I made an effort in the month of January to find sponsors for Compassion International kids. I didn't exactly set the world on fire with my results. But I did get three children sponsored. So THANK YOU to those three families who responded!
I'm particularly excited because I know these are dedicated people who will write to their children. And I know they are families who will be with their kids for the long-haul.
May all of you be blessed through new and exciting sponsor relationships!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Book review -- Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl"
I'm doing book reviews for Thomas Nelson Publishers, so don't be surprised to see reviews pop up from time to time. Here's the first book I'm reviewing!
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/custom/top20/My_Little_Girl_Tim_McGraw_Tom_Douglas.asp
This children's book was written by country music star Tim McGraw and songwriter Tom Douglas, with a foreward by McGraw's wife Faith Hill. It's about a dad who spends the day with his daughter doing simple activities -- finding shapes in clouds, swinging on a tire swing, etc. They are activities that become special because they do them together. The book focuses on the love between a father and his daughter. It clearly sends a message that the time we spend with family is important and even the simplest of activities can become cherished memories.
What I loved:
1) The book shows a father doing everyday things with his child. The message -- you don't have to spend huge amounts of money to show your love. Giving children materials things isn't nearly important as giving them your time and showing them the beauty of the world around them.
2) Even though this book is about fathers and daughters, they didn't forget Mommy. At the end of the book, the father and daughter thank God and say a prayer for Mommy. Again, it just reinforces the love of a family. In a family, everyone is important and cherished.
3) The final page is a blank page for a father and daughter to write about their own special times together. What a neat activity for a father and daughter to do together!
4) And finally, I love the illustrations. They are very sweet and feminine. And, OK, the little girl in the book looks just like my daughter! That was a bonus. :)
What could be improved:
You can tell that the authors are songwriters. The manuscript reads more like song lyrics at times, and that can feel a bit choppy in places. Perhaps there could have been better transitions between some pages. Of course, this seemed to make no difference to my 4-year old -- she understood the story and enjoyed it. But it was something an adult would notice.
My husband and I love books that reinforce just how special children are. This one certainly does. I can always tell a book has hit a home run when my husband and I tear up reading it. Our love for our daughter brings out our emotions and we were both very emotional reading this book with our child.
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/custom/top20/My_Little_Girl_Tim_McGraw_Tom_Douglas.asp
This children's book was written by country music star Tim McGraw and songwriter Tom Douglas, with a foreward by McGraw's wife Faith Hill. It's about a dad who spends the day with his daughter doing simple activities -- finding shapes in clouds, swinging on a tire swing, etc. They are activities that become special because they do them together. The book focuses on the love between a father and his daughter. It clearly sends a message that the time we spend with family is important and even the simplest of activities can become cherished memories.
What I loved:
1) The book shows a father doing everyday things with his child. The message -- you don't have to spend huge amounts of money to show your love. Giving children materials things isn't nearly important as giving them your time and showing them the beauty of the world around them.
2) Even though this book is about fathers and daughters, they didn't forget Mommy. At the end of the book, the father and daughter thank God and say a prayer for Mommy. Again, it just reinforces the love of a family. In a family, everyone is important and cherished.
3) The final page is a blank page for a father and daughter to write about their own special times together. What a neat activity for a father and daughter to do together!
4) And finally, I love the illustrations. They are very sweet and feminine. And, OK, the little girl in the book looks just like my daughter! That was a bonus. :)
What could be improved:
You can tell that the authors are songwriters. The manuscript reads more like song lyrics at times, and that can feel a bit choppy in places. Perhaps there could have been better transitions between some pages. Of course, this seemed to make no difference to my 4-year old -- she understood the story and enjoyed it. But it was something an adult would notice.
My husband and I love books that reinforce just how special children are. This one certainly does. I can always tell a book has hit a home run when my husband and I tear up reading it. Our love for our daughter brings out our emotions and we were both very emotional reading this book with our child.
Friday, November 21, 2008
I found a neat fiction book about child sponsorship ...
