Thankful Thursday

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

I am thankful...

~ for hot cocoa and the Bible on a below freezing night.

~ for smiles and hugs and giggles and pictures my six year old drew lying on every surface in the house.

~ for easy chairs that fit two little girls and Momma for lots of cuddling

~ for no side effects, so far, from the new arthritis drug

~ for a fulfilling day's work loving my children

~ for a steadfast, loving husband

~ for two boys growing in the Lord and in maturity

~ for beautiful, hard-fought progress in reading for Mary

~ for kids who love to create

~ for a furnace that hasn't malfunctioned all winter (for a change)

~ for the socks and underwear finally ready for the dryer, so I can go to bed

~ for going to Goodwill to use my 35% off coupon before it expires, only to learn that today was 35% off children's clothing day. Now I can save my coupon for another trip before March, in hopes of actually finding size 18 jeans for Peter at another Goodwill. (Why is that size so hard to find?)

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A Love Letter, From God

I am so excited! I wrote Compassion to ask for two more correspondent children to whom we can write. I didn't specify any country or age or gender, leaving it all to God. Compassion answered the next business day and gave me a boy from Colombia, age 10, and a girl from Nicaragua, age 8. They were both just sponsored so it must have been by a large company who doesn't want to write letters. In these cases the children are assigned a correspondent family who will faithfully write to them.

We are correspondents to two other children and sponsor two others, so we've been writing to four and it has been such a joy! Writing to these children makes all my sorrows and worries float away. I just feel so wonderfully blessed by the interaction and by being a messenger of Christ's love.

Last week I read heartbreaking stories of children whose sponsors do not write. It is heartbreaking for these children who already feel insignificant. If you would love to encourage a child but do not have the money to sponsor a child right now, please email here: ciinfo@us.ci.org
If you make this commitment, please write at least monthly.

Below is a sample letter that can be used as an introductory letter. I wrote it to both of our new children, just changing the names. If you write online you can write longer letters and easily upload photos. This letter used all the space available (I couldn't use paragraph breaks, however), allowing me to upload one larger photo and two small ones. Compassion's online letter writing program tells you what percentage of space you have left. It also gives you the option of duplicating the letter to another child. You just change the names and some details to fit that child's life and family and prayer requests.

Here are our new precious ones!

Abdi, age 8, Nicaragua

Miguel, age 10, Columbia

Dearest Abdi,

Oh, Abdi! We are so happy to meet you. We praise God for you. Jesus loves you and we will love you too, Abdi. We asked God for a child to write to and to share our lives with and He gave us you! Your picture is very pretty and I shared it with all of my family. My name is Christine. I am 48 years old. I live in the state of Ohio in the United States. I am married and we have four children named Peter, Paul, Mary and Beth. Peter is the oldest. He is 13. Paul is 11. Mary is 8. Beth is 6. Do you have any brothers or sisters? What are their names and ages?

Peter loves to garden and he loves animals and science. He wants to be a farmer and missionary when he grows up. Timothy loves math and games and basketball and football. He wants to be a teacher or an engineer or a writer when he grows up. Emily loves animals and science and she wants to work with animals when she grows up. Anna loves books and drawing. She wants to be a writer or a singer when she grows up.

What are your dreams, Abdi? What do you want to be when you grow up? God will make it possible. With God all things are possible. My husband is a custodian. I stay home and homeschool my four children. Before I had children I used to be a first grade teacher at a public school. When I had children they needed me so I began to stay home with them. I love homeschooling. We learn about Jesus, the Bible, and we pray together everyday. We read books, we write, and we learn about history, math, grammar, spelling and science.

Do you like school? What is your favorite subject? My favorite things are reading and writing. My favorite colors are purple and pink. My favorite foods are taco soup, strawberries, and chocolate.

Jesus loves you, Abdi! You are precious to him and to me and my family. God has big plans for you. You are wonderfully made by your loving Father. We will be praying for you and your family each day: that you will be blessed by God and do well in school, that you will have good food to eat, that you will be safe, and that you will learn more about Jesus and the Bible.

God wants us to spend time with Him by praying, by reading the Bible, and by singing songs to Him. When you pray to God just talk with him. Tell him you love him, thank him for everything, and ask him for what you and others need. Prayer is just talking to God like he is our best friend.

