I grieve today for the child I’ve lost. The relationship has ended. He’s left the Compassion program. There’s nothing I can do. And he’s not even really mine; I’m the correspondent.

I’ve had children leave before. Maregu graduated from the program. Sandra moved outside of our ministry area.

Ruan’s sponsor got married and his wife decided to write to him instead of having me as his correspondent. Ravi somehow is different.

Ravi dropped out of the program.

I don’t know why he left; it may have been family issues or peer pressure or feeling that working in a low-income job was better than completing his education.

As a 14-year-old boy, it could have been any number of reasons.

I simply know that our staff in India would have done all they could to reach out to him and encourage him to stay connected to the program and all it offers.

I suspect that his departure also hurt those wonderful men and women who mentored and cared for him right there in his part of India.

About three years ago I was speaking with one of our staff members who sends field memos to country offices on behalf of Australian sponsors.

On the same day they had received two emails from two sponsors of 10-year-old boys from Bangladesh in response to “why did my child leave the program” questions.

One child left because, like Ravi, he dropped out due to lack of interest and peer pressure. The other left because the support he had received from our ministry and the church had lifted him far enough out of poverty that the family was now considered “too rich” to be supported by us.

Two 10-year-old boys left; two very different reasons. You could say one was a success story and one was a failure.

Yet I say that every child who is presented with the Good News of Jesus Christ is a success story. Every child who receives more vaccinations and more education than he would have otherwise had is a success story. Every child who interacts with God’s Church and is influenced by His servants is a success story.

They are both success stories.

Like me, many sponsors may not know why their child has left the program, they just know he or she has. Sadness can overwhelm as you lose this special member of the family. Grief increases knowing that you can’t physically see or speak to him or swallow them in the hug you long to give.

When it feels like there is nothing you can do to help this child anymore, there is just one thing you can keep on doing as before, and that’s the most important of all.

Pray.

I may not ever see Ravi, or hear from or about him again. He may never think of me again. But his photo is on my wall and his name is written on my heart.

I will continue to pray for him because this is the most powerful thing I can do for him. My God sees Ravi and loves him, wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, whether he loves God or not. So I keep praying for my boy Ravi.

And today I start giving a little bit of my heart to a new child, Ita, as our friendship begins and my lifetime of prayers for her starts.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Before the sun rose on a small Haitian mountain community, Ismene Alexis got up, took the water jar, and headed to the village pump for water.

A Haitian girl brings water home to her family.

Although it was still dark, Ismene had no trouble finding the pump. She’d walked these streets a thousand times. On returning, Ismene found her grandparents awake. Grandma was cooking breakfast.

“Good morning, Ismene,” Grandma said, smiling.

“Good morning, Grandma. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, although I had an odd dream. You and I were working in the garden. I looked up and saw a man standing at the gate. I greeted him, and he told me he had special news. So I invited him into our house for tea. While we were sitting together, the man started to say something about you, Ismene, but then my dream ended,” said Grandma.

“That is an odd dream,” said Ismene. “What do you think he was going to say?”

Grandma shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Pondering her grandmother’s dream, Ismene swept the floor and straightened the blankets on the straw pallets that served as beds. When she came to her sister’s pallet, her sister was still sleeping.

“Get up, Nicole!” Ismene said, pulling her sister’s pillow out from under her.

Thwap! Ismene thwapped Nicole over the head before Nicole jumped up and grabbed the pillow from her. Giggling, the two girls wrestled for the pillow until Grandma told them to finish their chores.

Nicole went outside to feed the animals with Grandpa while Ismene finished making the beds. Grandma set breakfast on the table and the family gathered around to pray. After thanking God for the meal, Ismene and Nicole gathered their schoolbooks and left for school.

The sun was rising now, spreading golden light on the huts and houses. Nicole and Ismene chased each other between the houses until they arrived, breathless, at their school. After catching their breath, they went inside and sat down.

Ismene loved school. She loved learning how to work math problems. She loved learning how to combine letters together to make words. She had been so excited the day she read her first sentence.

Classroom in Haiti

But Ismene was worried. Her grandparents might not make enough money to buy food and keep her in school. Then either Nicole or Ismene would have to quit school.

I’ll enjoy school as long as I can, Ismene thought, then banished the thought of having to leave school. The girls sat down on the floor just as the teacher, Miss Lillian, entered. Then the rest of the students arrived and took their places. Miss Lillian prayed to God for a good school day, and class began.

