CFR Blog

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Greetings from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Day 3 is a wrap. Tomorrow we board the plane back home. None of us are ready to come back to the states. Today we visited the Beth Shalom Center, where students are in their adolescent years. I think today was more emotional because we got to see just how developed (spiritually and socially) the children become through Compassion. During our visit I met Robert who I know will be a great leader in the coming years in his community and country. Robert prayed for us soon after we visited his classroom. That was a very humbling time as he asked God to speak wisdom into our hearts and lives and for us to be effective ministers of the Lord! We all became fond of Robert in just a few short minutes. I'll post a photo of me and Robert real soon.

God's hand has been all over this trip. And I have met some beautiful people in the Lord. I encourage you to ask God right now how He wants to use you in rescuing a child from poverty in Jesus name. Make sure you join me, Susan, and Dale for "Two Days of Compassion" this Wednesday and Thursday. It's your opportunity to be a missionary to a child right from your home!

11 year old Misael. He loves futbol! I met him during our first project visit. We also visited his home where we spent time with his mom and 2 sisters. Their father was out working at the time. Misael and his family just recently accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord because of Compassion's work through the local church in their community.

Compassion Honduras Vision Trip Day 1 is complete. We landed in Honduras around 2pm and meet with the staff at the country office. There are several departments within the country office that ensure all aspects of the ministry operate as smoothly as possible. One of those departments was the Program Communication department which oversees the communication between sponsors and their children.

Each cubbie represent a different Compassion project center. Inside those cubbies are letters that Compassion sponsor have sent to their child. Compassion Honduras receives on average 7,000 letters per month from sponsors to their children...and about 10,000 letters per month go out to the sponsors from their children. Each letter has to be translated by the staff in the Program Communication Department.

Tomorrow (Friday) we visit our first Compassion project and will hopefully get to have a home visit with one of the sponored children's family. In only a few short hours today we've learned a lot about Compassion International which I will share with you more during our "Two Days of Compassion" next Wednesday and Thursday.

Continue to pray that our eyes, hearts, and minds would be open to what God is doing here and that He will give us the strength of mind to process each moment.

Mucho amor, (much love)
Derek

Ten money-saving strategies to reduce household expenses.
By Cynthia Sumner
...portions were heard on The Morning Cruise...

Simplify, Substitute and Share: You can cut down on household expenses and clutter by considering three words before making a purchase:
• Simplifyo I really need this item?
• Substitute:Can I get something else that costs less? Can I make it myself?
• Share:Can I borrow this item? Would someone else agree to split the cost?

Declare a Time-Out: If you need to save money to catch up on bills or just get a little ahead, declare a "no spending" month in which you only pay bills and buy necessities such as food, diapers and gas. That means no toys, books, haircuts, movie rentals, clothes or eating out. You'll be amazed at how much you'll save.

Clean Up: The markup on household cleaning products is huge, so consider making your own household cleaners. An excellent how-to book on the subject of nontoxic homemade cleaners is Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond.

Get Thrifty: Remember infants and young children have no label preference (unless you instill it). You can save a lot during these years by using hand-me-downs or buying at secondhand stores and garage sales.

Save at the Grocery Store:
* Save money when you buy bread, rolls and snack cakes from a bread or bakery outlet.
* Purchase nonfood items at a discount store instead of the grocery store.
* The best deals on grocery store aisles are on the top and bottom shelves. Manufacturers pay a premium to display their goods at eye level and pass the costs on to you.
* Don't buy food you're not going to use from a warehouse club. Buying more than you need is wasteful regardless of how low the price. Consider dividing bulk goods and their costs among friends and neighbors.
* Keep nonperishable snacks and drinks in the car to cut down on visits to fast food drive-throughs and convenience stores.

Save Seasonally: There are times of the year when certain items are less expensive. Shop off-season and save yourself a bundle.

* January: Christmas decorations, cards and wrapping; winter clothing and bedding.
* February: housewares and small appliances; furniture; jewelry and chocolates.
* March: outerwear; gardening supplies; luggage.