Inspiring Weekend... on celebrating 50 years!

What an inspiring weekend we had!
It was a Compassion-filled weekend which really started on Friday when my girl and I represented Compassion Canada at the Global Leadership Summit.

My girl at the Global Leadership Summit. #glscda

Connecting with churches and pastors was the main focus of the event, not child sponsorship... yet still, my girl and I were thrilled when four children found their way to the hearts of people who will now be their sponsors!!!

We packed up the booth, loaded up the car and headed home to pack some more... excited for our whole family to be headed to London, Ontario the very next day to celebrate Compassion Canada's 50th birthday!!!

And we're off!

We headed out early Saturday morning for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to London... my girl was accompanied by her knitting (of course!) and my boy by his ever-present cubes (of course!). :)

We arrived just in time to share a lovely lunch with fellow Compassion Advocates who were in town for the big event. It was so awesome to meet many of them in person... many of whom we've only connected via social media!

Then it was the big event!

It was such an inspiring evening... celebrating God's goodness and His faithfulness! Our family is humbled that God would invite us to be a part of such an amazing ministry, releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name!

It brings me to tears thinking... What if we ignored or missed God's calling? What if we chose comfort over obedience? What if we missed being blessed because we chose self? I can't even imagine *not* doing this, this not being part of our family's life... and to think that just merely less than four years ago, just before Christmas of 2009, we had no idea what Compassion's ministry was all about!

It took our girl, just twelve years old at that time, to jolt us out of our comfort zones... and onto the journey of child sponsorship... when all she wanted as a present that Christmas was a little sister from Compassion Canada! 

God has truly given our girl a special heart... a heart with a passion to change the world! She inspires me each and every day... to be more of Jesus' hands and feet, to be a world-changer, to be a better person and a better mama, to not be satisfied with mediocrity, to live large for God!

My girl, chatting with Wess Stafford a.k.a Papa Wess! ♥
{A big THANK YOU to my friend, Tracy Smith, for snapping this photo
capturing the essence of the conversation quite beautifully!}

I have a feeling that Wess Stafford, President Emeritus of Compassion International and more affectionately known as Papa Wess, might have sensed my girl's passion during their short conversation as he encouraged her to live large for God and to keep changing the world for Jesus... telling her that one day she, too, might be Compassion International's President!

Wow! Hearing that from Papa Wess truly made this mama-heart smile... yes, really! Well, the truth is... I had to hold back happy tears. :) Regardless of whether she becomes Compassion International's President one day or not, I am certain of this...

That she will live life as "a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor"... which has been my prayer for her {from the verses in Isaiah 61:1-3} since the day she was born!

Our family, with Wess Stafford.

With that conversation as a start to our evening...

It was impossible not to be inspired and be in awe of God's goodness as the evening progressed! 

Hubby and I even had the awesome opportunity to speak in person with Jim Mellado, Compassion International's new President. We shared with him our vision and our hearts' desire to see our home country, Philippines, have an office where people can sponsor with Compassion locally. We are encouraged to hear that progress is being made towards the implementation of it! So exciting!!! 

Shaun Groves singing "All Is Grace", a song inspired by my friend and
favourite author/blogger, Ann Voskamp!

"What a gift it is that we have something to give." ~ Shaun Groves.

"Love always costs something. To love is to give." ~ #compassionCA50th @CompassionCA

Barry & Sharon Slauenwhite were surprised by their sponsor child/
LDP student being there to celebrate with all of us!

"The world does not need more Compassion, the world needs more Jesus Christ." ~ Barry Slauenwhite, Compassion Canada's President/CEO. 

Papa Wess speaking words of encouragement!

"Do not grow weary in well doing. We're not done yet..." ~ Papa Wess.

On Sunday morning...
On a whim, we decided to head to Light Presbyterian Church where Compassion Korea's President, Dr. Justin Suh, was speaking. There was going to be an appeal for child sponsorships and there was a need for more Advocates to help staff the Compassion tables as six stations were set-up for people to signup to sponsor children!

Since all four of us... myself, hubby and our kids... are fully-trained Advocates, we knew we just had to be there! We left our hotel earlier than planned and headed out of London towards Light Presbyterian Church, which is conveniently located on our way home. 

What a blessed morning it was... as we saw 364 (!!!) children sponsored! Truly such a blessing!!! 

As a bonus, because God is just awesome like that, as we were having lunch together with fellow Advocates and some folks from the church, hubby struck up a conversation with a lady who so happens to be a lawyer and have had the awesome opportunity of working with International Justice Mission on the field in the Philippines!

My girl has been wanting to chat with someone like that as she contemplates on becoming a human rights lawyer one day and working with an organization such as IJM! {Side note: Her passion to end modern-day slavery is why she started knitting!}

Only God can arrange "coincidences" as such! Don't you just love how He knits paths together?!?

Words aren't adequate...
To relate to you, my dear blog readers, just how incredibly full my heart is and how immensely blessed I am feeling today! It was truly an awe-inspiring weekend!

I am pumped, more than ever before, to be more of Jesus' hands and feet in this world where pain, suffering and poverty can only have one solution... and that is Jesus! 

Would you join me in releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name? If so, please click here... a child is waiting to call you friend today!

:: :: ::

As I continue to live out thanks and give thanks by counting grace-gifts, with unending thanks... to The One who is always good and who always loves... these are the things I am thankful for these two weeks... #3079 - #3092:

:: That God would see fit to invite unqualified people like us to partner with Him in Kingdom work.

:: Compassion's global ministry... releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name!

:: Compassion's vision for the year 2020... to reach 4 million children and their families with the message of God's love!

:: Compassion Canada's 50 years... such a privilege for our family to be a small part of it!

:: Fellow Compassion Advocates from all over this vast country!

:: For the many people this weekend who stepped out of their comfort zones and embraced child sponsorship!

:: The staff of Compassion Canada, for their commitment and dedication!

:: For this mama-heart, continually being stretched to give her kids wings to fly... to wherever God would send them!

:: For the united vision that God has given our family... to be Jesus' hands and feet to those most in need.

:: God's love... so vast, so relentless, so everlasting!

:: That there are no coincidences with God... He *is* in the details!

:: George Canyon, a Compassion Artist, who so graciously gave me CDs and autographed them for my boss who is a fan of his! ♥

:: God's grace... sustaining us through busy days.

:: This new week, His mercies new for each day!

Hello Monday!

As you might've already figured out, I am still on a high from the weekend's events. God has surprised me with fresh inspiration... and I am truly grateful! This quote, from Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, sums up my heart this morning...

Instead of filling with expectations, the joy-filled expect nothing - and are filled. This breath! This oak tree! This daisy! This work! This sky! These people! This place! This day! Surprise!

Choosing to live a surrendered life... because Christ's love compels me... and giving thanks for everything that my good God so freely bestows, so lavishly gives and so extravagantly showers!

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!