My husband and I have always felt strongly about exposing our children to other, non-Western cultures, from a young age. We think it's important for our children, even our very young children, to understand that not everyone in the world lives like we do, and that there are both good and bad points to any culture. As Christians, we are called to have compassion for those less fortunate than us and to act on that compassion...but we should also appreciate things about other cultures that are worthy. God created ALL people and there is beauty and truth to be found to some extent in all cultures.
Years ago, this conviction led us to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Not only does this allow us to heed the call to help those in need, but it allows our children to develop a relationship with a child from another culture...through exchanging letters, photos, drawings, etc. What a joy to see our children communicate with this little boy (now almost a young man!) and pray for him over the years!
Recently, Compassion International launched a new interactive website for children called Quest for Compassion. This site is a "game" that serves as an interactive journey into four distant villages, allowing children to explore and play fun games while educating them about global poverty.
I've found that when we talk or read about a subject, following up with something interactive and hands on really brings it home and impresses the subject matter into my kids' minds. Sometimes, this means a field trip, project, or other practical life experience that brings the lesson home. As is probably the case for most families, our opportunities to travel out of the country and really put hands on experience to this concept are limited.
Fortunately, we can do other things to make a difference from home, and there are some wonderful books, videos, and other materials out there...but what better way to reinforce our call to compassion for those living in poverty than a fun, interactive, free computer game?! My kids enjoy playing several other free online games that might be considered educational, so why not a game that has even more significance?
Quest for Compassion is worth a look. Please take a few minutes to check it out.
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Compassion is a beautiful organization. I started sponsoring my own child when I was twelve until I was 22. It has been on my heart to start again. Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find. My kids love to get on the computer. We'll have to check that out.
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