The gift of compassion...

...for two little boys.

One for each of them:

Guatemala ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Guatemala - to read and learn about Diego's home

Window On The World - to know there are children like Diego all over the world who need prayer, who need Jesus, who need compassion

An inflatable globe - to trace the distance across the Gulf between us and Guatemala

A copy of Diego's first letter to us - colored drawings, slick with crayon wax, and a fingerprint we can touch

And the adorable Diego - the very same age as those two little boys - standing tall against the paint-pealed wall - his photo framed for each of them

The little boys will open their packages, inflate the globes and find the place Diego lives. We'll take a photo and print it off, draw pictures and send love in a letter - to Diego from Mason and Gavin and their papa and mimi.

And when grace and blessings are said over our food, and we light the last candle on our journey to Bethlehem, we'll pray all together for Diego and his family, grateful for the opportunity to nurture the gift of compassion in the hearts of those two little boys who call me mimi.

Child sponsorship, through various Christian organizations, has been a way of life for our family for over twenty years, but the inspiration for sponsoring a child as a Christmas gift for our grandchildren came as I traveled vicariously with Ann Voskamp to Guatemala with Compassion International  late this past summer.

If child sponsorship seems too overwhelming, there are still many other wonderful ways to give the "gift of compassion" to others this Christmas through the Gifts of Compassion Catalog - an on-line catalog of gift alternatives. No crowds, no lines, no stress, and no returns - just a gift that will help make a difference in the life of a child living in one of the poorest communities of the world. Gifts that help to provide clean drinking water, medical treatment, disaster relief, food supplies and much, much more for Compassion-assisted children and their families.

There is a gift and price-range for nearly every budget. Gifts include mosquito nets, soccer balls, chickens, goats, water filters, farm equipment, clean water and more, and range in prices from $10 to $5000.

Meet real needs and bring real joy with a Gift of Compassion to someone you love this Christmas.