To Change a Life…

   I’m sure most of you who read my blog often know how I feel about Compassion international. So this week while the group is out in the Philippines, I have been following their blogs. I really enjoy reading them and learning about how people live out there. I love reading about how Compassion is working there and what they are doing to change lives. I love reading about the hope that sponsored children have. They are taught about Christ and the hope that he provides so graciously to us all. I love reading about how there is no self-pity out there. I just love reading about the experiences and the stories that they share. I’m so happy that we sponsor through Compassion and I’m encouraged to do more.

But then I read the sad stories. Not the ones about their living conditions (though they are sad), but the stories about the ‘sponsored’ children who have not received a letter from their sponsor, either in a long time or in some cases… Never.                                                                                        http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/06/the-power-of-a-letter.html      To sponsor a child isn’t just about sending $41.00 (can.) a month to help them out, It’s about showing them that you care and that they are loved. It’s about building a relationship with them and being another (in some cases the only) family for them. Sponsorship is so much more then I could ever imagine. I love building a relationship with ‘my boys’ and showing them how much they mean to me. I want them to do well in school so that they can overcome the poverty that has claimed their childhood. I want them to excel in life, so that they can be better husbands and fathers. One of the best ways for my to encourage them to be better, is to write. They need to hear from me that they are loved, that we care about their lives, they need to be encouraged, they need to know that their school marks are important to us. I want them to strive for above average marks, so that they have the options to become something more. I love those boys so much and I barely know them. But just knowing that Christ brought them into my life for a reason is enough for me.

So for those of you who have not written in a while, I DARE you to write to your child today. How about right now??  Then after you’ve written, let me know so I can share in your joy.

For those of you who have not yet sponsored. Check out the website: www.compassion.ca  or click on the compassion bloggers link on my blog and read the stories of what happens when you sponsor a child. Read about how their lives change. If you decide to sponsor a child, please share it with me, I would love to celebrate with you!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful day!!

Andrea

I Challenge You…

    Wow, where do I begin? I have just spent some time reading different blog posts from the Compassion bloggers who are currently in the Philippines. I have been touched and challenged in so many ways. I read about a girl named Denise and her family in a post found here: http://simplemom.net/the-opulent-ability-to-give/#more-13598 and I read about how Compassion uses the money from sponsors and how they keep track of EVERY penny here: http://shaungroves.com/2011/05/a-magic-trick-for-kristen/ and I also read about the child survival program and how it helps mothers and their babies start a new life here: http://jonesbones5.com/2011/05/31/the-prayer-of-a-mother/ 

I just love learning more about compassion and what they are doing in the world. I’m so glad that I am able to be a part of it, even if my part is small. If you have ever thought about sponsoring a child, but it all sounded a bit sceptical check out these 2 posts by Shaun Groves http://shaungroves.com/2011/05/a-magic-trick-for-kristen/ & http://shaungroves.com/2011/05/what-exactly-is-compassion-international/  He words things so clearly, he makes it very easy to understand what the organization does and why their different from the rest. So I challenge everyone to go to the compassion website www.compassion.ca and look into it. If you decide to sponsor a child, why not pick one that has been waiting a while? It would be a wonderful gift to a family in need and it will change your life as well.

I would love for you to share your sponsorship story with me! Leave me a comment or email me: candle_andrea@hotmail.com

God Bless!!

Andrea

Oh Happy Day!!!

    After a lot of waiting and God given patience, it finally arrived!!! My very first letter from one of my boys!!! You cannot imagine (OK, so you probably can) the excitement and joy I felt when I opened my mail box yesterday and saw this:

Oh I was so excited! I could hardly wait to get home so I could find out who it was from and read what he had to say. I was so convinced that it was from Alejandro because we sponsored him first, but much to my surprise, it was from Niyomugabo. 



This is what he said: "Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky, Niyomugabo Gakwavu greets you in Jesus name. Gakwavu and his family are fine and sending their greetings. They are all happy for you agreed to sponsor him (I'm doing everything but the financial part, so I guess this is right), that they will be praying for you, and may God bless you abundantly. Gakwavu enjoys to play football (I think that means soccer) and he is studying very well. He is asking "What do you like?", "What do you do?". He is kindly asking you to reply and he will send you a photo of him and his family (Yay! I can hardly wait to get it). He is wishing you peace through this year 2011."

This was a very exciting letter for me to get because now it feels a lot more like I'm writing to someone. The wait has been a long one, but it has been worth it! I'm really hoping that I will get the letters from my other 2 boys soon. Maybe this week??? That would be such a blessing to get letters from all 3 boys the same week. It would be like Christmas for me!!!

That was a really nice start to my week. Now hopefully the rest of my week will go just as nicely.

