SUMMER 2016 VO L . 7, N O . 3

compassion.com/explorermagazine

ProjectProjectMAKE AN

AFRICAN DRUM.MAKE AN

AFRICAN DRUM.

MASH UP SOME MATOOKE.

MASH UP SOME MATOOKE.

RecipeRecipe

For seven days recently, elementary students at Liberty Christian Academy experienced a little of what life is like in a Ugandan village. Their principal, Mrs. Jones, and their teachers had ordered the Step Into My Shoes® kit from Compassion, which includes fun ideas for learning about life in poor areas.

The 260 students, ages 3 through 12, created soccer balls out of plastic bags like lots of kids in poverty do. The students went barefoot one Friday to see what it’s like to live without the comfort and safety of shoes. They walked a mile while carrying heavy jugs of water, just like millions of children around the world who don’t have running water at home. The students built tents to learn what it might feel like to live in a tiny shelter with a family. And they made colorful masks to learn about African culture.

“We learned about a little girl in Uganda,” says Addyson Cordell, age 7, who enjoyed the Step Into My Shoes activities. “She rides her bike two hours a day just to get water from a yucky lake where animals drink. It’s called a watering hole, and her family had to boil it to get rid of the bacteria, and there’s sometimes still bacteria in it.”

Addyson’s favorite part was joining her schoolmates to collect secondhand shoes and donate them to a Christian charity that gives

them to children in Africa. Addyson says it’s important to help people in need “so they can live a good life, live longer, and be happy and have hope.”

Compassion Explorer Magazine is published three times per year by Compassion International. © Compassion International 2016. All rights reserved. Compassion and Compassion International are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Another version used is the NIRV, the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION®. Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.

SUPPORTER RETENTION AND ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Stacey Baxter

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Leanna Summers

MANAGING EDITOR Willow Welter

PRINT PRODUCTION Michelle Dana

WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORSLeanna Summers, Willow Welter

EDITING AND PROOFREADING Anna Gonzalez, Suellen Wenz

ART DIRECTOR Mark Kyle

DESIGNER Callie Wilburn

ILLUSTRATORLuke Flowers

PHOTOGRAPHERS Chuck Bigger, Edwin Estioko, Tigist Gizachew, Karen Jones, Jacintha Phillip, Callie Wilburn

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Email us at compassionkids@compassion.com or write to Compassion International, Attn: Compassion Explorer Magazine Editor, 12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.

DepartmentsCompassionate Kids 3PAGE

What Does God Say 7PAGE About … ?Crafts, Recipes 8PAGE

and ProjectsJust for Grins 16PAGE

and Giggles

Illustrations by Luke Flowers

Muli mutya! That’s what Ugandans who speak Luganda say to greet a group of people. In this issue, we’ll find out about the culture, struggles and hope found in the East African country of Uganda.

Love in Many LanguagesSee Bibles of kids around the world. 12PAGE

You’ve Gotta Love Uganda!Check out two Compassion centers in Uganda to see what kids do there! 4PAGE

A Ugandan boy plays trombone at his Compassion center.

ABOUT THE COVER

GameJourney through a day in the life of a Ugandan child! 14PAGE

Students in Ohio get a taste of Ugandan childhood.

Want to read about other caring kids? Have an adult go to compassion.com/explorer!

Liberty Christian students went to school barefoot one Friday.

The kids carried jugs of water while doing laps around their gym until they’d walked for a mile.

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” — 2 John 1:6

SUMMER 2016 3

Children who live in this neighborhood in the city of Kampala go to a Compassion center nearby. Their neighborhood has no safe places to play. Most homes in the area are close together and don’t have yards. So some kids play near dangerous ditches that fill with water and trash when it rains.

Kids at the Kampala center also eat yummy food, learn songs about Jesus and play musical instruments in a band. The band is special because the children’s families can’t afford their own instruments.

When the kids go to their Compassion center, they get the chance to play in a clean, safe area. The church that runs the center has lots of fun games for the children.

Let’s see what Ugandan children receive at their Compassion centers!

Right: At a Compassion

center in the big city of Kampala, sponsored kids

follow their teacher in dances and songs about Jesus.

Below: These kids go to a Compassion center in the small village of

Bufumbo.

