By Mark Ambrogi
There is no long mission trip needed to see what life is like for children in a poverty-stricken nation.
The Compassion Experience’s Change the Story brings that vision to your community. The free, interactive mobile tour will be at Hazel Dell Christian Church, 14501 Hazel Dell Pkwy., from Aug. 21 to 24. The exhibit takes visitors on a 20-minute journey of children’s lives in the Philippines and Kenya. There will be 2,000 square feet of exhibit space, showing what life is like in schools, homes and markets. Through the use of an iPod with a headset, the tour is guided by a child’s voice.
It is presented by Compassion International, the world’s largest Christian child development organization. Through the Child Sponsorship Program, Compassion International’s mission is to tackle global poverty one child at a time, so far helping more than 1.3 million children in 26 of the world’s poorest countries.
“We have a lot of our members support children through Compassion International,” said Jon Vance, small groups and outreach minister at Hazel Dell Christian Church. “I think that’s one reason we have strong support in this ministry.”
Hazel Dell members Judy and Mark Taylor have led mission trips to Uganda each year through Compassion International, and the congregation supports 165 children in Uganda.
“We go and represent the church and the sponsors in the church,” Judy said. “We take pictures and videos and bring that back to share with the congregation. So they get to see the children they are sponsoring playing and having fun. We take several suitcases of gifts that we take that they send to the children they sponsor.”
PLAN YOUR VISIT
The Compassion Experience will be open:
- 11 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. Aug. 21
- 10 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. Aug. 22
- 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Aug. 23
- 11 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. Aug. 24
For more information or reserve a spot, visit changetour.compassion.com/carmel/.