Have you received a letter from your sponsor child lately? I would love to hear about it!!

Have a Wonderful Day!!!

* Andrea *

Why do you...?

   I've had a lot of things going on in my head lately. Sometimes it's so 'LOUD' in there that it's hard to stay focused (is that a problem for you too?). One big thought lately has been, why do we sponsor children? I mean what is your reason? Mine is to make a difference in someones life, and that is one way that I can. I used to think that we couldn't afford to, but yet once we worked out our finances, we were able to tithe to the church. So then I got to thinking, we give to God every payday but do we have to give all the money to church? If we sponsor a child, we are still giving to God but just in a different way.
So that was the thought that started our decision to sponsor. I started to read different blog posts written by Compassion Advocates and learnt a lot about how very important it is to write to your child/ren. It was through reading these posts that I decided to become a compassion correspondent and write to more children. Imagine my surprise when I was given two 18 year old boys to write to! What do I say to them? I am a stay-at-home-mom of a 4 year old and a 1 year old! I have nothing exciting to say to an 18 year old! But God knew (like always), and he has given me a wealth of loving words to write to these young men. It has amazed me how many words it takes to describe something that's so ordinary for us. Take hockey for example, I assumed that they knew nothing about hockey so I wrote it out in detail. It almost took up half a page! Single spaced! So anyone can write to their sponsor child. If your drawing a blank, remember that their world is very different than ours. Talk about ordinary everyday things to us like, gardening, knitting, sports, things that you are familiar with but they probably are not.
A really big reason for us to sponsor (and correspond) is to help someone. I love knowing that Alejandro and his family all benefit from our financial sponsorship. Not only does he get food, and medical check-ups, he also gets a solid teaching about Christ. His family also gets taught as well. His parents learn how to better provide for their children and how to raise them in a Christ centered home. So now, with his physical needs being met, it's up to me to help with his emotional needs. I'm (in a sense) another mom for him. So I take that responsibility very seriously, and send him my love and encouragement as often as possible. I feel that way about all of my 'boys'. I love them so much, and I want them to feel loved, so that's why I write them so often. I can't see them every day, nor can I phone them, so I write.
Maybe you haven't written to your child in a while, today is a good day for writing. Everyday is a good day for writing. You don't even need paper, just go to the website of the organization that you sponsor through (most of them have email), and send your letter of love. It does not need to be long, just send some love!


If you've sent a letter to your child recently and you want to share, I'd love to hear about it!

* Andrea *

Anticipation

  OK, so It's been almost three months since we started sponsoring little Alejandro. I'm eagerly (if not impatiently) awaiting his first letter to me. I check my mail almost every day in hopes that I will find that special envelope that will make this all more real for me. I see his picture on my fridge countless times every day and I just feel so much love for him, my 'son' in Honduras. I really hope that one day I'll be able to see him face to face and tell him just how much I love him. What a wonderful day that will be! 
  I often wonder what life is like for him and I can't wait for that first letter to give me a small glimpse. I wonder if he lives in the "really bad" part of town, over run by gangs, or the parts that aren't as bad. What kinds of things does he play with? What kind of imagination does he have? My thoughts are endless.
When I look at his picture, I'm often overcome with the feeling to just pull him into my arms. I know that's impossible seeing as how were countries apart, but I hope that it does happen one day.
In just this short time, being a sponsor has changed my life. I am educating myself on the conditions of the world and not just turning a 'blind eye'. I'm learning how I can make a difference and change even one persons life. I want to help little Alejandro and his family to grow in their faith and to encourage them. I want to have works and faith, because faith without works is nothing.  James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"

So I encourage everyone, to have works and faith. We need to have both if we want to live for Christ.


* Andrea *

Monday Already?

   Is it Monday already? Wow the weekend went by fast. I was sick with a head cold all weekend (and still am) so we didn't do much. I did, however, get my package sent out to my sponsor boys. I'm trying to send something every 2 weeks. I didn't write a very long letter this time, but I want to remind them that they are special. 
   People living in poverty often believe the lies that "your not worth it" or "nobody loves you", so us as sponsors need to keep writing so they believe that they are worth something. It's often through those letters from us that their self confidence is built up and they know that they are special. I'm not saying that you should write as often as I. I have a bit more time with being a stay at home mom than a lot of people. But I really believe that you should try to send something once a month or once every two months. It can just be a short note with a bible verse and you telling them you love them and are praying for them. It really doesn't matter what you send as long as you try to send a little something. They just need the connection from you.
     I often go overboard when I send stuff. I just get so excited when it's time to send another letter. I want to send them everything! I usually send all kinds of extras from bandaids to stickers to thin scribblers (the staple bound kind), whatever I have that I think they might like. I'm also starting to send little extras for their siblings ( I also have sent bible verses to their mothers) too. In families where there are 3 or less children, usually only 1 gets sponsored. So I want the rest of the family to know that they are special to me and that I pray for them as well. I actually have a box in my kitchen that I keep all kinds of 'extras' to send to my sponsor boys. That way, whenever I am getting stuff together to send, I don't have to rush out to the store to buy extra things. When my 'supplies' get low, I make a trip to the store and pick up more stuff. I find it's a lot easier for me to send things often that way.
   I'm not saying that you need to send all kinds of things. You don't need to send anything other than your letter.  All you really need to send is your Love.

