Month Eleven

Sorry for the absence from my blogging about my monthly sacrifice. I was saving for a trip to the Land of Thousand Hills. Rwanda. I was able to witness the work of World Vision first hand in this beautiful country. I got to see the impact they are having in the communities. The highlight however of the trip was when I got to meet my beautiful Lea. I have been sponsoring Lea for 4 years and the visit left me beyond blessed. Lea is considered an orphan since her father passed away and lives with her mother. She has 2 younger brothers and 1 older sister. I met so many integral people in Lea's life. Such as the volunteer World Vision worker, who since Lea became an orphan advocated on her behalf to get her registered.  These selfless individuals who are volunteers to monitor the progress of about 80 families. These volunteers are chosen by the community not World Vision  but people of the community who know what individuals are committed, trustworthy, and love children. I got to meet Eugene another community worker who has written EVERY letter I have ever received from Lea. I was so happy to meet him because without him I wouldn't get to know who this special girl is. I just felt so much love and appreciation from these people and they are the ones who deserve the praise. I learned how much World Vision has helped this family. They recently received a new house. The previous was a small mud house with not enough room for 5 people. They have received a goat and school supplies, materials, gardening tools to name a few things. I am so grateful that God has blessed me so that I can bless others. It's so worth sacrificing that little bit of money to know that I am changing  peoples lives and giving them a future and a hope! If anything as this year winds down, I urge you to consider sponsoring a child!

Meet Eugene a community worker who writes for my Lea

My Lovely Lea

Goat she has received from World Vision

In front of the old house

In front of the new house 

With the volunteer workers on the left and the chief on the far right. It takes a village to raise a child.

Month Ten

Child Survival Program through Compassion is live58 focus this month. I have seen this program first hand when I went to Ecuador in 2011. This program is focused on mothers who are pregnant up to children 3 years of age. We spent an after noon with a young mother. I asked her what she liked most about the program. She told me that she loves the weekly visits by mentors. She loves the fact that someone is taking an interest in her life and the life of her 2 year old. She does not attend church but what an opening for the church to show love to this young woman and speak love and Christ into her life.I fully believe that with this continued work that she will come to know the Lord.

Compassion’s Child Survival Programprovides education for mothers or primary caregivers to ensure that children survive the early years. They are taught critical child development skills and how to administer them when children are most vulnerable to disease and malnutrition.

Compassion’s Child Survival Program educates mothers on how to provide a safe home environment and age-appropriate developmental opportunities so that their babies and toddlers have better opportunities for healthy growth. Mothers and caregivers are taught literacy and numeracy skills and many receive support for vocational training and income-generating activities to help improve the long-term economic capacity of their families. Mothers, caregivers and children also receive spiritual nurturing so that they can develop a dynamic lifelong relationship with Christ.

http://vimeo.com/49634561

Rays of Hope For Uganda

A few posts ago I mentioned my friends school in the Kaberamaido district in Uganda. Rays of  Hope for Uganda has enrolled 92 students in four class rooms. This dream was birthed by a young man named Francis Okullo. I hope to have him share your story with you on this blog shortly. An orphan himself, he heeded God's call to help out the same. Their mission: to meet the heart of God by educating, clothing, feeding and tangibly sharing Jesus Christ with these children.  Would you give something up to sponsor one of these children? The cost is only $20/month or $240/year. Half the cost of most sponsorship programs. If you are interested please comment below which child you would like to sponsor and email me at atbbankergirl@yahoo.ca for more details:

Letter to God

God,
Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your ministry of Compassion. I had no idea how much it would change my life to answer a call you placed on my heart. A burden for the needy and impoverished of the world. I had no idea 4 years ago how a relationship with a little boy across the miles would change my thinking and lead to 3 other sponsorships. I realize Lord that you have blessed me with so much that I cannot hold onto that. You have taught me that when I am open to give more that you will provide. Through the ministry of Compassion, I have seen how you changed lives of children who thought they were nothing. They bought into the lie of the enemy that they are not worth much but through sponsorship, God has revealed truth to these children that they are loved. That before they were born you matched them up with a sponsor that would encourage them, that would pray for them. You brought loving caring people to work at a centre that love them and teach them about Jesus and your love for them. I just pray Lord that you would speak to others to answer the sponsorship call. That they can change the entire destiny of small child for only $41/month. Thank you Lord for allowing me to be an agent for change and thank you Lord that children are being released from poverty in your Son's name!

