The Power of Encouragement

A special “welcome” to those of you who found your way here through my Encouragement for Today devotion. I hope Steven’s story touched your heart. I know if it weren’t for the power of encouragement from God’s Words to me and His love expressed through people, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

I also know how hard it is when you don’t have the gift of someone encouraging you not to give up. I have been in that longing and lonely place, too. But one day God challenged me to become for someone else what I wish I had for myself, and it changed me forever.

I pray that my blog will be a source of encouragement for you today! First, I’d like to share with you the story of sacrificial love expressed by a mother named Hagere who chose life for her baby girl. A baby she named Aster who God called our family to adopt a month ago from Ethiopia.

Hagere’s story is reshaping me as a woman, wife and mom as I have seen the sacrificial love of my Savior through her. I posted the story here. I’m praying that each of you who stops by my little corner of the world will read it and hear words of encouragement spoken from your Father’s heart bringing hope and courage to yours.

I also wanted to share how our family has seen the power of encouragement through our sponsorship of another Ethiopian girl named Meseret with Compassion International. She is 17 now, and was only 4 when we started sponsoring her. I’ll be posting more soon about meeting her while we were in Ethiopia and seeing firsthand the amazing impact Compassion has made in her life along with our family’s love, support and letters to her for 13 years.Maybe today you might consider how you could bring encouragement to a child’s life through Compassion International. Click on in the blue box that says “Sponsor a Child” in my sidebar to find out more.

Blessings and prayers of encouragement for you today!