Using God's Gifts to Give Back

I'm so excited about today's blog post. Recently, I posed a question to sponsors on the OurCompassion forum asking how advocates, sponsors, and other compassionate people are using their creativity to raise money to meet their Compassion goals.

I was STUNNED by the many and varied ways that sponsors around the globe are using not only their unique talents, but also their sheer ingenuity to afford sponsored children and contribute to Compassion's other, equally important funds (for example, child survival, clean water initiatives, at-risk children, and malaria prevention).

The respondents graciously allowed me to share the ways they creatively fund raise on my blog, and I hope that by sharing our stories with you I will not only raise awareness for their stores, products, and efforts, but also spur you into ACTION using your own creative talents for Christ!

Without further adieu....

1.Donating proceeds from sales

There are many amazing people out there who are donating all or a portion of the proceeds from items they make and sell to Compassion.

Lizzie, a teenager and absolutely amazing role model, has an ETSY shop called madefromscratch4u.etsy.com where 100 percent of the net profit is donated to either the child survival program or is used pay for child sponsorships. Lizzie's shop features a wide variety of handmade items, from sponsor bracelets (featuring beads from the countries where sponsored children live) to crochet items.

Lizzie's Sponsor Bracelets for Compassion

Naomi, a fabulous photographer in Sacramento, California (whose photographs are so touching they brought tears to my eyes) donates a minimum of 20% of the gross of all sales to Compassion.  http://www.naomiharrisonphotography.com/giving-back/
Naomi also hosts Mother and Child mini-portrait sessions to benefit the Child Survival Program. http://www.naomiharrisonphotography.com/2013/04/30/sacramento-photographer-mothers-day-portraits/

Katie, operator of Churchill Crafts - beautiful baby gift items and handmade accessories, dedicates 100% of profits from her etsy store to Compassion sponsorships, child and family gifts, and birthday gifts for her sponsor and correspondence children.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChurchillCrafts

Fun and Fabulous baby items from Churchill Crafts

Jennifer N operates Shop with Compassion on Etsy - ultra creative and unique nursery book storage slings in gorgeous modern fabrics-- and  100% of her profits go towards sponsorships and child and family gifts, along with trips to visit her sponsored children via Compassion.

Awesome Nursery Book Storage from Shop with Compassion

Amanda Watts. has a facebook business, Watts Knots and Knicknacks (great name!) where she sells hats, bows, headbands, and other items. Portions of her sales go towards child sponsorships. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Watts-Knots-and-Knicknacks/259858294055808?ref=hl

Custom headband from Watts Knots and Knicknacks

Donna Kirckof draws members of her side-saddle forum on their horses at no cost with the no-obligation request of a compassion donation.

Michelle from Blogging From the Boonies has created watercolor paintings in exchange for $20 donations to Compassion.

Kayla tie-dyes T-shirts and sells them to raise funds for sponsorship.

And, finally, I operate an online ETSY store, Conspiracy of Love, where I sell handmade jewelry. 100% of my proceeds go to Compassion child survival program and  at-risk children's funds. I also make soaps and lotion bars for family and friends in exchange for donations. www.etsy.com/shop/ConspiracyofLove

Handmade jewelry from Conspiracy of Love

2. Write a book

Okay, so probably most of us can't do this... at least I know I can't. And I guess technically this is part of the list above, but I was so excited by this sponsor's contribution I felt it needed it's own category. Nineteen-year-old author Sydney Lorraine Danielle (yes, you heard me, 19 - crazy, right??) has just finished a young-adult fantasy adventure titled "This Deadly Quest," which will be available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon beginning August 2013. 100% of proceeds will be used for child sponsorships and birthday gifts. Pre-orders can be arranged via, isamscia@outlook.com. Sydney's website is www.isamscia.com.

3. Hosting Yard Sales

Many sponsors have hosted yard sales to benefit Compassion. I hosted one with another sponsor not long ago, myself, and was amazed at how much we were able to donate as a result. Yard sales are great, low-expense ways to rid your home of clutter and raise money for children who don't have the luxury of all that "stuff"!  Jesus told the rich man to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. The VERY least we can do is sell all the stuff we don't want and give the money to the poor, don't you think?

4. Host events

Lizzie, the same Lizzie mentioned above, rides her bicycle and encourages others to hold bika-a-thons to fund child sponsorships. You can support Lizzie's goal of reaching $1,000 through bicycling at http://gogetfunding.com/project/cycle4compassion

Lizzie cycling for Compassion

Casey, a skin care specialist, will be demonstrating "Water for Life" units in her spa studio and encouraging customers to contribute to the clean water fund at Compassion.

