52 ways to pray

Compassion has a section on their website where they list 52 ways that we, as sponsors, can pray for our sponsored children. This is so helpful because sometimes, I want to pray for them in a very specific way and I just don't know how. This list helps me to focus. It's a wonderful tool that we can use to pray for our kids! In 2013, I'm going to list one prayer each week. Another blogger (Jill at Compassion Family) posts her's on Sundays. I'm not sure what day I'll be posting mine, just however it works out I guess because I have other regular posts that I'd like to start doing next year.

Thank you, Compassion, for coming up with this list!

In His grace,

Sharon

Antonio needs a sponsor

This is Antonio in Brazil and he's waiting for a sponsor.

Antonio just turned 7 years old in June. He lives with his father and mother. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer. He loves soccer, playing with cars, and playing with marbles!

Little Antonio is a special needs child as he is crippled in both feet. Please consider sponsoring him! If you can't sponsor, please pray for Antonio, that he'll find a sponsor soon.

Would you like to sponsor Antonio?
Click here...
http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?needKey=BR4240686

In His grace,

Sharon

Did you know...?

Did you know...

-more than a quarter of the world's 7 billion people are children age 15 and under?
-in developing countries, a thid to almost half of the population are children?
-about 153 million of the world's children are orphans?
-and, more than 100 million (of those 153 million) live and work on the streets?
-more than 100 million children who are school age do not attend school?

Children are our future. They are future parents, teachers, pastors, doctors, nurses, scientists, community leaders. Let's invest in their lives, both locally and globally. Help release them from their spiritual and physical poverty. Let's build them up and help our children to become responsible, healthy and happy Christian adults.

Sponsor a child through Compassion International today!

Click here...
http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=126731

In His grace,

Sharon

Mail Call!

In the mail today was a letter from our Beatriz in Brazil, thanking us for a money gift that we sent. She was able to buy two pairs of sandals, some clothes, and an umbrella. I'm trying to picture the purchase of the umbrella, wondering if the project worker urged her to buy it because she needed it, or if it was a pretty one and Beatriz just wanted it because she had some money left over. She didn't say what color it is, but I hope it's a pretty "girly" color, like pink or yellow or maybe different colors with flowers on it!

Beatriz, enjoy wearing your new sandals and clothes! I hope it rains soon so that you can use your new umbrella!

I'm linking up with Michelle at www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com on her Mail Call Monday!


In His grace,

Sharon

1st letter from Armando!

Today, I was thrilled to receive my first letter from Armando, my most recent correspondent child. Little Armando just turned 7 years old in June and lives in Guatemala.

"Dear Sponsor: Please pray for his family so that God gives them health. A greeting to my sponsor! Armando greets you, he sends hugs to you. Thank you for the sponsorship. God bless you and your beloved ones."

It was one of those form letters, but it thrilled my heart to get it! Armando drew a picture on the back. I just love receiving letters when they draw us a picture! He drew a blue truck with someone riding in it (him?), and the sun shining above.

Armando's drawing

Praying for Armando, that the Lord will watch over him and keep him healthy, happy and safe.

Have you heard from your sponsored children recently?

In His grace,

Sharon

Mail Call with www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com

Creative ideas coming soon

Well, no update on a printer. It's been a busy few weeks! We have family visiting from out of town, I've been busy with other commitments, and I just haven't taken the time to go and get a new printer. And, then, my laptop is doing something wonky and I can't get online. Anyway...I'm going to look at printers sometime this week, get it set up, and then start scanning and uploading some creative ideas for things to send our sponsored children.

I'm also working on a schedule to post certain topics to this blog. I really want to get a handle on scheduling my blog posts...certain topics on certain days, that kind of thing.

Happy Monday!

In His grace,

Sharon

Mail Call Monday!

Mail Call Monday

During the past week, I received two letters from my correspondent child, Hosea, in Tanzania. I'm always reluctant to call him a "child" because he's 20 years old, so he's really a young man. And, from his letters, which of course he writes himself, he's a very polite young man. In both letters, he seems to be so very grateful that someone cared enough to write him. Here are his letters:



Letter 1:

"I greet you in the name of Jesus. We are all doing very fine in here. I believe you are doing fine as well. I really want to thank you for your introduction to me, and how you chose me. It's incredible for sure. I am now in the mid-term holiday and I am helping my parents to do some domestic activities. I am learning masonry and brick laying. I did the first examination and when we open the school we are going to get the results. I would like to get reading in the book of John 9:4-5. Goodbye and God bless you and open the doors of blessings to you."

Letter 2:

"I greet you all in the name of Jesus Christ. I am doing very fine and my parents are doing fine too. I am so happy to hear that you are fine and I feel so special just because you have chosen me. Thank you so much. I normally attend to the project and school as well. We are in the middle of one term and I am expecting to do better in school. We are now in little to long holiday, and I will be back in school in 16 of 07 2012. I am helping my parents to do some home activities. I have a bible scripture for you in the book of Psalm 41:1-2. God bless you."

Mail Call Monday is hosted by www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com. Check it out!


In His grace,


Sharon


I welcome your comments!

