Splagchnizomai- a Greek word defined by Strong's Concordance as "to have the bowels yearn, feel sympathy, to pity have (to be moved with) compassion."  At first glance, it might seem strange to put 'bowel yearning' and 'compassion' together. Still, this word is used multiple times in the gospels to describe how Jesus felt toward others. Mathew 9:36 says, "when he saw the crowds, he had compassion (spagchnizomai) on them…". Mathew 14:14 describes a scene in which "Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion (splagchnizomai) on them and healed their sick" (NIV). In other words, Jesus' heart broke when he saw people hurting, and he felt it in his gut. You may be able to relate to Jesus in this way as you remember a time when you walked alongside a friend going through a difficult time, or when you volunteered at a community center where poverty affects families in or around your neighborhood. Maybe these circumstances brought tears to your eyes, left a lump in your throat, or made you feel heaviness in your chest or tummy. This is spagchnizomai. 

At Compass, we want to create a culture of compassion, but we don't want to stop there. We want to feel compassion and follow Jesus' example by doing something about it! We want to develop a habit of asking, "Lord, this hurts; what would you have me do about this?"  Sometimes, this means becoming more informed about a problem we see. In January, our podcast, Compass Community Conversations, featured Sara Feasel from Hope Center Indy to learn more about sex and human trafficking in the United States and globally. You can listen to that episode here!

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit leads us to action through service. Compass continues to work with the Department of Child Services in Grant County through the CarePortal digital platform. Through CarePortal, we have delivered clothing, diapers, wipes, beds, sheets, and other household items to kids placed in foster or kinship care. As we near spring in Indiana, we look forward to Royal Family Kids Camp, May 31st-June 5th. We are thankful for the partnership with Seth and Joy Elzinga, who have compassion for kids in foster care and will be leading the camp for kids from Grant County!

As we enter 2026, it is our prayer at Compass that we can continue to bring God's Kingdom down to Earth. We love doing that in partnership with you, and if you are wondering how you can participate in kingdom work, it may start in your gut.                  

-Courtney Middlesworth