A CONCERT FOR COVID

Some hilarious parent posted a photo on social media that said, “How I disguise my snacks from the lazy, unemployed people who live here.” In her hand, she holds an ice cream sandwich, hidden behind a large leaf of lettuce. Her children play in the background, oblivious. Funny, right? I laughed too.

Later, I imagined what it might be like to show that picture with its caption to a family living in a place where children must work. Where if the entire family isn’t employed, they starve. Where the parent may not have eaten today because they gave their share to the child. No one in that family would understand the joke.

Experts predict half a billion more people are at risk of being pushed into extreme poverty due to the impact of Covid-19. My goal in sharing this is not to make you feel guilty if you’ve been able to eat and feed your family today. Rather, I want to encourage you. You can do more than you think from home to help those in dire circumstances, thanks to people in the trenches who were already doing great work before the pandemic hit.

You can read a wonderful example on Compassion Canada’s website which describes how a woman named Meseret and her 15-year-old daughter, Saron, sold everything they could and took any work just to cover another month’s rent on their tiny, primitive dwelling. Eventually, they were evicted. Meseret felt reluctant to turn to the Compassion center that Saron had been part of since the age of five.

“I didn’t want to bother them,” she said. “They’d already done so much when they provided food support for us at the start of the pandemic. I’ve always believed in working and overcoming my problems, but I knew I could not overcome this by myself.”

Then she received a call from the director of Saron’s Compassion center. She had called to check in, as she and the rest of the center staff have been doing regularly during the pandemic with all the families in their care. Compassion helped Meseret with six months’ rent on a new place—which to her, felt like six years.

“I felt seen and heard by God,” Meseret says. “Her phone call brought a sense of hope and a promise of a better tomorrow. They always know what to do.”

Wouldn’t you love to be part of those kind of stories? For the first time ever, Compassion Canada, World Vision Canada, and Food for the Hungry Canada will unite for a virtual concert led by incredible artists such as Hillsong, Toby Mac, Kirk Franklin, for KING & COUNTRY, Michael W. Smith, and more.

You can watch the concert live on Facebook or YouTube this Friday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m.  Unite to Fight Poverty is a FREE two-hour concert event benefiting families in the developing world who are most vulnerable. You’ll receive an opportunity to support COVID-19 relief efforts in areas of the world with the greatest needs.

God put you here for a reason. You have a part to play in his kingdom work.

Tune in online:

•      Facebook

•      YouTube

 

It's a Girl!

It was at a Breakforth conference in Edmonton in 2007 when I raised my hand to receive a very special envelope. Compassion Canada representatives had left their booth to work the crowd, holding up packets much like you’d see ushers selling programs at a concert. Each packet held details about a child in a third world country awaiting sponsorship.

It was something I had always wanted to do. I’d already stopped by their booth and looked at photos of these precious kids, but still I hesitated. Now, when I felt my heart pounding, I knew it was time. I waved the guy over.

“Lord,” I prayed. “Whichever envelope I am handed, that is the child you want me to sponsor. I won’t trade it.”

Seconds later, I was looking into the face of a little boy from Ecuador with at least four fancy Spanish names. I sponsored him until he moved out of the sponsorship area, then Compassion replaced him with another boy around the same age named Tarion. We exchanged letters for several years. Each time I received a new photo of Tarion, I could see him growing taller and more mature. Last fall, he too moved out of the area—although at 17, he would have “aged out” soon anyway.

So I called Compassion to see about being matched with another child.

“Would you like another boy?” the lady asked.

“You know what?” I said. “Since I first signed on for this, God has given us five grandsons and no granddaughters. I really think I’d like a little girl.”

Perhaps it’s politically incorrect to categorize children into only these two designations these days, but that doesn’t seem like a high priority to those struggling simply to survive.

She laughed and asked if age or nationality mattered. I told her wherever the need was greatest would be fine. Children are automatically ranked by greatest need, and the first girl on her list was a four-year old named Sara from Colombia. Now she’s MY little Sara, and she’s as cute as a bug!

"My" Sara

Compassion Canada reports that sponsored kids are 27% - 40% more likely to finish secondary education, and 35% more likely to have professional careers than their unsponsored peers. Further, Compassion kids are 40% - 70% more likely to become church leaders. This is because Compassion takes a holistic approach, rather than simply handing out food or clothing. Real and lasting change happens when children are developed physically, mentally, relationally, and spiritually to become the adults who will create change in their community. These children grow up to be givers and community leaders. All for $41 a month off your credit card! 

If you ever want to check on the rankings of charitable organizations, a good place to look is the 2018 Charity 100 list produced by MoneySense. As its name suggests, the list names the top 100 charities in Canada and gives letter grades, based mostly on efficiency. It’s a great way to ensure your giving dollars go as far as they can for the cause you care about. I was pleased to see Compassion Canada near the top. On Compassion’s website, you can view pictures and details of the children awaiting sponsorship. Or call them at 1-800-563-5437. You will never regret it!

A Little Good News Today

Imagine you’re walking down the street and a reporter approaches you, sticks a microphone in your face, and asks, “Is poverty in Canada on the rise?”  

How would you answer?

The prevailing belief seems to be that yes, poverty is definitely on the rise. Four million people live below Canada’s poverty line. That’s more than 11% of us.

 

“What about the world at large?” the reporter asks.

“Oh, it’s definitely getting worse in third world countries,” you might say. You’ve seen the footage of the hungry and homeless, the unspeakable human suffering caused by war and draught. It’s true that while extreme poverty is all but eliminated in developed countries like Canada, it remains common in many developing countries. (The World Bank defines “extreme poverty” as living on less than $1.25 per day, being unable to provide emergency health care, education, clean water, adequate shelter, or enough food for your children.)

However, despite population growth, 700 million fewer people live in extreme poverty today than 25 years ago. For the first time in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean, more people live in the middle class than in poverty. Vietnam’s percentage of people living in extreme poverty dropped from 58% in the 1990s to 10% in 2010. China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand are all pulling ahead in this war.

Six million fewer children under age five died last year than died in 1990. Polio is nearly eradicated, and 3.3 million fewer people died from malaria in the span of 12 years. Adult illiteracy has been cut in half since 1985, and in the past 25 years, 2.3 billion people received access to clean water.

For some reason, these positive statistics are slow to spread. Is that because it’s easier to believe it’s hopeless and just give up? When people believe it’s impossible to eradicate extreme poverty, concern dwindles. We become apathetic or cynical. I don’t tell you these things because I want to be Pollyanna, but to reveal another truth besides the endless devastating TV news stories about disease, war, and famine. In many ways, progress is being made and you can play a role in it. Yes, there are grim stats, too. Child poverty right here at home is up several points from the 1990s. There are certainly still far too many hungry people on this planet. But we are making headway, one child at a time. Think how you will feel when statistics look still better 20 years from now, knowing you played a part in it!

I was pleased to learn two of my favorite charities, Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion, made the top ten list of charities known for their exceptional financial management. But you have many others to choose from. To give where you know your money will really count, you can check out rankings at www.charitynavigator.org

 

Because we sure could use a little good news today. And because every one of us can help create a little good news today.

(Sources for these statistics came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bottom Billion Fund, Statistics Canada, The Barna Group, The Conference Board ofCanada, The World Bank, The World Health Organization, and United Nations.)