Go Into All The World: April 2015

I am excited to introduce my updated Compassion family!

I now financially sponsor 14 kids (10 girls, 4 boys) and I am correspondent sponsor for 5 kids from Kenya (3 boys and 2 girls). This means that they have a financial sponsor who, for whatever reason, is unable to write to them, so I fill that gap.

As you may be aware, in 2014 I served as a volunteer in an orphanage in the Philippines called The Ruel Foundation. I was living off my savings, which meant that I could not financially sponsor with Compassion. In November 2013 I let my family and friends know this, and within a month, all my kids were sponsored by many wonderful people (I was never going to just dump them and leave them without a sponsor).

During the year it became apparent that sponsorship and advocacy with Compassion was still what I desired to do, and I felt it was still the mission and purpose that God had for me. So I came back to Australia at the end of November 2014 and was immediately reconnected with five of the kids I had previously sponsored and visited.

After impatiently sitting through the six weeks of summer vacation in December and January, God provided me with a part-time teaching job.

I have been back in Australia for almost five months. When I came back, I was determined to continue living the life of sacrificial generosity I had been living previously when I was spending over half my income sponsoring kids. However, I quickly lapsed back into a comfortable, me-centred mindset and started taking everything for granted despite everything I have seen and experienced on my travels to 12 developing countries with Compassion.

So I guess the decision to increase my Compassion family despite only working part-time is my way of getting back on track and using what I've been given to serve God and others. It is a step of faith, but at the same time I am single and debt-free, so it's not that much of a stretch :)

The more I think about it, I know that caring for these kids and their families by partnering with Compassion is the most important thing I can do on this earth, regardless of the cost. It is an honor and a privilege and I look forward to developing relationships through letters (and visits, God-willing!).

This is Sehila from Bolivia (BO180). She turns 17 on December 25th. I started sponsoring her in 2008 and visited her in 2009

This is Josefa from Guatemala (GU400). She is 16 and I visited her in January 2013

This is Larissa from Brazil (BR329). She is 6 years old and I visited her in 2012 and 2013

This is Antonio from Nicaragua (NI221). He turns 11 in June and I visited him in January 2013

This is Danna from Mexico (ME738). She turns 12 in July and I visited her in January 2013

This is Aljane from the Philippines (PH268). She turns 8 in December and attends the Project and church I went to when I was in the Philippines last year.

This is Dahiana from the Dominican Republic (DR436). She is 11 and was introduced to me by my friend Amanda Lane.

This is Helen from Honduras (HO374). She is 8 and was introduced to me by my friend Amanda Lane.

This is Jeilin from Honduras (HO416). She is 6 and was introduced to me by my friend Kim Hall.

This is Karol from Colombia (CO381). She is 7 and was introduced to me by my friend Allen Rowe.

This is Tais from Ecuador (EC554). She is 14 and was introduced to me by my friend Allen Rowe.

This is Vanoshan from Sri Lanka (LK218). He is 5 and was introduced to me by my friend Judy Myers.

This is Worrawit from Thailand (TH378). He is 8 and was introduced to me by my friend Judy Myers.

This is Daniel from Bolivia (BO553). He is 10 and was introduced to me by my friend Emily Hamilton.

These five kids from Kenya I write to but do not financially sponsor:

Ann (4), KE722

Ken (5), KE718

Samson (5), KE505

Daniel (14), KE712

Delfin (10), KE704

Before I published my book Go Into All The World, I contacted quite a few friends who are fellow Compassion sponsors and advocates, wondering if they could review my book on their blogs, in return for a free PDF advance copy. I received about 24 affirmative replies and so far ten of them have come good and given me a book review on their blog.

I want to share those with you now. Feel free to click on the links and check out the good stuff my friends are putting into the world, to counteract so much of the junk that's out there.