Reflections: Compassion Blogging Trip

Every night of this trip, all of the Compassion bloggers have come together to share stories, snacks, laughter, tears, check facts and spellings (Kiswahili – oh my!) and do what we love most – write.  I have been so blessed to share this week with five amazing bloggers whose styles and perspectives differ greatly from my own. There is so much more that I want need to say about my experiences this week, and I know that the stories will come to me slowly over time in many future posts, emails, and conversations.  But for now, I want you to meet the incredibly gifted people I have come to love this week and hear about our experience through their words.

Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations:

I have been a Compassion sponsor for three years, and yet this week the phrase I have said more than anything is “I didn’t realize that!” Jolanthe has been something of a sponsorship mentor for me this week, and yesterday she wrote a great post on the third day of our trip about the difference a family gift can make in the life of a Compassion child’s family.  This post is especially compelling to families who already sponsor a child because it shows the possibilities for sponsors to help their sponsored child beyond the monthly contribution and letters.

Kelli at Minivans are Hot:

Kelli won’t admit this, but she has an amazing gift for words. AMAZING.  She has a way of making the people around her feel what she is feeling and she finds a way to put to words the emotions that we cannot express.  Yesterday when we got to the Compassion offices in Arusha, Tanzania, we had the opportunity to worship with the staff, praying, and singing songs.  We were all moved by the experience, but Kelli captured the overall feeling in her post “Miracles So Great.”

Scott at Big is the New Small:

Every time Scott speaks, something deep inside of me is ready to go to church.  He is a pastor and has a way of moving people through prayer that is a gift straight from God.  Today I witnessed a Masai woman praying feverishly next to him in her native tongue while he prayed in English, holding her hand, the pace and the fervor of his words picking up in speed, her words hanging right with him.  It was so unbelievably powerful.  Scott also has a wonderful way of summarizing information in a clear and concise way. I’d love for you to check out his post “Where There Is No Vision The People Perish.”

Nester at The Nester:

The size of Nester’s laugh is surpassed only by the size of her heart, which is so full of love and a calling to give that you can feel it the moment you meet her.  Hers was the face that immediately made me feel at ease when our group met at the airport in Detroit, and her words have shored me up throughout our trip.  I was so privileged to have her by my side as I spent the day with my sponsored child, Mektrida, meeting her family, seeing her home, getting to know her.  I was nervous, but Nester’s presence was calming.  Please read her beautiful perspective of our time together at “Nail Polish, Bubbles, and $38.”

Maggie at Gussy Sews:

You know that friend who is cool in the way you wish you could be cool and yet is still your friend? That’s Maggie. And when the Compassion children see her they all immediately want to be her friend, holding her hand, wrapping her in their arms, playing with her hair.  She has brought such a uniqueness to this experience, not just because of her infectious personality, but also because of her blogging background.  Maggie is the owner of Gussy Sews, part blog, part tutorial, and part store front.  This has allowed her to have an interesting perspective on what we are doing here, and I’d love for you to hear her powerful voice in her post “What I Found at the Market.”

Read more of the Compassion blogging team’s posts at the Compassion Bloggers Tanzania page.

Sponsor a Compassion child in Tanzania at Compassion.com.