Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 26 countries.
Dale and I are big advocates of Compassion International. We believe in their ministry and what they are accomplishing. And, over the years, in faith, we have adopted 2 Compassion children from Uganda:
Bampata John, comes from a single parent home and was 7 when we sponsored him 7 years ago. Here are the photos we’ve been sent over the years of our little boy, turned young adult:
He is so sweetly asking us to come visit him “when we get the time”. Oh, if only he knew how badly we want to go see him! Lots of saving and planning to be done, if that is going to occur. I’d like to believe the Lord will one day provide for our family to go meet both our sponsored children, who apparently live about 10km apart from each other.
Nahwabe Deborah was added to our family 2 years ago. She is 14 now. 
For their Christmas and birthdays, Compassion has used our meager $20 birthday donation, to buy things like goats, a bull, a bed, blankets or nice clothing.
We receive letters from our children every few months. Writing your sponsored child back is easy. Unfortunately, I just don’t take the time to hand write and mail a letter, so instead, I use the easy online form to write and send a letter that way. If you do mail your letter, you can also send color papers, stickers, bookmarks, or even just sending photos of your home and family are a big hit too.
“When you write to a child…(taken from Compassions blog:)
“Your words are not just printed ink on paper. When I think of the {letters}, I see a weapon that will be used by God. I see hundreds of hammers, in the shape of letters, shattering the lies of poverty. I see the grip of discouragement falling away from the children Jesus watches over.
- “I am not worth anything” will be replaced with “I am deeply loved by the Creator of the universe.”
- “I have no purpose” will be replaced with “My God has a plan for me.”
- “No one cares about me” will be replaced with “My Savior knows my name.”
I cannot stop dreaming about what God will do with your words. I cannot stop believing Him to bring hope where there is darkness.”
What a powerful tool! And how wonderful, that my children’s eyes are opened to the need in another child’s life. Can you imagine the looks on my children’s faces when they realized Bampata John’s birthday money had gone towards A BED? A bed? Who doesn’t have a bed? It opened their eyes to see the needs of others. Afterwards, Destiny sweetly asked if we could box up our toys from the play closet to send them.
There are SO many children praying for a family to adopt them. It is our hope to eventually have 4 sponsored children, one for every child in our family to write and pray for. You can Sponsor a Child for $38 a month. A small sacrifice on your part, provides so much more than you could ever imagine for a child in need!
And, as you exchange letters, send photos, and offer encouragement in Jesus’ name, your love will bring hope to a child that will last a lifetime.
Your Sponsorship connects your child with a loving, church-based child sponsorship program that provides:
- Food and clean water
- Medical care
- Educational opportunities
- Important life-skills training
- Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.
When you sponsor a child, you’ll receive your child’s photo, personal story and a child sponsorship packet by mail in approximately 15 days. This decision of sponsorship will profoundly change the future for the children you adopt — and will change your own life, as well as the lives of YOUR children, as they see the world in a different way.
Consider a sponsoring a child in need through Compassion, as part of, or in lue of your Christmas gifts to each other. A small sacrifice on the part of your family, will result in a life changing moment for a child somewhere across the world! And talk about the gift that keeps on giving! What a blessing to all parties involved, and a powerful lesson to your children about what Christmas should be about…..the gift of giving! I know God will reward you beyond measure for your openness, as well as take care of the financial end for you, as you believe in faith for His provision.
Sponsoring, and corresponding with a child across the world is life changing! You may think your words are simple, but with every letter, we bring light to a dark corner of the world, because we carry these words for Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:45 (NLT) “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
~T
4 little Fergusons 