It’s finals week for my daughter Hannah at Pepperdine University’s law school. Once her hectic term ends, instead of enjoying a carefree summer, she’s going to Uganda for a legal internship with International Justice Mission.

Hannah Stearns

Echoes of the past: On my first date with Reneé, when we were both in college, she told me she wanted to become a lawyer and help the poor with their legal problems. Me, I was headed straight for a career in business, hoping to make a lot of money. I’m glad Hannah’s taking after her mother in this respect.

By the time we started a family, though, Reneé and I were on the same page, and we wanted to raise our children to be compassionate. That’s no easy thing—there’s no “Dummies” book on it. Like everything else in parenting, modeling is important—living out your priorities. Reneé and I have included our children as stakeholders in our charitable giving, sitting down as a family each year to choose which individuals, organizations, and church needs we would support, using Monopoly money to allocate amounts.

When I became president of World Vision, I had the opportunity to bring all of my children on trips with me to the developing world, including Hannah to Uganda in 2006. Not all parents can do this, I understand. But poverty is seldom far away—families can volunteer at soup kitchens or homeless shelters or go on a short-term missions trip with their church.

Children seem wide-open to caring for others. I’ve heard so many examples lately about kids giving enthusiastically to Haiti’s earthquake survivors, families affected by AIDS, and other urgent needs. God’s already working in their hearts; it’s up to us as parents to develop this.

How are you encouraging your children’s compassion?