Michelle from Blogging From the Boonies hosted a (soggy) walk for Waters for Life where she was able to raise enough money for 26 water filters! See her account on her blog, here http://www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com/2012/07/walking-in-water.html. Michelle has also participated with her family in "One Meal One Day" where you donate the cost of skipped meals to Compassion. Read her account here: http://www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com/2013/03/thoughts-on-empty-stomach.html

5. Sell your blood

Okay, really your plasma. Honestly, I had never thought about selling plasma for Compassion. It would never have occurred to me. I remember friends in college who sold plasma for a little extra cash, but what a sacrifice to sell your own plasma for the benefit of Compassion! That's what Emily at OurCompassion did to raise money for sponsorships while she was in graduate school. The really cool thing is you're actually doing something good times 2...you're providing much-needed plasma AND donating money to those who really need it!

SO there you have it... I know there are a TON more wonderful examples out there, and I WHOLEHEARTEDLY thank those who sent me their creative fundraising ideas.

I hope you'll take this opportunity to visit the links I've posted, and to support the vendors listed above. Please consider them for Christmas, Birthday, Wedding, and Shower gifts this year to help them in their efforts to reach out to children in need! I also hope you'll be moved to use your own skills for God's honor! 

Easter Week

I missed my second post last week because I was blessed to spend a whole weekend celebrating Easter with my mom, my brothers and sisters-in-law, their kids, and my aunt and cousin and her daughters...It was a house full at my mom's! The only person missing was my sweet daddy, who went to be with Jesus in 2006.

Spending time surrounded by people I love most in the world reminds me of how blessed I am in this life. I don't know why Jesus graced me with so many blessings, but I do know that with those blessings comes an awesome responsibility to share the love and the grace and the mercy he has given to me with those who do not have those comforts. The weekend was also a reminder that it isn't the things we have that make us feel content and joyful, it is the relationships we develop and the love we share with family and friends.

I can't imagine the sorrow a child must feel if they don't have those connections with family or friends to buoy them up out of the fear and discomfort of poverty. A wealthy child can feel extraordinarily alone if their emotional needs are unmet, while a poor child can feel rich if their emotional needs ARE met.

I remember sitting on my couch one day a few years ago before I had my son, watching TV. I remember thinking, Is this it? Is this really all there is? I mean, I love my husband, and my life at the time was amazing--I was able to do just about anything I wanted to with my time, I was dancing with a group of ladies that I adore, I enjoyed my job, and I love the Lord... but I was so bored! I kept thinking, I should be making a difference in the world, not watching "Wipeout" every Thursday night on TV like clockwork.

I started reading books about trafficking and modern-day slavery, and I really wanted to make a difference, somehow, but I felt stuck. I wasn't sure how to begin. There didn't seem to be a logical first step. The people who were working in the fields of humanitarianism seemed like giants, and I felt like an ant. I was afraid to begin.

Now I can see, in retrospect, that I was focusing on the wrong thing. I was focusing on the "me" in the equation. I was focusing on how hard it would be for "me" to do this or that, or how little difference "I" could make. I was busy comparing "me" with "them" instead of working towards discovering baby steps towards helping others. Instead of starting by collecting canned goods for a local charity, or sponsoring a single child, I was sitting on the couch fretting about what I "couldn't" do.

Had I done a simple amount of searching, I would have found that I didn't have to look too far to find so many ways to impact my world. It could be as easy as sponsoring one child and meeting their emotional need of feeling connected to the world, or making a donation to help provide health care to women and children in need. I could have opened up a Kiva loan for a small business somewhere in a developing country. Locally I could have baked some bread for my neighbor, or carried some magazines to the nursing home.

There are so many ways to help other people. As we approach Easter, we are bombarded by bunnies and chicks and eggs and baskets and candy by the bucket-load. There's nothing wrong with Easter baskets and colored eggs and fuzzy bunnies and chicks. But Easter is a time for Christians to celebrate the greatest sacrifice--Jesus' death on the cross as an expression of the great love and mercy of God.

Jesus gave his life because he loved you and me and every single one of the kids on the sponsor-me page at Compassion. Jesus loved the thief enough to forgive him on the spot, even through his own suffering. He extended compassion even as he was on the brink of death.

Make a difference. Sponsor a child this Easter. Make a donation this Easter. Love, in remembrance of Him.