Explorer Magazine - Compassion International

SUMMER 2011 VO L . 2 . N O. 2FUN LETTER-WRITING KIT INSIDE!compassion.comMake apicture frameFOR YOURSPONSORED CHILD!Kaitlin’s wishBRINGS CLEANWATER TO TP KENYA

Illustration by Josh LewisHi, CompassionExplorers!Are you enjoying yoursummer? An Explorer summeris about sports, having fun,and helping others! Come withme to check it out.A Wellspring of GivingUGANDARead how a girl with cancer gave her“wish” to kids in Uganda. PAGE 10DepartmentsCompassionate Kids PAGE 3Health Matters PAGE 7Crafts, Recipes and Projects PAGE 8Help Change the World — PAGE 14Right Where You Are!What Does God PAGESay About … ?15Just for Grins and Giggles PAGE 16Food Aroundthe WorldINDIA & RWANDACheck out what kids inIndia and Rwanda eat.PAGE 12Welcome toMy World!Illustration by Luke FlowersAbout the CoverThis sponsored boy fromthe Dominican Republicis having fun with his newbaseball equipment.DOMINICAN REPUBLICRead about how sponsoredkids got the equipment theyneeded to play baseball.PAGE 4Compassion Explorer Magazine is publishedthree times per year by CompassionInternational. © Compassion International2011. All rights reserved.THE HOLY BIBLE, NEWINTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved worldwide.EDITORLeanna SummersPROOFREADING AND EDITINGSuellen Wenz, Dan Benson,Debby WeaverWRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORSAmber Van Schooneveld, BrandyCampbell, Leanna Summers,Lorie W. BarnesDESIGNERSJosh Lewis and Callie WilburnPHOTOGRAPHERSChuck Bigger and Lace ImagesPRINT PRODUCTIONMichelle DanaQUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?E-mail us at compassionkids@us.ci.orgor write to Compassion International,Attn: Compassion Explorer MagazineEditor, 12290 Voyager Parkway,Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

GUATEMALAGifts That Keep on GivingThe Richards family from Illinois found the true meaning ofgiving when they started planning to visit their sponsoredchildren in Guatemala.The family asked friends to give for their trip and helda spaghetti dinner at their church to raise money. Thegiving poured in, and the family received enough moneyto go on their trip!When the Richards got to Guatemala, they spent aweek of fun seeing Compassion centers and visitingtheir sponsored children. Because of their help, theirsponsored children attend school, go to Compassion’scenter to learn about Jesus, and have medicineand food.When the family left for home, it was sad to say goodbyeto their sponsored children, but they took home manygreat memories, gifts and photographs.“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure,pressed down, shaken together and running over,will be poured into your lap. For with the measureyou use, it will be measured to you.” — Luke 6:38TAMMY, MOMOne child’s family madea traditional Guatemalandress for Tammy!GREG , DADGreg had fun slidingwith the kids!BETHANY , AGE 15“One of the mosthumbling andamazing things for mewas when my little girltook her own watch offher hand and gave it to me. I knew thatshe might never have another watch and itreally touched me.”EMILY , AGE 10“My favorite thing wasmeeting the kids andjust getting to be withthem and learningmore things that letterscan’t talk about.”SUMMER 2011 3