When the sun was high in the sky and boiling hot, Ismene and Nicole trudged home from school. When they arrived home, they found Grandma working in the garden. Nicole took Ismene’s books inside while Ismene knelt and helped Grandma with weeding.

“How was school?” asked Grandma.

“I loved it,” said Ismene. “I got an A in math.”

“Very good,” said Grandma, tugging at an especially deeply rooted weed.

For a while they pulled weeds in silence. Ismene was about to say something when there was a polite “Ahem!” from the gate. Looking up, she saw a man standing at the garden gate.

“Grandma,” said Ismene.

Grandma had seen the man, yet she wasn’t getting up to greet him. What’s wrong with her? Ismene wondered. Then she realized this was just like Grandma’s dream!

“Grandma!” said Ismene, a little louder. Her grandmother got up and went to the gate.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Is this the home of the Ismene Alexis?” asked the man.

“Yes,” Grandma said. “I am her grandmother. Do you need to speak with her?”

“I have some special news for Ismene.”

“Come in then,” said Grandma, opening the gate. “I’ll make some tea.”

Grandma and the man entered the house, and Ismene followed. All Ismene could think was, Maybe now we’ll know what the man was going to say about me! Ismene went in and found Nicole. When the tea was ready, Grandma, Nicole, and Ismene all sat down at the table.

“Now what’s this news about Ismene?” asked Grandma.

The man, who introduced himself as John, answered, “You know that Ismene is a child of Compassion International, right?”

Grandma nodded.

“A family in the United States wanted to sponsor a Compassion child, and they picked Ismene,” said John.

Ismene jumped up and screamed. Then she started laughing. Grabbing Nicole, Ismene and her sister danced around the room.

“Now I don’t ever have to worry about being taken out of school!”

At last Nicole and Ismene sat down, and John asked Grandma to sign some papers. Then John told them what Compassion would do for Ismene.

Compassion International is a worldwide organization that enables people to sponsor children in poverty-stricken countries. When children are sponsored they can go to school, received healthy food at their child development center, and get medical care if needed.

When the shadows began to lengthen, John said goodbye and left Ismene and her family.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you,” said Grandma to Ismene after John left. Grandma spread her arms and hugged the two girls.

“You’re not jealous, are you?” Ismene whispered to Nicole that night as they lay on their straw pallets. Grandma and Grandpa were already asleep, but Nicole and Ismene were talking about everything that had happened.

“No, of course not,” said Nicole. “I’m not jealous. I’m happy for you, Ismene. Now that Compassion’s paying for you to go to school, Grandma and Grandpa will only have to pay for me. I’ll be able to stay in school too. It works out for both of us.’

“Oh, good,” said Ismene. “Good night.”

“Good night. I love you,” whispered Nicole.

Ismene turned over on her side, said a quick prayer of thanks to God, and fell asleep.

A week after first being sponsored, Ismene received her first letter from her sponsor family. The family’s name was the Dodges. They asked her about how she and her grandparents were, what her day was like, and if she had any siblings. Along with the letter, the Dodges sent a photo of their family. There was a mother, a father without much hair, and two dark-haired girls.

L to R: Jasmine (adopted after Ismene was sponsored), Liz, Danielle, Brent and Yani

I hope I get to meet them face-to-face one day, Ismene thought.

Ismene

When Ismene finished reading the letter and inspecting the photo, she got her own paper to write back. The Dodges wrote once a month.

It took a long time for the letters to reach Ismene because they first had to be translated and then delivered all the way to her mountain village. It took a while for her letters to reach her sponsor family too.

When the other families in the village heard that Ismene had been sponsored, they, too, signed their children up for Compassion International. Soon many more children got sponsored.

Two Years Later

Folding up the letter, Ismene took it to the special box where she kept all of her letters from the Dodges. Grandpa had built the box for her and by now it was getting very full. The lid could hardly close.

“How many letters do you have now?” asked Grandma as Ismene returned to the table.

Ismene smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know. Lots and lots,” she said.

“The Lord has been so good,” said Grandpa as he held out his hand to Ismene.

The whole family held hands and bowed their heads while Grandpa thanked God for another letter from Ismene’s sponsors. He prayed that her sponsor family was in good health and that God would watch over them and bless them.

