WE ARE A MOVEMENT WITH A MODEST BEGINNING
We are a worldwide ministry in which millions of children reap the benefits of one man’s clear, God-given vision.
More than 70 years ago, Rev. Everett Swanson flew to South Korea to minister to American troops fighting in the Korean War. During his time there, he grew increasingly troubled by the sight of hundreds of war orphans living on the streets, abandoned by society.
One morning he saw city workers scoop up what looked like piles of rags and toss them into the back of a truck. He walked up to the truck for a closer look — and was horrified to see that the “piles” were not rags, but the frozen bodies of orphans who had died overnight in the streets.
Appalled, Rev. Swanson began including this experience into his revival meetings, and Christians responded by donating funds to purchase rice and fuel for the orphans. Within 10 years, 108 orphanages and homes in South Korea were receiving support.
WE ARE “SUFFERING WITH” CHILDREN IN NEED
The etymology of the word compassion stems from the Latin com meaning “with, together” and the Latin pati “to suffer.” Compassion literally means to suffer with.
Compassion, suffering with another person, combines sympathy with an active response or a desire to help. Because we have compassion, we want to act and lessen someone else’s suffering. This desire to act is what differentiates compassion from empathy, understanding or sharing the feelings of others.
We take a long-term approach to child development by investing in and for the life of each child.
Through our holistic child development model, we blend physical, social, economic and spiritual care together to help children in poverty fully mature in every facet of life and transcend what is often a generational legacy of poverty. We deliver whole-life care, by way of our frontline church partners, that is personal, individualized, relational, and tailored to the child’s age, gender, health, culture and family situation.
WE ARE COMPASSION
Compassion. A movement. A calling. A cause. A people.
Compassion is global, reflecting the beautiful diversity of God’s kingdom.
We are collaborative, depending on teamwork and partnership.
We are inclusive and accepting of others.
We are honest. We say what we mean, and we do what we say.
We are respectful, protecting the divine character in everyone.
We strive to always be grace filled, kind, forgiving and merciful.
We are advocates for children committed to Jesus Christ in all that we do.
We are loving. God’s love fuels us, and we unabashedly love one another.
We are passionate, against injustice and for our cause.
Compassion is authentic, facing hard realities with an adventuresome spirit.
We are totally focused on our our mission. Single-minded in our pursuit.
Our ministry is contextual, customized and culturally relevant. It is effective, proven and outcome driven.
Our creative spirit drives innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities before us.
Compassion is professional. We do our work with excellence but without pretension.
Our faith in God and in His promises empowers us to be confident. In the face of evil raging around us, we remain hopeful and lift one another’s spirits as we go about our mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.