I want you to remember that you are very special, you are very loved, and you have a Big God who is going to work all things for your good. Romans 8:28 says: For God works all things for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

God is calling you, Abdi. He wants to be your Lord and Savior. He is going to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 says: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Abdi, God wants to love you and help you every day and be your Lord, your King, your loving Father. Please tell him you want all these things from Him. He wants you to say "Yes, Lord. I want you to be my Lord and Savior."

Abdi, we love you. We always will.

Love,
Christine

Some writing tips:

With each letter, I will build upon these concepts and truths, always using the child's name often and saying I love you. I will talk about keeping a blessing list, about gratitude, about forgiveness, about holiness, about making the right choices and obeying parents, about trying hard in school, about the importance of having dreams, about my joys and sorrows, and I will ask for prayer whenever we need it. I will ask questions and talk about our weather and our holidays and our daily practices. I will talk about a personal relationship with God, I will speak life, truth, love, comfort, wisdom, and prayer into the lives of these children, who are a gift.

Here again is the address to ask for a correspondent child:

ciinfo@us.ci.org

You don't have to send any money, ever, but if you do, it will bless these families and could give them more warmth, a roof that doesn't leak, clothes that fit, nutritious food, etc. A little money goes a long way.

You will be sent a packet in the mail with a photo and information about your child and about the Compassion Child Development Center he or she attends, as well as local cultural information and pictures. You will learn a little bit about the child's daily activities and about his or her grade and performance in school, and whether the parents are married and both living in the home.

If you already have a Compassion account, all this information will show up online as soon as they assign you the child, and you can begin writing immediately, before your packet even arrives.

You will enjoy this endeavor of the heart! I promise!

Speech Therapy at Home

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The best-case scenario with blog link-ups is that you might find new friends--like-minded friends who understand you. Another possibility is that you'll find an invaluable resource you didn't even know you needed.

Today I enjoyed the latter via the Homeschool Mother's Journal link-up. I'm excited to have found free speech resources on Gypsy Road. Click here to see her full list.

What most blessed me is finding this site: Teachers Pay Teachers. I signed up for free and then typed speech therapy in the search bar. There are many free resources, and others that cost a few dollars. I downloaded several colorful, engaging games for practicing the /th/ sound in the initial, medial, and final positions.

Speech articulation practice can be dry and boring, leading to missed days of practice and a loss of momentum. With fresh material coming in, parents and children stay motivated and have some fun together. Language is fun!

You can use Teachers Pay Teachers to search for all kinds of lesson plans and ideas. It's not primarily special-needs-oriented. The site is invaluable for teachers wanting to freelance and make some money, or for teachers and parents who need fresh ideas at home or in the traditional classroom. You don't need to be an educator to join, and you can join for free (paid options are available as well, with more perks).

Let me know if you find something helpful.

With the Overflow of Your Heart

I am sharing an excerpt from a letter a formerly-sponsored child wrote to his Compassion International sponsor. The author of the letter, now an adult, has been the host for Compassion Bloggers this week in the Dominican Republic. His sponsor dramatically changed his life with her love, her prayers, her comfort, expressed through letters through the years. He refers to her as Grandma. Holley Gerth shared this excerpt on her blog. Read the full letter here.

image courtesy of Compassion International

What am I here for?

That was the question I asked myself many times when I was lonely, sad and empty, without purpose. And it was at that very moment that God used Compassion International to help me understand that, yes, I have a purpose and a reason to exist. This is what 80% percent of the children living in third world countries think–that they are nothing and that they have no future.

I wanted to start this letter that way because I wanted you to know that my life has really changed.

A very famous atheist said one day: “God does not exist because if God existed there would not be so many hungry children on this earth, nor so many diseases and catastrophes in the world.” My answer to that atheist is this: ”Millions of children, including me, have been released from material and mental poverty that undermined their lives through wonderful ministries like Compassion International.”

You are the protagonist in this love story–you are responsible for this change.

God has made man in His image and likeness and has given man the tremendous power to create; create Love, Faith, Hope, Dreams, Desire, Families, Communities, Cities, Nations, Opportunities and Compassion.

I will never be able to be grateful enough with words for your love for someone you never met before, someone who is not your family, your son or your nephew, or your grandson but someone that you loved without knowing him.

This is the answer to all those who claim that God doesn’t exist. You’re the answer.

And God is pleased with your work, God is happy because you have given more than what you had just like that widow who gave all she had. “In truth she has given more than all of you,” said Jesus.