If you sponsor a child, I hope this makes yo want to write more often. Like I said, it doesn't need to be a big, long letter. They just need the reassurance from you that they are worth it and that you care for them.

Have a great day!

* Andrea *

Our two new boys!

     What a great weekend it's been so far! On Friday evening I went to check my mail and was very excited at what I received! I received the child packets from my two correspondent sponsor boys! Oh how great! Now I can put two lovely new faces on my fridge to remind me about the world that we live in.
 Let me introduce you...

        Nsengimana

  He's from Rwanda, and he's 18 years old.

He only lives with his mother because his father is in prison. Oh my heart breaks when I read that. Where he lives, most adults don't work but those that do earn the average of $27.00 A MONTH! I can't get over that, that's nothing in our society. The real blessing is that his sponsorship covers Bible teaching, medical exams, nutritious food, hygiene instruction, recreational activities, opportunities for community service, school fees, scholastic materials, tutoring and domestic supplies. Also, his mother receives Bible teaching as well. 

Niyomugabo

He's also from Rwanda, and he's also 18 years old.

Niyomugabo also only lives with his mother, there are 4 children in his family and his mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. Where he lives most adults work as farmers but only earn the equivalent of $10.00 A MONTH! That is astonishing! I can't even think of what we can buy with $10 out here. Maybe, a couple of groceries? His sponsorship provides him with Bible teaching, medical care, nutritious meals, hygiene supplies, recreational activities, tuition and scholastic materials. Also, Bible teaching for his mother.  

These boys, through the little bit that I know about them have started to change the way I see things. I am now, for the first time in my life, really starting to imagine what life is like in these countries. I often wonder what their mothers must be going through. While I'm sitting in my bathtub enjoying a nice hot bath, they are working so hard just trying to get enough money to feed their children maybe 1 meal a day? Some days when I spend a lot of time thinking about this I feel the tears start. But then I stop myself and think, Why did God allow me to have an abundant life? Why am I not living in poverty? What can I do to help? I really believe that those of us that are not living in those conditions can and should help any way that we can. Some people can't commit to sponsoring a child, I understand that. But even if you have an extra $10 bucks and you want to donate it, why not compassion? At least then you know where your money is going.

 Also, if you can't afford to sponsor a child, you can still change a life by becoming a correspondent sponsor. All that Compassion asks is that you write 3 times a year and send a birthday card for their birthday and Christmas. To make writing even easier, Compassion has it set up that you can send them a letter online. You don't even need a pen and paper! You write the letter, it gets sent to Compassion Canada office, they translate it, print it out and it goes to your child from there.

So, if anyone is thinking about donating to Compassion, sponsoring a child, or becoming a correspondent sponsor just go to http://www.compassion.ca/ and you can do it all there.

I am just so passionate about what Compassion does. I see how they spend the money that we give for sponsoring and how they do it all in the name of Christ and I'm so thankful that I can be a part of it even if it's a small part. 

I encourage each and every one of you to do what you can, small or large to spread the love of Jesus.

Have a blessed weekend!

* Andrea *

Finally!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great weekend!
So, yesterday I went to the mail ( like I have been almost every day) with very high hopes to see if the picture of my sponsor child came. I am very happy to say that yes it finally did!! I was so excited that I stayed parked right in front of the mailbox and checked out the contents. So, here I am with my truck parked right in front of the mailbox reading my mail. I mean, who does that? Apparently me. Especially when you get what you have been waiting for. Of course, as soon as I told my daughter that I had the picture, she wanted to see too. It was a very exciting trip to the mail to say the least!

So now, I'm finally able to introduce all of you to our newest addition!

Meet  Alejandro
He's from Honduras, and he's three years old.

Isn't he adorable?

