Articles by Ben Steed at Heartlight

Reunited

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600

Two years ago I traveled to Ecuador with Compassion International and wrote about meeting a little boy named Edison who moved me deeply. He lived near a dump in the city -- an area where adults typically gather recyclables and sell scrap to make enough money to get by. The poverty in his neighborhood was so overwhelming that I was completely broken; little Edison was only 18 months old but was facing seemingly insurmountable odds.

The only solace I had when we departed was that Edison was part of a relatively new program from Compassion International called the Child Survivor Program (CSP). I saw first-hand the impact this program was having on him and his mother by educating them in areas such as hygiene, nutrition, and many other developmental skills. As the father of a boy the same age as Edison, I knew how important this program was to his development as well as the support it provided for his mother. Still, his situation was bleak and walking in his shoes for just a little while forever changed me. We left Ecuador the next day, but Edison remained in my heart for many months after I returned home.

This past fall, Compassion International’s "mobile experience" came to my city. We took our children to see it -- an interactive traveling display that gives a glimpse into the lives of children living in poverty. With renewed conviction we came home with plans to sponsor a boy from Ecuador who was the same age as my son. So we visited Compassion’s website, chose that country, and looked for boys ages 3-5. There was only one child who matched the search: His name? Edison Ivan!

My wife and I couldn’t believe it -- in fact, we didn’t believe it. Of all the kids (there are 1,000,000+ sponsored children) in the world, it just couldn’t be him! But after reviewing some photos and videos from my trip to his house, it became clear that the boy that had moved me to tears had done it again. Edison was a needle in the haystack of poverty, but God saw fit to lead me to him not once--but twice. I had been reunited with Edison and had learned that he was doing well. Now I am able to write him letters and have received drawings from him and notes from his tutor. It is such a privilege to participate in a material, emotional and spiritual way as he grows in the Lord.

I realize most people who sponsor a child through Compassion will never have an experience like this. Most sponsors never meet the children they sponsor. But faithfully sponsoring a child you’ll never meet has an incredible impact for the kingdom of God. The older sponsored children I have spoken with frequently say they are awestruck that someone in another country would love them without ever meeting them. Sponsors who love these children because Christ first loved them are doing more than they could ever imagine to share Jesus with the world.

We love because he first loved us --1 John 4:19

Will you prayerfully consider sponsoring a child through Compassion? There are many more boys and girls like Edison who are longing for someone to sponsor them. You can learn more about the program by visiting Compassion International's website or emailing me.

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

Compassion in Colombia

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0600

When you think of Colombia, the first thing that comes to your mind probably isn't children. A country that is often associated with brutal violence, kidnappings and drugs is also a place of hope for over 55,000 children thanks to Compassion International.

I was privileged to travel with a team of people to see the work that Compassion is doing in partnership with nearly 200 local churches in Colombia. We were able to take a first-hand look at how their child sponsorship program works by connecting sponsors with kids, helping them to escape the grip of poverty in all its forms.

Nicol. Sebastian. Miguel. Wendy. Samuel. Pablo. Just a few names from the hundreds of kids we met that refuse to believe the lie of poverty which says they don't matter. They were beautiful children with incredible stories of heartbreak and hope.

(Photos by Dan Pritchett)

But the story I'm sharing today belongs to an adult whose childhood was very similar to the children I met. Jailer (pronounced "high-ler") was an eight year old kid growing up in Colombia. 80% of the people in his neighborhood were enslaved by poverty. It was a place where hopes and dreams were as scarce as food and clothing. Now 24 years old, Jailer has a degree in civil engineering and works with Compassion International's Complementary Intervention Program. I was fortunate to spend several days with Jailer as he served as a translator for our team. He's a great young man full of life and love for God.

Jailer's story is much different than it could have been thanks to Michael and Susan Sutherland: a couple who sponsored Jailer through Compassion International for 10 years. They shared their story of sponsoring Jailer at the Catalyst Convention in 2012. Here are two videos from that event:

[ Watch at YouTube ]

[ Watch at uStream ]

While Jailer's story of success and accomplishment is moving, I'm more deeply moved by the love of the Sutherlands. They saw a child—the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:14)—and rather than keeping him from Jesus as his apostles did, they committed to helping him grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man. Their sponsorship of Jailer through Compassion International was the kind of action Christ not only demonstrated but asks of us. While the Sutherlands are proud of the man he's become, his success was not a condition of their love and support—it was a byproduct of it.

Here at Heartlight we've personally sponsored several children through Compassion International and I can say without hesitation how incredible and beneficial this program is in the lives of over 1 million children in 26 countries. I also want to thank you, our readers for helping sponsor over 650+ children over the past several years! We're extremely proud yet humbled by your willingness to care for "the least of these."