Thanks, God, so much for all your blessings, Ismene prayed silently as Grandpa spoke.

“Amen,” Grandpa finished.

“Amen,” the rest of the family echoed. Grandma got up and went to the stove to start cooking dinner.

“Girls, please collect the chicken eggs,” Grandma said. “I need another egg to make dinner.”

The girls went to the chicken house and gathered the eggs from the nests. As they were starting back to the house, Ismene thought she felt the ground shake. It was a tiny tremble, so Ismene thought she’d imagined it.

“I’ll race you back to the house and we’ll see who’s really the fastest,” said Nicole.

Ismene burst into a run but she’d only taken a few steps when another tremor shook the ground hard enough to make both girls fall.

“What was that?” asked Nicole, picking herself up. “Oh, my eggs broke.”

Ismene stood up and looked around.

“I think it might be…an earthquake,” she said.

“We need to get home then,” said Nicole.

The two girls took off running. Ismene expected another tremor to shake the ground any moment and knock them down again.

“Are you all right?” asked Grandma when they rushed back to the house.

“We’re fine,” said Ismene. But in her hand her own eggs were broken. She’d been so frightened she hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m sorry, Grandma,” she said. “All the eggs cracked.”

“That’s all right. We can make do with one less egg,” said Grandma.

Just as Ismene had finished washing the egg off her hands, another tremor shook the house. Everyone gathered together on a straw pallet. Grandpa started to pray for their safety.

While he was praying, Ismene prayed silently: Please, God. We know that you’re the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Will you watch over us and protect us from this earthquake? Please keep our family — no, our village — safe from harm.

Tremors kept on shaking the ground, great big tremors that knocked things off the shelves. Pots and pans clattered to the ground. The water jar fell on its side and broke. Chairs tipped over. The table shook and Ismene and Nicole’s schoolbooks fell off.

Ismene shut her eyes and tried to calm her fear. She mentally quoted a Bible verse that she had memorized just that day. Psalm 23:4. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Gradually the tremors began to decrease in strength and ferocity.

At last Grandpa said, “I think its over.”

The family quietly stood and began to clean up the house. Ismene grabbed her broom and swept up the remains of the water jar. Nicole sat the chairs up. She gathered up their school books and put them back on the table.

Then the family went outside and visited their neighbors to see if they needed help. Over the next few days news trickled in about the earthquake. It turned out that the center of the earthquake’s destruction had been in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

Whenever Ismene and her family gathered to pray at each meal, they prayed for the people in Port-au-Prince.

As the months passed, the count of those killed by the earthquake rose higher and higher. The death toll was as high as 316,000. The injured and homeless were even more numerous.

Earthquake devastation in Haiti

Compassion International families who sponsored children in Haiti were all frantically writing letters and sending emails, trying to find out if their children were all right. When the Dodges received a letter from Ismene, they were so relieved to know she was safe.

Although relief workers flooded Port-au-Prince, the healing of Haiti will take a long time. Yet there is much to be thankful for even in the face of this darkness and death. Both families –Ismene’s family and the Dodges – are thankful to God that through Compassion International, Ismene has an opportunity to succeed in life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Danielle Dodge is 13 years old and wrote this story when she was 12. Danielle’s semi-fictional story won second place in her local library’s annual writing contest and first place in VisionForum’s webinar, “Mrs. Morecraft’s Ps & Qs of Proper Writing.”

If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, we are happy to consider publishing it. Read our guest blog post guidelines.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Does child sponsorship through Compassion really work? How does it make a difference in the life of a child? We’ll let the words of Juan David speak for themselves:

“Jesus Christ to me is like a father. I do not have a father so I see Jesus as my father.” — Juan, 8 years old

“What I like most about being sponsored…I feel happy knowing that I have a friendly hand, somebody who supports me.”  — Juan, 13 years old

“I thank the organization of Compassion so much because with your support I will be able to become a doctor.” — Juan, present day 

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

One of the desired outcomes of our programs is to equip children for life. This is a very important commitment to families who struggle each day to get by.

There are 295 sponsored children living in the community of Bagong Barrio, Philippines, and almost all of their parents have irregular, low-paying jobs.

“Many have jobs, but mostly temporary employment as factory workers, vendors and jeepney drivers.

