During His ministry on earth, Jesus demonstrated care and compassion for the most vulnerable. As Christians, we’re called to do the same. In Colossians 3:12, Paul tells the believers that they should be clothed with compassion.
- “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”—Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
Our compassion for the vulnerable should move us deeply and push us to take action. Some of the most vulnerable people in our world right now are kids impacted by child poverty. Our partnership with Compassion International allows our church body to provide care for these children through sponsorship.
Abundant Life and Compassion International
Compassion International shares our passion for seeing lives changed by Jesus. They work to meet the needs of children so they can thrive—mind, body, and soul. Examples of compassion in the Bible, like Psalm 86:15, remind us that the Lord’s compassion is infinite, and He cares about providing for all our needs.
- “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”—Psalm 86:15
Sponsoring a child through Compassion International can change their life and family for generations. Today, Compassion is engaged with over 2 million children in 29 countries. Sponsorship of a child is an investment that will produce a long-term impact through education, health care, and, most importantly, the gospel.
The Path to Partnership
Abundant Life began to consider partnering with Compassion in 2017. For Abundant Life, lives being changed by Jesus must have a church at the center. Jesus gave Himself for His church, and we want to give ourselves to the work of His church. Our partnership with Compassion merges our passion for church planting with their capacity to care for children.
Compassion connects Abundant Life to local pastors who share our passion for seeing villages and towns impacted by the gospel. As a church, we provide necessary funding for a church plant and a child development center that offers essential medical care, nutrition, education, and more. These resources have led to significant community impact. Child sponsorship brings families into contact with gospel-preaching churches and gospel-focused leaders. For Abundant Life, this is a perfect merger of practical community influence and gospel ministry.
The Value of Partnership
A quick trip to Peru several years ago brought our missions team into contact with a visionary leader named Haru. Haru is passionate about the gospel and taking the good news to those who are in remote regions of Peru. He is a pastor in a village called Chazuta, but his ministry extends to the surrounding regions.
Our partnership with Compassion ignited as we saw Haru’s vision for church planting and community impact. He introduced us to a young man named Hilter, who he had discipled and developed for ministry. Hilter and his family launched our first church plant and child development center in a village of about 5000 called Shapaja. Today, the church is growing in gospel impact and community outreach. Juan, another disciple from Chazuta, launched our second church plant and development center in a remote village called El Sauce. Each of these ministry centers reaches hundreds of families on a weekly basis.
Our most recent global serve team to Peru yielded wonderful fruit in the lives of the people who went with us and in the churches there. Twenty-three people from Abundant Life traveled to the Tarapoto region of Peru, where our partnerships are located. Many of them were there to meet their sponsored child. Our days there were filled with meeting the children and leaders of the churches and development centers. Child sponsors and sponsored children got to meet for the first time, share gifts and smiles, and play at a waterpark. The joy of that day was so powerful.
The trip was both gratifying and challenging. Seeing the impact of our partnership in these communities motivates us to continue working toward planting more multiplying churches and building and staffing development centers. Compassion International is that essential connection for us to accomplish what we want there. Peru is and will continue to be a place for our global influence as the churches grow. Our investment in these communities glorifies God and transforms lives.
Changed Lives
While on the trip to Peru, the team got to share the gospel and lead many people to Christ. On one of the house visits, we met a young couple named Jose and Marabelle. Marabelle was just a few weeks away from giving birth to their second child. She had recently given her life to Christ at the church where Hilter pastors. As we visited with them in their home, we asked Jose if he had given life to Christ. He hesitated and looked at the ground. Marabelle began to weep. Her desire for her husband to know Jesus took over the moment. Through prayerful and careful gospel presentation filtered through the mercy of a good interpreter, Jose was able to clearly see his need for forgiveness and grace. As he yielded his life to Jesus, we all joined Marabelle in tearful celebration.
The Fruit of a Successful Partnership
Our continued partnership with Compassion International is leading us to expand our engagement in multiple locations. First, we have several partnerships in Tanzania that are yielding tremendous fruit. In 2025, we will work with Compassion to plant another church and build a child development center, along with sponsoring 1,200 children in a very remote region of Tanzania.
In Peru, four small villages about one hour from Chazuta are awaiting a church plant and child development center. We are praying and asking God to open doors and raise up disciples to oversee this work.
Sharing Compassion with the World
Pastor Phil says, “We need a vision great enough to demand divine intervention.” Abundant Life is focused on bringing the gospel to our city and the nations. This is only possible because our church body loves what Jesus loves—the lost.
Sponsoring a child through Compassion International is transformative in so many ways. It brings the child’s whole family into contact with the gospel. It brings each child the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in a loving environment. Our church body presently sponsors over 1,200 children in Peru. Our desire is to expand our investment in the lives of more children and families in Tanzania and Peru. The consistent generosity of our church body allows us to continue planting churches and building child development centers.
Join Our Mission by Sponsoring a Child Today!
Sponsorship brings personal and intentional engagement to a child's life. For just $43 a month, you can make a life-changing difference for a child in Tanzania. Your tax-deductible gift provides vital resources that empower children living in poverty to grow in health, education, and faith. Your sponsorship provides…
- Essential medical care
- Nutritious food
- Health and hygiene education
- Educational support
- An opportunity to hear the gospel
Join us in bringing hope, health, and opportunity to Tanzania by sponsoring a child through Abundant Life and Compassion International today!