If you haven't ever considered sponsoring a child, would you please prayerfully consider it? You can learn more about the program by visiting Compassion International's website or contacting us. We hope you'll join us in this wonderful work of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

From Surviving to Thriving

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Everywhere I turned in Ecuador there were kids, but it wasn't until we visited the last project that I saw -- correction -- heard so many babies. When we arrived at Project #EC-121, we were led into a small room that served as a sanctuary full of hundreds of moms with children under the age of 3. They're part of Compassion's Child Survivor Program, and something about the program was very special to me.

My household has two small children -- a four year-old girl and a 20 month-old boy, so we hear lots of crying and go through plenty of diapers. Raising small children is rewarding but can be very trying; and as I looked around the room, many of these women appeared to share the same universal joys and struggles of raising children that my wife and I do. Throughout the day, I shared with them photos of my family and we often smiled together in a mutual understanding that required no translation (which was good because my Spanish is pretty bad).

But there was a distinct difference. Most of these women were single mothers, often raising 2, 3 or more children by themselves with very little to no income. We were told that before these mothers enter the program, it's not uncommon to see a 60% rate of women who have thoughts of suicide. The child mortality rate is high, 4-5% in this area of Ecuador.

However, the Child Survival Program is changing that. By educating mothers in areas such as hygiene, nutrition, developmental skills (for both mom and baby) and by providing routine medical treatment along with nutritious meals for both the mother and child, the CSP program is making huge strides in the lives of these families. The babies show incredible signs of improvement and are much further along developmentally when compared to other 3 year olds who are part of the traditional Child Sponsorship Program.

It was also exciting to see that the mothers are learning new skills to help them earn income for their families. I met three of the mothers and was excited to buy their wares (it was the first "sale" for two of them) since my wife is an artisan, too.

But one of the key characteristics of the CSP program happens through the home visits done by the "promoters" -- volunteers who visit 8 moms each day and spend an hour with them every week to counsel with them and help their children with developmental exercises. That afternoon, we went on such a visit to see Edison and his mother.

They live in what could best be described as the gates of a dump. It's a place where people sort through trash to extract recyclables and other valuables that they could sell. 25 people share a single outhouse.

Nine of us gathered into the house—a 10'x10' room with two twin beds and a refrigerator. There were no windows, and the door was a sheet. Almost all of the people we had met on the trip were incredibly joyful, but Edison's mother looked defeated. We learned she had 4 children living with her, and Edison was constantly sick. Thankfully, because of the program, great strides were being made to improve his health, but she still looked as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Words, pictures, and even video can't describe the moment. Edison was just two months younger than my son. Suddenly, it all became very real to me. Now I know.

Now I know that poverty is real. I know that there are kids -- just like my kids -- who live at the dump. I no longer have to imagine it. I've seen it. But I also know that in the name of Jesus, many of these kids are being lifted out of poverty. It gives them hope, and it gives me hope.

In fact, one of the only things that gave me solace in that situation was that Edison and her mother were part of a program that not only was helping him grow but was showing him the love of Jesus. Edison and her mother were getting nutritious meals, fellowship with other moms, and one-on-one developmental counseling thanks to Compassion International.

Here are the entire series of articles from Ben's trip to Ecuador:

A Fork in My Path

It's a Small World After All

"We Exist"

Compassionate People

From Surviving to Thriving

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

Compassionate People

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Before going to Ecuador I assumed meeting the children would be a delight, but I never imagined to be so deeply moved by another group of people: the employees of Compassion. Without exception, each of the Compassion employees I met was fully committed to their mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. That spoke volumes to me.

In America, hard work was once valued, but that concept seems to be eroding from a pursuit of comfort, the saturation of entertainment, and a sense of entitlement. On the contrary, the people I met that worked for and with Compassion were the epitome of servants.

Andrea, a Compassion employee and mother of two who worked tirelessly to keep our group on schedule while simultaneously translating for us and coordinating 1,000+ Christmas presents. I called her my "Ecuadorian" Andrea (since my wife is also named Andrea).

Omar, another Compassion employee who translated for us and who takes sponsors to meet their kids for home visits. Omar was yawning constantly—not from boredom, but from lack of sleep from his hard work.

Pablo, also a translator for Compassion, told me how he not only translates during visits but in addition translates 300-500 letters from sponsors each week, getting paid $0.34 per letter. I was thankful for his ability to express what I could have never said in Spanish. He shared his testimony of how his father was electrocuted (40,000 volts which should have killed him) resulting in Pablo’s anger at God. Pablo was convicted not from the healing of his father (which took 6 months) but through the patience and forgiveness of God, resulting in his life-long commitment to serving Him.

Little Pablo, another translator, is a young father who also translates not only for visitors but for sponsorship letters to the children. Fighting a cold all week, Pablo’s commitment and heart were evident as we visited the churches.