“This is not a peaceful place to live in. There are drunks everywhere. They create noise and a lot of stir. This is also a popular dumpsite for murder victims. Taxi drivers hesitate to drive through here because we have a notorious reputation.

“A taxi driver was recently killed by gang members. There are many drug users here. The root of all of these, of course, is poverty,” says Arnel, pastor of the Community Gospel Church.

The pastor himself used to be a neighborhood bully. He would terrorize people passing through the narrow, dark and damp alleyways of Bagong Barrio. But now he is serving the Lord.

This church has been a partner of Compassion in the Philippines since 1986. Through Paglinang Student Center, the church provides vocational training to sponsored youth as one way of equipping them for life.

“Our objective is that before (the sponsored children) leave the center, they should have something to fall back on for their daily living,” said Liza, child development worker and youth facilitator for Paglinang Student Center. “Not all of them can go to college, and not all of those who do make it to college can land a good-paying job.”

Liza handles 18- to 21-year-old sponsored youth. She is in charge of coming up with ideas for vocational training. This Saturday, she has decided to teach them how to prepare dishwashing liquid, detergent soap and hand sanitizer.

Every Saturday, all 295 sponsored children come to the center for their weekly learning, training and discipleship. The older kids are scheduled in the afternoon.

“Before, our youth did not fully appreciate their vocational activities, which used to mainly focus on arts and crafts. Now, we have begun doing what interests them and what can potentially help them earn some money as they become responsible adults.”

Liza personally loves arts and crafts activities and claims that she first learned to appreciate them when she was still a sponsored child.

For today’s vocational training, she has coordinated with Swak na Swak Pangkabuhayan, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that trains young Filipinos how to start and run a small, manageable business. Liza attended a training seminar with the NGO, paid a capital of P2,400 (U.S. $55.80) for the materials, and was now ready to teach the sponsored youth.

She hoped to make 100 to 120 bottles of hand sanitizer today and would challenge the young people to sell them and experience how to earn money on their own.

Her students arrived at 3 p.m. and they were surprised to see bottles and pails containing blue liquid substance. Liza instructed what to do and explained that dishwashing liquid, detergent soap and hand sanitizer are easy to prepare and very marketable.

In the meantime, other sponsored children also had their own vocational training classes. The younger youth, 12 to 17 years old, were busy learning how to make Christmas decorations for sale.

“The idea is to teach these children how to make a feasibility study, finish a project and earn possible income,” said Gina, center director for Paglinang Student Center.

Separated into three classes according to age, sponsored children learned how much the materials for the Christmas decorations cost, where they were bought, how to make the decorations, how much and where they can sell the decorations, and how much profit they can make.

“It is important for us to learn how to do these things,” said Kathleen. “I want to learn how to use my time wisely and not just spend it playing and hanging around.”

Kathleen wants to run a restaurant business someday. She said she can now earn a little money from fixing cell phones, a skill she has learned from the student center.

“We have had so many activities in the center, such as camps, talent festivals, and sporting events,” said Kathleen, “but one of my favorite activities is learning how to make things.”

Gilbert also appreciated their activity today. He said, “This is good so that we can have an idea how to find a job and possibly to start a business someday.”

Across the rooms where these young people worked on their crafts is the kitchen where three sponsored youth were cooking spaghetti. One of them, Nica, explained that cooking was their assigned vocational task for today. Nica is aspiring to become a chef one day. Her task for today was to cook delicious spaghetti and feed all the other sponsored children.

“We hope that these youth will find employable, real-life applications for all that we teach them.

“We make vocational and skills training intentional. We provide skills-development training in computer technology, electronics and other areas,” says Gina.

Liza believes that the dishwashing liquid, detergent soap and hand sanitizer are easy to make and could give the youth a good chance to earn a few pesos for their families. And Mariela, one of Liza’s students, agreed.

“I think these products are very sellable. I will definitely try to make them on my own and sell them. Actually, I have already planned to start a business on something along this line, linen softener. They are affordable, easy to do, and sellable.”

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

You started sponsoring little Jessica three years ago. You picked her because of her mischievous grin and her pigtails. You’ve been writing letters back and forth and are slowly starting to feel like you’re getting a glimpse into her world and what her daily life is like. You’re praying for her, and you find you’ve grown quite attached.

Then you find out that her child development center has closed, and suddenly this relationship you’ve begun to build comes to an abrupt end.

Naturally, you want more information, but are left with the little that you got through the last communication.

