Sharing Her Heart

   Yesterday, I received a courtesy call. This was not a typical call that you expect to get when you see a long distance number on your call display. Instead, it was a very pleasant call from Compassion Canada. They called just to see how things were going. The man on the phone told me that when someone starts a new sponsorship, they call at around the 6-month mark just to see how things are going. This caught me totally off guard. I did not expect this. I know that Compassion is an organization that is about building relationships, but I just ‘assumed’ the relationships were only with the children. I was wrong. Again. So, he asked me just a couple of easy questions and then the last one he asked me was “why did you choose to sponsor through Compassion?” Well, let me tell you. Compassion does it all through the name of Jesus Christ . That was the main reason.  But, as I think more on this topic, there is a lot more I can say on this.  Compassion is committed ...

Have you ever wondered about the history of Compassion International? I know I have. Today, as I was catching up on some blog posts that I’ve missed lately, I came across this video.  I thought it would be good to share with you. Whether you sponsor with Compassion or not, it doesn’t matter. I recommend that you take the 3 minutes and watch this video.   Watch Pastor Everett Swanson in Family | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com It’s beautiful to see how despair can turn into hope, just with one man’s dream and the power of God. Will you sponsor a child? If you decide to sponsor a child, feel free to share it with me. I would love to share in your joy!

  My mailbox sure has been exciting lately. I have been receiving mail from Compassion Canada on a regular basis. So, yesterday when I checked the mail, I was excited to receive an updated picture of Nsengimana.      He looks so grown up, doesn’t he? He is now in grade 10 and his favourite activities are running, soccer and volleyball. He also attends youth group and camp regularly. He lives with his mother, where his duties include carrying water, washing clothes and cleaning. Did You Know? - Letters to your sponsored child have an incredible impact on his/her life - Notes of encouragement are often a sponsored child’s most cherished possessions Have you written lately? *Andrea*

   On Tuesday a friend of mine came over for coffee. Somehow we got to talking about my sponsor boys (she probably saw the pictures on my fridge) and what kinds of things I send them and also what I write about. She is so confused because everyone she has talked to has told her what not to write about and what not to send. So, we got to talking and I shared with her what she can and should write about. Some of the things that I shared with her are: - Send a picture of her son in his football uniform and talk about our version of football and why he likes to play. - Tell about something silly that her twin girls did that day and send a picture. - Send lots of pictures, especially family ones. - I told her to keep it simple, that he just wants to know more about them and their family. I told her she can send all kinds of thin paper items (you will find more ideas on my page “letters to my boys”) to her sponsor child and anything that’s not in Compassion guidelines, the...

  Wow! July has barely begun and I have had a lot to share about my ‘boys’ already. On July 8th Niyomugabo had his 19th birthday.            Happy Birthday, Niyomugabo. I hope that you have a wonderful day. I hope that today is a very special day for you and that God will continue to bless you and your family abundantly. You are very special to us and we love you very much! Love: your family in Manitoba. Have your sponsor kids had any birthdays lately? I would love to hear about them. *Andrea*

   Last night when I went to check my mail, there was nothing in it except these two envelopes: So you can only imagine how excited I was! It was even more exciting for me to open them up and see that they were both from Nsengimama! I have not heard from him yet so I was very excited! The first letter was just introducing us to him. This is what he said: “Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky, Nsengimana Claude greets you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. He is very glad to thank you very much for being his sponsor and may God bless you. Your child (meaning him) is now in senior 4 and studies are going well so he asks you to often pray for him to be clever and he wishes to proceed his studies at university after high school. Now in Rwanda it’s raining, what about over there? Your child requests you to send him your photo because he is eager to see you, may God continue to be with you.”  In the second letter he said: Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky,  I fi...

Well, It’s writing day again! I really love writing to ‘my boys’ and I have so much to say this time. I could probably write my next 3 letters to them with the thoughts that I have floating around my brain. I’m so thankful that the Canada post mail strike didn’t last too long. I don’t want ‘my boys’ to wonder why they have had to wait longer than usual to receive a letter from us. I did email some, but I prefer to hand write my letters. My hand writing could be neater, so it’s good practice for me when I hand write the letters and not just type them. I can’t wait to tell them about the fair that we went to, Canada day, and the fair that we are going to this weekend. Summer time is so busy that it’s so easy to come up with writing ideas. I have also been taking lots of pictures. Now, I just need to develop them so that I can send some with my letters. If it’s time to send a letter again for you and you don’t know what to write, go through your pictures, choose some favourites and wri...

