Compassion part 7: How to love a true fan

Imagine that you're married, and imagine that your spouse is passionate about sports. (Some of you won't have to imagine very hard.)

Your spouse watches every game and physically goes to every event possible. He memorizes details about all the players, even personal details that don't relate to their performance. He adjusts his schedule around watching the games, adjusts his budget around supporting the team, and his entire mental concept of the year revolves more around what sport is currently playing than the temperature outside. Some would call him a "fan-atic".

Photo cred (words mine): Chris Breikss

If you are married to this fan, you probably knew from the moment you began dating him that it would be hard to get close to his heart without sharing in the things he loved. So you bought the t-shirts, cleared your weekends for big games, and cheered at his side until you were hoarse. You even painted your face. You invested in the things he loved, and it knit you close as the seam on a pig-skin.

God is inviting you into intimacy with him. He is passionate too--much more passionate than the loudest sports fan on the planet. 

But instead of sports, God's blood pounds deep and fast for broken people. 

He watches every person's moments and physically became present when philosophers and Jews alike agreed--Diety becoming man was impossible. He memorizes details about each person, even personal details that don't have a shred to do with their performance. He adjusted history to become one of the poor, abandoned his stupendous power and glory to rescue the weak and helpless, and his entire concept of what is valuable turns our economic and social structures firmly on their heads. 

His heart melts for the mistreated. 

He laughs with delight over little ones. 

 

Injustice and oppression make him boil.

Photo cred: Freedom House

 

He leans toward the lonely.

Photo cred: Ding Yuin Shan

 

Giving extravagantly and unexpectedly is his modus operatus.
 

Know this: the path to intimacy with God is to share in the things He loves. 

His right hand is stretched out to you. In the palm is an engraved invitation to join him in radical love for the unlovable. He invites you to sell the stuff Pinterest tells you to crave so that you can give it away and have real treasure. He beckons you to stand with Him for the oppressed, the forgotten, the weird and the socially awkward. 

"I want to know him and the power of his resurrection, becoming like him in his death..."

How can we know Him in his sacrifice if we are unwilling to sacrifice? How can we know Him in His death if we are unwilling to die to ourselves?

It is impossible to love Him without loving them. 

Over the past week, I have written here in this online space about one way that we can join our Savior in his love for the least of these. I have shown you the pictures and profiles of three beautiful children who are poor, small, weak, needing love. Sponsoring one of these children is one way that we can join our Jesus in extravagant giving that dives headlong into loving without counting cost.

 Read about Egi, a 7-year-old from Indonesia.

 

 

Yegele is a 5-year-old from Ethiopia who lives with a single mother.

Little Gregori from Peru loves to play with cars.

The deadline to sponsor these particular children is TOMORROW, October 1st, 2015!

 

 

Compassion part 6: Watch Her Reaction When She Gets a Sponsor

Today I planned to write about letters, both received and sent across continents.

I wanted to type down the translated words here for you to read. I wanted to tell you how each exchange has helped us know the kids beyond their photos, revealing their fears, their loves, and the days of their lives.

I planned to talk about how fun it is to find a fat envelope that has traveled thousands of miles, and how we know that the ten minutes we spend writing will mean more to our sponsored kids than all the checks we write.

Actual letter from Asnaku, who lives in Ethiopia.

But any words I put write here would be flimsy next to this video produced by Compassion, Australia. Just watch it!

To read about the three beautiful children that I am trying to connect with sponsors of their own, click here! 

Compassion part 5: Gregori

Today I get to introduce you to the third and final child in my packet from Compassion International!

In case you're just now jumping into the conversation, let's do a quick recap:

My husband and I each started supporting children through Compassion International before we were married. Those kids, who were both very little when we started, are now teenagers whose letters now move us to tears. 

A few weeks ago, I received a packet containing the profiles of three precious children who are currently waiting for their own sponsors. My goal is to share their stories and photos with as many people as possible so that they can be connected with a sponsor too by September 30!

Compassion International operates on the principle that the most effective way to end poverty is to link individual children to individual sponsors, especially when it is integrated into a holistic approach to child development. To read more about their work, click here.