The Country Office Employees

Given the challenges and chaos that can be found in a developing country, I was floored by just how well Compassion’s operations function in Ecuador. It rivals any Fortune 500 environment, and the work and focus we saw on display at the country’s main office was not only encouraging, it was innovative. They are constantly working to improve their efforts, and with over 300 projects impacting 55,000+ children, it’s evident that they’re working very hard to do so.
We met communications experts, auditors, accountants, and many others who work to ensure that the sponsorship program is reaching its full potential.

Program Directors and Church Volunteers
One of the things that stood out to me was the transparency of the program. Each project is required to keep receipts, tracking income streams and purchases for each child, and keep meticulous accounting. Each project is audited both internally and through a 3rd party to ensure all funds and efforts are properly directed. None of this is easy, especially in a country where basic utilities and infrastructure can be a challenge. That’s why it gave me a great deal of relief to see just how well tracked all of the financial contributions are handled and channeled.

But at the very end of the sponsorship chain are volunteers, teachers and tutors who get paid minuscule amounts to educate and mentor the children -- and they’re wonderful. I met "Rosa," a volunteer who had been teaching the teens at her church for 10 years. Others in our group met a tutor who was the "mother" of a 13 year old boy who was raising his 12 year old sister by himself. I can’t forget Eddie and his brother; two young men who visit mothers and their newborn children—8 of them each day for an hour each—to help ensure they are developing properly as part of the CSP program. Their pay? $100 a month. They were incredible servants.

The employees’ salaries are good for the economy there, but the volunteers make very little. There’s no glory in these roles. These are people who are doing kingdom work in some very difficult places, but through their work and sponsorships from people like you, Compassion is making an incredible difference in the lives of these children.

Here are the entire series of articles from Ben's trip to Ecuador:

A Fork in My Path

It's a Small World After All

"We Exist"

Compassionate People

From Surviving to Thriving

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

We Exist

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600

One evening at our hotel we got to meet Jonathan and Alexandra -- two students who are part of Compassion’s Leadership Development Program (LDP). Both had incredible stories of how Compassion had helped them overcome poverty (through the CDSP) and was now helping them pursue professions; but there was something about Alexandra that resonated with me at a deeper level.

Alexandra had been a part of the more well-known Child Sponsorship Program, but rarely heard from her sponsors throughout the years. She seemed slightly disappointed with that, but more disappointed that they had not acknowledged her efforts. After some prodding, she told us that if she could meet her sponsors, she would want them to know that they would be proud of her and what she had accomplished. Alexandra not only wanted her sponsors to know that they helped her but she longed to prove that their support had been well worth it. And it had.

Alexandra had recently received her degree in Child Psychology and was counseling children and working out of Compassion’s main office. Complete strangers in Australia had sponsored a child from across the globe; now that same child was impacting the lives of hundreds of children in Ecuador.

I asked her, "If you could tell potential sponsors something -- anything -- what would you tell them?" "That we exist ..." she said, becoming overcome with emotions. Alexandra went on to say she is dumbfounded that people would send money to complete strangers, noting such action as an incredible act of faith. But she emphasized that she was real. Her brother and sisters, the kids she counsels, and her friends are all real people who are incredibly grateful for Compassion and for sponsors who are willing to help complete strangers.

They do exist.

Compassion’s Leadership Development Program
Jonathan and Alexandra are just two of the 150+ Leadership Development Program(LDP) students in Ecuador. The Leadership Development Program gives 1,700+ students worldwide the opportunity to attend a university and be participants rather than bystanders. But before students can become tomorrow's leaders, they must be sponsored. To learn more, visit Compassion.com.

Here are the entire series of articles from Ben's trip to Ecuador:

A Fork in My Path

It's a Small World After All

"We Exist"

Compassionate People

From Surviving to Thriving

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

It's a Small World After All

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Fernanda is a 5 year old girl who had been waiting for a sponsor through Compassion International for 9 months. Lee Raney, one of my fellow travelers, had recently sponsored Fernanda and I was fortunate enough to travel along with him and a translator to Fernanda’s house for a home visit.

We left the project center and headed to her home on the Ecuadorian hillside, a half-hour trip for Fernanda -- 15 minutes by foot and a 15 minute bus ride. Fernanda had met Lee earlier that day, but she and her mother were understandably shy, particularly about traveling in a car with 3 strange men.

It was a wild ride, complete with potholes, cows, and lots of mud. Along the way we learned that Fernanda’s mother worked on a flower farm, 13 out of 14 days. She receives minimum wage, which is $240/month -- a decent paying job in a country where 40% of the people face extreme poverty. Still, she has two children (5 and 1), is a single mother, and also takes care of her mother who lives with them.