We partner with more than 5,000 churches worldwide to implement our sponsorship program. And last year, 95 centers closed, about 1.7 percent of the centers open at the time.

The number of child development centers that close each year varies. They close for a variety of reasons, and each case is different.

• A center might close because of unresolved financial integrity issues.
• A center might close because the church partner is having difficulty maintaining the staff and volunteers needed to successfully implement the program and no longer wants to continue the program.
• A center might close because the church leadership and the center’s staff have relationship conflicts.
• Or, on the positive side, a center may close because the church partner no longer needs assistance from Compassion.

If in the future the church would like to engage in another partnership with us, they can, but they would need to follow the process of opening a new center at their church.

The Partnership Facilitator (PF), the direct link between our Country Office and our centers, is the person who visits the centers to ensure they are running properly.

If the PF encounters problems at a particular center, he works with the center staff and the Country Office to resolve the issues. He will visit the center to work on development plans to help resolve the issues. He will meet with the pastor and the leadership of the church.

If necessary, the Country Director will meet with the pastor or even with the president of the church’s denomination.

Sometimes, however, the issues may persist, in which case the center will be put on suspension. In some cases, if the problems remain unresolved, the situation may end with the closure of the center.

However, not all closures follow this process. Sometimes a church partner will decide to end our partnership without going through the suspension process, or vice versa, depending on what the circumstances are in that particular case.

If a center is closed, the Country Office fills out the appropriate forms and sends them to the Global Ministry Center in Colorado as soon as possible. The closure is processed within seven days and is communicated to the appropriate Global Partners so they can share the news with you.

The Country Office also tries to transfer as many sponsored children as they can to another nearby center. However, if this is not possible, the children are “departed” from the program.

It is never easy to hear that a little one you have been praying and caring for is no longer part of our program. But know that we do all that we can to ensure that not only are our programs implemented with the utmost integrity, but also to resolve issues within our centers whenever possible, and ultimately, to transfer children to nearby centers when necessary.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

A frequently asked question about child sponsorship is this: How does it make a difference? People want to know that their concern, their money and their intentions are safe in our hands. This video from El Salvador highlights one of thousands of similar stories that attest to the crucial difference your sponsorship can make in the life of a child!

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

The moment I was sponsored through Compassion at age 8, I became aware that I was bigger than poverty. Poverty was a situation, a condition, but I was a life. All I needed were positive messages of hope to grow out of it.

It is the relationships that sponsorship promotes through letter writing, not so much the money, that ends poverty. Think about it this way: A child runs to a parent for protection not because he has see the parent carrying weapons but because the parent has fostered a relationship that assures the child of protection.

In the same way, a starving child approaches the mother for food even when he can clearly see there is no food in the hands of the mother.

This is a relationship that grows confidence and bears fruits of optimism and the belief that nothing is impossible.

The moment I read my first letter from my sponsor I felt empowered. I heard him tell my 8-year-old heart, “There is nothing impossible with the God I am telling you about.”

I believed him like he was a messenger from God. Writing about it now reminds me of a story I heard many times growing up — that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, saying to the virgin Mary, “Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you.”

I remember myself at that age wondering how God will release me from poverty, and my sponsor sending another letter saying that he is praying for me and encouraging me to work hard in school and trust in God.

Jimmy visits Graceland ministry in South Africa, which cares for children of alcoholic parents.

At times poverty threatened and lied to me that nothing is possible, but my sponsor would write to me, “Jimmy, it doesn’t matter what you are going through, ‘for nothing will be impossible with God’.”

A candle was lit inside of me and I started believing in the dreams of my childhood. The circumstances didn’t matter: I believed I was bigger than poverty. In time I began seeing myself as the savior of my community from the oppressor, this grinding poverty.

I became a joy to my mother. She loved listening to my positive messages. I became her favorite preacher. It satisfies me to remember the many times I made my mother forget her struggles, pain and suffering.

My sponsor restored my mother’s joy. Within a year of sponsorship, I could read the Bible that I had received from the program. I read to her all my favorite childhood memory verses in English.

Many nights she asked me to read her the Bible and then she would pray and we would go to bed a happy mother and a hopeful child.

Some of those nights we went to bed on an empty stomach. On such nights, unable to sleep from hunger, I would hear my mother crying to God to let me live another day. In my innocence I would ask her why she was crying. She would reply, “Because I can hear the rumbling in your stomach.”