Today, my little Alejandro turns 4!!            Happy Birthday Alejandro! I hope you have a wonderful day! I want you to know that I’m thinking of you a lot today and I’m praying for you as well. I hope that you enjoy your day and remember that God created today just for you. I hope your day is extra special! We love you! Love: your family in Manitoba

   Can you imagine this is the water that you drink every day?                            This is reality for millions of children around the world. I’m not telling you this to guilt you into something. I’m not good at that, nor do I like to be treated that way. So, I won’t do it to you. I will, however, share something that I recently heard with you, so that we are better educated about the conditions of the world and how we can help. Compassion International started a program called “Water For Life” http://www.compassion.com/water-filters.htm which provides water filters to a child and their family for only $55 (U.S. funds) . It’s a one time donation that will change lives. This water filtration system cleans over 1 MILLION gallons of water.                 ...

   I’m sure most of you who read my blog often know how I feel about Compassion international. So this week while the group is out in the Philippines, I have been following their blogs. I really enjoy reading them and learning about how people live out there. I love reading about how Compassion is working there and what they are doing to change lives. I love reading about the hope that sponsored children have. They are taught about Christ and the hope that he provides so graciously to us all. I love reading about how there is no self-pity out there. I just love reading about the experiences and the stories that they share. I’m so happy that we sponsor through Compassion and I’m encouraged to do more. But then I read the sad stories. Not the ones about their living conditions (though they are sad), but the stories about the ‘sponsored’ children who have not received a letter from their sponsor, either in a long time or in some cases … Never .     ...

    Wow, where do I begin? I have just spent some time reading different blog posts from the Compassion bloggers who are currently in the Philippines. I have been touched and challenged in so many ways. I read about a girl named Denise and her family in a post found here: http://simplemom.net/the-opulent-ability-to-give/#more-13598 and I read about how Compassion uses the money from sponsors and how they keep track of EVERY penny here: http://shaungroves.com/2011/05/a-magic-trick-for-kristen/ and I also read about the child survival program and how it helps mothers and their babies start a new life here: http://jonesbones5.com/2011/05/31/the-prayer-of-a-mother/ I just love learning more about compassion and what they are doing in the world. I’m so glad that I am able to be a part of it, even if my part is small. If you have ever thought about sponsoring a child, but it all sounded a bit sceptical check out these 2 posts by Shaun Groves http://shaungroves.com/2011/05/a-...

    After a lot of waiting and God given patience, it finally arrived!!! My very first letter from one of my boys!!! You cannot imagine (OK, so you probably can) the excitement and joy I felt when I opened my mail box yesterday and saw this: Oh I was so excited! I could hardly wait to get home so I could find out who it was from and read what he had to say. I was so convinced that it was from Alejandro because we sponsored him first, but much to my surprise, it was from Niyomugabo.  This is what he said: "Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky, Niyomugabo Gakwavu greets you in Jesus name. Gakwavu and his family are fine and sending their greetings. They are all happy for you agreed to sponsor him (I'm doing everything but the financial part, so I guess this is right), that they will be praying for you, and may God bless you abundantly. Gakwavu enjoys to play football (I think that means soccer) and he is studying very well. He is asking "What do you lik...

   I've had a lot of things going on in my head lately. Sometimes it's so 'LOUD' in there that it's hard to stay focused (is that a problem for you too?). One big thought lately has been, why do we sponsor children? I mean what is your reason? Mine is to make a difference in someones life, and that is one way that I can. I used to think that we couldn't afford to, but yet once we worked out our finances, we were able to tithe to the church. So then I got to thinking, we give to God every payday but do we have to give all the money to church? If we sponsor a child, we are still giving to God but just in a different way. So that was the thought that started our decision to sponsor. I started to read different blog posts written by Compassion Advocates and learnt a lot about how very important it is to write to your child/ren. It was through reading these posts that I decided to become a compassion correspondent and write to more children. Ima...