Today, meet Gregori!

His full name is Gregori David Quezada Pindato--a long name for such a little boy! He will turn four next month on October 27, and his favorite thing to do is to play with toy cars. 

Born into a large family in the desert community of AA. HH. Rosa de Guadalupe in Peru, Gregori is at risk for poor nutrition and diseases such as dengue fever and colds. Homes in this area typically have dirt floors, walls made of cardboard or plywood, and tin roofs. 

Right now, Gregori is too young for school, but without encouragement, it is likely that he will drop out of school to help support his family as a day laborer once he is old enough. 

Once he is sponsored, Gregori will suddenly have access to Bible teaching, medical and opthalmological care, deworming, sports and games, tutoring, school supplies, and nutritious food. The center staff at Los Amigos de Jesus Student Center will also provide meetings, evangelism, educational movies and Bibles for his mother and father.

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it" - Proverbs 22:6

The fact that children are continually being born, growing, and becoming adults is a powerful constant. Once, we were children. Someday, the children being born today will take our place.

As a generation, the choices we make today will have a profound impact on the generation coming behind us. Will those future adults understand love and compassion? Will they have hope for the future, and concern for the helpless?

You may not feel like you have much to offer. I get that.

But sit and receive this truth: our Jesus is big enough.

The world is not too broken for His healing. And He invites you--yes you, the one who never received the right kind of love, the one who feels pulled in a thousand directions, the one who is struggling under the weight of student loans or depression or grief--to come along with Him as he pursues this world.

I want to support Gregori!

Great! Gregori's starter packet is currently displayed in the lobby of Fellowship Church in College Station. If you live here in town, just stop by during office hours to pick it up. Please mail in the sponsorship information by September 30. 

If you live out of town, no worries! Just email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com to send me your mailing address, and I will be happy to mail your packet to you. 

I can't sponsor right now, but how can I help?

Pray for Gregori. Your prayers DO make a difference. Pray that God will give him a sponsor soon. Pray for his health, Pray that he will be protected from abuse and disease. Pray for his family, his education, and his development. Most of all, pray that he will know God's love and give his life to him as his savior, letting him transform him from the inside out. 

Share this post! You never know whether your random Facebook friend is the one who is meant to build a life-long relationship with Gregori through sponsorship. 

Be an advocate. Compassion International needs our voices to connect thousands of children just like Gregori, Yegele and Egi with people who have the funds and willingness to be their sponsors. Click here for more information. 

Just now joining the conversation and want to see what you missed? Here are links to the previous posts:

Compassion part 1: When you can't feed 100 children
Compassion part 2: Meet the kids!
Compassion part 3: Egi
Compassion part 4: Yegele 

Compassion part 4: Yegele

Today is day #4 in a ten-day series showcasing three precious children who are waiting for a sponsor through Compassion International.

Yesterday, we met a soccer-loving seven-year-old named Egi who sleeps under a tin roof on one of the largest islands in Indonesia. (Click here to see his post!)

I love this quote by former president Nelson Mandela because it strips away any illusion that peace and security will come about naturally, all on its own.

"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free from violence and fear."- Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

Every human is bent from birth toward evil and selfishness. It is the law of entropy, if you will--we will become worse, not better, if we simply follow our desires.

Because of this fact, no society will  become--or remain--safe and good without the strenuous efforts and thoughtful actions of men and women willing to put aside their own love of comfort and ease for the sake of those who are poor and oppressed.

Compassion International is one amazing channel through which collective consensus and personal investment are making a difference.

Wherever they operate, Compassion partners with local churches to provide critical resources to children and their families. Each child in the program is personally connected to a sponsor--a normal somebody who commits to investing in that child. This helps Compassion provide that child with medical care, food, tutoring, educational opportunities, and mentoring.

Today, meet Yegele!

Yegele has a much more worried look than a typical five year old should have. 

She lives in an area of Ethiopia heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. Other common health problems include tuberculosis and parasitic diseases. 

The city where she lives is large, with over 130,000 residents. The community has many modern amenities such as running water, electricity, telephone services and health centers, but sorely lacks schools, employment centers, and educational opportunities.

