"With today's economy and political debate going haywire, it's more important than ever to address our commitment to the children we sponsor. This is just as vital as connecting other un-sponsored children with sponsors."
Those two sentences really spoke to me. When my husband and I decided to sponsor our little Beatriz in Brazil, we weren't really "deciding" to do that. We just answered God's call and obeyed. We were excited, and still are, but over time, we've found that our commitment, while still strong, doesn't have that "spark". Quite often, sponsors experience financial struggles and find it hard to maintain that initial excitement and commitment. Many times, sponsors lose that passion that they first had towards their sponsored child, and without engagement by their church, or a local Compassion advocate, or even other sponsors, it sort of can get lost in the shuffle.
There are many ways to become and stay involved even if the budget is tight. Listed below are a few ideas to get us started. I have a great opportunity to become "the Compassion person" at my church, and I plan to start engaging sponsors and potential sponsors as much as possible. Some of these ideas were adapted from other blogs, and some are things that I just thought of as I'm writing this post.
~Buy a world map from Barnes & Noble and put it on a bulletin board at your church. If you have a gym or a hallway or room where information about missions is placed, those would be good locations for the map. If you know some sponsors in your church, ask them where their sponsored children live, and then put a thumbtack or push pin in their country. You can even put the children's pictures on the map and ask people to pray specifically for them.
~Sponsor get-togethers: This can be not only a great way to keep sponsors engaged and excited, but it's also a good way for the ladies of your church to stay connected. Make it a potluck or pizza night. Food is always a draw. Ask each person to bring any extra supplies they may have on hand, such as stationery, stickers, envelopes, blank cards...anything that you would normally send your sponsored child. Create an exchange table, where sponsors can exchange, give-and-take supplies. Write letters to your sponsored children at these gatherings. It's a good way to stay accountable for writing those letters!
~Several sponsors can go in together to sponsor a child. I know of several people who do this. You can take turns writing the letters and sending the little "goodies".
~Start a blog! My blog isn't really off and running yet, mainly because I haven't promoted it, but that's going to change very soon. Even if you have only your friends and family reading it, who knows if one of your posts will prompt someone to think about sponsorship?
~Add a tag line to your email signatures. I've had a tag line on all my emails for some time now, and recently, I found out that someone (don't know who) sponsored a child under my advocate number. Hoping to plant many more seeds along the way!
~Carry a picture of your sponsored child in your bible, and every time you come across the picture, pray for your child. Show the picture to others at church. Makes a great ice-breaker for that conversation about sponsorship!
Just one final thought...You don't have to be an official Compassion advocate to do these things. Sponsors can schedule get-togethers with other sponsors, add an email tag line, carry your child's picture in your bible...and the list goes on. If you feel called to be an advocate, great! If that isn't something that the Lord has called you to do, you can still make a huge impact as a sponsor.
In His peaceful presence,
Sharon
