Teaching Compassion

In our world that is filled with instant access to water, electricity, iPhones, hundreds of television channels and enough toys to start a daycare, how will I teach my children to have compassion for those who are not as fortunate?

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

1 John 3:17 (NIV)

If you are trying to teach your children about compassion, what better way than to reach out to the world's poorest children, who are desperately in need of someone to tell them they are special, that they matter and there is hope? 

Click here to see children that are waiting for a sponsor. 

A New Beginning
When you sponsor a child through Compassion International you change their life - forever! That's because the organization tackles poverty from several angles at once, ensuring them the best possible means to escape devastating poverty. All of this is done in Jesus' name and while by bringing the children, and often those around them to Christ. 

As a former auditor, I am impressed that it has been a trusted, independently audited charity since 1952 with over 1 million children sponsored. They have also received Charity Navigator's Four Star Rating. 


Change the world. One child at a time. 

Whatever you decide to do about sponsorship, I pray you and your family will please visit the Sponsor a Child page and pray for the children waiting for sponsors. This would make such a wonderful impact on their lives.  

Five Ways We Teach Compassion

1. We start each meal and end our day with prayers for our Pascaline, Elibie and two other Compassion children who are special to us. We pray God will protect them, provide shelter, food, and drink. We also pray that they will have many reasons to smile that day and know they are special. 

2. I give gentle reminders when we are being wasteful with food or water to remember our special friends and their needs in Africa. We also use this as an opportunity to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. 

3. We write letters to our girls in Rwanda and Burkina Faso. We've gotten to know what they like to do for fun, how they help out their parents around their home, what they eat and more about their countries. We send cards, stickers, bible verses, coloring pages, pictures of our family and artwork Teagan and Isla make for them.

4. Pictures of Pascaline and Elibie are on our refrigerator. They have become a daily part of our lives and we consider them family. When we receive correspondence from them it is an exciting day! We talk about their pictures and letters at dinnertime with daddy!

5. We visit and pray over the thousands of children still needing sponsors at Compassion International by visiting their Sponsor a Child page. There, we talk about their names, ages and countries. Compassion also has an online Christian Homeschool Curriculum that I can't wait to share with the kids as they get older. 

Questions: 

How are you teaching compassion in your home? 

Are you currently a Compassion sponsor? 

We'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Blessings, Michelle