At the kindergarten she attends, Yegele loves to play house, and other group games with her friends. Yegele lives with her mother and one sibling, but there was no mention of her father on the profile card. The cryptic notes say her mom is sometimes employed as a day laborer, and most likely earns around $20 per month. 

As I have prayed for Yegele this week, my thoughts kept drifting to her mom. What is her story? I wonder what hopes fill her mind in the middle of the night for Yegele and her other child. Did she do Yegele's hair and help her pick out that white outfit for the picture taken at the development center?

I want to support Yegele!

Great! Yegele's starter packet is currently displayed in the lobby of Fellowship Church in College Station. If you live here in town, just stop by during office hours to pick it up. Please mail in the sponsorship information by September 30. 

If you live out of town, no worries! Just email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com to send me your mailing address, and I will be happy to mail your packet to you. 

I can't sponsor right now, but how can I help?

Pray for Yegele. This moment, if you can. Pray that God will give her a sponsor soon. Pray for her health, Pray that she will be protected from abuse and disease. Pray for her family, her education, and her development. Most of all, pray that she will know God's love and give her life to him as her savior, letting him transform her from the inside out. 

Share this post! You never know whether your random Facebook friend is the one who is meant to build a life-long relationship with Yegele through sponsorship. 

Be an advocate. Compassion International needs our voices to connect thousands of children just like Yegele with people who have the funds and willingness to be their sponsors. Click here for more information. 

Just joining the conversation? Welcome! Here are links to the previous posts:

Compassion part 1: When you can't feed 100 children
Compassion part 2: Meet the kids!
Compassion part 3: Egi

Compassion part 3: Egi

Yesterday we finally got to meet all three kids in the packet for the first time! More than eighty of you clicked to see little Egi, Yegele, and Gregori's faces. Whoo hoo! Every click or share filled my heart with hope that all of these precious little ones will have sponsors by next week on September 30.

If you're just jumping in today, welcome! This is day number three in a ten-day series showcasing the work of Compassion International for impoverished and at-risk children around the world. (To catch up on what you missed, click here for Day 1, and here for Day 2!)

Compassion International operates on the assumption that:

"In a world where more than a billion children live on less than $2 USD per day, child sponsorship is the most strategic way to end poverty."

Many of us ache with sorrow over the tragedies occurring around the world, but feel helpless to help from our living rooms. Or, we feel simply overwhelmed because the Great Need just feels too great.

Friend, you are small. That is truth. But when a small person offers their smallness to a Great God , that tiny offering can be used to change the world.

Today, and for the next two days, I want to open the profile packs a smidge further and really introduce you to each child so that you can make a more informed decision about whether one of them is waiting for you. 

Today, meet Egi. 

Egi Ricard Sarumaha turned seven on the seventh of June - his "golden birthday".

He lives in an island community called Sukarami where around 2,700 people live elbow-to-elbow in homes made of cement floors and tin roofs.

The area is known for torrential rains during the flood season. Can you imagine the deafening effect of a heavy rain on a tin roof?

Egi lives with his father, his mother, and one other sibling. His mom stays at home with the kids while his father tries to keep steady employment as a day laborer. However, he is not always successful, since Egi's profile says his father is "sometimes employed". Most day laborers earn an average of $53 per month in Sukaramai.

Children living in Sukaramai are at risk for diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and skin diseases.

Compassion International's work in Indonesia began in 1968. They partner with churches to help them provide Indonesian kids with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and reach their full potential.

Your sponsorship of $38 per month would allow the staff at Agape Denninger Student Center to give Egi Bible studies, medical checkups, nutritious food, sports, character building programs, reading and writing classes and special celebrations.

One other thing that surprised me--it said that the center staff would also offer meetings and seminars to Egi's parents!

This means that in a very practical way, your sponsorship of a single child may actually be part of God's plan for an entire family's transformation through the love of Christ.

How do I support Egi?

Egi's starter packet is currently displayed in the lobby of the Fellowship Church office in College Station. If you live here in town, drop by after your morning cup of coffee to pick it up. Everything you need to get started will be inside. 