Sponsor today

Month Eight

This is month eight of sacrifices. I dismally failed my laziness sacrifice in month seven. As I mentioned before finding stuff to cut when you have drastically changed your spending habits is difficult. I think I will go back to  the STARBUCKS fast. I will just have to extend my month till October 6th as I have indulged in this addiction of mine already this month. I don't spend as much on Starbucks as I used to. I have cut it in half since I started budgeting in July. Yet I still spend money there and will sacrifice my sweet cup of caramel goodness. This month the focus of live58 hasn't spoke to me. It's a challenge to the President to increase spending on foreign aid spent in the USA.  I truly believe our governments need to dedicate more funds to helping third world nations but as I am not an American, I am just not moved to donate to this cause ,however I will continue to pray for the movement and the work of Micah's challenge. I have recently been moved to donate to a friend's organization called Rays of hope for Uganda. He has built a school in Uganda and has the most amazing story. I have asked for him to write up his testimony for me that I will feature later this month. This man has a strong desire to help orphans in his community and had a strong calling from the Lord to start this school. They have started a sponsorship program to help these kids attend. Sponsorship is only $20/month. I will also feature some of those kids here once I receive their profiles. How many of us throw away this kind of money monthly? It's such a small amount to change a life of a little boy or girl in Uganda. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these cuties message me at atbbankergirl@yahoo.ca

Garbage

The other day I had to dig through the garbage at work to find something I had accidentally thrown out. After I went through just 3 bags of garbage I stumbled upon my missing item. All that was dirty was my hands but I felt dirty all over. It wasn't pleasant digging through rotting bananas, wet coffee grounds and who knows what else. After I was done, a very sad thought popped into my head. Thousands upon thousands do this everyday. However they are walking among heaps of garbage, trying to salvage something to eat or take home that they can use or even sell. They are walking among dead animals, sewage, rotting food, riddled with disease. I then read this Compassion blog about the Garbage Dump being "The Mall" for those in third world countries. Here's the link to that blog. We can do something about this. A lot of people think the problem is too big! What can I do to help? We can do something. We all have things we can give up to be able to donate or sponsor a child. No child or adult should have to live like this.
http://blog.compassion.com/going-to-the-mall-aka-the-garbage-dump/

Bangladesh

This month's donation is going to help the impoverished of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a soft spot in my heart because it is the home of my sponsor child Sadia whom I sponsor through World Vision. This is my sweet Sadia and her family.

Eighty million people live in extreme poverty in remote areas of Bangladesh with little access to clean water, a toilet, a doctor or medicine, a bank, a job, land, or a basic education. More than half of the 156 million citizens of Bangladesh live below the poverty line in a country the size of the state of Iowa. It is the most densely populated country in the world. While rice is the main food and income source for most Bangladeshis, 80 percent of agricultural land is also floodplain, so that when monsoons, typhoons, and tornadoes cause the country’s three major rivers to overflow, poor families already relegated to marginal land are pushed underwater.

Like many areas of extreme poverty around the world, women and girls suffer the most:

• 65% of women in Bangladesh are malnourished.
• 2/3rds of girls ages 10 to 19 are forced into early marriage
• 55% of young women experience early, high-risk pregnancies
• 55% of married women are not free to seek medical help on their own--or to leave their village
• Half of Bangladeshi men and women are illiterate, making adult literacy education crucial

World renew is helping communities in Bangladesh by:

• Improving agriculture by increasing food production, food security, and education. This includes increasing rice crop yields, organic composting, and permaculture and cover crop development.
• Increasing family health through monthly childhood growth monitoring and immunization programs, training traditional birth attendants, improving health and hygiene practices, and family health education.
• Increasing literacy rates among men and women in their traditional languages by teaching basic reading, writing, and numeracy.
• Increasing financial skills, small group savings and loan funds, small business loans, bookkeeping, and business management skills. It also includes training in family law, human rights, and childrens and womens rights.
• Building community by partnering with churches and teaching Biblical principles of development to transform communities through local ownership of projects.

