Halftime

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Halftime

Written by: Web Team

My sponsored child taught me . . .

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Melissa Coast Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

My sponsored child taught me that kind words spoken (written) to someone really do make a difference.
Megan Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

My sponsored child taught me that, through his death, he really was a real person to me and not just a photo on the fridge.
Amanda Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 4:52 pm

Megan,

I know this is off topic, but what happened to your sponsored child? What country was he in? I must admit I am more aware of hurricanes, upheavals, and other news that may affect my children.

In response to the prompt…

My sponsored children taught me - that my problems are not nearly as big a deal as I tend to think they are!
Sara Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

..that I can make a difference in a life.
Tina Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

My sponsored child taught me about joy.
Vicki Small Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

…that a cheerful giver can tithe even on gift-monies, no matter how much that money is needed.
Kees Boer Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 10:27 pm

Generosity. When I went to visit them, they would give me gifts and I know that they were so tight financially. It was truly like giving the widows’ might.

Megan, I’m so sorry to hear that your sponsored child died. That must have been so difficult. I can’t imagine the grief I would feel.

Kees
Steve K. Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

Nothing yet! ;o) We haven’t received a reply letter yet, but we’re still new (sponsored on May 23, 2008)
Kees Boer Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 10:56 pm

Hi, Steve,

Yes, it might take a while. Normally, it takes about 3 months for a letter to get to the child and 3 months for the letter to go from the child to you. So, if you write a letter and ask a question, it could easily take 1/2 year for a response. That’s my experience. I think it depends somewhat on the country too. I find Burkina Faso to be extremely fast.

One letter, I sent to one of my children, I mentioned that I was eating some peanuts, while I was writing the letter. So, half a year later, I got an answer back asking me how the peanuts were. I had forgotten about it and then I remembered.

Your letters are extremely important though. I got a letter today from the mother of a little girl, I sponsor. She mentioned how when they got the first letter, that both of them cried of joy. Then I cried, reading that!

Kees
Abbie H Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 11:20 pm

My sponsored child taught me that life isn’t always about me, but doing God’s will and loving everyone-just as Jesus did!
Lisa Miles Says:

July 19th, 2008 at 11:42 pm

My sponsored child taught me not to rely on the stereotypes of other countries, but to really learn what other places & people are about.

My kids are in Ethiopia, and through sponsorship I have learned what a cool place it is. It is a country with amazing art, music, natural wonders, cultural and historical sites, sports, etc., etc. I had no idea! Sponsorship really broadened my horizons. My goal for 2009 is to start learning Amharic — the official language of Ethiopia. (Pray for me because I am foreign language-challenged.)
Abbie H Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 12:01 am

Lisa, you were probably smart in sponsoring kids from one area. I have often wondered if I should have thought more about that. We have one in Peru, one in Brazil, and our newest from Kenya. I thought it would be neat to learn about different parts of the world along with our sposorship. Now, our desires are to be able to see them and to learn their language. BUT I probably will never be able to pick up one language-much less 3 (haha) and, unfortunately, 3 costly trips will probably never be in the picture. We still plan on making a trip to see, at least, one of them and pray for all 3. But with all that said-I would never change it now because I have loved getting to know all 3 of them-no matter where in the world they may be.
Steve K. Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 6:51 am

Kees ~ Thanks for your reply! I’ve been faithful in writing, and I get more excited to get a reply with each one (one initial one with a family photo, and the rest by email). I’ve written a letter every two weeks or so - wondering if that might be overkill, but probably not.

What’s the most frequent you’ve ever heard of someone writing letters to a sponsored child?
Cheryl Jones Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am

Steve,

My teenage daughter got me involved in Compassion. From her example, I write my kids every 2 weeks. She writes 2 to 3 times a month. One of her girls said, “I am the child in the project that gets the most letters. All my friends want that, too.” When we went to see her, she brought all of her letters (from close to 3 years of sponsorship) to show that she had them. She told my daughter she had her picture in a frame and she kissed it every night before she went to bed. You cannot write too much.
Vicki Small Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 7:42 am

Steve, I think you were addressing your last question to Kees, but I’ll offer this: I have *heard* of sponsors who write to their sponsored child every week. In my first two years as a sponsor, when I had only two children, I either wrote or sent a card, stickers, bookmarks–something–every couple of weeks. Then I added a third child, and I slowed down just a tad. Then a fourth–and writing every month was all I could manage. Now I’ve added an LDP student, and I struggle! But that’s just me. Many people sponsor and write to far more children than I, and write every month.