What's that, you say? You live out of town? Just email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com to give me your mailing address, and I'll be more than happy to mail Egi's packet to you. 

I can't sponsor right now, but how can I help?

Pray for Egi. Like, right now, wherever you are. Pray that God will bring him a sponsor soon. Pray for his health. Pray for his education, his family, and his development. Most of all, pray that he will choose to follow Jesus and let God's love transform both him and his community. 

Share this post with anyone you think might want to be Egi's sponsor! You never know--that co-worker or relative may be the one who is meant to build a life-long relationship with Egi through sponsorship. 

Be an advocate. Compassion international needs our voices (and facebook pages and twitter accounts) to connect thousands of children just like Egi with people who have the funds and the willingness to be their sponsors. Click here for more information. 


 

Compassion part 2: meet the kids!

Welcome to day #2 in a ten-day series here on the blog! I've never done a series before, but I'm sure you'll agree--a single post just wouldn't do justice in this case.

The purpose of this blog sequence is to have a discussion about compassion in a hurting world, and to introduce all of you to three very special children. 

Each one of these kids has a story. Each of them hails from a different continent. Each one is waiting anxiously for someone to say "I choose you."

Yesterday, I kicked off the conversation by teasing you with little glimpses of the kids' profiles (so mean, I know!), and telling a little bit of what it has been like for my husband and I to sponsor kids through Compassion International. To catch up on what you missed, click here! 

I know you've all been dying to see the faces of the three kids in my packet, so without further ado, meet Egi, Yegele, and Gregori.

Egi - age 7

Isn't this the sweetest second-grader you ever saw? 

Egi lives in an island community in Indonesia where rice is the staple for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like most little boys around the world, his favorite game is soccer. His parents have signed him up for the Compassion program hoping that he will soon receive medical checkups, nutritious food, sports, and the reading and writing programs that the Agape Denninger Student Center provides. 

"There are no greater miracles than those when lives are transformed" - Unknown

Yegele - age 5

This little sweetheart is five, but she is so tiny that she could be mistaken for a four-year old. Yegele reminds me so much of the way Asnaku looked when I first sponsored her--they could almost be sisters! Both of them live in Ethiopia, a country where Compassion International has been working since 1993. 

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." - Jesus (Matthew 10:42)

Gregori - age 3 1/2

I made sure to mention the "1/2" when listing little Gregori's age, because he will turn 4 next month on October 27. Imagine how amazing it would be if Gregori could receive his very own sponsor by his birthday!

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

Thirty-eight dollars is a small thing for many of us. It is a blouse. A dinner out. A gym membership.

For thirty-eight dollars a month, children sponsored through Compassion are nurtured, given nutrition and medical attention, and hear about the love of Jesus. As they grow, they receive educational opportunities, love from the development center staff, and leadership training that will set them on a track to become mature, self-sufficient adults.

Thirty-eight dollars may seem like pocket change, or maybe it represents a true sacrifice. But to a single mom hoping for a better life for her son, it is a miracle. It is a way to break free from a cycle of malnutrition, illiteracy, and hopelessness.

Sponsorship involves money, but it is far more than just throwing cash at a faraway project. It is relationship. You will write letters to your child which, for many sponsored kids, are their most precious possessions. You will receive letters. You will watch them get taller and see their handwriting improve over the years. Many sponsors even get the chance to visit their sponsored kids!

One thing is certain--both you and the child you love in this way will never be the same.

Sounds great! How do I sponsor one of them?

For the next two weeks, you will not be able to find any of these children on Compassion's website. They were temporarily removed so that I could personally connect someone (maybe you?) with each child.

Starting today (Tuesday), the three starter packets will be displayed in the lobby of the Fellowship Church office in College Station. (Click here for directions.) You can either:

• Run to the church office in a mad dash to beat everyone else to pick up a packet (Actually, you can drive normally. Car wrecks = not good.), OR
• Email me at cherise.castille[at]gmail[dot]com. If you live out of town, just give me your address and I will be more than happy to pop your child's packet in the mail to you. 