Before I do my blog for the week -- Juli Jarvis over at the fantastic "Sheep Droppings" shared this. I thought I'd bring it out of the comments section and into a post:
Check out this video -- it'll make your day!http://compassionjuli.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/video-of-a-child-getting-sponsored-woohoo/
________________
Once a week I take my preschooler over to the library. While I hang out in the children's section with her, I browse the shelves and re-read some of my old favorite books, (Nancy Drew and the Boxcar Children, anyone?) I also check out what's new in children's literature.
I came across a book the other day, written for grade-schoolers, called "The Exiles at Home." It is about a family of four sisters. During a school break one of the girls uses her Christmas money to sponsor a boy in Africa. She commits to sending 10 pounds a month and writing letters. The dilemma is the girl didn't tell her parents she did this, and now she and the sisters have to figure out how to come up with the sponsorship money, on their own, each month. Much of the plot centers around the odd jobs the girls take on and the scrapes they get into trying to accomplish this.
The book not only writes about the sponsorship experience from the girls' perspective -- the author includes sections written from the boy's point of view. What it was like for him to learn he had a new sponsor, what it meant for him to receive letters, his hopes and dreams about meeting his new sponsors.
This book has a VERY cool plot twist and a really neat ending.
It's such a great book for parents who want to introduce the idea of child sponsorship to their kids.
Now I have to add a disclaimer -- the girls in the book are not "perfect children." Clearly there is some deceitfulness -- sponsoring a child without their parents' permission for example! -- and some other mildly naughty things they do in the book. So there is definitely some opportunity for discussion here about what the girls could have done differently to make this experience a smoother one.
But if that doesn't turn you off, I would definitely recommend this book for the 9-12 year olds in your family. Yay, I love books!
Check out this video -- it'll make your day!http://compassionjuli.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/video-of-a-child-getting-sponsored-woohoo/
________________
Once a week I take my preschooler over to the library. While I hang out in the children's section with her, I browse the shelves and re-read some of my old favorite books, (Nancy Drew and the Boxcar Children, anyone?) I also check out what's new in children's literature.
I came across a book the other day, written for grade-schoolers, called "The Exiles at Home." It is about a family of four sisters. During a school break one of the girls uses her Christmas money to sponsor a boy in Africa. She commits to sending 10 pounds a month and writing letters. The dilemma is the girl didn't tell her parents she did this, and now she and the sisters have to figure out how to come up with the sponsorship money, on their own, each month. Much of the plot centers around the odd jobs the girls take on and the scrapes they get into trying to accomplish this.
The book not only writes about the sponsorship experience from the girls' perspective -- the author includes sections written from the boy's point of view. What it was like for him to learn he had a new sponsor, what it meant for him to receive letters, his hopes and dreams about meeting his new sponsors.
This book has a VERY cool plot twist and a really neat ending.
It's such a great book for parents who want to introduce the idea of child sponsorship to their kids.
Now I have to add a disclaimer -- the girls in the book are not "perfect children." Clearly there is some deceitfulness -- sponsoring a child without their parents' permission for example! -- and some other mildly naughty things they do in the book. So there is definitely some opportunity for discussion here about what the girls could have done differently to make this experience a smoother one.
But if that doesn't turn you off, I would definitely recommend this book for the 9-12 year olds in your family. Yay, I love books!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Meet Tesfaye!
I finally got a photo of Tesfaye uploaded! Tesfaye is the other young man we sponsor in Ethiopia, through Compassion International. Isn't he cool!!?? We LOVE sponsoring an older child because, through him, we get so much information about the country and what life is really like in Ethiopia. It's more of an adult perspective. I highly recommend sponsoring one older child and one younger child. There are such advantages to having kids from both ends of the age spectrum. So if you're going to sponsor, go ahead and sponsor two at once! :)
Tesfaye is 18 years old and lives in a medium-sized city with his mother and siblings. His mother sells onions in the market. According to Tesfaye, his father died when he was little. Tesfaye is in school and there was a note in his paperwork saying that he is approved to be in the program until 2011, so I believe that is when he graduates. His interests revolve around nature and natural wonders. He would particularly like to see an iceberg. (Me, too!)
There are so many things I have yet to ask Tesfaye. I'm especially curious to know what his plans are for after school. We are only about a year into our sponsorship, so we are just starting to really build that relationship and flow of letters.