Compassion Mobile Experience!

Compassion International has come up with a wonderful and exciting way to share the story of children in poverty. There's no way that I could explain it any better than Compassion does, so I'll just copy and paste their words from the Compassion website.  ( www.compassion.com )

Change the Story...what is it?

It's a traveling, interactive exhibit that allows you to journey through the lives of three real-life children who are affected not only by extreme poverty, but also by the Compassion ministry.

The Experience
What if you could see poverty firsthand? What if, despite age, health or finances, others could experience God's heart for the poor?

Now you can.

Change the Story will bring you as close to another country and culture as you can get without a passport. This interactive, immersive display allows you to step into the life of a child who has suffered under the crippling weight of poverty.

But the journey does not end there.

In the span of less than 30 minutes, you will travel with that child from hardship to hope. And in the midst of hope, you will see that child's story transformed through the support of Compassion and the child's life-giving relationship with a sponsor.

Change the Story is an eye-opening experience that challenges your views of poverty, transforms your understanding of the world, and moves you to be the change for a child who lives in extreme poverty!

Go here to find out where the Compassion Mobile Experience will land near you!

In His grace,


Sharon

I welcome your comments!

Introducing...Armando

Meet my newest correspondent child, Armando from Guatemala! Isn't he just the most precious little boy?!?

Armando just turned 7 years old last month. He lives with his mother. He likes soccer and football, and hide-and-seek! And, he also likes cars (a typical little boy "like"). The information that I received indicates that the family is in extreme poverty, and they don't have money to send Armando to school. That just breaks my heart. I'm going to try to send him not just fun things in my letters, but educational as well.


Armando lives in the mountainous community of Totonicapan. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, mud walls and tile roofs. The most common language is Quiche. (Note to self: research Quiche. I've never heard of it.)


His little face looks so sad. I hope that through my letters to him, I can bring a smile to that sweet face. Please pray for Armando today.


In His grace,


Sharon

Ker-plooey

Well, I'm not sure I spelled that right, but my printer went ker-plooey on me! I have one of those printer/scanner/copier things and I don't know what happened, but it's acting wonky. So, I can't scan my bookmarks, as I mentioned in my previous post. I guess I'll have to get another one. We do have a smaller color printer but it doesn't have a scanner. In the meantime, I can always take pictures of things and upload the pictures, so that's what I'll do with the bookmarks. Look for those sometime in the next few days (along with some other ideas, coming soon!).


In His grace,


Sharon

Bookmarks

So many of us sponsors have those standard items that we send to our Compassion children...things like stickers, lapbooks, pictures, coloring pages, and bookmarks. Today, I'd like to give you a few ideas on different kinds of bookmarks to send. (Note: I plan to add pictures to this post this weekend; right now, though, here are a few thoughts. Some new sponsors may find inspiration from this post!)


Bookmark how-to
You can either make your own bookmarks by taking scrapbook paper (my favorite, since I love to scrapbook!) or construction paper, and cutting it into the standard bookmark size (about 1-1/2" x 6-1/2"). Of course, you can make it smaller or larger, depending on your preferences.


A few ideas on what to put on your bookmarks...


Bible verses: Write out your favorite bible verse! Your sponsored child will love to receive this from you! If you have access to a labeling machine, or a computer, just type it and print it out. Another idea is to buy some stamps with bible verses. You can find these in the scrapbook section of your local stores, such as Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby (my favorite!), Michael's, and of course scrapbook stores if you're fortunate enough to have one in your town. We have several where I live, and they have a wonderful selection of stamps to choose from. Buy your favorite color inkpad and you're all set.


Your child's picture: When you make your bookmark, you can print out your child's picture and glue it on to the front. If you're creative enough, cut out a small square or oval at the top of the bookmark, glue the picture on the back so that the picture shows through and then glue another bookmark on the back of that. Remember that ribbon normally is not accepted, so you could "pretty it up" with stickers and colored markers.


Print out your child's name in big colorful letters, or use stickers, and glue it on to the front of the bookmark. I did this recently for my little Beatriz in Brazil and it turned out great! I'll post a picture of it later.


Laminate it! I did this on the bookmark I sent Beatriz with her name on it. It makes it a little nicer and will hold up longer than just a paper bookmark. Hobby Lobby has several small laminators you can choose from that are fairly inexpensive. I use my "purple cow" laminator for lots of different things!


Be creative...have fun!


In His grace,


Sharon




I would love to hear your comments and ideas!

Ideas coming...

One of my goals for this blog is to post about a few specific things on a regular basis. I'd like to start posting ideas for letter writing, have a mail call posting schedule, and to definitely post about children needing sponsors. All of these posts will be done on a regular schedule. I'm working on a few more ideas as well, so please check back often and share my blog with others. I'd love to build up a following because the more people who read my blog, the more people will be aware of Compassion and more children will be sponsored!


Thought for today: If you go by Starbuck's on the way to work every morning, could you possibly cut that back to once or twice a week and with the money you save, it may be enough to sponsor another child! I've been trying to think of ways to save enough so that I can add another child. Wouldn't that be a great way to do it?


