Introducing... True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty

#1000gifts ~ So excited to finally have copies of this in our hands... @compassion's #TrueStorySeries! Check it out online: www.compassion.ca/truestory #proudmama

A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on May 9, 2015 at 4:24pm PDT

  
It's for real for real in my hands!

I joke that at one moment, a wonderful member of Compassion Canada's creative team was emailing me about getting my feedback on a youth curriculum they were producing, and the next moment, I was on a plane to film it.

But this whirlwind has kind of felt like that.

"Did that happen? Did we really produce a youth curriculum?" That's the question the team leader and I laugh over last Saturday.

It happened... and by no fault of our own, really. 

Only God could do something like this.

It is with great joy that I blog-introduce you to...
True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty.

Here are 7 quick facts about True Story:

1. It is six sessions, including a serving-together opportunity for Week 5.

2. It was filmed over 11 days in 2 countries - Canada and the Philippines.

Shooting a standup with @_godsgal4ever. #toronto #ontario #canada @toronto_insta

A photo posted by Allan Spiers (@allanspiers) on Sep 19, 2014 at 7:41pm PDT

Shooting the standup with @_godsgal4ever #standup #cebu #philippines #poverty #hope

A photo posted by Allan Spiers (@allanspiers) on Aug 23, 2014 at 3:23am PDT

3. Over that period, I delivered 6 scripts.

4. The Week 5 script was done in partnership with our recently-graduated LDP student - Rechelle!

So excited!! #truestory #compassion @_godsgal4ever

A photo posted by @iamcurtanderson on May 4, 2015 at 8:31am PDT

5. True Story is way, way, WAY more than just videos - that leaders' guide pictured above includes activity ideas, teaching notes, Bible readings, small group questions, Identify with Poverty challenges for students and leaders to engage in at home each week, prayer guides, and lots of tips and support for youth pastors, facilitators, and leaders.

6. True Story is entirely FREE. Compassion truly has a heart for reaching youth through the local church, both in the developing world and here at home, which is why True Story is Compassion's gift to the Church.

7. True Story is all available online, and hard copies can be requested off the website, too... www.compassion.ca/truestory.

I personally learned so much about poverty from hosting this curriculum, and my prayer is that youth across the country and across the globe will be impacted by the message of True Story. 

Thinking about poverty and seeing it through God's eyes changes your perspective.

- True Story - Week 6

My generation is one that is going to deeply impact this world - I have no doubt about that. But it's so easy for us to start with a burning passion that quickly goes out when we realize how overwhelming the brokenness of this world is.

True Story's message speaks to that superhero tendency of my generation and reminds us that our Saviour has already overcome this world... It is a blessing that we get to be a part of that. 

Brokenness seems a lot less overwhelming when we realize that we serve a God that has had a redeeming restoration plan going long before we were ever involved - and that is the Gospel.

Our world is broken... Things are not the way they should be. But we have a God that loves us. One who made a way to fix this mess and make things right again.

- True Story - Promo

When you address poverty from that perspective, it becomes a lot easier to join in and partner with this loving God who simply invites us to trust him enough to say yes to our part in this bigger story of redemption. 

How can we use what God has given us to serve our communities?

- True Story - Week 4

As a Canadian teen, I am so excited about True Story. I hope you'll join me in praying as this curriculum begins to land in youth groups - that the Holy Spirit would move in powerful ways, and that youth everywhere would begin to say yes to God's invitation to serve the least of these...

...until all those daily yeses become a lifestyle of compassion and justice. 

#TrueStorySeries
www.compassion.ca/TrueStory

To Mamas Everywhere -

I've seen the scene play out many times.

You're chatting with me or that adorable, kind, genius not-so-little brother of mine.

I might be telling you about Wilmington or True Story and maybe he's telling you about how all these little kids crammed into this tiny house in one of the most underdeveloped parts of the Philippines to watch him solve a Rubik's Cube.

And after a few minutes of conversation, you'll turn to our Mama who's most likely close by and you'll say those words that will make that Mama of ours squirm a little -

"You did good raising these two."

And I'll smile and nod because you're right - she's one great Mama and I'm so thankful she's my Mama.

But I know what inevitably comes next. She'll smile and open her mouth to respond and through these few short words, you'll see what makes her such a great Mama.

"No, their Heavenly Father did good. It's only by His grace."

My mama always tells me she doesn't want to be special. Yet I could solve world hunger if I had a dime for every time someone asked her how she does it.

And she doesn't know how to answer because she really doesn't think there's anything special about the way she does the whole Mom thing. It's simply in her blood. But I get it, there is something incredibly special about my mama.

I know it is not normal that her two kids spend their days off driving to the inner city to hang out at a UrbanPromise Rubik's Cube Club or that we collectively sponsor 3 kids through Compassion Canada.

And my mama has been such a huge part of why that is.

Why? Because...

She sacrificed so much to be our full-time mama. Every kid says that. But for real - after working her butt off for 5 years to earn her Bachelor's of Landscape Architecture, she never pursued a career as an Architect in order to be a Mother. In this climb-the-ladder world, I don't know too many people who are selfless enough to give up their entire career for even their children. But being able to come home for lunch until I was 14, knowing my mama would be home after school after a particularly rough day, or always letting her be the first one to know about my greatest accomplishments from the day made me the woman I am today.

She taught us by example. She never asked us to give something away that we hadn't seen her give before. She conquers her fears, rides victory and losses, gives and receives with a grace and posture that inspires and informs so much of the way I carry myself today. She said yes when I begged and begged for a little Compassion International sister, so how could I say no when the opportunity came for me to sponsor my own little girl? She always brought us along when serving at church or in the community, because she wanted us to see and be involved from a very young age.

She expected excellence from us. No, not perfection. But excellence. A performance that was our best - one that we could be proud of. On a similar note, she expected us to be generous. To whom much is given much is required, and my mama expected us to give of our money, time and lives to the least of these, because she knew that's where we would find our greatest joy.

Most importantly, she knew that the best possible parent we could ever have would be our Heavenly Father. At the end of the day, none of these great parenting decisions meant anything if she didn't know that ultimately, we are God's children. It all comes down to grace, she always says. And that, friend, is what truly makes her a great mama.

And you know something else about my mama? She wishes that every mama could have kids who spend their time and money in unusual ways like hers, so that the way she and her children live are no longer unusual.

And I think that's why she's so disturbed by those questions or comments of "How did you do it?" 

Because she does not want to be extraordinary.

So, to all you wonderful, beautiful mamas out there, on this day that celebrates YOU, can I encourage you to be extraordinary?

It will take courage, but simply bringing life into this world is courageous, so we all know that mamas possess the courage already.

It will take sacrifice, but I know that you would give anything for your children.

It will take trust in a God who loves your children more than you ever could, but I truly believe that you will find even greater peace in giving it up to Him.

It will be the hardest thing ever because (trust me, I've lived this first-hand) us kids are so darn stubborn sometimes...

But I believe you can raise your kids to be great.

But more importantly - I believe their Heavenly Father will. 

And I pray that you would have the power to truly and deeply believe that, at the very core of who you are as not only a mother, but as the beautiful, courageous woman of God that you are.