The Wait is Over

HillsongConference2014

Hillsong Conference 2014 is happening in Sydney this week and Compassion has the privilege of inviting participants to partner in releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Unfortunately, sometimes children who are registered through a Compassion project are left waiting for a sponsor when all their friends are already receiving letters from sponsors in far off countries. A video which talks about the issues faced by those children was produced especially for the conference. You can watch it below.

Can I really encourage you to spend time watching it? It’s a beautiful video that lets you see new hope being born. The theme is the wait is over. Already hundreds of children are no longer waiting thanks to Hillsong Conference participants.



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Will you act?

Tony

How do you tell a child that they’re not the one to blame for their family’s poverty? How do you explain to a young boy that he’s not the reason that his family have no food to put on the table?

Tony Beltran grew up in Dominican Republic and from a young age he was full of guilt because he thought that he was the reason that his family struggled with extreme poverty. He thought that if he wasn’t around his family would be better off and wouldn’t have to live that way.

I met Tony yesterday in Melbourne. That’s us in the grainy iPhone photo above. He’s visiting Australia to let people know about the one act that turned his life around. It wasn’t an immediate change but just one act made all the difference. Child sponsorship through Compassion changed everything for Tony and it continues to change everything for hundreds of thousands of children in developing nations.

It was an honour to meet Tony and to hear him tell his story. In the video below he tells some of that story. Along with some other former sponsored children, Tony talks about dramatic change and how hope can shine brightly into some very dark places. Please watch the video and find out more about the one act that changed Tony’s life and is currently transforming the lives of around 1.6 million children across the world.

Will you act?



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Can we ever really trust charities?


I’ve heard some terrible stories of money given to help those in need being diverted and misused. I’ve heard of people traveling overseas to see projects they’ve funded only to find that those projects don’t really exist.

Thankfully, most organisations that are set up to make a real difference in this world are honest and are doing good work, but the question remains, how do we know who we can really trust? Do we simply give up and refuse to donate or is there a better way?

Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator is an independent charity evaluator which works to inform those of us who want to help others but need to know if the money we give is actually doing what it should be doing. They check the financial health, accountability and transparency of 7,500 charities. Those put under the microscope range from faith based and secular agencies working in developing countries to organisations working within the U.S. for causes like fighting cancer through to a foundation giving grants to shooting sports. They’ve just released their 13th annual research findings.

As someone who works for Compassion, I’m more than happy to be able to point people to independent evaluations of our work. I know that what we do is making a huge difference because I’ve seen it first hand, but being able to say to people, “Don’t just take my word for it” is extremely important. It’s good to see that Compassion has once again found itself at the top of the ratings.

For the 13th consecutive year, Compassion International has earned the highest rating for U.S. charities from Charity Navigator—the nation’s largest charity evaluator. The 4-out-of-4 stars rating places Compassion International in the top one-percent of non-profits reviewed by Charity Navigator. – PR Web

Wow. Once again Compassion is in the top 1% of the 7,500 charities that were reviewed. As you can imagine, that gives me extreme confidence when I talk to friends, supporters, pastors and churches about how Compassion truly is releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Charity Navigator’s Vice President Sandra Miniutti explains a little of what that actually means for those looking for an effective way of helping those in need of our help.

“Receiving a consistently ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator indicates that Compassion International out performs most other charities in America,” said Charity Navigator Vice President Sandra Miniutti.“Less than a dozen of the 7,500 charities we rate have received 13 consecutive 4-star evaluations and Compassion International is the only international charity to receive this distinction. Compassion International’s staff, board and supporters should be proud of its ability to consistently execute its mission in a fiscally responsible and ethical way.” – PR Web

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.

“Financial integrity is of vital importance to Compassion International,” said Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International. “Our entire ministry model is built around trust. The families of the children we serve trust that we will care for and minister to them; our sponsors and donors trust we will spend their dollars wisely in pursuit of that ministry. We trust our global network of local churches to deliver Compassion’s holistic child development program, and we have complete trust in God to bless and multiply our efforts as we advocate for some of the poorest children in the world.” – PR Web

If you are keen to see the end of extreme poverty, can I encourage you to do the research and find an organisation you can trust to do the job they promise to do. For me, the results are in and they point directly to Compassion. If you want to find out more about what Compassion does, just head to the website.



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Join me on the Ride for Hope 2014

RideforHope

Looking for a cycling challenge that will help a great cause?

In 2009, seven Perth cyclists pedalled on a fund raising journey from Perth to Albany in Western Australia, a distance of over 500 kilometres.

After the success of the event, plans were made for a ride from Albany to Perth in 2010. That year eleven cyclists took to the roads.

So far five rides have taken place with the 2013 ride involving 21 cyclists and a support crew of 8.

In 2014 the Ride for Hope is on again, running from the 18th to the 25th of October. This year participants will be able to choose to support either SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets or Compassion Australia.

I’ll be riding for Compassion as I seek to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

We’re currently looking for cyclists and support crew. If you’re interested just head to the website for more details. Registrations close soon so …. get to it.

Saturday 18th October 2014: Perth to Albany – Bus
Sunday 19th October 2014: Rest Day
Monday 20th October 2014: Albany to Cranbrook 91 km
Tuesday 21st October 2014: Cranbrook to Katanning 80 km
Wednesday 22nd October 2014: Katanning to Wagin 55 km
Thursday 23rd October 2014: Wagin to Pingelly 100 km
Friday 24th October 2014: Pingelly to York 87 km
Saturday 25th October 2014: York to Perth 97 km
TOTAL: 510 km



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Don’t Waste Your Life

shells

I read John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life some time back and was struck by the following illustration of what he considered to be a wasted life.

“I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider a story from the February 1998 edition of Reader’s Digest, which tells about a couple who “took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.”

At first, when I read it I thought it might be a joke. A spoof on the American Dream. But it wasn’t. Tragically, this was the dream: Come to the end of your life—your one and only precious, God-given life—and let the last great work of your life, before you give an account to your Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells.

Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: ‘Look, Lord. See my shells.’ That is a tragedy. And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Over against that, I put my protest: Don’t buy it. Don’t waste your life.”

When I finally ‘retire’ I want to continue to contribute to building a kingdom that will last forever. That’s just what Bob and Christine are doing. Take five minutes to watch the video and let them inspire you.

You might not be able to commit all your time and resources in the way that Bob and Christine are doing but maybe you could consider sponsoring a child through Compassion.

You may even decide that you’d like to do a little more and help organise a Compassion Sunday for your church.

Whatever you do, don’t waste your life.



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