Read how kids in the Dominican Republicgot the equipment they needed to play ball.The Dominican Republic is a beautiful island in theCaribbean. It is famous for its white sand beachesand clear-blue water. Many people vacation here.They play on the beaches, stay in fancy hotels, andshop for expensive jewelry.But the poorest kids in the Dominican Republichaven’t even been to the beach. They live in housesmade of rusted tin and scrapped wood. Their dustyneighborhoods are littered with trash, and they havea hard time finding clean places to play. And theylove to play!Baseball is their favorite sport, but they can’t affordbats and mitts. So they make mitts out of milkcartons and use sticks for bats.This is how Compassion-assisted kids used to play in thepoor neighborhood of Batey Aleman (Bah-TAY Ahll-ey-MAHN). But last fall the kids were given a dream gift!They received a new baseball field, new balls, bats,mitts and uniforms — and Albert Pujols, one of thebest baseball players in the world, came to give themsome pointers!TURN PAGE FOR MOREDOMINICAN REPUBLICCAPITAL CITY Santo DomingoPOPULATION 9,956,648RELIGIONS RomanCatholic 95%,other 5%LANGUAGES SpanishCURRENCY Dominican peso©iStockphoto.com/HuebiA cruise ship full oftourists ready to shopand play.HaitiBatey AlemanColumbus Family PalaceThis palace was built byChristopher Columbus’ son.Santo DomingoPunta CanaA pricey resortarea with golfcourses.SUMMER 2011 5

Take Me Out to the Ball Game …A church in Batey Aleman teamed up withthe Pujols Family Foundation to bring thefirst big day of fun to these Compassionsponsoredkids.Excitedly, the boys took off their tornclothes and put on their crisp new uniforms.They had a parade, prayed, then walkedonto their clean new field to play ball!“‘For I know the plans I have foryou,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans toprosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and a future.’”— Jeremiah 29:11Teaming Up to PrayDOMINICANS CAN HIT ITout of the park!Cuban immigrants brought baseballto the Dominican Republic in themid-1860s. It is most popular in thesoutheast where there are sugarplantations called bateys.Albert Pujols gives fielding pointers.Today, besides Americans, Dominicansmake up the most players in the U.S.major and minor baseball leagues.Many top players in baseball, like PedroMartínez, Albert Pujols, and RobinsonCanó, came from this part of the country.Most kids use sticks for batsand have no field to play in.6 compassion explorer

Compassion’s child developmentcenters provide medical care forkids who need it the most. Kids inBurkina Faso, West Africa, neededmeningitis immunizations, soCompassion set up clinics for thekids and vaccinated them.What is meningitis?Meningitis is a disease passedthrough the air that causeshigh fevers and swelling inthe tissues that surround thebrain and spinal cord.Children who are alreadymalnourished and sick are most at risk of dying if they getmeningitis, so it is important that they receive vaccinations.Meningitis is not usually a problem in the United States becausemost kids are vaccinated against it.SUMMER 2011 7

Fruity Fun BookmarksHave you ever shared a piece of fruit from your school lunch with a friend?You can’t share a real piece of fruit with your sponsored child, but you canshare a fun bookmark with him or her. Here’s how!Suppliescolored construction papersafety scissorscolored markerspencilone laminating sheet or clearcontact paperInstructions1 Cut out a 6" x 1" rectangle from a sheetof construction paper. This is the base ofyour bookmark.2 Use another sheet of paper to draw and cut outa 2" x 2" fruit shape.4 Cover the bookmarkwith the laminatingsheet and cut around theshape of the bookmark.5 Send this to your sponsored child.3 Glue the two pieces together and use markersto decorate the bookmark.One-of-a-Kind Photo FrameEvery child, including you, is “one-of-a-kind” and loved by God!Supplies3" x 5" photo of yourself or your familyruler and pencilsafety scissorsglue stick4" x 6" piece of white construction papermarkersInstructions1 Glue your picture to the center of your paper. Let dry.2 Cut around the edges so that it looks like apicture frame.3 Decorate your frame.4 Mail your frame to your sponsored child along withthe letter attached to this magazine.SUMMER 2011 9

BY AMBER VAN SCHOONEVELD10 compassion explorerMillions of women andchildren spend severalhours a day collectingwater because they don’thave clean water neartheir homes.