I would assure her that I would make it to the morning. That was the strength my sponsor put in my heart — to be there for my mother.

At her deathbed, my mother called me to her and shared her joy for having been my mother. She encouraged me to live a life of loving people just as my sponsor loved me. Then she bid me goodbye saying, “My son, I see you succeeding in life but I do not see myself sharing the success with you. Trust in God.”

A few months later, I received the sad news that my mother had died. She had left my grandmother a gift for me: her Bible. From her Bible I quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to my sponsor when I wrote to break the sad news.

In his reply, my sponsor Mark wrote:

“I am sorry to hear about the death of your mother. I cried when I read your letter. It was great to read your scripture reference – Jeremiah 29:11 — because I also believe that God has good plans for you. I shall continue to pray for you.”

Jimmy and 8-year-old Jayden at Graceland ministry.

I celebrate my sponsorship with Compassion because through the relationship with my sponsor, I caught the fire of hope. Sponsorship puts hope in the hearts of children and in return these children serve the rest of the world with that hope.

My mother died in hope, satisfied that she bore a son of hope; a hope she believed will survive and be taken to the ends of the earth to the glory of God.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

They’re not.

Although I am disappointed, I know the reason his siblings are not enrolled. Sponsors call the contact center to ask this same question, and I explain why —  although in this situation, I must explain to myself why.

Our goal is to assist as many children and families as possible. In order to do this, we allow three children per family to be enrolled in our program.

However, the child development center staff is able to change that allowance to one or two children — based on the community’s needs. Particularly in Africa, one child registered per family tends to be the limit.

When the needs of the community limit the registration to one child per family, the other family members still benefit indirectly.

For the parents, one child registered is one less child that they have to worry about financially. They also have the opportunity to attend different educational events hosted by the child development center.

The siblings get to attend events that are planned for the entire family and they learn indirectly from their registered sibling. Also, the entire family benefits when the registered child’s sponsor sends a family gift.

I sent a gift to Hezekiah’s family last fall. Although I am not able to sponsor one of his siblings, the picture I received shows that his family is also involved and benefiting from our program.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

I had three favorite lines that I shared with sponsors. The first two were, “You are our heroes,” and “Thanks for making Filipino children happy.”

I meant those words. I am truly amazed that people from miles away share their lives with children living in obscure, squalid squatter colonies in the Philippines.

Then, the third line, “Sponsorship is not about the money you give but about the lives and relationships you build.”

This was not just a clever thing to say. It’s a profound statement that I learned from the children themselves. I’ve seen that our children are more concerned about building their relationship with you than the help they get.

“I did not receive any reply letters from my first two sponsors. I felt sad. It’s as though I was writing to a fictitious person, an imaginary friend. So just think how happy I was when I received my first reply letter from my third and present sponsor.

“I can’t explain how excited I was that time. It’s not only me who gets excited whenever I receive a letter from my sponsor, my mom, too. And I am so happy because in every letter I received, stickers with verses in it were also enclosed.

“Other than reading their letters, I get to know them well, too, by looking at the pictures they send me. The feeling of being connected to a part of your family far from you makes you feel more loved.

“Communication is really a big thing in strengthening the bond that binds a sponsor and a child together.

“The best types of letters from sponsors are the ones that tell something about themselves and their lives. It would be better if the sponsors can tell a bit more about themselves. A brief summary of his/her life means a lot to the sponsored child.

“It can be as simple as writing what kind of place they live in, what kind of work they have, what they do in their free time and even their favorite stuff. It would be nice if children learn about their sponsors from other countries or other backgrounds and see how different, or surprisingly familiar, their lives, issues and dreams are.

“Acknowledging the achievements that the child has shared can also be of help in building a better relationship. In this way, the sponsor could learn more about the interests of the child and would give deeper support. Praises will always make one feel good.

“Although the children are thankful for the blessings they are receiving, it is inevitable for the sponsored children to be curious about how their sponsors can manage to sustain themselves, and at the same time lend their hands to those who are far away from their country. In this way, by sharing, the ‘stranger’ barrier between sponsor and sponsored child will slowly disappear, although the two have not yet met.