Typically, I think, the projects receive mail about once a month. So if you send mail more often, your child will receive several things at once…and I’m sure she or he won’t complain!

Kees and others may have more input for you, as well. Bless you for caring about this child!
Carolyn F Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 9:33 am

I try to write my sponsored child every two weeks. I just added a correspondence child. She has taught me to know that I really have alot to offer, even in ways I never knew. She has grounded me to realize that our self worth comes from within, not from what things we have.
Kees Boer Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 10:20 am

Hi, Steve,

That is wonderful. My dad and I both write our children every two weeks. When I went to visit them a couple of weeks ago, I really saw that the children appreciate it so much.

Different countries have different methods of writing back. Some countries, the children write 3 or 4 letters to their sponsors/year. Other countries, the children write at least 3 or 4 letters/year, but they also will reply to each letter that they get. I know Bolivia and Burkina Faso are that way. Since it takes about 3 months for your letter to get to the country and another 3 months to get the reply back, you might find yourself writing for 6 months like that without getting a whole lot of reply back, outside of the first letter, which is normally written fairly soon after the child finds out they are sponsored.

Since my children are all in Bolivia, I asked them if they found it too much. I actually was there when one of my children got one of the letters. They get the letter, the translation, and a copy of blank stationary for them to write their reply within a few days. I didn’t want the children to feel like they had to write too much. All of them said to please continue writing like that. One of them even asked if I could write more!

I do think that a lot of this relates to the country your child is in. I think that Compassion is slowly but surely switching all of the countries over to the child responding to each letter. If the child is young, they also need help with the letters.

I hope that helps. Those are my experiences with it. But your children are very blessed to have you as a sponsor! I’ve also seen children cry, because they didn’t get letters from their sponsor.

Kees
Mary Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 11:05 am

My sponsored children have taught me joy and humility.

In response to Kees experience with letter writing. I have always enjoyed letter writing and make dates and copies of all the letters I send. It does vary I know, but my experience has been it takes two months for my letter to reach the destination country, and two months for a letter to reach me. There have been a few times when my letter has taken three months to get there, but typically it is two months.For me the total turn around process is about four months.
Sarah H. Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am

My sponsored children have taught me what it means to trust in God and to fully depend on him.
Compassion dave Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 11:07 am

My sponsored (children) have taught me…That I am doing exactly what the Lord wants me to do; speak up for them and those like them.
Jill Foley Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 11:20 am

My sponsored children have taught me that our prayers, encouragement, love and money TRULY make a difference in their lives.

In her final letter, my first sponsored child, Judith, wrote: “I am very much impressed and comforted of what good you have done in me. Your help has shown light in my life. I’m educated. I never knew in my life I would have such kind of education compared to my family’s poor standard of living. Actually because of your love we’re now living in a good shelter too.”

My sponsored children have also taught me that they pray for me and my family, just as we pray for them! Some days it brings me to tears when I realize that there is a boy in Kenya praying for me 3 year old…or a girl in the Philippines praying for my unborn child (when I was pregnant)…or a boy in India praying for our family when we moved….the list goes on and on!
Sheryl Grandt Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

My sponsor child has taught me what it really means to care about another person and that joy comes from the Lord.

I’ve heard a few people talk about have a correspodence child. How do you get one?

Megan, I’m really sorry to hear about your sponsored child.
Kees Boer Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

Hi, Sheryl,

If you call Compassion (1800-336-7676), they can set that up for you. The child will look towards you as the sponsor. A couple of weeks ago, I was in Bolivia, visiting the children and one of my correspondence children was so thankful for writing her. She kept on hugging me. The children don’t know that you aren’t the sponsor actually. She kept on saying: “my sponsor, my sponsor…” Then the project put up this whole show with the children for me, thanking me as a sponsor. I actually felt really kind of guilty, because I wasn’t the sponsor, but I didn’t want to tell the child, because that would have hurt her. I just kept on saying “thank you!”

All that is to say is that your correspondence children can be really sweet children that love you very much.

