COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 16, 2008 – Through the generous support of Moody Radio listeners, Moody Bible Institute has awarded scholarships to three international students sponsored by Compassion International.

The Wess Stafford–Moody Scholarships are named after the president of Compassion, a Moody graduate and an internationally recognized advocate for children. Twenty-eight Moody Radio stations teamed up for “Two Days of Compassion,” challenging listeners to provide more than 3,000 sponsorships.

“I am truly honored and grateful that Moody Bible Institute would provide this remarkable opportunity,” said Dr. Stafford. “And I am particularly thrilled that the beneficiaries of these scholarships, whom Compassion has served since they were little children, would experience the joy that I had of attending the Moody Bible Institute. They will return to their countries and serve as incredible, Godly leaders.”

All three Moody scholarship recipients are graduates of Compassion’s Leadership Development Program, which sends promising young Christians to college for their undergraduate degrees. The program began in 1996 and is offered to graduates of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills. Through the Leadership Development Program, students receive a university education in their native countries and Christian leadership training through Compassion’s church partners. The students selected by Moody will receive full scholarships to obtain master’s degrees at Moody Graduate School in Chicago.

The recipients are Richmond Wandera from Uganda, Michelle Sheba Tolentino from the Philippines and Cesar Antonio Beltran Morales from the Dominican Republic. To be eligible for the scholarships, each student must be proficient in English and have a 2.75 grade-point average on a four-point scale. Each is committed to the local church and has promised to return to serve in his or her home country after graduation from Moody.

“This is an exciting partnership for Moody — it enhances the ministry effectiveness of all involved,” said Ed Cannon, chief operating officer of Moody Bible Institute. “Moody’s vision is to equip students to serve Christ, and this opportunity allows the scholarship recipients to obtain a superb Bible education before they return to their own countries for ministry.”

The scholarship recipients will fly to Colorado Springs for meetings with Compassion officials in July. They will then travel to Chicago to attend the annual Willow Creek Leadership Summit on August 7 and 8. In mid-August, they will begin orientation for the fall semester at Moody’s Chicago campus.

Moody Bible Institute was founded by evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Its purpose is to equip and motivate people to advance the cause of Christ through ministries that educate, edify and evangelize.

Moody is best known for its education branch, which offers undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. Other Moody ministries include Moody Publishers and Moody Radio.

To learn more about Moody Bible Institute, please visit www.moody.edu. To learn more about Moody Radio, please visit www.moodyradio.org.

Compassion is one of the world’s largest Christian child development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and 4,500 indigenous church partners. It serves more than 1 million children in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Since 1952, Compassion has touched the lives of more than 1.8 million children and has been recognized for its financial integrity with top ratings and recommendations by several of the nation’s leading not-for-profit “watchdog” organizations.

For information on how to sponsor a child or donate to the Leadership Development Program, visit Compassion online at compassion.com or call (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT.

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