Month Seven

As month seven encroaches upon me quickly, I am trying to think of what I need to give up this month. Last month I decided to change my terrible spending habits. I would use my debit and credit card with no thought of the money I was spending. I was not a wise steward of the money God has entrusted to me so I felt led to start living my life to a budget. Living on cash every two weeks. If the cash runs out.I am done. This has opened up a new way of thinking for me. I easily have the money I want to donate to the live58 and I am not spending money on eating out, Starbucks and the things that I so easily spend money on. So that makes my decision a little harder this month as my entire spending habits have already drastically changed. My sister in law suggested adding something. Maybe it's something to increase my prayer life and she suggested walking. I know God also wants us to take care of our bodies so the thought of adding exercise in my life this month makes sense. I can use that time to pray or spend time with friends I need to reconnect with. This is a big sacrifice that will require a lot of self control. I am sacrificing my laziness this month.

Child Trafficking

I am reading this powerful book called Jantsen's Gift.  A mother grieving the death of her 15 year old son, accepts an invitation to visit a Vietnam orphanage. Forever her life was changed and committed to saving one child a time from the streets of Vietnam. Upon reading an article in the New York times about child trafficking in Ghana where small boys are sold by their families to fisherman to work long hours, living in horrid conditions with other trafficked children and beat by the hand of their masters she then made it a mission to save these boys. Families desperate to feed their families sell their boys for about 20/year. They were chatting with this boys as they cruised up and down Lake Volta and they came across, Tetha. This is an excerpt from that meeting. " Tetha missed his parents, both of whom were farmers. He said he thought of them every day, and he felt sorry for whatever he did to anger them. "What do you mean?" Albert asked.
" I think they must have sent me here to punish me, he said. " I don't know what I did wrong, but I fought with my sister a lot, and maybe that's why my parents had to sell me. When I am sleeping at night, I see my mother in my dreams and I apologize to her. Then she comes and says that I can go to school. That is all I want to do is to go to school."  It is so hard to fathom the desperate situation where a mother or father has to come to this decision and where a small child struggles with why his parents did this to him. We can make a difference. If you can help one that will make a difference.What if that child was your child, your niece or nephew wouldn't you move the heavens to help them?
Visit http://www.touchalifekids.org/ to find out more. Photo below is courtesy of Touch a life website.

Day nine of the Television Fast

It is only day nine of my television fast! It's been a tough one. It really is hard to believe that I still have about 3 weeks left. Lord help me. I have wrote about 3 letters to use in the future to my sponsor kids. I spend a lot of time online and on http://ourcompassion.org/default.aspx. Here I have gleaned tons of letter writing ideas and ways to keep the letter writing momentum.  Check out the forum  Letter-Writing Fail :(  Sponsors have shared their ideas on how they remember to write. So many great ideas to remember to write life into our sponsor children's lives.  Whether you sponsor with Compassion or some other organization, this is a wonderful resource. Make sure you check it out. I read a blog today about the importance of letter writing.
http://compassionfamily.blogspot.ca/2011/07/impact-of-letters-personal-story.html
This boy was about to give up! He thought, "I must be too ugly for a sponsor to care about me" But one day a new sponsor started to write him and speak truth into his life. He is now serving the Lord through Compassion's ministry in Indonesia. Your words could drastically change the course of a child's life. So pick up a pen today and write your special sponsor child.

International Justice Mission

Wanted to share this link so you have a better understanding of this ministries work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCMddMOrcn4&feature=player_embedded#!

Justice for the poor and oppressed!!