Have a blessed day!


In His grace,


Sharon

What more?

Spring cleaning...it's something that I dread and know I really need to do, but put it off as long as possible. Those ceiling fans could really use a good cleaning because it's one of those things that I just don't think about wiping off each week. And, those dust bunnies everywhere! Our hardwood floor isn't quite as shiny as when it was put down. The bathrooms sure could use a good scrubdown, and don't even get me started on my closets! (Well, that sentence just popped my big happy balloon!) Don't we all feel this way sometimes? I know I do, more often than I want to admit. I'm quite blessed, but sometimes, I don't appreciate what I have quite as much as I should!


And, then I visit the Compassion website, and blogs of sponsors who have gone to visit their sponsored children. I look at their houses made of cardboard and mud and whatever materials they can get their hands on. I read about the people in those other countries who are joyful at the thought of being able to eat one small meal on any given day. I look through countless faces on the Compassion website, wondering if today might be the day that this precious little boy will become sponsored. Or, that beautiful little girl will have her heart broken once again on the next letter delivery day when her name isn't called.


I look at what I have, and I feel so blessed but I also feel so selfish. Who am I to deserve this house, this car, these clothes I'm wearing, the freedom to worship when and where I want, the money to go buy a new pair of shoes when my old ones wear out? So many blessings I have, but so many children who need sponors and who would be grateful for clean water.


My husband and I have sponsored a little girl (Beatriz) in Brazil for a little over a year now. I'm also correspondent sponsor to Hosea in Tanzania, and Andre in Indonesia. It's such a blessing to have this opportunity, and I'm grateful. But, I look around my house, and see all the things that just sit there, looking pretty but not really useful. I look at my house, which isn't a huge house, but it's brick, not made of mud and cardboard.


Sometimes, I stand with the pantry door open, or the freezer, and wonder..."what can I fix for dinner tonight? we have nothing in here; I need to go to the store, but I don't really want to get out...I really need to re-fill the freezer, and I will next time I go to the meat market...guess I'll fix the old standby of hamburgers or spaghetti..." All of these thoughts, whirling around in my head, and on the Compassion website are faces of hundreds of children who don't know where their next meal is coming from.


I feel so...I don't know...blessed, yes, but also so unworthy of what the Lord has blessed me with. Questions start popping into my mind...how can I share what I have? what else can I do? how can I shave off a few more dollars from our budget so that we can sponsor another child?


Two questions keep popping into my mind...what more can I do and how can I make it happen?


I'm on a journey to find out the answers.


In His grace,


Sharon

Keilyn needs a sponsor!

This beautiful little girl is Keilyn and she needs a sponsor today! Keilyn lives in El Salvador, on the plains of Cacaopera. Typical houses are constructed of tin and have dirt floors. With your sponsorship of Keilyn, she will receive bible teaching, medical checkups, and academic reinforcement.


I have her child packet and it expires today! Please prayerfully consider sponsoring this precious little girl. Contact me at firemom82(at)gmail(dot)com.

In His Grace,


Sharon

The New Our Compassion site!

Our Compassion, which is a social network designed by Compassion International for sponsors and advocates, has transitioned to a new forum-type network. They launched it yesterday, and I'm very excited about it! This is a place where sponsors can connect with each other, learning and growing and sharing, getting ideas for letter writing, posting prayer requests, and much more.


They're working through a few minor system bugs. As with any new system, there are those little kinks that will need to be ironed out, but just from what I can tell by glancing through it, this new site is awesome!

Check it out! 


In His grace,


Sharon

Survive 125

Imagine having to choose between eating moldy food or starving. Or, getting your child a vaccine which may prevent her from contracting a disease or buying enough food for one meal.

Now, you can find out what it’s like to make these very difficult decisions by playing “Survive125”, a game created by 58: and designed to allow you to get just a glimpse into the kind of world that many people live in daily.

Did you know that well over a billion people around the world are living in extreme poverty? The purpose of Survive 125 is to get through one month surviving on $1.25 per day.

I played this game and I was shocked at the choices that I had to make on a daily basis. I read the questions and tried my best to put myself in this woman’s place, to really know and understand, and try to make the best choice possible for each scenario. Sometimes, I felt like I made a good choice, only to find out later how that single choice would affect another area of my life.

58: is an unprecedented global alliance of Christians, churches and world-class poverty-fighting organizations working together to end extreme poverty in our lifetime by living the True Fast of Isaiah 58.

Give it a try yourself by going to this link. Then, I would love to know what you think about it. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know how you did.

Here’s the link again:  http://www.live58.org/survive125

In His grace,

Sharon

Changes to Letters

The other day, I received an email from Compassion about the upcoming changes to the letter-writing process. Of course, we've known that these changes were coming, and it's been a much-talked about topic for months! There are pro's and con's, those for and those against these upcoming changes. I haven't really given it a lot of thought. I'm just happy to get those letters any time I get them! And, of course, let's go back to the reason we sponsor to begin with. I certainly don't sponsor for what I might get out of it! I write letters to my sponsored children whether or not they write me back. So, with that said, here is the explanation about the new letter-writing process, quoted directly from Compassion.