Kees
Mary Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

Hi Sheryl,
In response to your question about a correspondence child. Here is what I did. I called Compassion at 1-800-336-7676 and asked the representative to put my name on list to correspond with a child. You can ask for a boy or girl. Or even choose the country. I just asked for my name to be put on the list. It took about two months and I had a little in Tanzania to correspond with. If you specify a country it may take a little longer. It is so easy and you are considered the “sponsor” in the child’s eyes. You can even visit your correspondent child, if you wish. I hope this helps you out.
Vicki Small Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Sheryl, if you’ll call 1-800-336-7676 and tell the person who answers that you would like to be put on the list as a correspondent sponsor, I think that’ll work. That doesn’t mean you’ll get a packet right away, but if you’re on the list, you will, eventually.

What can be difficult, for some, is that, if the sponsor stops sponsoring the child, the correspondent sponsor may lost the relationship she/he has been building. But before that happens, Compassion will offer you the option of becoming the child’s full sponsor.

Now and then, Compassion gets a whole bunch of kids needing correspondent sponsors, so it will come to pass! Bless you for considering it!
Tina Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 6:48 pm

Sheryl,
You can use the contact link on Compassion’s website to email or call Compassion and request to correspond with a child. Compassion will send you a child packet for the child you’ll correspond with. The child will also likely think you are their sponsor. (None of my 3 correspondence kids have ever indicated to me that they know they have both a sponsor and a correspondent, anyway)
Kristin N. Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 7:13 pm

…unconditional love, to love someone that we’ve never met.

We just recently sponsored a second child and it has been a reminder of the depth of relationship that we truly have with our first. We’re excited to know our second just as well!

To give to and pray for someone else far away has been nothing except rewarding, it’s hard to believe that we can bless them as much as they have blessed us.
Prairie Rose Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

My sponsored child(ren) taught me…

that I can truly love someone I’ve never met.

It also means a lot more to the kids in the family when someone quotes the trite, “There are starving children in Africa…” if I say, like Milton and Rebecca… sure does personalize their understanding of needs in other countries!
Lisa Miles Says:

July 20th, 2008 at 11:04 pm

Hi Sheryl! re: correspondence kids — you can call the main Compassion number and they will give you all the details and make the arrangements for you.

(800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT.

For those who don’t know — correspondence kids are already sponsored, but may be sponsored by a corporation that provides funding for hundreds of children — and thus there is no writing relationship there. Compassion is looking for established sponsors with a good correspondence history to be the writing part of the relationship.

You don’t pay the $32/month, but you can send a yearly birthday, Christmas and family gift. And, of course, you write! While the funding comes from someone else, the kids will know you as their sponsor.

If the source of the funding,(the corporation or whoever), chooses to stop participating, you will be giving the chance to pick up the sponsorship of that child, so the relationship isn’t just cut off.
Megan Says:

July 21st, 2008 at 9:23 am

I’m just now checking in again and noticed the question about what happened to Sakulu. My husband wrote about it here: http://seconddrafts.wordpress.com/?s=sakulu

We still miss him.
Vicki Small Says:

July 21st, 2008 at 9:45 am

Lisa, that’s all good information. I will add, though, that Compassion does include people who are not established sponsors. I was able to submit the names of two people–one of them a close friend–last fall, neither of whom was already a sponsor. My friend received her packet after about a month; several months later, the paying sponsor quit, and my friend and her husband opted to become the sponsors.

It seems fair, to me, that Compassion wouldn’t restrict the privilege to existing sponsors. After all, we accept donations from non-sponsors!
Sheryl Grandt Says:

July 21st, 2008 at 9:46 am

Thank you to everyone for the information. I shall continue to pray about this.
Carrie Says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm

My child has taught me how much love the poor have to offer. I never thought they would care about me as much as they do… They care so much about me and my family. The most recent letter from my little girl said
“Do not worry, because I never stop praying for you!”

Megan- I’m so sorry about your child! I would be a wreck if anything happened to mine.
Amanda Says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Megan,

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I will keep you and your family (and Sakulu’s family) in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless You!
Steve Dean Says:

July 25th, 2008 at 1:01 pm

My Sponsor Child(ren) taught me.

That they love unconditionally.
Steve Dean Says:

July 25th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Megan

Sorry to hear about your sponsor child.
Kees Boer Says:

July 25th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

One thing my children taught me is generosity. They would many times give me something so beautiful. It was truly the widos’s might and I knew that the only thing I could do was accept it and give them a big hug and tell them that I loved them.

Kees