We finally arrived, walking the last 1/2 mile to her home. Lee and the child walked hand in hand and she seemed to relax a bit more with each step we took towards her home. The home was a "duplex" of sorts: two rooms with separate entrances for Fernanda’s family and her aunt’s family who lived in the other room. It was humble -- even sobering. It was one room, two beds, one dresser, and no chairs. They had a small dual-burner that served as the kitchen where beans were soaking. It was dark, with only two light bulbs burning. Rent: $25 per month.

Fernanda was excited to show Lee her small collection of stuffed animals. Much like my own 4 year old who is shy, she was now much more comfortable in her own home. Lee shared with her a few gifts (including a pretty red dress), and Omar, our translator, had a gift for expressing the emotions of both Lee and the child in his words.

Lastly, Lee pulled out a Spanish Bible. Fernanda lit up. "I can’t read yet, but as soon as I can I’m going to read this!" she exclaimed, putting it in her dresser. We prayed over her and her family, and stepped outside as the light of the day was beginning to fade away.

In that moment, the world seemed simultaneously large and small to me. Here, standing in (what was to me) the middle of nowhere was a child whose life was now changed for the better. She is getting three nutritious meals each week. She is now regularly interacting with kids and adults in the setting of a church. She is learning about the so-called Jesus who is much more tangible when people like Lee and his family are willing to extend compassion to complete strangers because of Him. They live 5,000 miles apart but are now joined in a way that connects them not only to each other but to the entire kingdom of God. It doesn’t happen through wishful thinking. It happens when God’s spirit moves through people and they respond to it by becoming the hands and feet of Jesus.

Child Development Sponsorship Program
Just like Fernanda, over 1.2 million children are being released from poverty in Jesus’ name through Compassion International. To learn more about sponsoring a child, please visit Compassion.com.

Here are the entire series of articles from Ben's trip to Ecuador:

A Fork in My Path

It's a Small World After All

"We Exist"

Compassionate People

From Surviving to Thriving

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website

A Fork in My Path

ben@heartlight.org (Ben Steed) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Hope. The over-arching emotion I experienced while in Ecuador with Compassion International was hope. I didn’t know what to expect -- I’ve never been much of a globe trekker, but my best guess was that I would see a lot of poverty. There was overwhelming poverty, but I would have never guessed that in the midst of such poverty there was hope.

There was no sales pitch. No arm twisting. No marketing trickery. The evidence was in the eyes and smiles of the children, parents, and laypeople of the churches we visited: Compassion International works. Their mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name is being fulfilled and I was privileged enough to witness it.

I recently traveled to Ecuador with a dozen people comprised of a mix of Compassion employees and website developers who help promote Compassion through our publications. We had a first-hand look at how:

Churches implement the Compassion International Child Development Sponsorship Program;

Compassion’s Child Survivor Program (a relatively new program) works with moms and their babies to help them not only survive, but thrive;

Compassion’s Country-wide office orchestrates over 300+ projects that help 55,000+ children in Ecuador as well as implements Complementary Interventions;

Sponsored children are becoming leaders through the Leadership Development Program.

In the coming days I want to share a few of the most memorable stories from my trip starting today with the first child I met in Ecuador.

We arrived on a Saturday evening. As we left the Quito airport, a young, all-alone girl (around 13 years of age) was waiting outside our bus begging for money. Shuffling past her I got on the bus and thought to myself, “I’m not ready for this.” I wasn’t ready to experience the poverty, the desolation, and the sense of despair in which this little girl lived daily. I fully realize that I live in a self-constructed bubble of wealth and prosperity, and seeing this little girl reminded me that my bubble was about to burst.

Jim Elliott, a well-known missionary was tragically killed while living and working in the jungles of Ecuador. He is the author of these two quotes:

Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

This poverty-stricken girl was no longer in some far-away country; she was standing in front of me, between where I was and where I was going. She was the fork in my path. I had to turn one way or another upon seeing Christ in her. Sadly, I had already made my choice when I shuffled past that little girl. Thankfully, God allows U-turns.

[Jesus said,] "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" (Matthew 25:37-40 NLT)

While that moment was difficult for me, it provided incredible perspective for the rest of our trip. As it turns out, she’s the only beggar I saw while on the trip. The children we met—many of them just like her—are being lifted out of poverty through Compassion International. Make no mistake about it, with 70% of the country living in poverty (and 40% in extreme poverty) there are plenty of beggars. But the reason I found so much hope over the next few days is that Compassion International is actively involved in the lives of 50,000+ Ecuadorian children thanks to people all over the world who have discovered that giving what they can’t keep is helping thousands of children gain what they can’t lose.

I hope over the next few days that my stories and experiences can help you see just a glimpse of the incredible impact that Compassion International is having in Ecuador and throughout the world.

Here are the entire series of articles from Ben's trip to Ecuador:

A Fork in My Path

It's a Small World After All

"We Exist"

Compassionate People

From Surviving to Thriving

Ben Steed has been a Web Developer for Heartlight since 2000.
Visit His Website