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Lessons Learned From My Friends In Tanzania

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:18:00 -0500

I went to Tanzania last week to help others, but really I think they helped me the most. Here’s what I mean…

Thursday night after dinner Shaun asked us what we thought would be the hardest part about going back home.

My answer?

“I don’t know how to go home after spending the last week here — I didn’t want to come here in the first place.” It was supposed to be funny — so I’m glad the group laughed at me, because I was sobbing at that point and really needed a bit of relief. {I cried so many times last week, really it was no surprise that I cried once again on Thursday.} We left on Friday, May 4th, and the entire week leading up was hugely emotional for me. I knew I needed go on the trip but I didn’t *want* to. Every feeling from this past week has been shot straight into my heart.

Read the rest of this post at Gussy Sews…

Rescued

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:17:00 -0500

Author: The Nester

Mothers everywhere love their babies and want them to grow up and to succeed in life. Partner with a mother (or if the child is an orphan, partner with their guardian) and help ensure that their child is cared for, fed, schooled, immunized, in community with other children, surrounded by mentors, clothed and given the chance to learn about God’s Word. Is there any better gift?

Read the rest of this post at The Nesting Place…

The Ugly Beaver

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:16:00 -0500

Author: Kelli Stuart

Yesterday I stood inside a beautiful building with a thousand other believers. Lights flashing, hands raised, sounds blaring, we joined together in praise of the One who created us all. The one who still works miracles. The One who has not forgotten, has not let go, has not surrendered His creation.

But worship was different for me. As we entered the sanctuary with it’s four solid walls, high, vaulted ceiling and cushioned, comfortable seats, I told Lee that I feel different. Not different in a “I want to sell all we have and live in a hut eating bananas and tangerines” sort of different, though. It’s more of a, “I’ve seen God’s power and ability to move in and through His people and I don’t ever want to lose this feeling of awe and gratitude for who He is” sort of feeling.

Read the rest of this post at Minivans Are Hot…

Decorating Truths from A 15-Year-Old Tanzanian Boy

Sat, 12 May 2012 16:45:00 -0500

Author: The Nester

Warning:: Moms of boys may experience uncomfortable, unexplainable side effects while reading this post. Side effects are treatable with a prompt visit here to sponsor a teenage boy. In order to alleviate the discomfort, take one or two of those and email me in the morning–for real, you should email me after you do this.

Vast green grasslands with big huge-attention stealing, Mt. Kilimanjaro quietly watching over the entire last 45 minutes of driving. Mt. Kilimanjaro is an introvert but one you can’t help but notice. It was breathtaking. And on the way, our guide, Mary tells us that many of the children at this Compassion location are Maasai. Wait, what? Maasai? I know that word! The ONE thing I actually kind of heard of about Tanzania? I have to put on my sunglasses on the bus and make Maggie tell me funny stories because how do I explain that I’m already tearing up that Topo might be Maasai?

Read the rest of this post at The Nesting Place…

On Zebras, Donkeys and Speaking Swahili

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:46:00 -0500

Author: Kelli Stuart

I tried to think of a brilliant way to start this post today. I desperately wanted to channel my inner Ann Voskamp and write something eloquently beautiful and poetic about all that I saw today but, honestly, all I’ve been able to come up with is…

HOT DOG, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFRICAN PLAINS TODAY AND IT WAS FLIPPING AWESOME!

This is a beautiful country. In every sense of the word, Tanzania encompasses the majesty and beauty of Creation. Mt. Kilimanjaro opens up to rolling hills and wide, open valleys surround plains rich and green. Cattle lumber slowly up the hillside, their shepherds walking beside. It was all so peaceful, driving through that wide open countryside.

Read the rest of this post at Minivans Are Hot…

Reflections: Compassion Blogging Trip

Sat, 12 May 2012 12:46:00 -0500

Author: Amy Lupold Bair

Every night of this trip, all of the Compassion bloggers have come together to share stories, snacks, laughter, tears, check facts and spellings (Kiswahili – oh my!) and do what we love most – write. I have been so blessed to share this week with five amazing bloggers whose styles and perspectives differ greatly from my own. There is so much more that I want need to say about my experiences this week, and I know that the stories will come to me slowly over time in many future posts, emails, and conversations. But for now, I want you to meet the incredibly gifted people I have come to love this week and hear about our experience through their words.

Read the rest of this post at Resourceful Mommy…

The Many Ways to Be Involved in Compassion International

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:03:00 -0500

Author: Kelli Stuart

Hey guys!
So here’s the deal. We’ve talked a lot about Compassion this week. Um…actually we have talked exclusively about Compassion this week. I’ve talked so much about Child Sponsorship, which is the core of what Compassion does, but there are SO MANY ways for people to get involved with this ministry.