You are the hands of God! And that’s why I no longer pray as I used to do before. I heard a pastor say: ”Do not ask God to feed the hungry if YOU have enough food in your pantry.” The truth is that many times we ask wrongly, because we ask God to do things when in our ignorance we forget that we are God’s response to the misfortunes of others.

This is why Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’’ John 13:34

Thanks again for writing. I treasure every one of your letters not only in a chest but also in my heart. I take time to read them over and over again because they are like oil of joy in times of distress.

I will never forget your prayers for me and for the coming generations–you left personal things to leave a legacy to the world.

With much love,

Jonathan Almonte

If you aren't already a sponsor, may I ask...what's holding you back? His Word is clear about what we are to do for children and the poor, and his faithfulness in our lives is proof we can do it without fear or doubt. If you aren't already committed beyond your means to other ministries, please consider Compassion, who seeks, through your love, devotion, letters and funds, to change a heart for Christ--a heart that goes on to bless multitudes of others, for Compassion children always give back to their communities. 

Become a part of a beautiful testimony of God's grace and love. Sponsor a child. For the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. We don't own our bank accounts or our paychecks or our possessions. We don't own the future and we can't secure it, either. We can only love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our mind, all our strength, and our fellow man too, trusting God for everything else.

The more possessions we fill our life with, the further we get from God and His blessing of provision. He knows what we need for abundant life. We are sorrowfully mistaken that it has anything to do with the material, for all the material things we need will be given to us as we put first the Kingdom of God. And that doesn't just mean going to church on Sunday. We have to live our lives for the Lord to be seeking first His Kingdom. We all fall short in this...we all want more than we need. In first-world countries, we all have more than we need. As we cling to God and his Word, he opens our eyes to what it means to be blessed, and what it means to be a blessing. 

Please, sponsor a child today. We need to be rescued from our abundance, as much as Compassion children need to be rescued from the hopelessness of poverty.

If you already have a sponsor child, write to him or her today and at least monthly. On behalf of Jonathan Almonte and other graduated Compassion children like him, thank you for your love, your time, for your desire to be obedient and share the overflow of your heart.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Other posts from this Dominican Republic week:

Bonnie at Faith Barista: Why Compassion Isn't a Project But an Intimate Whisper of Love

Ruth Soukup at Living Well Spending Less: Just One

Bonnie at Faith Barista: Why Love is Not a Consolation But a Light

Weekly Homeschool Wrap-Up 2/20

Outside my window:

Outside here in northeast Ohio we're having the coldest winter in at least ten years, which is about how long we've lived here. Tonight it will be 13 below--and not just wind chill. My husband is depressed about having to get out of bed in the morning to face it, being a winter hater. Usually, I balk at complaining about the weather, rolling my eyes at those who view snow and cold as the anti-Christs, but even we die-hard optimists are tired of the cold this year.

Inside Our Homeschool:

I mentioned last week that my boys, ages 11 and 13, are abandoning Sonlight Core G (World History Part 1), only to take up Sonlight Core H instead (World History Part 2, the last 500 years). We'll finish the Core G at another time.

We'll be using Core H's Bible, History/Literature, some of their language arts writing lessons based upon the readers, and all the read-alouds. So basically, the whole curriculum will be enjoyed.

They've delved in joyfully and I'm so pleased. I put each synopsis for the books in red type, so if you're not interested just skip all the red type. Here is the first reader:

The King's Fifth

Set in the year 1541

Amazon reader synopsis: (by reader Chatelaine) Esteban was a cartographer, or map maker, on a ship on the coast of South America. Their ship was to rendezvous with another to make a search for the Cities of Gold. One of the officers aboard the ship wants to mutiny, and strike out to search for the cities, in hopes of collecting even more gold and fame. He talks Esteban into accompanying him, along with some others.

They travel and encounter all kinds of dangers from nature and from the natives. They ask the people they come across for gold, but to them, it is not important. Esteban and his companions find it all important. As they travel on toward the Cities of Gold, their lust for gold gains a tighter and tighter grip upon them. At the beginning, Esteban marveled at the way the desire for gold had warped others, but later on, he ceases to care for others, and is willing to sacrifice whatever and whoever may come between him and the riches his soul so greedily craves. He ends up with a great amount of gold, which he tries to carry back with him. Eventually, he sees that his greed was killing him, and deposits the gold where it can never be recovered.