Compassion is excited to announce that we are implementing a new letter-writing process starting July 1, 2012!

Compassion is committed to nurturing positive, healthy, developmental relationships between sponsors and children. We also are committed to the effective stewardship of program resources. We believe that these changes allow for the best use of resources while enabling the best correspondence experience for the greatest number of sponsors and children.

As such, beginning in July you will notice the following changes: 

New Letter from Someone Who Knows Your Child's Program To enhance the relationship between our sponsors and their Compassion-assisted children Compassion is introducing a new letter from someone who knows your child's program on a one-on-one basis and who can you give you better insight into your child's life. 

New Themed Letter Writing Templates In addition to this new letter, Compassion-assisted children under the age of eight will utilize specialized thematic templates to encourage them to share more about their family, favorite hobbies and sports, dreams, Christian education, and the Compassion center they attend. The new templates will also include sections for prayer requests, questions, drawing and coloring, and more. 

New Reciprocal Letter Process Besides these new and exciting changes we are also deploying a reciprocal letter process where each child will have the opportunity to write you their sponsor as soon as they receive a letter you. Therefore, if you enjoy writing letters to your child, you will receive a letter from your him or her every 60 days. Although responding to each of your letters is ultimately your Compassion-assisted child's decision, they are required to write you a letter twice per year.**Please note our country offices will have to process more letters that may require additional time.

So, there you have it. Happy writing!

In His grace,

Sharon

Artwork from Beatriz!

Well, I sat down to scan several drawings that Beatriz has sent us, but I only got one scanned because of little paws walking across the keyboard. This is the most recent artwork, received just this week. Her drawings always make me smile. I can just picture her thinking of what she can draw this time, taking her time to draw carefully and choose just the right colors. This piece of art from our little Beatriz in Brazil is something that I will treasure.

Beatriz, great job!

In His grace,

Sharon

Letter from Beatriz

After receiving my first letter from Andre, I was so happy to see another cream colored envelope in my mail box today! The letter was from Beatriz, our sponsored child in Brazil. She writes:

"Hello. How are you? I'm well. My mom is 5-month pregnant with a boy. I'm happy. Do you have children? Thanks for the letter. I always pray for you. May the Jesus' love be in your life. Pray for me and my family. In the project I play doll, color and run. We learn about Jesus. My teacher is so cool and I like her a lot. Thanks a lot for everything you do for me. May God bless you. Pray for me always. Hugs."

I'm glad to hear that Beatriz is happy about the arrival of her new little brother soon. I don't know how this will play into their situation. I may call the Compassion office to see if they can tell me anything about Beatriz and her mom that I'm not yet aware of, but it sounds like Beatriz is well and happy! I smiled when I read that she thinks her teacher "is so cool". I wonder what the Portuguese word is for "cool"...?


I'm not sure what to think about her question asking us if we have children. I've told her all about our family. Maybe the project worker who helped her with this letter just stuck that in there. In any case, I'm working on a small scrapbook that I'm going to send her soon, with all of our pictures in it.


She also drew us another picture. It seems that she loves to draw and color. This picture appears to be a boy and a girl with swimsuits on, standing on the beach. Beside them is a big slide that leads down into a swimming pool. I wonder if she has had the opportunity to go swimming like this or if this is just from her "wish list". She did a great job. As soon as I can find the time to sit down and scan for a while, I'll scan in some of her very wonderful artwork!


We pray for you, too, Beatriz. May God bless you today.


I'm linking up with www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com! Wonderful blog!


In His grace,


Sharon

First letter from Andre!

I was so excited to see a letter in my mailbox, and was thrilled that it is my first letter from Andre, a new correspondent child. Andre is 16, in the 10th grade and lives in Indonesia. His information indicated that he plays the guitar, but I wasn't sure if that was accurate, if it is something he would like to do, or if he really plays. Well, in his letter, he tells me that he is the guitarist in his church! I would love to find out from him if he can read music or plays by ear. If he can read music, then I'll be able to send him some sheet music!

"Thank you for being my sponsor. My name is Andreano (Andre). I am 16 years old. I live in Tondangow district with dad and mom. My best friends are Heman, Arthur and Kevin. My hobby is playing guitar. I don't have pet. My favorite colors are white and blue. My favorite food is fried rice. David is a man who's clever to play harp. And, I am also greatful for God's love and mercy to trust me in serving as guitarist in church, in this case melodist. God is good to me, and also to Roland and Sharon Landers. How old are you both now? Please pray for me because I'm going to face grade exam. That's all from me. May God bless the activity of Roland and Sharon Landers."

What a wonderful first letter! My oldest son's name is Kevin, so there's a connection. And, I play the piano, so we have music in common. I'm so excited to learn about his life and I look forward to getting to know him better.


May God bless you, Andre!


In His grace,


Sharon

Need sponsors

UPDATE: Fataou Bakouan has been sponsored! Thank you!


I have two packets for children who need sponsors. Please consider sponsoring one or both of these precious little girls.

