One in Spirit

Happy New Year everyone! I cannot tell you how excited I am for 2012! The past year was a transitional year for me... it was all about how I am pursuing God through vision, discipline, trust, and accountability. This year is all about growing in God's grace! I was checking my e-mail today when I came across the daily Compassion blog update. I read today's blog and wanted to share it with you as well. I am going to take on this challenge and participate in the devotionals that the Compassion staff have come up with. Please check it out!

One In Spirit is a collection of devotionals written exclusively by Compassion staff to connect and encourage the global Compassion community. Collectively, the authors represent 41 nations from around the world, united by the power of Christ and a shared commitment to children in need.

It is our hope that these devotionals will help to connect our global workforce and special friends of this ministry in a way never experienced before. Imagine the spiritual results that will be realized through this united force of like-minded Christians studying Scripture together and praying in unison all year long!

Week 1
January 2, 2012 – Just Love Me by Wess Stafford
January 3, 2012 – He Shall Direct Your Paths by Wess Stafford
January 4, 2012 – Staying Attached by Carla Hoit
January 5, 2012 – It’s Jesus! by Cuthbert Mono
January 6, 2012 – The Satisfaction of Serving by Bolivia Ministry Team

Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/one-in-spirit/#ixzz1iMPZFMEl

Tis the Season to be Thankful for... Free Give Aways!!

Hey Everyone!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have been ever thankful to Jesus for so many things... especially my ability to support children through sponsorship. In honor of my three beautiful sponsor children, I am holding my second give-away! I have created a book that can be used at your Compassion events. I named the book, "The Faces of Compassion International." It is a collection of pictures that I have used in Powerpoints when I hold a Compassion presentation.

I plan to have this at the table with all of the child packets for Compassion Sunday's and other events that I volunteer with for Compassion. Inside, not only will you find pictures of children who benefit from Compassion International's various programs, but you will also find scriptures that directly quote children and poverty. This could be a great tool for even a one on one discussion with a potential sponsor. It offers a face to the verses that God's word tells us.

There are several ways to enter... are you ready?

1. Follow my blog! This will earn you 1 entry. This is for all existing and new followers. Just let me know that you want to be entered. If you are a new follower since my last give away (dated 10-1-11 or later) I will give you 2 entries if you comment.
2. If you already follow my blog, recruit another blogger to follow my blogs. Reply to this blog telling me who you referred. This will earn you 3 entries. (One for the recruit, one since you already follow, and another one for commenting!)
3. Post this blogpost on your own blog, telling them about the give-away. This will earn you 2 entries.
4. Mention this blog through another avenue of social media. (Ex. Facebook, Twitter, OurCompassion, etc....) Let me know where you post it. Every different avenue you post will earn you 1 entry.
5. Make a comment on one of my previous blogposts. (I will include every comment dated 11-22-11 through the end of the give-away.) Each comment will earn you 1 entry.... PLUS.... You can earn up to 7 entries for every different comment you make.

The grand prize will of course be the "Faces of Compassion International" photo book. I am also throwing in a 2nd and 3rd alternate winner for one of the following items. First is a Compassion sticker to be used on your car, laptop, luggage, or wherever you want to put it to spread the word about Compassion! Second is a static cling that can be used on your car or any glass surface. I show it pictured here on the bumper of my car. If you really try, you can get the white backing off the cling and it will stick like a bumper sticker. You may make your choice when I announce the winners.

Depending on the number responses of the give-away, I may pull up to 5 winners. I encourage all of you to enter EVEN if you already have some of these items. These are great things to give to new sponsors!

This give-away will last from Wednesday, November 23rd through Wednesday, November 30th. I will announce winners on the evening of Friday, December 1st. I will hold this give-away every other month, so please check back again!!  Good luck everyone!!

Free Give Away!!!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my first ever give-away! Thanks to Jill and her blog over at Compassion Family, I have created a book through hotprints.com that can be used at your Compassion events. I named the book, "The Faces of Compassion International." It is a collection of pictures that I have used in powerpoints when I hold a Compassion presentation.

I plan to have this at the table with all of the child packets for Compassion Sunday's and other events that I volunteer with for Compassion. Inside, not only will you find pictures of children who benefit from Compassion International's various programs, but you will also find scriptures that directly quote children and poverty. This could be a great tool for even a one on one discussion with a potential sponsor. It offers a face to the verses that God's word tells us.

There are several ways to enter... are you ready?