The story is told from Esteban's prison cell. It is the law to give one fifth of all discovered treasure to the king of Spain. The chapters alternate with Esteban recalling his journey through South America, and his recording what is happening in the prison. He says his indictment is true; he did discover treasure, and he did not give the king his fifth. His prosecutors and jailor are not so much concerned with the king's fifth, however. They want to know where the treasure is, so they can find it. They ask for maps, which Esteban draws; but he says they will never find it. Even he, who knows where it is, could never find it. He is offered his freedom from his sentence if he will be a guide to the gold, but he turns it down. He has realized that, after all, the gold is not important. He has learned what is important, and when he has served his sentence, he will pursue the things and people that matter.

Bible Devotionals

Sonlight Cores come with assigned daily Bible verses, as well as accompanying devotionals. There are five devotionals for teens/tweens in Core H, the first being The BBC Manual: Turning Your Bedroom into a Bible College:

Synopsis: The Bible, What A Book! No other book has influenced the world like the Bible. No other book has sold more copies, been translated into more languages, yet suffered as much persecution as the Bible. A miraculous compilation of 66 different book, written over a period of 1,600 years by over 40 different authors, yet possessing a supernatural unity from Genesis to Revelation. Impossible, if written by many minds, yet possible if written by one God through the hands of many men (II Peter 1:21). The Bible is God's marvelous "love letter" to man. 

FEED "Feeding" on the Word of God is much easier when you learn the principles of observations. "How to Read the Bible" and "How to Study the Bible" will help you unearth the treasures found in God's Word. Bible study sheets and Bible reading plans will help you to "chart" your progress as you get a "grip" on the Word. 

HEED Meditation is the key to "good success." Moving the Word of God from your head into your heart is the goal of Biblical meditation. Practical pointers on how to get God's Word into your mind and heart will make memorization and meditation a delight. 

DEED Learning to apply God's Word to your life is the goal of a devotional walk with God. Determining your objectives, defining your goals and developing your action plan will help you to "deed" the Word, not only "read" the Word. Climb the staircase to realized objectives. Gregg Johnson is a gifted speaker, writer and musician. Gregg travels internationally ministering to tweens and their parents, young people, youth pastors and adults in camps, conferences and churches. At 14 Gregg turned his bedroom into a Bible College and his devotions became a delight.

On Fridays they'll be reading Don't All Religions Lead to God?

Synopsis: Insightful comparison of Christianity to several other key religions. Concise, accessible arguments against today's tolerant culture and for faith in Jesus. An easy-to-read apologetics work.

The History spine includes The Story of the World Volume 3: Early Modern Times, and The Story of the World Volume 4: Modern Times. Two other spine books included are The Usborne Encyclopedia of the World (I have the 2009 edition), and The Kingfisher Encyclopedia.

Synopsis: 

Volume 3 in this series covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as includes maps, illustrations, and biographies.

This captivating guide to the history of other lands is written in an engaging, straightforward manner and weaves world history into a story book format that is entertaining and easy to read.

As always, I'm very impressed with Sonlight. I didn't dislike the novels from Core G, which we abandoned. It's just that the topics were mature for my boys' ages, more so than Core H novels as a whole. Each child is different and you can't always go by suggested ages. We'll get back to those books in the next couple years.

K and 2nd Grade News

The girls, ages 6 and 8, are still enjoying Sonlight Core B books, read to them by myself and by my two boys. They are also doing All About Reading Level 1 and 2, and All About Spelling Level 1. Mary, age 8, will be finishing both her spelling and reading soon, and we move on to Level 3 in reading and level 2 in spelling.

All About Reading Level 1, for Beth, age 6 - learning /ch/ and /sh/ consonant blends. The mouse gets to eat the cheese (words written on back of the cheese pieces) if child can read the words correctly.

All About Spelling Level 1 - Learning when to use /c/ at the beginning of a word, and when to use /k/. Student is taught to leave the slot for the /c/ sound blank, and go on spelling the rest of the word. Then, go back to the /c/ sound and use the spelling rule. C says /s/ before e, i, and y, to decide whether to use a c or k. Always try c first. 

All About Reading Level 1 - Learning /ch/ and /sh/

Kitty gets to help read the words. Stuffed animals go to school too around here.

Drawing books used for their daily drawing time, during morning devotions. We started this so the six year old would stay still during devotions, which is sometimes a problem. 

Personal reading time for Mary, age 8.

All About Reading Level 2 - Gerbil game for practicing the rule: G says /j/ before e, i, or y.

Read each word as gerbil goes through his "cage".