This beautiful girl is Keilyn Martinez, and her birthday is September 6, 2006. Keilyn lives in El Salvador, on the plains of Cacaopera. Typical houses are constructed of tin and have dirt floors. With your sponsorship of Keilyn, she will receive bible teaching, medical checkups, and academic reinforcement.

This is Fataou Bakouan. His birthday is December 31, 2006. A New Year’s Eve baby! Fataou  lives on the plains of Sector 4 in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world. Your sponsorship will allow Fataou to receive hygiene education, medical checkups, Bible teaching, reading and writing classes at the project, and much more. Fataou lives in an aids-affected area, so sponsorship is critical for this little boy. Contact me to find out how you can be a blessing in his life!

If you're interested in becoming the sponsor of one of these children, post a comment here or email me at firemom82 (at) gmail.com.

In His grace,

Sharon

The first two!

Compassion sends each new advocate a package of materials to help them get started with their ministry. Included in that package are two child packets. My first two! It's a little overwhelming to think that I am now responsible to try to find sponsors for these two precious children. How in the world do I do that?!? That's the question that runs through my mind as I look at their sweet faces and read their information. Well, the only way to get started in this ministry is to...well,...start! So, the journey begins.

Compassion Advocate

Advocate…one who pleads the cause of another. That’s the official definition. In essence, what it means to be an advocate for Compassion International is simply this: to plead the cause of impoverished children around the world in the name of Jesus. Quoting directly from Compassion’s website about what it means to be an advocate, we are to:

• Educate Christians concerning the biblical mandate to love the poor.
• Share Compassion as one solution to those needs that provides a way for people to respond to the biblical mandate.
• Increase awareness of the needs of impoverished children around the world.

My Advocate journey started in the fall of 2011. That’s when I first felt a tug on my heart to do more than just be a sponsor, although that is a very worthy position by itself. My husband and I sponsored our first Compassion child, a little girl in Brazil, in April 2011.

In the fall of 2011, I started wondering what more I could do on behalf of Compassion. At the time, I was taking a women’s bible study (“James”, by Beth Moore). This study is the thing that took it over the top for me. There was one session in particular that God used to tell me, without any doubts, that this was something I needed to do. If you’ve ever studied the book of James in the bible, you’re probably familiar with James 1:27: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 15-16 also tells us to take care of those in need and if we don’t, ‘what does it profit?’. In other words, what good is our faith if we don’t live it out?

As I write this, I’m a brand new advocate, so I’ve just gotten started on this journey. If you’re wondering what it’s all about, and how to become an advocate yourself, here is how the process works.

First, I went to the Advocate’s area of the Compassion website. This is where you’ll find a complete Advocate Position Description as well as the application. Compassion makes every effort to make you aware of what an advocate’s responsibilities are even before you commit to it. This is one thing that I like about it because I’m a planner through and through. I want to know ahead of time what I’m getting into, what will happen, and how I can prepare for it.

Once you read the information on the website, you’ll fill out the application. This covers your basic contact information, your history with the Compassion ministry, some information about your interests and activities, how you’re involved at your church, and a statement of faith. You will also be asked to agree to a minor background check. Then, you click submit and it’s done. After that, you’ll wait to hear from Compassion about setting up a phone interview.

I had heard that it may take several weeks before Compassion would contact me about the next steps. I finally received an email from a Compassion staff member to set up my phone interview. He explained that it will take about 45 minutes. We scheduled it for the following week, and I’ll admit that I was a little bit nervous about it. In the end, though, it was an interesting call. In the beginning, he asked me some questions, which I answered easily (just a few things about myself, my testimony about becoming a Christian, and why I wanted to become an advocate). He then started telling me all about what is involved in being an advocate, what kind of training I’ll receive, what the next steps are, and other information. One thing about it is that they’re very flexible about this call. They’ll work with you for whatever day and time suits your schedule.

After the phone call, he sent me an email with a link to the online training at the website. It’s formatted like a powerpoint presentation, and is extremely informative (but, really easy to understand). I learned so much about Compassion that I wasn’t aware of before. I went through the training in one sitting, but it’s set up so that you can go through it as your time permits. If you only have 10 minutes to devote to it, then you can go through it for 10 minutes, and you just pick up where you left off when you have some more free time!

There were links to other online training tools as well as some great information about resources. Once I completed the training, I was an official Compassion Advocate!

You will be sent information with contacts in your region, such as your Regional Advocate Manager. I’ve already connected with several of my contacts and have even joined the Facebook advocates group for my region.

So, what happens now? What form will my ministry take and what form will your advocate ministry take? Well, the answer is any form that we want it to take! Compassion is very flexible and encouraging to advocates to work with their ministry, using our particular talents and gifts. Your advocacy may include things such as speaking at church, working tables at Compassion sponsored events (even concerts!), or sharing about Compassion with your family, friends and co-workers. I blog, so one form my ministry will take is to blog about Compassion on a regular basis.

I’ve been told that there are some opportunities to attend regional and national Advocates conferences. It will probably be a while before I can do that, but I’m looking forward to it when the opportunity comes my way. Perhaps there will be a local or regional event that I can attend in the near future. I’ve already connected with a local advocate on Facebook, and I’m hoping that we can meet for coffee and brainstorming sometime soon.

