Comments on: Always Picked Last (Extreme Poverty Style)

By: Juli Jarvis

Juli Jarvis — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:43:40 +0000

As a member of the Advocate’s Network, I would certainly highlight child packets with stickers on them saying “This child has been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor…” I’ve seen those packets at events, but not sure if they’re coming to us for church presentations.

By: Shaina

Shaina — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:23:11 +0000

I wanted to let you know that Carlos has been sponsored! I wish I could be there to tell him myself. He is going to be so blessed!

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:15:41 +0000

As much as I would love to sponsor an additional child, I just can’t. I have four through Compassion and one through ChildFund. If Eugene leaves the program or when he graduates, I will most definitely sponsor another boy through Compassion. I think Compassion is the best, simply because they refuse to compromise their Christian beliefs. My heart breaks for these children who have been waiting for over year for a sponsor. If I had a lot of money, I’d sponsor them all! The most I can do right now is to pray for those children. I even frequent the Compassion website looking for children to pray for. I pray for the children the Lord convicts me to. Perhaps in the future, I can increase the number of sponsored children. But right now, five is my limit. I pray that this boy is soon sponsored. He’s such a cutie.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:58:40 +0000

Aw… I would have sent some cards if I had known it was possible!

Did Carlos get his sponsor?

By: Dana

Dana — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:53:21 +0000

I really hope that Carlos has found a sponsor. Three of my children were priority children who’d been waiting more than a year for a sponsor.

At our advocacy conference this past spring, our guest speaker shared that children who have been waiting a long time sometimes blame themselves and will think that they haven’t been chosen because their picture isn’t “pretty” enough – that if they had a better picture or were a better person, someone would have sponsored them by now. So heartbreaking!

I know what you mean, Amy. It’s so hard to know how many children have been waiting a very long time. I’m not able to sponsor another child right now but am torn between a child who’s been waiting a long time, a child who is older or calling and asking for a child who has had many different sponsors. So heartbreaking to think about.

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:58:49 +0000

One thing I notice, is the huge majority of waiting longest and older children are boys..
Could a campaign be run for older boys needing sponsors? I don’t know if they’ve never been sponsored or anything, but they still need help as long as they’re in the age category for sponsorship.
The longest waiting children will always be my first choice.

By: Shaina

Shaina — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:29:45 +0000

Regrettably, sponsors are unable to write letters to unsponsored children at this time. Compassion did allow sponsors to send Christmas cards to unsponsored children this Christmas, but the deadline has already passed. You are welcome to contact us next fall to see if we will be organizing that program again.

By: Haley Birdyshaw

Haley Birdyshaw — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:08:25 +0000

Vicki,

Generally, unless we have been directed otherwise by the sponsor, we will send a “like” child – same gender/same country or region as the child who left the program. We will only send a child who has absolutely been waiting the longest (no other criteria given) if the sponsor has indicated to us that is their preference.

By: valerielong

valerielong — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:52:50 +0000

Is there any way to send a generic card to an unsponsored child? Kind of how they send generic letters to military people overseas??

As much as I would love to sponsor another child and ESPECIALLY one that's waited so long (6 out of my 7 were all ones that had waited at least 6 months for a sponsor), I just can't right now. But I think about them a lot and it'd be great if there was some way to send something to an unsponsored child. Something just to say that someone's praying for them and to encourage them to hang in there.

Is there any way to do that? Is that even something Compassion's considering?

By: vickismall

vickismall — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:33:23 +0000

Chris, the rest of my sentence was “who has been waiting the longest.” I don't think that part is automatic, but I would be grateful to hear about that from someone on the inside. Sorry my sentence was so convoluted!