Day 18: Write to me

She sits there...anxious, worried, hopeful...there in her chair at the Center that she attends. Expecting, but not quite believing that this time, her name will be called. This time, she'll receive a letter from her sponsor. She won't be left out this time. As each name is called, she becomes more and more discouraged. Her friends receive letters from their sponsors. The letters tell all about their sponsors' lives; they send pictures and stickers and pretty colored paper. She hangs her head. Their sponsors tell them that they love their sponsored children, they are happy to be their sponsors, they pray for them all the time.

'Does my sponsor ever pray for me?'
'Will my sponsor ever write to me?...ever?'
'I don't have anyone to tell me that they love me.'
'I'm unlovable.'

She sits there with a single tear running down her cheek, and then it happens...her name is called! She breathes in sharply, raises her head, not quite believing that she heard right. Yes! The teacher is looking at her, smiling, and holding a yellow envelope in her hand! She stands up and practically runs up to the front, and rushes back to her chair. She looks at the yellow envelope, looks at her name in pretty purple ink, almost not wanting to open it, but she just can't help it anymore. She carefully tears open the envelope, pulls out a single sheet of paper. It's a real letter...from her sponsor! But, wait! There's more! She looks inside, and sees flower stickers, a page from a coloring book, and there...at the bottom...a picture of her sponsor, smiling and waving, like she's looking straight at her.

She starts reading the letter, and joy bubbles up in her heart. Her sponsor tells her about her job, about the weather where she lives. Her sponsor talks about the cats that she has as pets. And, now, her heart is overflowing. Her sponsor tells her that she loves her, that she is valuable, she is important, and she prays for her each and every day.

She carefully puts everything back into the envelope, which she will take home with her when she leaves the Center today. She will read the letter over and over in the weeks and months to come. She will pray for her sponsor, that God will give her good health and blessings.

She looks forward to the next mail day at the Center. Maybe she will receive a bright blue envelope next time! With butterflies on it!

Have you written your sponsored child recently?

In His peaceful presence,

Sharon

Day 9: Christmas letters

Compassion has said that if we want to send Christmas packages and letters to our sponsored children,we should send them by no later than October 31st. I'm working on my letters and cards. Just need to shop for some goodies to send!

In His peaceful presence,

Sharon

Day 6: Helping on a tight budget

To start this post, I'm going to copy a statement from another Compassion blogger. (I'm sorry that I don't remember which one. If I find it again, I'll post the link to her blog!)

"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

Day 3: Goodies in letters

As time goes on, I try to think of different kinds of goodies that I can send in the letters to my Compassion kids. There are lots of blogs that post lists, including the official Compassion blog. Here are a few...

~Band-aids
~Bookmarks (putting the child's name on one of these makes it more special!)
~Stickers, stickers, stickers!
~Paper dolls
~Scripture cards
~Pages from a coloring book (make it age appropriate)
~Greeting cards
~Scrapbook (if you're a scrapbooker, like me, then the ideas are about limitless! be creative on this!)
~Pictures (family photos, flowers and trees)
~Baseball cards
~Postcards of your town/city or state

As I mentioned, this is a very short list of things that can be sent. Just remember to keep it thin, and it must be paper.

In His peaceful presence,

Sharon

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

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

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

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

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