Have you thought about becoming an advocate? Would you like to find out more? Click here to read more about becoming an advocate. I’m so looking forward to this new journey I’m on, and I just know that the Lord will bless me for being obedient to His calling.

In His grace,

Sharon

All About Letters

This post is all about writing letters to your sponsored child. Being a sponsor isn’t just about the financial commitment that you’ve made, but it’s so much more than that. Certainly, the benefits that your sponsorship funds provide to your child go a long way in helping to meet the physical needs of that child. But, those children have other needs that you can meet by writing letters on a regular basis.

It’s all about building a relationship with your sponsored child, and that is an essential part of being a sponsor. By writing your child regularly, you’re telling that child that they are loved and they’re important to you. You’re sharing your faith, and you may be the only person (besides the project workers) who do that! You can pray for your child and let them know that you’re praying for them.

Here is a quick guide to writing letters to your sponsored child. All of this information can be found on Compassion’s website as well as many other blogs from Compassion sponsors and advocates.

How can I write to my sponsored child?

There are two ways to write to your sponsored child: letter mail and online. For letter mail, you can write a letter using the stationary that Compassion provides on their website, or you can use your own stationary. If you use your own, just remember to leave space (half of each page) for translation. You’ll need to include your sponsor number, your child’s name and their i.d. number as well.

To write your child using Compassion’s online letter writing tool, just log in to your account at the website. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a link that says “Write Your Child”. They provide several very nice templates for you to choose from. They even have ones for birthday, Christmas, soccer balls, flowers, and other nice designs. You’ll choose the template, write your letter, and click ‘send’. You’ll also have the opportunity to upload a photo to include on your letter! Your letter is then processed, logged in, printed in color and sent off to be delivered to the field office, your child’s project, and ultimately, your sponsored child. All of this takes times, but it’s so worth it!

If you send your letters by postal mail, here is the address:

Compassion International

Child Correspondence Dept

Colorado Springs, CO 80997-0004

How often should I write? What should I say?

Writing once each month is a good guideline to follow. Some sponsors write twice each month and a few even write once a week. That could be too often, depending on the age of your sponsored child. I try to write once a month. Even if your schedule only permits you to write every other month, that’s still better than not writing at all. And, of course, with the new online writing tool at Compassion’s website, it’s even easier to type out a quick note and send it off. Your child wants to hear from you and your letters are so very important to them! When I open up my mailbox and see that I’ve received a letter from my sponsored child, it feels like Christmas to me! I get so excited and just cannot wait to open it up and hear about their lives, what they’ve been doing, and see the precious pictures that they draw for me. What a blessing!

How long does it take for my child to receive my letter?

It varies from one country to the next, but for most letters, it takes anywhere from 1-3 months to travel from your hands to the hands of your child. And, of course, it takes just as long for your child’s letters to reach you. The Global Ministry Center in Colorado processes thousands of letters each month. That’s quite a lot of letters! They check each letter that comes through to make sure that all information (sponsor number, child name, child i.d. number) is on the letter. They want to make sure that your letter reaches your specific child.

The letters can also be held up in customs in the other countries. Once the letters reach the field office and are translated, they’re sorted by project and then they start traveling to each project. This can take quite some time. In some countries, the letters must travel by donkey or bikes, sometimes they are even walked to the project, depending on how remote the place is. Remember also that the children may want to write you a letter right back, but they have to wait until the project workers have time to help them with it. Some projects have letter writing days, while others write when they can.

Why is it important to write my child?

For most sponsored children, they have to deal with poverty, sometimes a bad family situation, still others may have no family at all. Our letters tell our children that they’re important to someone, that we care, we love them, we want to encourage them, they matter!

Many children who hear from their sponsors regularly have more confidence in themselves and are inspired to work hard, study hard in school, and make a better life for themselves as they grow older.

I read a blog post one time that talked about how so many children sit through the mail call at their project, with their name never being called to receive a letter. How heart-breaking! And, if you can only write once each month, that will stop those tears from falling down a sweet face who deserves so much more.

Can I send gifts to my child? Are there other things I can send?

Because of regulations from various countries, we can send only those items that are considered to be (or “classified as”) a document, and fall within certain restrictions that Compassion has set up. All items must be of paper, with few exceptions. Put your creative hats on, though, because I recently sent a paper bookmark to our little Beatriz in Brazil, but I laminated it and as long as you follow the guidelines closely, some things like this will go through. Compassion has information listed on their website and especially their blog about sending items other than letters.

I also encourage you to visit the blogs of other sponsors and advocates. That’s how I found so many great ideas. One blog that I visit regularly is Blogging from the Boonies (www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com).  This blog is full of great information about everything related to Compassion. You can also visit Compassion’s website www.compassion.com as a great resource.

I don’t have time to write or I’m just not into it. Is there a solution for this? 

