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Born for a Purpose: Special Needs Children Serve their Community

“Will it be great, or total chaos?” wondered Nikki Graham as she looked at all the volunteers. All she could see was a sea of green shirts with “to serve” written across the back in Chichewa, a local language in Malawi. This past August, Nikki and a Venture Team from Summit Church in Orlando, Florida, did something no one had ever done before, as far as they knew.

by Heather Ostalkiewicz, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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Building a Healthy Future for Ugandan Children

The Ugandan children wait anxiously for their medical exam. They aren’t used to going to the doctor so they don’t know what to expect. But when Shannon Carnahan shows them how to place the stethoscope in their ears and then presses the scope to her heart, they quickly forget to be scared.  

by Heather Ostalkiewicz, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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A Sponsor's Journey, Part 5: A New Perspective

To be honest, when I first signed up to sponsor a child I had never met, writing genuine and heartfelt letters was a little difficult. The only thing I knew about him was what I read on his profile. I started my letters with the basics—my family, my hobbies, and my favorite things. But I wanted Alfred to know how much I cared and loved him even though I had never met him. I started praying for Alfred often and would write him telling him that I was praying for him. Then I got an opportunity to actually meet him 

by Alicia Martin, COTN Sponsor and Venture Intern

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A Mission Trip By the Children, For the Children

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a six-year-old on a mission trip? Three families recently found out what it was like when they took their children, ages six to ten, on a Venture Trip to the Dominican Republic. The trip was specially designed for the families and their children, and focused on books—reading, enjoying, and even making them.

by Heather Ostalkiewicz, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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A Sponsor's Journey, Part 4: Over the River and Through the Jungle

My journey to my sponsored child Alfred's home in Mokpangumba, Sierra Leone, was an adventure I will never forget. Not many people I know can say they have trekked through the jungle of Africa. It was raining on my way there so I would definitely describe the one-hour walk as wet. Not to mention the fact that we crossed two rivers by foot and one larger river by canoe. And by “canoe” I mean a giant carved-out log.

by Alicia Martin, COTN Sponsor and Venture Intern

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"I'm So Happy You're Here!"

Excited but very nervous, Taylor Breckenridge followed the interpreter down a well-worn path to Mgwayi village in Malawi, Africa. It was her first time in Africa, and she was about to meet the girl she had been writing letters to, praying for, and supporting through sponsorship for three years. As Taylor walked down the path to her home, questions flooded her mind. Would Florence recognize her? Had she gotten the letters, the pictures, or the friendship bracelet Taylor had sent her?

by By Heather Ostalkiewicz, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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A Sponsor's Journey, Part Three: On to Africa!

It was a busy week. Alicia graduated from high school, then graduated from college, and took off on the biggest trip of her life. 

by Cassia Burke, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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Of Beaches and Baseball

It was Tim's Schulte's secret dream to play baseball with Dominicans—some of the best baseball players in the world. But he didn't consider that desire when looking for a trip to take his son on. "More than anything, we wanted to do a mission trip together," he says. 

by Cassia Burke, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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A Sponsored Child from God

The following was written by Susan Price, a Venture participant who traveled to the Dominican Republic for the first time with Children of the Nations in May. 

by Susan Price, COTN Venture Participant

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The Day I Met My Sponsored Child

I was as happy as could be, sitting under a makeshift tent in Haiti, listening to dozens of children singing their favorite Bible songs.  But I couldn’t quite sit still.  In just a few minutes I would meet my sponsored child, Staina, for the first time.   

by Heather Ostalkiewicz, COTN–USA Staff Writer

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