Alejandro lives in a very poor community. The average MONTHLY wage is $82.00. Can you imagine? That doesn't even cover our phone bills! Never mind everything for a whole month. His father is a farmer and his mother stays home with the kids. He only has one sibling I don't know if it's a boy or girl cause we only just started to sponsor him. What really surprised me was how much $41.00 a month could do. With our sponsorship, Alejandro Gets Bible teaching, Medical checkups, health and hygiene education, academic support, group games, birthday parties, uniforms, shoes, and school supplies. Isn't that incredible? On top of all that the staff also provides evangelism to his parents. What a blessing!
     So when you sponsor through Compassion, you not only pay for their basic needs, you also give them and their parents the gift of learning alot about Jesus. That really makes it worth it to me. So, if your curious about sponsoring a child, or just want some more info, go to http://www.compassion.ca/ . I really encourage everyone to sponsor a child and change a life. Your not just changing one life, but many.
     If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll get back to you!


Have a blessed day!

* Andrea *

1 Becomes 3!!

I know, I know, your probably thinking that my math is terrible! Your probably right, however, 1 actually became 3! I'll tell you how. You see I have been thinking alot lately about becoming a Compassion correspondent. A correspondent is someone who takes over the part of writing to a child that is already being sponsored. The sponsor still takes care of the financial needs but someone else writes to their child. It's a great way for those of us who can only afford to financially sponsor one or two children to build relationships with more children and make a difference in their lives. It is such a pleasure to be able to write to children far away and tell them all about life in Canada and encourage them in their walk with God.
    So, back to my bad math skills. I wrote an email to compassion Canada last week asking if they had any children who needed correspondents. I was so hoping for a yes but was disappointed a little to hear that they had a waiting list at the moment. I was hopeful however that God would bring a child who needed encouragement into my life. So I checked my email an hour later to see if the news was any better and oh wow it sure was!! Not only did they have a child for me, they had 2!!  They had 2 young men from Rwanda that needed correspondents. I was very sad to hear that they had not received a letter since 2005! 5 years is a very long time when you are a 13 year old boy who could really use some extra encouragement at this time in your life.  So the first thing I did as soon as I got the info I needed was send an email letter to both of them. It goes to the Canadian office and from there gets translated and sent to the field office in their country. It's a bit faster then mailing it. I wanted them to get a letter asap. When my email was sent I sat down at my table and wrote them both a letter and sent it by mail the next day so they should be receiving 2 letters from us close together. I wish I could see their faces when they get their first letters from us and are reassured that someone really does love and care about them. I can't wait to receive my first letter from them. I have sent so many letters lately and I know it will take months before I receive anything but I'm very happy to give some love to those who need it most.
   So for those of you who already sponsor a child and haven't sent a letter, maybe today is a good day to sit down and write something. It doesn't have to be long or fancy, just a message of "I love you" and "your important to me" are really the most important words for them to hear.
   If you don't sponsor a child and are thinking about it, I would suggest going to http://www.compassion.ca/  and checking it out.

May God bless you richly today!

* Andrea *

Lets see how this goes...

Well, I've just started my blog and seeing as how I'm new at this it might take me a few tries before I get the hang of it.
   At the end of January my husband and & I decided it was time to add another member to our family.No we were not thinking of having another baby as we already have 2 kids and a dog I have enough to keep me busy. We decided to sponsor a child. This decision involved alot of research into different organizations until we finally settled on Compassion. The reason we picked Compassion was because it takes care of all the other needs of the child but the most important one is that they focus on the teaching of Christ.They work within the local christian church and all the children that are in the Compassion program go to sunday school and are taught about Jesus. This was the most important thing to us.
      So, now that we have the organization how do you choose which child? They all need help. I'm a terrible decision maker as anyone who knows me can testify to so I told my husband to choose the child. He did it within seconds!! He walked over to the computer where the children were and boom! he picks he first one! How perfect. Inside my head there were a thousand thoughts going wild. Why this one? Someone else has been waiting longer. Should we pick an older child? They don't get picked very often... and on and on it went. So we talked about it and agreed that we had made the best choice for us at this time in our lives. Who knows maybe if we are able to sponsor another child we will pick an older one?
  Now I know some of you are wondering how is sponsoring a child adding to your family? Well, I look at it this way. Because I'm providing for all the needs financially and I'm building a relationship through letters, it feels as though I have another child.As a sponsor we provide for their needs- immunizations, food, clothing, school. But the most important is their learning about Christ. To build a strong relationship with our child I try to write often. I love to write and talk about things that are very different to them. Our holidays, how we celebrate, Snow was a fun one to write about, and just regular every day things. It doesn't need to be a big, professional letter. After all I'm just a mom writing to a child. I make sure to say in every letter how much I love them, and that I'm praying for them. I also try to send some goodies along with the letter such as: bandaids, thin coloring books, valentine cards, stickers, anything that's thin paper stuff as long as it's allowed within Compassion guidelines. I'll go into more details on what kind of stuff I send in a different post.

As far as introducing you to our newest member as soon as I have the picture I'll introduce you. Don't worry I don't think you should have to wait very long.

Have a great day!