A girl with brain cancer used her special wishto bring clean water to Uganda.UGANDAWhen you get sick, you wantsomeone to take care of you —make you soup, tuck you into bed,and help you feel better. But whenKaitlin got sick, she decided shewanted to help other kids.KaitlinIf you could have onewish, what would it be?Kaitlin had brain cancer. She hadtwo surgeries and had chemotherapyto try to treat her cancer. Shefelt tired and sick a lot of thetime. When the Children’s WishFoundation heard about Kaitlin, theydecided to give her one “wish” —she could ask for anything she wanted as a special present.Kaitlin thought about going on a trip with her family or getting ahorse. But she decided that she didn’t want something for herself.She decided to give it all away!Compassion is building 21 wellsacross Uganda to give kids safe,clean water.“It didn’t seem right to spend all the money on myself, and Iwanted something more, more than myself. I just didn’t wantstuff,” said Kaitlin.Instead, Kaitlin used her wish to bring clean water to children inUganda. Compassion is building 21 wells across Uganda to givekids safe, clean water to drink. Kaitlin’s wish will build one of thesewells so that hundreds of kids have water.People heard about Kaitlin’s wish and started to give too. Herschool held a bottle drive, and they raised enough money to buildanother well! A company had a barbecue and received money topay for one more well.So many people were inspired that enough money has beencollected to build all 21 wells! Now these kids will have waterclose to their homes to keep them healthy.Sadly, Kaitlin passed away this May. Kaitlin said that she wasthankful that she could give and wanted to tell other kids, “Don’ttake any day for granted.”Here’s one of the wells that Kaitlinhelped fund. Now these kids haveclean water close to their homes!God can do somuch through justone person! Whatdo you think Hemight want to do through youtoday and as you get older?SUMMER 2011 11

What is your favorite snack? Peanut butterand jelly? Grapes? Chocolate chip cookies?Children around the world have probablynever even heard of your favorite foods.Look at how your food compares with whatchildren in Rwanda and India eat.BY BRANDY CAMPBELLBreakfast Lunch SnackUnited Statescereal with milk and fruit, toast withbutter and jam, and orange juiceIndiaham and cheese sandwich, carrotsticks, apple and juicegranola and yogurtidli (ID-lee) or appam, a pancake madefrom rice and lentils, served with sambar(curry paste) or sugar and chai (cheye), ablack tea with spices and sometimes milkRwandarice and tomato rasam (a southernIndian soup), fish curry and waterbread and chaitea, sometimes with milkpotatoes with vegetablesand waterhalf a banana and tea12 compassion explorer

Most people in Rwandacannot afford to eatmeat. When they do, itis usually goat.Going BananasHow did that banana get to yourkitchen? Do we have a journey for you!Illustrations by Luke FlowersDinnerspaghetti and meatballs, salad,garlic bread with butter, and milkYour banana started out on1a tree in Ecuador or anothercountry in Latin America. For 18months it grew from a little budto a big bunch of green bananas.Each stalk of that banana tree willhave about 10 bunches — and eachbunch has about 12 bananas. Thatmeans each branch has 120 bananas!2The farmer has to take goodcare of those bananas whilethey grow. He covers them in bigplastic sheets to protect them fromweather and animals.3When the bananas are ready(but still green), the farmercuts them off with a big knifecalled a machete. He puts them inboxes, and then he starts growinghis next batch of bananas.paratha (pah-RA-tah), an Indian flatbreadsimilar to tortillas, chicken curry withpotatoes, cucumber pachadi (cucumbersalad with yogurt sauce) and waterisombe (e-SOM-bay), a vegetarian stewwith mashed cassava leaves (leafy greens),eggplant, onions and peppers, cooked in asauce made of palm oil, and water4After the bananas are boxed up,the farmer sends them off in bigrefrigerated ships to a factory. At thefactory, the bananas sit for a weekto get riper. They’re kept in a specialroom where the temperature is justright — not too hot, and not too cold.6Next, your banana gets loadedonto a big truck and heads offto the grocery store, where yourmom or dad buys it. It’s usuallystill a little green, though, so youwant to wait for it to get yellowand sweet.5What a long journey it took forthat banana to get to you. Butit’s worth it, to have such a yummy,healthy snack!