If you just don’t have the time to write, or you just don’t like to write, then Compassion has a solution! If you sponsor a child, you can contact the Compassion office and ask that they assign a “Correspondent Sponsor” to your child. We only sponsor one child financially, but I’m correspondent sponsor to two others at the moment. I love writing letters to these children! Keep in mind that Compassion cannot assign your child a correspondent sponsor unless you contact them and request it. So, if you do sponsor a child but you aren’t writing to that child, please call Compassion today and ask for a correspondent sponsor!

If you would like to become a correspondent sponsor yourself, just call Compassion and ask to be put on the waiting list. It’s that simple! Recently, they created new guidelines and I think they’ve limited the number of children you can write to in this manner, but if you call them, they’ll be happy to fill you in on the details.

I still have questions. How can I find out more information?

Compassion International phone operators are very helpful and would love to answer any questions you may have about letter writing or anything else related to sponsoring a child. There are several ways to contact them. Just go to the Compassion website, www.compassion.com and choose the most convenient way for you.

I plan to update this information as time goes on and I hope it’s been helpful to you. This is a work in progress, so look for much more information in the future!

In His grace,

Sharon

New Advocate!

Wow, the past few days have been a whirlwind of information. I had my phone interview, which went very well, I think. I've gone through the initial training, and so now, I am officially a Compassion Advocate! It's exciting to start on this journey and I'm so looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do with me and this ministry.


Last night, I had a chance to share my story about how I felt led to become an advocate. It was an unexpected opportunity at the end of a bible study class that I'm doing. So, that's a start!


In His grace,


Sharon

It's a done deal!

Last month (April 2012), I submitted my application to become an advocate. I was told that it would be 6-8 weeks before I heard anything. It was hard waiting to hear because patience is not one of the things that I’ve been blessed with. I’m more patient now than when I was younger, but still…I was anxious and eager to hear something. Well, I finally did! I’ve gone through the online training and learned so much more about Compassion than I knew before. It was very interesting to me. I also have a phone interview scheduled for next week. Praying that it goes well and I can move forward on my way to becoming an advocate.

In His grace,

Sharon

Initial post May 2012

In April 2011, my husband and I made the decision to sponsor a little girl named Beatriz, who lives in Brazil. We sponsored through Compassion International. What a blessing it’s been! In recent months, I’ve felt led to become more involved in Compassion, and through various channels, I’ve felt the Lord leading me to become a Compassion advocate. This is not something that I take lightly; I prayed about it over and over, and God gave me a clear answer. The turning point was when I was doing a bible study (“James”, by Beth Moore). That’s when I very clearly knew that this was something I needed to do.

Because of this, I’ve decided to start a new blog just for posts about Compassion. I’m copying some posts from my personal blog over to this one. Those posts were created between January and April 2012, so if you go to my archives list, you can find them easily.

I’m so looking forward to this new venture…scratch that, new ministry! Because that’s what it is….a ministry. Excited to see what happens!

In His grace,

Sharon

Prayers for Felicia

This beautiful little girl is Felicia. She's 9 years old and lives in Ghana. She would be very happy if someone decided to sponsor her today! She's been waiting 310 days for someone to sponsor her through Compassion International. I would love to see that beautiful face break open into a smile, wouldn't you?

Just go to this link:

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-video-biography.htm?needKey=GH9380121

I'm praying all week for Felicia, and I'm also praying someone will sponsor her very soon. Is it you?

UPDATE: I've been praying all week for Felicia. Her photo has disappeared from Compassion's website, or at least, I can no longer find it, so I'm hoping that beautiful Felicia now has a sponsor! Great news!

In His grace,

Sharon

A happy surprise!

I was so happy to see one of those cream colored envelopes in my mailbox the other day, and there was such a sweet surprise in it! An updated picture of our little Beatriz in Brazil. She looks older, of course, because it's been two years since her last picture was taken. My heart is full when I look at her sweet face.

In His grace,

Sharon

Getting organized

Well, I have about 4 letters ready to be mailed to our sponsor child Beatriz. I just need to go through my stash of goodies and decide what I want to send with which letters. Over the weekend, I bought some things to help myself get organized. I now have an accordion folder where I keep stationary, stamps, stickers, paper goodies that I can send to her, and other things. I also created a binder to keep all her letters in that she sends us. I thought this would be a nice way to just sit down and read through her letters and reminisce, even pray for her as I go through them. My heart is happy when I think about her.

Beatriz, I hope you're having a happy day today over there in Brazil!

In His grace,

Sharon

An update...

Today, we received a letter from the project facilitator who oversees area partnerships for Compassion in Brazil. In her letter, she tells us that she is a partnership facilitator at the project where our sponsored child, Beatriz, attends. She visits the project every month. Among her many responsibilities, she follows the way that educational activities are being applied and she makes sure the children have proper nutrition. She tells us that the community where Beatriz lives is marked with violence and crime and addictions. Families make a living normally working odd jobs when they can get them.

The weather is hot and humid Tropical. This community needs better dwelling places (homes), better sewage and drains as well as pavements because the streets are dirt and mud.

On a happy note, she goes on to say that the Compassion project here is making a difference. The children who attend learn music, health care, good hygiene, arts, sports and much more. It makes my heart happy to try to picture Beatriz sitting in a chair learning music, or picking up crayons or markers or paint to create art.