SUMMER 2016 54 compassion explorer

DEAR JESUS,I’m thankful that You gave me a voice to

speak up for others. Please give me wisdom to know when to stay silent and when to use my words to defend someone from harm or show kindness. Please give me ideas for what to say and do to help the kids I meet and others in need.

IN YOUR NAME, AMEN.

Illustrations by Luke Flowers

God has given us a powerful way to help others, be bold and show kindness. In Proverbs 31:8-9 we learn that it’s important to stand up for others: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Speaking up for people means using your words to help them. Next time you’re at school, church or the playground, be aware of when you should speak up for someone. If you see someone pushing or hitting another child, tell an adult. If you hear a classmate teasing someone on the playground, tell the bully why that’s wrong and then say kind words to the person being teased.

The tricky part is knowing when to speak up, and that comes with wisdom. You can gain wisdom by reading the Bible, listening to teachers and parents, studying hard and praying.

CAPITAL CITY Kampala

LANGUAGES English, Luganda & other African languages

CURRENCY Shilling

RELIGIONS Christianity 83.9%, Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%

UGANDA

These sisters live in a village called Lira. They get water for bathing and cooking from this

hole. It is by the hut where they live with their grandma. They can safely

drink the water if they boil it to kill germs first. Since one sister became sponsored, Compassion

is working to help the girls get clean water.

FILLED UP

At a Compassion center in Lira, sponsored children eat nutritious food and drink clean water. This cook is making porridge for the children’s mid-morning snack. After that, she’ll prepare their lunch.

The center has classes to teach sponsored kids skills for future jobs. While these children learn to bake, others study computers, sewing and mechanics. Tutors at the center also teach children about the Bible.

On a separate sheet of paper, list some more ways you can speak up for people you know or might meet someday.

Ask a parent how your family can help people in poverty.

SUMMER 2016 76 compassion explorer

Adult help needed.

These are some of the tasty foods that sponsored children in Uganda eat. Many families can’t afford meat, so they eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Plantains are part of the banana family. Here a sponsored girl in Uganda peels a banana.

MATOOKE WITH PEANUT SAUCE

INGREDIENTS 6-8 plantains,

peeled and chopped

DIRECTIONSPlace the water and plantains in a pot and simmer until tender for about 25 minutes. Drain and then mash. Add water if needed to reach desired consistency.

2 c. water

salt to taste

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS

1 tomato

½ onion, peeled

2 c. water

1 c. peanut butter

½ tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS1 Chop the tomato and onion. Add them

with the water to a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

2 Stir in the peanut butter and spices. Let the mixture simmer, stirring continuously until it thickens.

3 Pour over the prepared matooke.

VEGETABLE SAMOSAS [sah-MO-sahs] Makes about 12 samosas.

INGREDIENTS 3 tbsp. vegetable oil ¼ c. onion, chopped 1 tsp. gingerroot,

finely chopped

¼ c. frozen peas, thawed 2 c. potatoes, peeled, boiled until

soft and mashed into large lumps

½ tsp. dry mustard 1 tbsp. coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin salt to taste 1 package frozen phyllo

pastry dough, thawed 6 tbsp. melted butter

DIRECTIONS1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high

heat and sauté the onion until soft. Add the ginger and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in the peas and potatoes. Add the mustard, coriander, cumin and salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.

2 Unroll the pastry dough and cover with a damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Brush 1 pastry sheet with melted butter. Fold the sheet in half and brush with more butter. Fold in half one more time and brush with butter again. Place 1 tbsp. of the cooked filling on one end of the pastry sheet, leaving a 1-inch border around the sides.

3 Fold the right corner over the filling diagonally and squeeze edges together to form a tightly sealed triangle. Brush the triangle with more butter and place on a baking sheet. Cover while making more samosas. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Kids line up at a Compassion center in Uganda to enjoy a snack of vegetable samosas and cups of porridge.

MATOOKE [Mah-TOOK-eh]

SUMMER 2016 98 compassion explorer

SUPPLIES 2 large paper cups masking tape

DIRECTIONS1 Cut out the bottom of each cup. Place one cup

upside down on table. Place other cup right side up on top of the other cup. Tape the two cups together.