One little thing: PLEASE let me know if you have chosen one of the kids, even if you pick up the packet from the office! Aside from reassuring me that the packet wasn't just misplaced, this will also give me the chance to encourage you and answer any questions you may have. 

I'm interested...what's next?

Over the next few days, I will share more of each child's profile and details about their family situations and the countries where they live. I hope to give you a better sense of who each kid is as an individual, and show you more of the amazing work that Compassion is doing in these three locations. 

If you'd like to check out what Compassion International is all about, visit their website here! 

Compassion part 1: When you can't feed 100 people

Sometimes the needs of our hurting world can feel like a crushing weight.

Barrel-bomb shrapnel is pulled from a newborn's face and Nigerian schoolgirls are pulled roughly from their dorms, still missing a year later.
Tsunamis sweep generations away, wildfires turn homes to ash in a dry land, and masked soldiers think nothing of beheading children while masked doctors do the same in sterile clinics.

Each tragedy pulses through our phones and computer screens with numbing regularity. It's tempting to shut our eyes, plug our ears, and roll over into a deep, comfortable coma.

Don't.

Do not buy into the slimy lie that because you cannot heal our world, you should ignore it.

You cannot stop all the wars or heal all the diseases, but you can make a difference.

I love this quote by Mother Teresa:

Picture from FMSC: http://preview.tinyurl.com/oocguxv

So, my question to you is this: If you could lift one child out of hopelessness, would you?

I'm asking because I just received a fat packet from Compassion International with the profiles of three children inside.

You guys, they are three of the most beautifully unique children I've ever seen.

Up on my fridge, between the wedding invitations and graduation announcements, are two brown faces that my husband and I love like family. 

One is a young man named Eric. Eric is from Mexico and he writes to us to tell us about his grades, his hopes for the future, and his love for futbol (soccer). In his last letter, he told us that he wants to follow God, but he is not sure that he can. His father refuses to take the family to church, and we pray his heart will soften.

The other is a dark-skinned beauty from Ethiopia with round eyes and angular shoulders. I became Asnaku's sponsor when she was six, and she is now thirteen. She loves the color red, and she worries about her schoolwork. She wants to do well and get a good job someday, and she asks when will we visit? Her letters are always decorated with artwork.

The high level of care for the children, the financial integrity, and the quality of communications provided by Compassion International has been impressive.

But far beyond the medical, educational, and social benefits given to each child in the program, the personal connection we've been able to have with both Eric and Asnaku has been something truly special.

So here's the plan: for ten days my blog posts will focus on the children in this packet and on the work of Compassion International. 

I have two goals:

1. To find loving sponsors for Egi, Yegele, and little Gregori by the end of September, 
2. To have a conversation about compassion, need, and God's ancient and unchanging pursuit of poor and broken people. 

I hope you'll join me, get to know the kids, and show them to your friends! Because while we can't do everything, we can do something.

So I tried Stitch Fix

Ok, this post is kind of weird for me. I usually don't write reviews, because this space has traditionally been a place for creative expression, sharing my heart, and keeping family up to date. But I just tried something fun for my birthday, and I wanted to share.

First, some background.

So, I hear these stories about girls who LOVE shopping. They go when they're stressed, and it's like therapy. They thrive on the thrill of the treasure hunt, walking around and trying things on until the store closes.

I'm not one of those girls.

It's not that I don't love wearing pretty things, but the process to obtain them is often stressful.

See, I walk in all confident, but once inside, I'm assaulted by choices. It's dizzying after about five minutes. I'm acutely aware of how little cash I have to spend, and I suddenly can't remember whether I already have blue pants and need black ones, or if the jacket I'm holding will clash with the blouse in my closet. Standing in that green-tinged dressing room, I wonder why on earth I decided to wear tennis shoes that have to be untied and tied again, and how am I supposed to tell myself whether stripes are really flattering on me or not? I usually end up leaving without buying anything.

It's better when I shop with a friend--or better yet, with my mom. She's known me for all of my 20-plus years, so she gets me. And she's refreshingly, brutally honest.

However...my best shopping mate lives almost 200 miles away, so I don't shop much.