Month Six

So another month is upon me and I have given little thought of what my sacrifice would be this month. During my morning devotions I was going through my mind of what I haven't given up yet and where I am spending my money. This is getting harder and harder as months go by and it's getting harder and harder to want to give things up. It came upon me that this month would I would sacrifice watching TV and movies. I had yet to turn my television on today. I was sitting on my deck reading my bible with worship music playing in the background and thought a month of this would be nice. I can devote these times for praying, scripture and worship. This month takes us to Uganda and shines the spotlight on IJM (International Justice Mission)

Across Africa, many widows and orphans are left defenseless when their husband or father dies. In this time of vulnerability, they become victims of ‘succession-related’ property grabbing - the term for illegal property seizure in the aftermath of a death. Victims often lose not only their homes, but - for many who raise crops or engage in small enterprise on their land - their only sources of livelihood, leaving them and their children homeless and without income.

Property grabbing often arises from the perceived lack of land rights for women in traditional societies. Family members, local leaders and potential victims may not be aware of the legal rights of widows and orphans or the criminal sanctions that may arise from illegal property seizure. Moreover, agencies charged with enforcement of rights lack the knowledge and resources to meet the overwhelming need.

A Mother's Dream

I came across this beautiful video from Compassion of mother's expressing their deepest dreams for their children. Pray with me that these dreams will come to fruition. Jeremiah 33:3 says, " Call out to me and I will show you great and might things!"  We know that God hears the desires of these women's hearts and HE will show them great and mighty things!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0OikRVlU14&feature=player_embedded

Month Five

This month's fast is Walmart. Do you guys ever wander into a store and come out with more than what you walked in for?? I do this every time I step into Walmart. I can go in for maybe a $10 purchase and usually come up with a bill 10 times the amount. Those things I do pick up are not usually a necessity. So this month I am not setting foot in Walmart which in itself is a feat because they are in my backyard. On top of that I am limiting my purchases this month to only necessity. That means no chocolate, no diet pepsi or any other non essential items. The money raised this month goes to Tanzania to help educate farmers and give them the resources and training to have fruitful farms and to combat hunger.

WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED. WILL WE DO EVERYTHING IT TAKES?

This month I watched the movie associated with live58.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzVLzVe4h8g
It challenges us to get involved that we can make a difference in the lives of the impoverished around the world. I want to talk about a section of the movie that broke my heart. A family in India who is enslaved to rock quarry owners. To pay back their debts they find themselves imprisoned to the rock quarry owner. Long hours, chipping away a rocks in the heat. They ask the children if they could wish for one thing, what would they wish for? The older of the children hesitated with his answer and then replied, " I have desires but my dreams will never come true. So let me not have dreams at all." This is a lie that poverty whispers to these children. That they are worth nothing. They will never be more than this. Let's put a stop to this lie! Click on my link to Compassion. A child sponsorship program that release children from poverty in JESUS name. Let's reverse this ugly lie and let a child know that:

THEY ARE LOVED
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THEIR LIFE
THEY CAN BE MORE
THEY ARE FREE TO DREAM AND DREAM BIG
AND THOUGH THEY LIVE IN POVERTY, POVERTY WILL NOT LIVE IN THEM!!

Month Four

So I know you are all wondering what I gave up for month four. I decided that I would not drive my car. On a day like today I certainly miss it. It has rained all day and some think I am hardcore to do that but does weather let up on poverty? Does the hot sun not beat down on that African mother with her baby strapped to her back and that heavy jug of water on her head? Can that small child take a break from begging in the streets when it's pouring rain? The other day as I was walking to work it dawned on me that  in most third world countries they have already been up for three hours. They have probably walked miles to gather the water supply for the day by the time I even wake up. So I figured it was a small sacrifice to walk in strong winds or pouring rains. The money saved this month will be donated to help someone in  Rwanda start up a small business loan with Hope International. $100 can provide a first loan for a client. $500 can fully fund a business with capital, counselling and training. This month live58 is aiming to raise enough funds to help 100 business in Rwanda. They are about halfway there. An anonymous donor has agreed to match our donations. So if you are inclined to give something up this month look at investing in this business venture. Donations accepted to the end of the month at live58.org.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kjM-R7u4Lwc

 These are the images I thought of when I was first started walking to work. These were taken in Uganda.