2 Dip some paper strips into the water-and-flour mixture and wrap the strips around the cups. Put several layers of wet paper strips around the top rim to make it stronger. Let it all dry.

3 Use paint to decorate your drum in a fun African design. Once the paint has dried, cut open one side of the balloon and stretch it over the top of the cup. Use a rubber band to secure it to the lid if needed. You can also wrap twine or string around the top of your drum to decorate.

In many African countries where sponsored children live, musicians play a traditional drum called a djembe [JEM-bay]. Here’s how to make one you can play!

CHECK IT OUT MARCH TO YOUR OWN BEAT

Boys in Burkina Faso with a djembe

SUPPLIES 1 large recycled

cereal or other box 1” hole punch (optional)

craft paint

DIRECTIONS1 Choose two colors for your checker pieces and cut out (or

punch out) 12 (1-inch) circles in one color and 12 (1-inch) circles in another color from your recycled boxes. You can also paint your

pieces in two different colors once you’ve cut them out.

2 Divide your board into 64 (1½-inch) squares with alternating colors. Use your ruler to mark 1½ inches across your cardboard piece on every edge. Then connect the lines, using your ruler to make a straight line. Use paint or markers to choose two colors for your checkerboard or you can leave half of the squares the color of the cardboard. Paint the checkerboard, making sure to alternate each color so that no two squares side by side are the same color.

1 square-foot piece of sturdy cardboard

ruler nontoxic, water-based

paints or markers

Kids whose families can’t afford to buy checkerboards get creative and make

their own. Learn how you can too!

Children in Uganda play with a homemade checkerboard using plastic bottle caps as checkers.

1 c. each flour and water, mixed

20-30 newspaper strips

nontoxic, water-based paint

1 balloon 1 rubber band

Traditional djembes are

carved from a single log of hardwood.

2a

2b

2c

2d

SUMMER 2016 1110 compassion explorer

The complete Bible has been translated into 554 languages! Bible translators still have a lot of work to do though. There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world. Happily, Compassion gives sponsored kids Bibles in their languages. Check out some Bibles of sponsored children around the world.

In Uganda, most kids read Bibles

in their languages of Luganda and

English.

UGANDA

The boy pictured above and the girl pictured at right live in El Salvador. In their country, most of the Bibles that kids study at their Compassion centers are printed in Spanish.

EL SALVADOR Christopher is a sponsored boy in the Philippines. He holds a Bible printed in the Filipino language.

PHILIPPINES

A girl in Togo carries La Bible Pour Enfants. It is French

for The Bible for Children.

TOGO

Santa Biblia means Holy Bible in Spanish. It is the most common

language spoken in this sponsored boy’s

country of Bolivia.

BOLIVIA

At least 2,000 languages

are spoken in Africa.

SUMMER 2016 1312 compassion explorer

SUMMER 2016 1514 compassion explorer

Compassion International12290 Voyager ParkwayColorado Springs, CO 80921-3668(800) 336-7676

Remember this picture from the Spring 2016 Compassion Explorer Magazine? These are some of your great captions!

Hello? Goo goo ... bloogie ploogie ... goodbye. Goo!Noah, 5Minneapolis

Sorry, guys, I’ve got to take this. It’s important. Myla, 10Lincoln, Neb.

KIDS, CAPTION THIS PHOTO FOR THE NEXT COMPASSION EXPLORER!

Send a caption by Aug. 30 to: Compassion International, Attn: Compassion Explorer Magazine Editor, 12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. Or email it to compassionkids@compassion.com.

I can’t hear you!Jolene, 8Frostburg, Md.

Hello from the other side ... Ethan, 11River Falls, Wis.

Maybe I could hear better if we got a smartphone!Sage, 11, Chicago

OK, Mommy, time to call Granny.Mekiah, 9Oak Harbor, Wash.

Ethiopian kids celebrate their move from the Child Survival Program into the sponsorship program for older children.

More captions at compassion.com/explorermagazine!

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For even more adventure, check out our online magazine!

Go to compassion.com/explore today!

CALLING ALL EXPLORERS!

Ring-ring! Hello? Baby on the phone.Jenna, 9Elk Grove, Calif.