At HomeMake greetingcards to taketo children inhospitals.Put a penny, dimeor quarter into a jarevery time you go tothe refrigerator thendonate the money togive food to the poor.Collect booksand toys todonate toorganizationsthat need them.Have a toygarage sale toraise money forkids who don’thave toys.Left to Right: ©iStockphoto.com/juliardi ©iStockphoto.com/NoDerog©iStockphoto.com/mammamaart ©iStockphoto.com/tacojimAt ChurchCollect markers, stickersand construction paper,or soap, toothbrushes andother supplies, and makekits to send on missiontrips for children.Volunteer toread to youngerchildren inSunday schoolor at VacationBible School.BY LORIE W. BARNES AND AMBER VAN SCHOONEVELDPut on a skit for yourchurch group aboutmosquito nets and askthem to donate to helpfight malaria in Africa.In YourNeighborhoodHelp out anelderly neighborwith yard workthis summer.Collect usedtennis shoesand find arunning shoestore in yourcommunitythat could helpsend thoseshoes to poorareas aroundthe world.Have a lemonade stand.Beside your lemonade, havetwo pitchers — one withmuddy water and one withclean water. Tell people you’reraising money to give kidsclean water.Clockwise, beginning at top left: ©iStockphoto.com/hatman12 ©iStockphoto.com/LindaYolanda ©iStockphoto.com/magnetcreative©iStockphoto.com/IngaNielsen ©iStockphoto.com/laflor ©iStockphoto.com/laflor14 compassion explorer

Compassion Explorers, let’s discover what Godsays in His Map for Life: the Bible.Compassion Explorers need to eat good fruit tobe healthy. God also wants Explorers to havelots of “fruits of the Spirit” in their lives. Thisis the evidence of God’s work through the HolySpirit. Read Galatians 5:22-23 to discover God’shealthy “fruits of the Spirit” for your life.1 How many different kinds of “fruits of theSpirit” did you discover? Try to say them all.BY LORIE W. BARNES2 Pretend your life and actions are like a fruit tree.Which “fruits of the Spirit” do you think are growing onyour tree when you are doing these things?• playing with your friends• writing to your sponsored Compassion child• helping your parents around the house3 How can Jesus help you grow better fruit?Draw one “fruit of the Spirit” you think God wants to growin you this summer.Dear Jesus,Thank You for loving me and helpingme to grow in healthy ways. You careabout me and want me to grow tohave lots of juicy “fruits of the Spirit”in my life. Please be with all the poorkids around the world who are tryingto grow up to be healthy kids, too. Ipray for __________ who is sick. Help__________ to trust You and have thefruit of “faithfulness.”©iStockphoto.com/fotostok_pdvIn Your name,Amen.SUMMER 2011 15

Compassion International12290 Voyager ParkwayColorado Springs, CO 80921-3668(800) 336-7676Compassion-sponsored Maasai kidsin southwestern Kenya live nearthe Masai Mara Nature Reserve.Every year from July to Octoberthousands of zebra, wildebeest andother animals migrate here fromthe Serengeti in Tanzania.Can you write a captionfor this picture?Send it to: Compassion International,Attn: Compassion Explorer MagazineEditor, 12290 Voyager Parkway, ColoradoSprings, CO 80921. Or email it tocompassionkids@us.ci.org.Remember this picture from the Winter 2011 issue of Compassion ExplorerMagazine? Here are some of your great captions!Um … this is cold!Kenna, 8Portland, Ore.Hurry up, I have somewater balloons!Inuara, 8Grand Rapids, Minn.Hey, did someonelose a hand,because I foundan extra one.Andie, 11Everest, Kan.Help! There are allthese not-so-germyhands around me!Hollyann, 9, and Mae, 7Efland, N.C.Group hug!Dylan, 11Fort Collins, Colo.Parents, check out ourBible for kids atcompassion.com/kidsbibleIN244 (5/11)