1st Quarter 2018 Update

Making A Difference!

Thank you for being part of our first quarter projects. Your continued prayers and support reach around the world each month.

JANUARY

• The year began with additional supplies being delivered to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. In the picture above you can see Mirna one of the recipients of a New Year’s weekend delivery. Because of your generosity, CSI not only provides relief in the immediate days following a disaster but also months later.
• 2017 tax letters were mailed out in January. We use the physical address we have on file or if no physical address has been provided then we use the email address that we have on file. If you have not received your tax letter please feel free to contact our office and a copy can be sent to you.

FEBRUARY

• Additional supplies were delivered to Puerto Rico in February. The hurricane may have been months ago but the aftermath doesn’t go away in just a few days.
• February brought Cyclone Gita to Tonga. This was the worst storm to hit the area in 60 years. Your donations helped to supply 50 families with food and hygiene items as well as materials for church and home repairs.
• CSI held our annual Compassion Sunday event on February 25th. This day is an opportunity for churches to share the mission of CSI with their congregations and the donations help us be ready to answer the many calls for help that are sure to come throughout the coming year. If you didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the 2017 Compassion Sunday event you can still help us be ready for 2018 by making a donation at any time. Also be sure to save the date for February 24, 2019, and join us for Compassion Sunday 2019.

MARCH

• The month of March didn’t bring any new disasters to CSI but the cleanup efforts continued in Tonga.
• We also discovered that our Instagram account was hacked and unfortunately we were not able to recover the account. We have opened a new account so we would love to have you follow and share the new account. INSTAGRAM

We couldn’t do what we do around the world without you so thank you for all of your continued support!

The Giving Way of Life

 

How do you and I go beyond just existing and live a life that is truly worth living? How do we have an abundant life? In this broken world is there such a thing? The message the world seems to scream at us is to focus on our own happiness, our individual well-being and what’s good for me. Getting as much as I can. Excess and more and more is the message of the society we live in.  But is that really the ultimate goal? Is that all there is? What if there is more? Maybe just maybe the joy of living is found in the joy of giving and not in the joy of getting.  After all, doesn’t a life worth living ultimately come down to giving? Spurgeon said that “giving is true having.” The truth is there is no life worth living without giving, without generosity. Matthew 6:19-21(NLT) tells us, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Is it important to God for us to live this giving way? For God so loved that He gave….. Isaiah 58:7-9(NLT) gives a pretty good indication of how God feels about this giving way of life. “Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer.‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.” This world that we live in is broken. It’s aching. It’s in need. Christ gives his gifts through us to this broken and aching world. He gives to us but not so that we can hoard and hide but so that we can give and bless.

But what if we still feel like that what we have to give is not enough? Can our small acts of giving really change the world? Change our own lives? The truth is that every gift given creates a ripple effect that keeps going. Research says that those who give have reduced stress levels, lower blood pressure,  reduced anxiety, and increased endorphins. If the physical benefits don’t convince you that this giving way is the best way to live wait until you experience what God does with the giving life. Luke 6:38 tells us that when you give your life away, it’s not just given back but given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way.

The only way to have true life is to give of the gifts you have been given. We all have time, talents and treasure that we can give away. Because, if our life isn’t about giving then we don’t have a real life. So often we want to hold tight-fisted onto what we have for fear that if we let it go, we will not have enough. How many times do we use this as an excuse to keep ourselves from giving? Matthew 6:26-34 clearly lets us know that we do not have to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. Our heavenly Father will take care of our needs and make sure that we have enough. How often do we give but hold back on what we give because of the fear of not having enough? Do we ever give to where we feel true sacrifice? We don’t have to be void of need in order to meet the needs of others. We can’t be consumed with caring most about our comfort. Will we be the ones to live a life of giving, to keep our eyes open to the needs around us, to not just talk about being Christ-like but will we be the hands and feet of Christ to those in need? Will we realize that to live in abundance means to give sacrificially? It’s up to us to decide if we will live filling our lives with more and more stuff or if we will give so that we can have more of what we really desire, more of Him and His abundance because when we give to the least of these, we are giving to the Lord, (Matthew 25:40).

But compassion isn’t just a once in awhile action. It has to become our everyday lifestyle. Living by giving to those who can’t repay you is the way to abundance in God. We just celebrated Easter and Jesus didn’t hold onto His life, but He gave. God so loved the world that He gave. So what can you give? Your gift will not look the same as the person next to you, and that’s okay as long as you give from your abundance. The way to abundance is in giving. So give out of your abundance to those in need. While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:1-4) The widow got it. The way to abundance in God is to give to God.

So what kind of life do you want? Are you ready for the abundant life? The giving way of life? Compassion Services International has many projects around the world that minister to the physical and spiritual needs to some of the world’s neediest and most vulnerable citizens. We know that you have many choices when it comes to giving and we are so thankful to each one of you who supports this ministry. Live abundantly today!