Comments on: Should I Visit My Sponsored Child?

By: B Kenerly

B Kenerly — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:58:25 +0000

Win and Christine, Have either of you taken the trip to Ethiopia yet? My husband and I plan to travel on an individual trip in the near future (2012).

By: Jan Crossett

Jan Crossett — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:20:31 +0000

In October, 2011, I visited my children in Bangladesh on a sponsor tour and I have to say that it was one of the most profound weeks of my life. I am beginning to hear back from some of the children that I visited there and all of them comment on how loved they felt by my visit, and many couldn’t imagine that anyone could love them that much. Several have asked when I will be back and are making plans about what they want to show me or where I should go. Was it an easy trip? No way, as it took us more than 24 hours to get there. But the staff there worked their hardest to make us comfortable and to share their country and organization with us. And they were so moved that we would make such an effort to come see their country. It was a blessed experience for the sponsors, the kids, and all of those who work so hard to serve those kids. I would go back tomorrow…

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:53:49 +0000

Our family is planning a visit to Manado in July 2012 to visit our sponsor child at Penabur Student Center. We would enjoy connecting with you to learn more specifics as we plan our trip.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:47:55 +0000

Oh… to visit a child or send money? I guess the best analogy I ready was in the book Radical…. God could have sent gold or jewels to help our dyer poverty and need but he sent his Son Jesus to be with us, comfort us, heal us and ultimately die for us. My husband and I were able to visit our sponsor child in India this past October. It was the hardest trip we have ever taken. It was an assault on all our senses but it was life changing. We will never be the same! We saw how our child lived, the dyer poverty, and for the first time could understand that Jesus left the splendor of heaven to come to this!!! This filth, this desolation, this unending misery to be with us. To love us, comfort us, heal us and die for us. That love is overwhelming. Every believer needs to experience this. You will never be the same.

By: Ken Dockery

Ken Dockery — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:27:36 +0000

Visiting a sponsored child is often a “short-term mission trip” fo sorts. With many other forms of short-term mission trips, there is indeed only short-term help for the community visited. Those who sponsor children have already made a long-term commitment to help both the child and the child’s environment. All short-term missions should include this kind of long-term commitment to help. God bless you for sponsoring a child! Go!

By: Beatty Collins

Beatty Collins — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:03:14 +0000

Kees, what a fantastic ministry you have with all of those child visits! Thanks for sharing your insights with us. You’re right, the biggest gift we can give is of ourselves — to be there in person to show your child that you cared so much that you wanted to be with him or her.

As for gifts, if it’s a group tour I believe that Compassion will ask you to bring along some general gifts for the children in the CDCs — small toys, crayons, hair ribbons, etc. (things you can pick up in a dollar store). In addition I’ve brought along maybe $15-20 worth of purchased things for my child — a penlight, a small backpack, a diary, maybe a foto album for pictures that I’ll be sending, etc. But in addition and even much more important I try to include some special thing that is very personal — that is clearly from me to the child. For one child I handmade a small silver cross that I’ve gave her; for another, I made a small glass out of pottery. Do you have any hobbies that express who you are? Photography, sewing, poetry, painting or sketching, etc. By all means, share a bit of those with your child during your visit. On my group tour to El Salvador, my child gave to me a photo album showing her from the time she was born until now. What a gift; I look at it constantly. I believe that a similar gift from you to your child will have the same impact.

By: Helen ONeal

Helen ONeal — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:17:37 +0000

Thanks for the tips–i really appreciate it!

By: Helen ONeal

Helen ONeal — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:16:41 +0000

Thanks Carolyn! i really appreciate your insights, and will sure keep them in mind for this potential trip. For now, I am preparing for my first group sponsor tour ever–to the DR! i am terribly excited about it, and can hardly wait for the end of April to get here…but i know the time will go by quickly What part of the DR are you living in?

By: Helen ONeal

Helen ONeal — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:13:49 +0000

Thank you so much for your helpful comments! I’ll definitely try and keep all this in mind as I pray about this future trip.

By: Helen ONeal

Helen ONeal — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:11:45 +0000

I have really enjoyed this exchange of comments! I have now registered for my first group sponsor tour, and it is nothing short of a miracle to actually be preparing for this spring trip! I had always dreamed about it, and was glad for those who COULD go, but used to think that it would never be a possibility for me. After sponsoring Carlos for ten years, I am so excited to think about meeting him in person and to see Compassion in action in the DR! I am so thankful to God for this amazing opportunity, and can hardly wait to see what He has in store next!