  OK, so It's been almost three months since we started sponsoring little Alejandro. I'm eagerly (if not impatiently) awaiting his first letter to me. I check my mail almost every day in hopes that I will find that special envelope that will make this all more real for me. I see his picture on my fridge countless times every day and I just feel so much love for him, my 'son' in Honduras. I really hope that one day I'll be able to see him face to face and tell him just how much I love him. What a wonderful day that will be!    I often wonder what life is like for him and I can't wait for that first letter to give me a small glimpse. I wonder if he lives in the "really bad" part of town, over run by gangs, or the parts that aren't as bad. What kinds of things does he play with? What kind of imagination does he have? My thoughts are endless. When I look at his picture, I'm often overcome with the feeling to just pull him into my arms...

   Is it Monday already? Wow the weekend went by fast. I was sick with a head cold all weekend (and still am) so we didn't do much. I did, however, get my package sent out to my sponsor boys. I'm trying to send something every 2 weeks. I didn't write a very long letter this time, but I want to remind them that they are special.     People living in poverty often believe the lies that "your not worth it" or "nobody loves you", so us as sponsors need to keep writing so they believe that they are worth something. It's often through those letters from us that their self confidence is built up and they know that they are special. I'm not saying that you should write as often as I. I have a bit more time with being a stay at home mom than a lot of people. But I really believe that you should try to send something once a month or once every two months. It can just be a short note with a bible verse and you telling them you love them and are praying for...

     What a great weekend it's been so far! On Friday evening I went to check my mail and was very excited at what I received! I received the child packets from my two correspondent sponsor boys! Oh how great! Now I can put two lovely new faces on my fridge to remind me about the world that we live in.  Let me introduce you...         Nsengimana   He's from Rwanda, and he's 18 years old. He only lives with his mother because his father is in prison. Oh my heart breaks when I read that. Where he lives, most adults don't work but those that do earn the average of $27.00 A MONTH! I can't get over that, that's nothing in our society. The real blessing is that his sponsorship covers Bible teaching, medical exams, nutritious food, hygiene instruction, recreational activities, opportunities for community service, school fees, scholastic materials, tutoring and domestic supplies. Also, his mother receives...

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great weekend! So, yesterday I went to the mail ( like I have been almost every day) with very high hopes to see if the picture of my sponsor child came. I am very happy to say that yes it finally did!! I was so excited that I stayed parked right in front of the mailbox and checked out the contents. So, here I am with my truck parked right in front of the mailbox reading my mail. I mean, who does that? Apparently me. Especially when you get what you have been waiting for. Of course, as soon as I told my daughter that I had the picture, she wanted to see too. It was a very exciting trip to the mail to say the least! So now, I'm finally able to introduce all of you to our newest addition! Meet  Alejandro He's from Honduras, and he's three years old. Isn't he adorable? Alejandro lives in a very poor community. The average MONTHLY wage is $82.00. Can you imagine? That doesn't even cover our phone bills! Never mind everythin...

I know, I know, your probably thinking that my math is terrible! Your probably right, however, 1 actually became 3! I'll tell you how. You see I have been thinking alot lately about becoming a Compassion correspondent. A correspondent is someone who takes over the part of writing to a child that is already being sponsored. The sponsor still takes care of the financial needs but someone else writes to their child. It's a great way for those of us who can only afford to financially sponsor one or two children to build relationships with more children and make a difference in their lives. It is such a pleasure to be able to write to children far away and tell them all about life in Canada and encourage them in their walk with God.     So, back to my bad math skills. I wrote an email to compassion Canada last week asking if they had any children who needed correspondents. I was so hoping for a yes but was disappointed a little to hear that they had a...

Well, I've just started my blog and seeing as how I'm new at this it might take me a few tries before I get the hang of it.    At the end of January my husband and & I decided it was time to add another member to our family.No we were not thinking of having another baby as we already have 2 kids and a dog I have enough to keep me busy. We decided to sponsor a child. This decision involved alot of research into different organizations until we finally settled on Compassion. The reason we picked Compassion was because it takes care of all the other needs of the child but the most important one is that they focus on the teaching of Christ.They work within the local christian church and all the children that are in the Compassion program go to sunday school and are taught about Jesus. This was the most important thing to us.       So, now that we have the organization how do you choose which child? They all need help. I'm a terrible decision maker as...