“And of course, inspirational and enlightening words coming from sponsors would definitely contribute greatly to the sponsored child. By sharing their relationship with Jesus Christ and sharing their prayer requests, sponsors develop themselves and their children spiritually. Words from a sponsor, despite the physical absence, can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for the sponsored child to be a better instrument for God.

“Indeed, response letters from our sponsors really bring a feeling of gladness to us.” — Rona

I went to CCWI-Frisco Student Center, and asked many sponsored kids this question: “How can your sponsor be a better sponsor?”

There were some children who hoped for more gifts, but I was not surprised that most of the children talked about your letters and knowing you more.

Here are some of their responses.

“I want my sponsor to write me always and occasionally send some greeting cards. I want to know about his family, what his home looks like, and what his country looks like. I also want to know how he met his wife and about their baby.” — Zarrah

“I love it that my sponsor never forgets to write me letters. I know he always thinks about me. I’d like it if he would send a picture of himself and his family. I want to know what they look like.” — Raffy

“What I really love about my sponsor is that she is very friendly and always writes about what is going on in her life. I would like my sponsor to write me more about her future plans, hobbies, and what she does during her free time. I hope she will never forget to write me and pray for me.” — Pauline

“I hope that my sponsor can come visit so I can personally ask him how he is doing. I want to talk to him in person. I will tell him many things about the Philippines.” — Michaelangelo

“I really, really hope my sponsors will come visit me. I will cook my special spaghetti for them, as well as chicken adobo.” — Anjanette

“It captures my interest a lot whenever he tells stories about his wife who is a Filipina. I’m excited to know when they could have a baby.” — Jhemaica

“What I like most about everything she writes is how she tells me to walk on God’s path. I also like it when she praises my talent, my personality and everything I do is a blessing to her. She writes mostly about her work in a camp and how she spends her time with her husband. One thing I’m curious about my sponsor is if she’s pregnant because she’s been married for almost two years now and I still haven’t read in her letters of them having a baby.” — Hallelujah

“I appreciate it whenever she writes her experiences in her country. She even tells me her stories about God that make me feel inspired. I just want to know how she would react if I flunked in one of my subjects at school. What is she going to tell me if ever that would happen? Sounds funny but I am so curious to know.” — Ryann

“‘I am truly blessed by God. That’s what my sponsor tells me whenever I receive her letters. My sponsor and I often talk about our latest activities. She even shares to me the activities of her children. I am very much eager to know why she chose to sponsor a Filipino child instead of children from other countries.” — Precious

“I can feel the love and care whenever I read the letter from my sponsor. I feel glad when she tells me that she is really proud of me. She gives me inspiration when she shares about how God has helped her to overcome her hardships. I want to know more about her family especially about her sibling who she mentioned once in her letter.” — Christine

“I like it when my sponsors tell me that I’ve become an amazing man now. And they are very encouraged because they said that I’ve grown up just like the person they thought I would become. They also serve as my inspiration especially every time I read in their letters the ways God has helped them in all their circumstances in life. They always tell me to pray to God, most especially in time of hardships because God is always ready to help. I want to know why they wanted to sponsor a child.” — Jake

“I feel motivated when my sponsor tells in her letter that she is proud of my achievements. I also feel happy when she says that I am beautiful. She often tells me stories about her grandchildren. She tells me how naughty they are. She loves her grandchildren so much. One thing I want to know is why she chose me to be her sponsored child.” — Jackielyn

“I am inspired by the letters my sponsor sends me. He often tells me stories of God’s greatness to Him. He also tells me about his family and the things he likes to do. I want to know the qualities of a sponsored child he looked for when he chose me to be his sponsored child.” — Precious

“My sponsor always sends me greetings and holiday cards. It feels like I am physically with them during special occasions when I actually am not. She really loves me and shows care for me in each of her letters. I am curious to know how it feels to live in their country. Is it like also here in the Philippines?” — Christopher

“My sponsor likes to write her life experiences even in her young age. I came to the extent that I become interested to learn how to swim because her sport is swimming and she often shares to me how she enjoys doing it. I am curious to know the kind of school she goes to. I even want to know if we have the same subjects at school.” — Kristine

“I enjoy reading my sponsor’s letters because I really feel that I am a part of their family. I want them to come visit me so that I can finally meet them and personally thank them up close and tell them how I am so grateful that they are my sponsors.” — Brenlyn

“I know my sponsors are always praying for me. They always pray for my health. I just recovered from tuberculosis. I just hope that they will write more often. I really love them.” — Maricor

“I really want to know something about my sponsor and how she is doing in life. I am thankful that I just know that she is there supporting me and my studies.” — Noemi

Remember my third-favorite statement: “Sponsorship is not about the money you give but about the lives and relationships you build.”

