“Jesus loved the secret places, getting out of the crowd, walking away to stop and enjoy the beauty of the creation, living each detail to its fullest knowing that our journey in this world can be short . . .” Word Count: 37 ~Jonathan Altmonte Graduate of Compassion’s Leadership Development Program (Jonathan was host […]
One Word Less For Lent 2015 – 38
One papered me with stickers The other readjusted, removed, stuck herself. They squabbled. We were baffled. Time for timeout? Yuleisy got to the bottom of it She’s fighting for you, she said, because her friend has offended you. In the stillness, Sandy Note: These sweet girls are part of Compassion’s Child Survival Program in the […]
One Word Less for Lent 2015 – 39
They spread a table with handcrafted hospitality. Take one, they say, and when enough is certain, take another. We, proud, hesitate to accept a free gift. But in the end it’s not about the gift it’s about the love. Word Count: 39 Love has endless ways of being expressed ~ Holley Gerth Note: I took a whole suitcase […]
A Pebble in a Pond
I have a confession to make. I’m jealous of the Compassion bloggers who are in the Dominican Republic this week. I’ve been home from there a month now, having gone as one of the first bloggers on a sponsor tour. And I miss it! I miss the country. I miss the children. I miss […]
When You Can’t Say Goodbye
Dear Nduta, You know that letter I wrote? You won’t get it. Nor will you get your birthday card because I mailed it too late. I got the news this week that you’ve moved away from the area where Compassion works. It was such a shock, and I can’t tell you how sad we are […]
Please Forgive Me
Dearest Nduta, Have you ever heard of the Dominican Republic? It’s a country that shares an island with the country of Haiti just south of the United States in the Caribbean Sea. Compassion invited me to go there last week on one of their trips and write some stories about what I saw. I […]
Why We Can’t Stay in Our Corner of the Forest
The night before I left my comfortable corner, I ran to Family Dollar. In less than half an hour I’d tossed $100 worth of gifts in my cart, enough to fill a large suitcase that I could carry to the poor children and their families in the Dominican Republic. But what I’ve learned yet again is that in […]
How to Spoon Hope
She greets us at the door with shy hugs. The kids leave and return with plastic lawn chairs to supplement the tattered gold sofa. She wants us to sit. There are no windows, so we strain to see, strain to hear her heart through the rhythm of the rain as it pulses on the corrugated tin roof, crescendos and […]
Compassion, Shaun Groves, and the Dominican Republic
As I wrote yesterday, I’ve been trying to learn a little about the Dominican Republic before leaving… tomorrow. Yikes. In my searching, I stumbled on these Compassion International videos with Shaun Groves. They’re six years old now, but I’m guessing not much has changed–except the children, one child at a time. You don’t have […]
To Know Their Names
I’ve been working out of my quart-size baggie since getting back from Haiti last month so I didn’t have to rethink and repack it. Today I’ll add a little more moisturizer and a little more foundation to the mini travel containers and set out my malaria med to start tomorrow. Friday I’ll say goodbye […]