By the way, we sponsor Tesfaye through Compassion's correspondence program. Here's how that works:
Some Compassion kids are sponsored by corporations or through trusts and there isn't anyone to actually write. So these kids are available for you to do the correspondence part. The corporation pays the monthly fee and you write letters and send birthday, Christmas and family gifts. You basically ARE the child's sponsor -- and the child will know you as his or her sponsor.
If the corporation decides to stop funding the child, you are given the opportunity to take on the full sponsorship. At that point you would begin paying the monthly fee in addition to corresponding.
If you are interested in corresponding with a child through this program, call Compassion International -- 800-336-7676. I made the call and within about 2-3 months we received the child packet. We're so glad we did. WE LOVE TESFAYE! :)
Drum Roll Please
I would like to introduce my sponsored child and his brother -- the coolest kids in all of Ethiopia -- Israel and Ebenezer:
Israel and Ebenezer live in a medium-sized town. Their mother passed away and they do not live with their father. Israel attends school and is in the 2nd grade. He wants to be an artist. He is learning English. He has a lot of friends and a beautiful smile -- although I don't get to see it too often -- he's a pretty serious kid. He's a natty dresser -- I love his little suits. And he always puts together the best packages for us -- a great letter, the coolest pictures, and a demonstration of his latest English achievements.
So how did I pick Israel out of the hundreds of kids on the website? I went into the process with no preconceived notion of what country or even what gender I wanted. I simply browsed, and when I saw Israel's picture I just knew. As I clicked on his photo, the only way I can describe it is that I felt the hand of God at work. It was as though He were saying, "You're going to change this child's life today."
In short, God smiled on me that day. This area of my life has borne so much fruit -- I am so thankful for being called to child sponsorship and for being able to serve in this way. I've read stories from other sponsors about how they've chosen their kids. It's amazing how many are similar to mine. You often hear, "Something just moved me when I saw this child's picture." I believe that the "something" is the hand of God that never fails us.
As I always do at the end of my posts, I encourage my readers to check out the Compassion website -- http://www.compassion.com/. Perhaps child sponsorship isn't in God's plan for your life -- but if it is, I am confident that when you see your child, "something" will let you know. :)
Israel and Ebenezer live in a medium-sized town. Their mother passed away and they do not live with their father. Israel attends school and is in the 2nd grade. He wants to be an artist. He is learning English. He has a lot of friends and a beautiful smile -- although I don't get to see it too often -- he's a pretty serious kid. He's a natty dresser -- I love his little suits. And he always puts together the best packages for us -- a great letter, the coolest pictures, and a demonstration of his latest English achievements.
So how did I pick Israel out of the hundreds of kids on the website? I went into the process with no preconceived notion of what country or even what gender I wanted. I simply browsed, and when I saw Israel's picture I just knew. As I clicked on his photo, the only way I can describe it is that I felt the hand of God at work. It was as though He were saying, "You're going to change this child's life today."
In short, God smiled on me that day. This area of my life has borne so much fruit -- I am so thankful for being called to child sponsorship and for being able to serve in this way. I've read stories from other sponsors about how they've chosen their kids. It's amazing how many are similar to mine. You often hear, "Something just moved me when I saw this child's picture." I believe that the "something" is the hand of God that never fails us.
As I always do at the end of my posts, I encourage my readers to check out the Compassion website -- http://www.compassion.com/. Perhaps child sponsorship isn't in God's plan for your life -- but if it is, I am confident that when you see your child, "something" will let you know. :)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
If you like quizzes
I did a "Where Should I Sponsor a Child?" quiz over at HelloQuizzy. Here's the link. Try it out!
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-where-should-i-sponsor-a-child-test-1
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-where-should-i-sponsor-a-child-test-1
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My American Family
You've seen a photo of our Ethiopian family. Here are a couple of my American family. My husband and I, and our daughter. (Her name is Ava -- but she tells everyone her name is "Honey.")
They're in Pennsylvania at the moment, which gives Mama some time to blog!
They're in Pennsylvania at the moment, which gives Mama some time to blog!
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