3 young Rwandans pursue peace after genocide

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -Matthew 5:9 _____ *Warning: This account contains disturbing details of violence. It’s been 25 years since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, and though time has passed, the people of Rwanda will never be the same. The genocide was started in April of 1994 […]

Policewoman rises to shatter police injustice

There she stands, daringly in a uniform rarely worn by a woman—one hand behind her back, one firmly by her head. In her eyes there is a flicker of hope for the change that is about to come. For the history she is making. A smile curls from her lips—she is a change maker. This […]

The great ultimatum: Teen chooses between deadly gang life and Jesus

“I was not supposed to live,” says Samuel. “No one gets out of the gangs without paying a price.” _____ Samuel* grew up in a poor urban community in El Salvador with his mom and older sister. Everyone was friendly and seemed to know one another. But most parents had to leave early for work […]

You have the right to remain…a dreamer

It wasn’t long ago that Ouedraogo Abdoul Fataw spent his days at the local Compassion centre. Now, his days are spent keeping the streets of Burkina Faso safe. ___ Job opportunities in Burkina Faso are limited. The ever-increasing rate of youth unemployment doesn’t make it easy to find a well-paying job. For Ouedraogo Abdoul Fataw, a Compassion […]

A moving message from President Bush’s former sponsored child

I am Timothy Villalba, a former beneficiary of Compassion’s child sponsorship program. My sponsor was the former president of America, President George Bush. I am now 25 years old and will forever be grateful that I have been part of Compassion’s program through the Lifestream Student Center at Capitol City Foursquare Church. I was a […]

Behind the scenes of child letters

Do you ever wonder when and where the child you sponsor writes their letters to you? Why their letters are form letters or sometimes sound repetitive? What kind of information they like to hear from you? We went straight to the source and asked the most common questions about child letters to the people who help […]

A Compassion graduate leads a new generation of dreamers

Meet Octa—a passionate Compassion graduate from Solo, Indonesia, with a heart for mentorship. In his teens, he developed a passion to become a missionary, and through Compassion, he had a chance to take part in leadership training along with a short-term mission trip to the rural village of Amarasi, Indonesia. Octa saw in Amarasi a […]

A peacemaker in the 2nd most dangerous place in the world

A Compassion alumnus motivates his community to stand against violence. Mindanao, the southernmost cluster of islands in the Philippines, is sometimes called the “land of promise,” referring to its wealth of natural resources. But it can also be a land of extreme violence. Culturally and religiously diverse, acts of terror and aggression amongst extremist groups […]

After genocide: an astonishing story of forgiveness and redemption

Warning: This account contains disturbing details of violence. Jean Claude, a Compassion alumnus, forgave the one who tortured and murdered his family—and even provided for his son’s education.*  I was born in the country of Rwanda in Kigali City, but I was born in a poor family where getting food was a problem. Where going […]