Month Three

This brings me to month three:


For a single person it is so much easier to pick up take out or go out to eat but that comes at a high cost. My calculations brought my average monthly spending on fast food and eating out at about $130 so picking this for my sacrifice was a no brainer. I think I can give up my #2 combo ( quarter pounder cheeseburger meal) if it means that someone across the world can have a better life. The featured ministry was Plant with Purpose and it helped plant trees in the Dominican to combat the deforestation happening there. Those in third world countries are cutting trees for a short term solution. They cut the trees to sell as firewood but taking these trees strip the soil of nutrients and destroys land that was once fruitful. For only $100 you can plant an entire forest. I was able to plant a forest in the Dominican who can say that? YOU CAN if you give something up this month!

This is me enjoying my McDonalds burger in Romania when we took a group of special need teens and kids for happy meals.

Month Two

For month#2:
This month of sacrifice landed during lent and I had decided to give up internet. This went well for about about 2 weeks. One of my fellow Compassion advocates made me aware that there was an e-mail request for help at a local event for Compassion. For those of you who are not familiar with the work of Compassion. It is a child sponsorship program that joins together with the local church to meet the spiritual, economic, social and emotional needs of children located in third world countries. So I had to wander on to my hotmail account for details of the event. The event led to 67 sponsorships! At the event I was so taken by this story that I wandered back on to the computer to tell my Compassion friends on http://www.ourcompassion.org/
a social network for sponsors.  This story is one of sacrifice and is all about what live 58 is all about. This girl who was about ten years old kept lingering around the table looking at the profiles of kids from all around the world, some who were her own age. I started to ask her some questions and she told me that she had chosen a child but would need to ask her parents as they already sponsored some other children. She kept looking over this profile. You could tell she was probably praying over her hoping that her parents would say yes. After the service she came out and let me know that they were going to sponsor her and that she agreed to babysitting her siblings for free so they could afford the $41/month. They never used the excuse we already sponsor X number of children, we can't afford it. If only we all would think this way. I can give this up if it means a child will be released from poverty. Despite my down fall about not going online I still donated the cost of monthly internet to the cause that month. Fixing broken wells in Haiti to allow the Haitians clean drinking water with Living Waters International. About 2 years ago I was in Uganda with Samaritan's purse to construct water filters. While there I got extremely sick, I speculate that it may have been contact with contaminated water.I realized quickly that these people live with this everyday but they probably don't have the luxury of taking the day off. Not showing for work could mean losing their job and any income they would need to feed their family. They do not have the luxury of sick days. I couldn't imagine working in the condition I was in. I understand so fully now how important clean drinking water is. So I ask you today what is one thing you would give up to release a child from poverty or provide clean drinking water for a family?













Local water source in Kamwenge Uganda and little boy bringing home his water for the day

Month one

This is what I gave up for month number one:

I was shocked to find out that I spend about $50 a month on my delish

grande caramel macchiato. I didn't realize how much I missed my coffee. 

Every time I had a craving, I would think about the featured ministry. That month was  food relief  in Kenya for the drought that happened recently in the Horn of Africa. Think about it, I can give up this little sacrifice if it means someone can eat a meal for a day. They don't have the luxury of a treat. They are masking their hunger by eating dirt. Every time a pang hit me, I would pray for Kenya and the thousands of people dying of starvation and soon my craving would dissipate. It really was such a small sacrifice to help feed a person.

What would you give up

I have recently been challenged by two things. I have recently read the book called Radical. One of the challenges is to sacrifice something in order to give generously. The other is an online movement called live58.org. It's a call to the church based on Isaiah 58. It encourages us to give up personal sacrifices to free up our resources to give to those enslaved to poverty.

to loose the chains of injustice… to set the oppressed free… to share your food with the hungry…
to provide the poor wanderer with shelter… when you see the naked, to clothe them”

I am dedicating this blog to my sacrifices and to see us put an end to world poverty. Over the past 4 months I have given up something I would usually spend money on and donated to the featured ministry on live58.org.  I took a long look at my finances to see where I was spending my money. I then took an average over 6 months to help me determine what my donation will be. I will continue to do this for the next year and hopefully beyond. I want to feature the stuff I have given up and my journey through out the sacrifice. Hopefully to encourage others to do the same to end the horrible injustices of poverty and to promote some organizations that hold my heart.  Join me in this adventure, "What would you give up?"