And so I decided to try Stitch Fix. I have to admit, the idea of someone taking notes on all my preferences and finding stuff for me to wear without me searching for any of it was pretty dang attractive. And since I bet I'm not the only one getting those mint-colored ads in my junk email, I thought I'd tell you all how it went.

You start by filling out a quiz--a really detailed quiz about your sizes, your color preferences, and details like whether you like to show off your arms occasionally, often, or all the time. This part was SO fun for me. You get to rate outfits, and tell them how much you're willing to spend on tops, bottoms and accessories. Then, you give them a link to your Pinterest page, and write a note to the stylist.

You schedule your box, pay a $20 styling fee, and wait! 

I scheduled mine to arrive on my birthday last week. :)

The box arrived a day early, and was so cute...

And even cuter inside!

Every box has five items. Mine had:

1. A soft, dark gray dress
2. A white peplum blouse
3. A lace-trimmed sleeveless blouse with a bohemian vibe
4. Pretty silver earrings
5. A navy and orange poncho wrap

Nestled up against the packages was a note from my stylist about the things she'd selected. There were even pictures showing different outfit combinations using those same items.

Hubby was my very willing second opinion while I tried on each one in the bathroom. (Thanks, babe!)

1. The gray dress fit me perfectly, and I loved the soft stretch of the material. It had a high neckline (rare!), and a pretty "v" in the back whose point dipped to about an inch above my bra line. Subtle, but elegant.  
   
   
   
   
   I *almost* kept it because it felt so flattering...but it felt too form-fitting for work. In the end, I couldn't justify spending $79 for a dress I didn't plan to wear regularly.
2. The wrap looked cool in the box, but on me it looked like I'd been turned into a clothes tree for some orange and navy soccer team jerseys. I guess ponchos are just not my thing, because I even forgot to take a picture.
3. The boho blouse was so airy and delicate. I slipped it on with high hopes, but then realized that the lacy t-back would never look flattering against exposed bra straps. Plus, I'd forgotten that this style of shirt is narrow on top and wide on the bottom--great for someone with opposite proportions to mine. 
   
4. The earrings were beautiful!
   
   
   
   
   I loved them for about five minutes...right up until the moment that I realized they would cost $28. What?? I know for a fact that I can find a similar style of earrings for less than half that cost, so into the return bag they went.
5. The white blouse was the one true, amazing find that I kept and love. I mean, just look at the layered edge on those sleeves!
   
   Also the tailored, curved hemline meant that I could wear it just as prettily untucked as tucked. I kept remembering different pants, shorts, and skirts that would look great with it in different combinations. (AKA my wardrobe is expanded!!) At $58, it is by far the most expensive top I've ever bought in my life, but the $20 styling fee I'd already paid went toward its cost. Since I've been searching for a versatile, work-worthy white blouse for over a year, I happily paid the extra $38 with birthday money. 

At checkout, you go online and tell them which items you plan to keep, and why. I gave a lot of details about what I loved and didn't love, because this will help my stylist choose better things next time.

Whatever you don't want to pay for goes in a bag with pre-paid postage.

So here is my take on the whole experience.

CONS:

• I can definitely find better deals when I'm willing to spend a few hours at places like Ross, Target, or TJ Maxx. The prices in the Stitch Fix box are similar to full-priced items at a department store, which is not what I'm used to spending on clothes. 
• When it comes it a box, you only have one size to try. At the store, if you don't like how something fits, you can usually find the same item in a different size.

PROS:

• I have to say, for never having met me, they did a GREAT job of picking stuff that I would have gravitated toward naturally. The colors were great, and the styles were all very pretty. 
• Even more shocking...all of it FIT! I mean, that never happens in real-life dressing rooms. 
• I liked the chance to try things I would not normally buy (like the poncho). Even if I didn't end up keeping it, now I know. 
• I loved "shopping" without having to actually wade through a gajillion choices. It was delivered to my door, and I never left the house. 

There you have it! While it's not going to be my primary mode of shopping in the future, I have already scheduled my next box to arrive in about three months. Have any of you tried a personal shopping service? What did you think of it?