Blog Month for Compassion!

It seems like there's always so much going on, but I'm SUPER excited to let you know about a blog event I'll be participating in this month.

September is Blog Month for Compassion!!!

I'll be posting several times this month to share about the work that Compassion International is doing around the world to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. I'm so excited to share what this incredible ministry is doing!!

Before we get started with the weekly blogging assignments for this month, though, I want to share how my family is involved with Compassion. We have the privilege of sponsoring two precious children through the ministry of Compassion.

I began sponsoring seven-year-old Gloria in February of 2007 when the company I worked for took a group of people to visit Compassion in Uganda. The team planned to visit several Compassion projects, so I chose Gloria's sponsorship packet from a group of children that the team would have the opportunity to meet in person. I packed a pink backpack with gifts, toys, and a picture and letter introducing myself and committed to find $38 per month in my budget to provide the basics for Gloria. A friend from work presented Gloria with the gifts I sent, met her grandmother, visited her home, and took tons of precious pictures of their time together. Gloria will be 13 this fall, and our relationship has grown by leaps and bounds in that time!

In October 2008, I decided that I should begin sponsoring a second child. I had recently been given a small raise at work and wanted to do something useful with some of the extra money each month. What better way than to sponsor a child living in poverty?! I began scouring the faces of children without a sponsor on the Compassion website. I wanted to find an older child, one who would graduate from the program in a few years, someone who might not be as likely to get a sponsor. When I saw Bob's face, I knew I had found my next "child." He was 15 at the time and looked so sad—shoulders slumped, no smile on his face, and eyes that just seemed hopeless. I began sending $38 each month to sponsor Bob (also from Uganda). Over the years we have exchanged many letters, and I have seen Christ transform his life. The pictures that we receive once or twice a year reveal change as well. He has grown so much and has the biggest smile. But the biggest change is in his eyes—his smile reaches his eyes and joy shines from within.

This is the ministry of Compassion. They are the real deal. It's easy to see from the letters and pictures we receive from our children. Please, please consider being part of this awesome ministry!

There are a couple of ways that YOU can participate this month . . .

Become a Compassion blogger! Basically, just sign up through the link on the right sidebar, and you'll receive blogging assignments. You can choose to post or not.

Sponsor a child! If you've been considering child sponsorship but haven't taken the plunge OR if Compassion is totally new to you, I hope you'll think about committing to child sponsorship this month. I'll be sharing more about this throughout the month.

Spread the word! Would you consider sharing the links to my posts with your friends? The goal is to find sponsors for 3,108 children this month, and we need all the help we can get in getting the word out!

Disclosure: Prizes and giveaways will be held throughout the month for bloggers who participate in this month-long blog fest. Additionally, the person who brings in the most sponsors will have the opportunity to join a Compassion Blogger trip in 2013. My motivation in sharing about Compassion does not come from the possibility of winning a prize. Instead, it comes from the hope that people will learn about this incredible ministry, that many children will be released from poverty in Jesus' name, and ultimately that God would be glorified in all nations!