I asked a formerly sponsored child who can write well the same question, “How can your sponsor be a better sponsor?”

She is Rachel Valenzuela. She just graduated from the Child Sponsorship Program and is now a schoolteacher. This is what she answered.

According to Rick Warren, the best use of life is love. I personally witnessed how sponsors best used their lives by extending their love to the children, including me. However, being sponsors is not enough and it will never represent the totality of the sponsorship because there is still the need to express love through time.

When they accepted the responsibility as sponsors, it is a must to set a time for letter writing. It is through this [letter writing] that the sponsored children will be updated about them. It is through this effort that children will know that they are greatly appreciated in terms of stories, accomplishments and so on. Remember, children are some of the best story-tellers.

So, I challenge [the sponsors] to reply immediately after receiving their letters because such responses mean a lot to [the children]. I was once a kid so I knew the feeling of patiently waiting for replies.

I discourage [the sponsors] to discuss busyness in their letters because it may affect what the children would think. Talk about what the sponsored children wrote in their recent letters because this will motivate the children to share their wonderful experiences and it will assure them that their sponsors do read their letters.

Send recent pictures whether being asked or not because pictures do excite children to know more about their sponsors.

Improve penmanship because this may affect the feeling of the children upon receiving their letters.

Always send spiritual icons to the children because they view sponsors as God-given gifts. They put so much trust, respect, and admiration in their sponsors. Thus, they expect the sponsors to include amazing things on how God changes them every moment of their lives. Giving memory verses from the Bible will help children to understand what sponsors like to share with their spiritual involvements and convictions.

Simply put, sponsors will become better sponsors if they will take on extended responsibilities. Becoming better is a process; it will never be instant. This is not to belittle sponsors but to simply allow them to know any possible gaps they have had in the past, and inform them about the important points to consider in expressing their love to their chosen children.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

In the contact center we’re responsible for processing the paperwork for every child that leaves our program — “departs” in Compassion lingo. On average, we deal with about 1,500 to 3,000 departures a week.

Staffing and workload limitations prevent us from calling each and every sponsor whose child departs our program. We call only in the most sensitive cases. The remaining notifications occur by mail.

However, our desire is to reach the point where we can handle all the notifications by phone.

Children leave our program for different reasons, some Compassion initiated, some chosen by the child or family.

We remove children from our program if they stop attending for more than two consecutive months (How can we provide the benefits if they don’t attend?) or if they are continually disruptive and cause issues for the other children.

Children may choose to leave because they are moving to another area where we do not work, their parents are not Christians and do not agree with the biblical teaching their child is receiving, they must begin working to help support the family, they lose interest in the program, or they don’t have time to attend due to a heavy load of school work, among other reasons.

No matter the reason for leaving, a member of the child development center staff always meets with the child’s family or guardians to discuss options for the child to continue in our program. Our desire is always for the child to continue, but that is not always possible.

After a final decision is made, the church staff fills out the departure paperwork. After being approved by our country office staff, we receive the paperwork in our office in Colorado the following day.

Once received, Jeremy, an Operations Specialist in the contact center, organizes and prints the paperwork. As able, phone representatives finish the departure process by completing the necessary data entry and possibly contacting the sponsor by phone.

Receiving a letter or call saying that a child you have been sponsoring is no longer in our program can be quite upsetting. We speak to sponsors every day who have received this news, and many of them want more information about why the child left.

Sometimes the person filling out the paperwork at the child development center provides a wealth of information; sometimes they only include basic information. Either way, our contact center staff has only as much information as the church in the field provides.

As of yet, none of my sponsored children have left or completed the program. When our relationship ends, for whatever reason, it will be a sad day. However, I find comfort in the fact that God holds each and every one of them in His hand and loves them more than I can imagine.

If one of my children departs the program before completion, I may not receive all the details I want or I may need to understand why our relationship ended so suddenly. But why do I think I deserve an explanation? Who am I to expect the intimate details of my children’s lives?

I simply must trust that God will take care of my precious children. And I excitedly wait for the day when I will see them again.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates