able to reach millions more children.

It Works

If I could communicate anything about last week’s trip it would be that Compassion’s programs work. I know that beyond a doubt because I’ve personally seen it in three countries, in both rural and urban areas.

I also know that the programs work because independent research that was released last year shows it very clearly.

Compassion child sponsorship works. Independent research shows that children who participated in Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program between 1980 and 1992 stayed in school longer, were more likely to have salaries and white-collar employment, and were more likely to be leaders in their communities and churches than their peers who did not participate in the program. Once Compassion sponsored children, these adults are now making a difference in their communities as mums, dads, pastors, teachers, doctors, even members of parliament.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion today. I can absolutely assure you it will make all the difference for a child as you help release them from poverty in Jesus’ name.