How to Encourage a Mother in Poverty

It’s the second Friday of March and that means it’s time to share letter-writing ideas! Our Second Friday Letter Writing Club is designed to inspire and connect sponsors with the children they sponsor through letters. And this month, because Mother’s Day is sneaking up on us, we want to send some love to the mothers of the precious children we’ve chosen to invest in.

Ashley Ann Campbell, who blogs at Under the Sycamore, recently went with us on a pilgrimage to Ecuador. On this trip she was able to meet the mother of Ismael, whom she sponsors. After spending time with Ismael and his family at their home, she describes what it’s like when two mothers from different cultures unite over their prayers for their children:

“I shared with her that now we are family. The dreams she and Ismael’s father have for him – we will be writing him and encouraging him in those dreams too. I told her this sponsorship will not end and that as a family we are committed to supporting them as they do everything within their means to raise their beautiful children. And then I asked her how I could pray for her.

And her tears began.

Ismael has a heart condition and was recently hospitalized to try to get a diagnosis.

Her son has a heart condition. And my tears fell. Next week my youngest daughter will be hospitalized. She will be having her third cleft lip/palate surgery. A translator is not needed in a room when two mothers can look one another in the eye after words are spoken about doctors, hospitals, kids and surgeries.

Motherhood is powerful. It crosses the lines of culture. Of riches and poverty. Of language.

And then we pray…”

Be sure to read Ashley’s full story of “Coming Alongside Her” and make sure you grab a tissue while you do, because you’ll need it.

The moms of the children our program serves are like every mom. They pray that their children are healthy. They weep when their children suffer. They work tirelessly to provide for food, shelter and a better future.

Sometimes it’s not a biological mother caring for the child you sponsor, maybe it’s their aunt or grandmother. It could be an older sibling or extended family member. As that child’s caregiver, they carry the joys and burdens of motherhood and you have the opportunity to encourage them too.

This month, when you write the child or teen you sponsor, send a card or note with it for the woman in their life who cares for them.

Here are a few ideas on how you can encourage a mother in poverty:

• Let her know that she has a champion on the other side of the world.
• Tell her that you are praying for her and her children.
• Share that, through your sponsorship and letters, you wish to encourage the hopes and dreams she has for her son or daughter.
• If you have children yourself, share about your own hopes and dreams for your children.
• Send her an encouraging scripture. When you were discouraged in your journey, what promises from God did you hold closest?

Now that you’re brainstorming your letter of encouragement to the mother or caregiver of the child you sponsor, head over to the Second Friday Letter Writing Club board on Pinterest and share your ideas. From homemade Mother’s Day cards to your favorite websites that share poetry and letter ideas for moms, make sure you pin them to inspire other sponsors and correspondents.

Our Second Friday Letter Writing Club board on Pinterest is a collaborative board where sponsors and correspondents share great letter-writing ideas every month. If you’d like to be added and be able to share your great ideas or ideas that you find, make sure you follow us and then send an email to [email protected].