Melissa and Doug Body Puzzle, 2-sided

Learning how to make a stitch. Paul is teaching Beth, which resulted in two needle pokes and some tears;, after which my six-year-old started making a doll from felt pieces and glue instead.

This is Mary's "workshop" pose, used when she really needs to concentrate to decode a word. She's a hoot. I love teaching my own kids!

In case you think we are rich and can afford Guess jeans, let me just say those were brand new jeans from a thrift store for $2.50. I don't buy any new clothes, except socks and underwear and sometimes winter coats and shoes. If you are willing to look through every child's garment on the racks at Goodwill, your kids can come out looking quite nice...and you too for that matter. You just need a two-hour chunk of time about every couple months to store up for future seasons and sizes, taking from the best they have.

Health News
Beth's eye muscle surgery to correct wandering eyes (strabismus) will be on April 2. She also goes for another infusion of Orencia next Tuesday, which she is dreading. Still no side effects so far from this new medicine. The swelling in her arthritic knees is down slightly, but the full effect won't come for a couple months. She is now taking two immunosuppressants and it's hard not to be concerned about her getting sick. I am trusting God, but I have to keep giving it to Him. I hate sitting in the waiting room, too, when someone undergoes surgery. I always imagine--what happens if they never come out of anesthesia? How will I make it through that? Then I remind myself how rare that is, but it's still incredibly nerve wracking.

Other News
It was a shorter week. We took Monday off for President's Day, but it was too frigid to go anywhere. Then Tuesday we took off to deep clean and organize the bedrooms, which were all an eyesore. Everything still looks spiffy in all the bedrooms, which is so nice!

Compassion International News

Compassion International took a team of bloggers to the Dominican Republic this week. I love to support Compassion International! See my highlight of favorite Dominican Republic posts here. I think of the four Compassion children we write to as my own children. I feel wholly invested in their lives and hopes and dreams, and in their spiritual growth. I just know you will be changed, and your children too, if you sponsor a child. Outside of being a mom and wife and daughter of the King, writing to these children is my greatest joy! The Lord loves the little children and He loves it when we speak life into them. We represent Him when we love a child and give the gift of Hope.

Difference Between World Vision and Compassion International

Different than World Vision, Compassion International works with local churches to administer their program, which uplifts these children and their families spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. 84% of your $38/month sponsorship money goes directly to the children so they can attend the Child Development Center (at the local church, administered through Compassion staff), and receive health care, Bible teaching and discipleship, emergency food, supplemental food, and school fees and uniforms, and benefit from parenting, nutrition, vocational, and hygiene classes. Every child or family gift you send goes directly to the family, which is not true of World Vision, which operates a far less direct organization, using a different approach (bottom-down approach--change the neighborhoods to change individual outcomes).

Compassion goes with the family to the marketplace to spend your gift money, and helps them analyze their needs and how best to use the money. In this manner, local economies are stimulated. You receive a photo of the child next to all that was purchased with your gift money. Understand that you are not required to send any gift money. The letters you send make the most impact on these families. They treasure them like gold, rereading them for years. Many of these children are never told they are loved, until they receive a sponsor and start going to the Compassion Child Development Center, where staff love on them two to three times weekly, after school and on Saturdays. Their parents are in survival mode, and showering love on their children isn't part of their daily reality, which is characteristic of abject poverty households generally speaking, but not in all countries.

The difference between World Vision and Compassion International is that Compassion invests heavily in one child and that child's family, and through that intense investment, changes a whole neighborhood for Christ. The bottom-up approach, with the pastor of the local church and church attenders helping the whole process along as well, partnering with Compassion staff.

Neighborhood children are enrolled and their families are helped in emergencies even before their child is chosen by a sponsor (but they can't attend center activities unless they have a sponsor). World Vision does work with families, but less directly. They hope to change things by also changing the community the children live in, but without the discipleship involved in Compassion International's approach. World Vision works even in regions where the Bible and Christ are forbidden topics, and you cannot mention anything about these topics in your letters to children in those regions.

Compassion only administers their program where they can use the name of Jesus and bring Bibles and Bible teaching. You as a sponsor are encouraged to speak spiritual life and hope into your child through regular letters (hopefully at least monthly letters). They need to know that poverty need not define them. Your child will write back to you three times a year at the very least, or after every one of your letters, depending on the staff available to help the children. My children answer almost every one of my letters.

How was your week? Thank you for reading here. Bless you!

Sharing with other moms at this link-up, here.