So maybe you already sponsor a child and you want to take it a step further. Or maybe you don’t yet sponsor a child, but you would like to help contribute to the work Compassion is doing all around the world. Here are a few ways you all can be involved in Compassion International.

Read the rest of this post at Minivans Are Hot…

The Ripple Effect

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:00:00 -0500

Author: Scott Williams

I remember when I was a young child I used to enjoy throwing rocks in a pond near my home and I was always amazed at how that one little rock could send ripples throughout this huge body of water. As I’ve gotten older I’ve seen the ripple effect of good/bad decisions, good/bad coaches, good/bad investments, good/bad leaders and the list goes on and on. The ripple effect is all around us and some ripples are larger than others. Let’s take a look at a ripple.

The Setting: The middle of the vast open-land in Tanzania where the Maasai Tribe resides. Small home/hut made of mud, leaves, vines and trees. Imagine the most national geographic, late night infomercial w/ flies buzzing around image that you can conjure up.

Read the rest of this post at Big Is The New Small…

Connections

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:18:00 -0500

Author: Amy Lupold Bair

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15: 4-7

Today was our final day visiting Child Development Centers in Tanzania. Part of me is exhausted, a tired that I have rarely felt any other time of my life. Yet part of me feels more alive, more energized than ever before. Inspired by the words of one of our group leaders, Shaun Groves, I prepared to give as much of myself to this last group of children as I did to the first.

Read the rest of this post at Resourceful Mommy…

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:17:00 -0500

Author: Jolanthe

From the very beginning, this center visit in Arusha, Tanzania was different from all of the rest. Driving out to the center took over an hour and we traveled through some absolutely beautiful areas not far from Mt. Kilimanjaro. The homes here are a different style than the ones in Mwanza because the soil is so very different, making bricks difficult to make. Also, there is a very large Maasai population.

Read the rest of this post at Homeschool Creations…

In Defense Of Jesus

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:44:00 -0500

Author: Shaun Groves

A few years ago a consultant advised Compassion International brass to change their organization’s tagline: “Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.”

Why?

Because Jesus may be God to some, but to others he’s fictional or offensive.

Because removing Jesus’ name would make Compassion appealing to a broader audience.

Because more people would sponsor children.

And isn’t more better?

But Compassion International didn’t remove Jesus from its tagline. Today, that tagline is in their logo.

Read the rest of this post at ShaunGroves.com…

Shoes

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:44:00 -0500

Author: Maggie Whitley

Most of the time we see sandals on the people here ~ many of the school kids wear black dress shoes. And some times they wear no shoes at all! We’ve visited Mwanza + Arusha {cities} — we’ve seen the people here go barefoot when they’re walking the dirt roads in their neighborhoods. We’ve seen shoes floating down dirty river water, off to the side in a field near the road, even tucked between sticks in the wall of a mud-wall house. And get this, Zack saw a man building a roof {!} and pointed out he wasn’t wearing shoes at all.

Shoes aren’t always a priority to the people that live here. Instead, growing the freshest fruits + vegetables, scooping up the freshest water from a puddle nearby, and having a solid roof on your home take precedence. And now that I’m here it makes total sense.

Read the rest of this post at Gussy Sews…

How Does Tanzania Compare?

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:43:00 -0500

Author: Shaun Groves

Some of you have asked in different ways how Tanzania compares to the other countries I’ve visited with Compassion International.

How bad is the poverty in Tanzania compared to other places I’ve visited?

Yesterday, I was in a solid concrete home with walls painted blue, a solid metal roof overhead, concrete floors under my feet, a door with a knob and a lock, glass windows, curtains even a television. By far the nicest home of a sponsored child I’ve ever visited.

Today I stood in a house made of sticks and mud. The homes of sponsored children here in Tanzania – that we’ve visited – are as dilapidated as any I saw in Uganda or India and some are as well constructed and sizable as the most confortable I’ve seen in Latin America.

But poverty isn’t measured in square feet and it’s deeper than appearances.

Read the rest of this post at ShaunGroves.com…

Then God Showed Up...

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:38:00 -0500

Author: Scott Williams

We kicked off the day a little early because we had a lot to do prior to catching an early afternoon flight from Mwanza to Arusha. We started off by visiting the African Church Ilemela (AICT) TZ 955.

The AICT Project has been around about 4 years and has 279, and only 9 of which are currently not being sponsored. This center has a library/computer lab that was just recently completed. It was really cool to see and know that this computer lab existed. The Project staff were extremely proud of it and was in the process of building some bookshelves in this new library/computer lab.