1. Follow my blog! This will earn you 1 entry. (I will include all new followers dated 9-12-11 through the end of the give-away.)
2. If you already follow my blog, recruit another blogger to follow my blogs. Reply to this blog telling me who you referred. This will earn you 3 entries. (One for the recruit, one since you already follow, and another one for commenting!)
3. Post this blogpost on your own blog, telling them about the give-away. This will earn you 2 entries.
4. Mention this blog through another avenue of social media. (Ex. Facebook, Twitter, OurCompassion, etc....) Let me know where your post it. Every different avenue you post will earn you 1 entry.
5. Make a comment on one of my previous blogposts. (I will include every comment dated 9-12-11 through the end of the give-away.) Each comment will earn you 1 entry.... PLUS.... You can earn up to 7 entries for every different comment you make.

The grand prize will of course be the "Faces of Compassion International" photo book. I am also throwing in a 2nd and 3rd alternate winner for a Compassion sticker to be used on your car, laptop, luggage, or wherever you want to put it to spread the word about Compassion!

This give-away will last from Monday, September 12th through Sunday, September 18th. That's 7 days! I will announce winners on the evening of Monday, September 19th. This will be the first of many give-aways, so please check back again!!  Good luck everyone!!

Blogging for Compassion

Prior to my time on OurCompassion, I wasn't exactly one to follow a lot of blogs. The Compassion Blogs, however, have been more than just blogs. It has been a great resource for sponsors and potential sponsors alike. The Compassion Blog was actually the inspiration for creating this blog. I wanted to take the time to give credit to this wonderful resource that this incredible organization has provided us with. Here are some of my favorite and most helpful blogs in no particular order. I encourage you to check them out when you get the chance.

Top Ten Compassion Blogs (Not in any particular order)

1.      Funny Things Kids Say: As a first grade teacher, one of my favorite benefits aside from seeing all those “a-ha” moments are the funny things that kids say. This has reigned true with the things my sponsor children say. It can range from touching my heart that I want to cry, to just being so-darn cute! http://blog.compassion.com/funny-things-kids-say/

2.      Sponsorship in Six Words: This one was a thinker – how to explain the impact of sponsorship into only six words was challenging – but I loved all the creative responses. Mine – “A child changed my life forever.” http://blog.compassion.com/sponsorship-in-six-words/

3.      Write Your Child the Second Friday of Every Month: I never realized the importance of letter writing until hearing the stories of the children waiting for “mail day” and finding out that they did not receive a letter from their sponsor. This just broke my heart. Before, I would just write when I received a response from my sponsor child. Now, I just write whenever God puts them on my heart… regardless if I have received a response back or not. To them, it means more knowing that someone out there loves them and is thinking of them. http://blog.compassion.com/letter-writing-club/

4.      This Is Where You Come In: This one hit close to home for two reasons. One, I love Compassion and support it 100%. Two, I have a brother with Autism who participates in Special Olympics. This was an amazing story of a young girl with special needs who went through Compassion International and Special Olympics! http://blog.compassion.com/this-is-where-you-come-in-special-olympics-2011/

5.      Delivering Hope: I participated in this! This was such great idea and opportunity to write letters to Compassion’s children who are still waiting for a sponsor. God does not let their prayers go un-heard! http://blog.compassion.com/deliver-hope/

6.      A Mission to Further Your Mission: Join Our Street Team: I love how Compassion is mission forward in this day in age to evangelize through social media. This is a great idea and I love completing orders to save up for a future sponsor tour!If you are interested in joining, please go to Helpful Links and click on "Compassion: The Official Street Team"  http://blog.compassion.com/street-team-fancorps-compassion-international/

7.      The Real Problem is the Malaria: This video was the same clip I shared with my first grade class. We have been raising money for bite-back as a class community service project. It was only supposed to be for one month, but the students have been so excited about sharing about how malaria affects children their age, they chose to continue raising money for it! http://blog.compassion.com/malaria-begins-with-a-bite-bite-back/

8.      Haiti Earthquake Update: It was so devastating to hear that the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere had lost so much. This blog was a great resource to hear about what Compassion was doing in response to this traumatic situation. http://blog.compassion.com/haiti-earthquake-update/

9.      Should I Visit My Sponsored Child?: Like many other sponsors, I hope to visit my sponsor children someday. This blog was a great resource to evaluate my finances and the worth of taking a sponsor tour to visit my children. http://blog.compassion.com/sponsor/

10   Letter Writing Ideas: Though I know that sending money gifts are always an option, it is still something to know that I put time and thought into something I send to my sponsor children. This blog was a great resource to bounce off ideas with other sponsors. http://blog.compassion.com/letter-writing-ideas/