If you'd like to sponsor a child, visit the Compassion website at http://www.compassion.com/ and click on "Sponsor a child". You'll see an ocean of sweet faces who would love for you to be their sponsor!

In His grace,

Sharon

Sweet Beatriz

This is our sweet little girl Beatriz that we sponsor through Compassion International. She's 9 years old, loves art, and writes the sweetest letters.

In His grace,

Sharon

That isn't me!

If someone had told me a few years ago that Roland and I would be sponsoring a child through Compassion International, that we would get so excited to receive a letter from that child that it was almost like Christmas, and that I would be sitting in front of the Compassion website, looking through the pictures of children who still need sponsors and then just start crying, I would have said to that person...

"that isn't me"

"it's just a letter"

"I'm sorry they have to live like that, but..."

"it's just a letter"

"I care, but..."

"it's just a letter"

"I feel for them, but there's nothing I can do"

"it's just a letter"

It's just a letter. It isn't 'just a letter'. It's a box full of encouragement, hope, love, sharing faith, stories, pictures, questions and answers, learning, laughing, giggling (we are girls, after all!), and smiles. It's much more than just a letter. It's building a relationship with a child on the other side of the world who still has a chance through our sponsorship, to have enough to eat, clothes to wear, encouragement to do well in school, and most important of all, to know Jesus.

"That isn't me". Well, it was me, I'll admit it. But, fast forward to 2011 when we felt led to sponsor a little girl named Beatriz, who lives in Brazil and doesn't have much in the way of material things. Now here it is 2012, and we've had a year of sponsorship under our belt, and oh how much joy we feel when we see that cream colored envelope in our mailbox! That was me, but certainly not now.

Not now.

In His grace,

Sharon

So many faces

I was perusing the Compassion website last week and looking at so many sweet faces of children who need sponsors. There were so many that it was overwhelming to me, and I sat right there and just started crying. They ranged in age from 3 to late teens, and are in a variety of countries. Some children are smiling; others are not. I do remember seeing one little girl (don't remember what country) who had this mischievous "impish" look on her face. She was smiling a secret little smile, like she had something up her sleeve, and I wondered if she was just one of those children who are happy all the time.

A few things I noticed along the way, though...

...most of the children from Togo were not smiling. I had never heard of Togo, so I looked it up. It's a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west and Benin to the east. The population, according to a website I found about Togo, is about 6.8 million, and it's also one of the poorest countries in West Africa. Breaks my heart. I wonder if the Togo children will ever get sponsors. Do some people look through the pictures and choose only those children who are smiling, or who fit a certain mold? I pray not!

...I noticed that most of the children are standing there very stiff, maybe smiling for the camera but still uncomfortable looking, with their arms straight at their sides, their feet together, and their back straight. I would much rather see them relaxed, smiling naturally, with a light in their eyes. But, I imagine that they're told to "stand straight and tall" for their pictures. Their little hearts are probably hoping that someone will see their picture and decide to sponsor them, but not quite believing it will happen.

...for some pictures, the background behind the children is very telling. Some are standing in front of trees, bushes, and fields, but quite a few of them are standing in front of buildings, which are probably either the Center that they attend or maybe it's their town or village in general. The buildings look old and in need of repair; the streets are dirt or mud. Although some streets are paved, even those need to be fixed. For the few pictures that show inside a building, the furniture (if there is even any at all) is old and scratched up.

In summary, there are so many children who need sponsors. Wish we could sponsor all of them!

In His grace,

Sharon

Questions

One of the things that I was most nervous about when we started the Compassion journey was what to say to a little girl on the other side of the world. What kind of questions should I ask her? Is it okay to ask her about her family? How should we word things when we write to her? (no slang or regional phrases...she won't know what we mean!) How much detail should I share about our lives here in the US? I learned that the Compassion website has answers to these questions, along with many others, and it has been a great resource for me. I also discovered some bloggers out there in blog land who post reguarly about their Compassion kids. I'm still learning what I should and should not say in our letters to Beatriz, what's acceptable, what will go through customs over there in Brazil, what may be held up. It's been a learning process, but oh how exciting!

In His grace,

Sharon

Mail day!

We had a great mail day! We received two letters from our Compassion child, Beatriz. One letter was a thank you letter, telling us how much she appreciates our gift to her. The way that Compassion works is that we can send funds to Compassion for Beatriz's birthday or Christmas. The Center where Beatriz attends will take those funds and help her buy what she wants or needs. Sometimes, it's basic needs, such as clothes or shoes. Other times, it's something fun. Beatriz used her gift from us to buy "fun toys". She didn't go into details, but I can imagine what enjoyment she got out of having money to spend on something to brighten up her life.

The other letter was just so sweet. On one side of the paper, she drew us a picture. We've discovered that she loves art and is actually pretty good at drawing for her age (she's 9). In the letter, she told us that she goes to church, and is happy and well. She told us that she loves us, and then she said "I love you Mr Roland". How sweet is that?!? And, we've only sponsored her for not quite a year yet. I'm so anxious to get to know her better, and to find out little details about her life.

In His grace,

Sharon