We got to hang out with Famous Amos today. Not the cookie guy but 7-year-old Amos who is a student at the AICT Project. Those little Famous Amos Cookies would be good right about now. Speaking of right now, at this moment I’m in a bus with the compassion bloggers in route from the Kilimanjaro airport to the Compassion Local Country Office.

Read the rest of this post at Big Is The New Small…

What's Your Plan For Tomorrow?

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:36:00 -0500

Author: The Nester

Oh mercy, how are you?

I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.

Can I just tell you that when you are on one of these trips you get up early, eat, leave for a Compassion site, laugh really hard, pee in a hole, sob uncontrollably and try to hide it, hug on the most joyful children, get back, eat dinner, shower, then you forget your google password that you’ve had for 4 years then you continue to forget it for 45 minutes, once you remember it you try to put words together in a manner that makes sense and is compelling, hit publish, try to tweet your husband and sister, put your breathe right strip on so you don’t wake your roommate because it’s hard for her to throw a shoe at you through two mosquito nets and then fall asleep because it’s 2am and you have to get up in five hours and then you get to do it all again. All that to say, it’s killing me not to respond to more of your comments super fast–especially the questions–responses are coming, promise.

Read the rest of this post at The Nesting Place…

Miracles So Great

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:35:00 -0500

Author: Kelli Stuart

We walked around the corner, feet covered in red dirt. The squared off section of houses surrounded an open courtyard where two tiny little girls greeted us with wide grins. They held dry rolls in their hands and they squealed with delight at a black duck waddling around their bare, dusty feet.

They looked up at us in wonder, our white faces a stark contrast to everything they’re used to seeing. Laundry hung in long, damp lines and we waited for the girl’s mother to leave her station selling fish so she could join us.

Ducking into her home, it took a second for my eyes to adjust and my heart beat to slow. We stepped into a room that was roughly 7×7. A bed, crudely built out of long wooden planks and filled with rags, sat beneath a strip of cloth hung hammock style across the room. A bed for four.

Read the rest of this post at Minivans Are Hot…

In Which I Cry Again

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:34:00 -0500

Author: Jolanthe

Since yesterday’s visit to Gidioni’s home, waves of tears have washed over me in intervals as I considered the impact of the family gift donations. Even what I consider to be a small gift can make a tremendous difference in a child’s family. My entire view of how we interact with our Compassion children has truly been altered.

Visiting the third project today was such an amazing encouragement. We visited {TZ-955}, a center that has been in place for over four years, with the kind of facilities the last two centers hope to someday have. Through one of the home visits, I was also able to see how a family gift donation was used to help a family better their situation ~ something that just sealed all that had been stirring in my heart after learning about how a family gift donation can help a sponsored child’s family.

Read the rest of this post at Homeschool Creations…

Connections

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:33:00 -0500

Author: Amy Lupold Bair

When I agreed to join Compassion on this week’s blogging trip to Tanzania, I knew that I would make connections that would impact me in ways I could never imagine. I hoped to connect more to the organization that my family has supported for some time. I hoped to connect more with the home country of one of the children my family helps to sponsor. I hoped to connect with our new sponsored child, Mektrida. I hoped to connect with my fellow bloggers as we shared this life changing experience.

But the connections that I have witnessed during this trip are nothing short of affirmation that God’s hand is in all that we are doing this week, his plan being laid out before us as clearly as a map, leading us to share the story of the children of Tanzania with the rest of the world.

Read the rest of this post at Resourceful Mommy…

Because I Know When To Keep My Mouth Shut

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:32:00 -0500

Author: Shaun Groves

(click images in this post to enlarge)

I know when to keep my mouth shut.

When Kelli writes us down dusty roads to a sponsored child’s home and I feel and smell every step of the journey all over again…

Read the rest of this post at ShaunGroves.com…

Nail Polish, Bubbles and $38

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:37:00 -0500

Author: The Nester

Today I want to tell you simply everything and then I keep sitting here looking at the computer and typing nothing. It’s just too much. And I can’t conjure up a great post and tie it neatly with the proverbial imperfectly beautiful bow. I wish I knew some really great new, fancy, space age words that could somehow convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt how life altering it is for a child to be sponsored through Compassion International. Because when you see everything that we’ve seen in the past few days all you can think of is how much you want to do anything to make life better for these children living in poverty. And right now for me, that means using my words to help them and my computer clock says it’s 2:59 and my body clock says it’s too jet lagged and my Tanzania clock says it’s 9:59 and I know I cannot do this.

Read the rest of this post at The Nesting Place…