What Do Chocolate, Clubs and Hope Have in Common?

Compassion Letter Club

A few years ago, we launched Compassion’s Second Friday Letter Writing Club. We wanted to create a place for sponsors to share letter-writing ideas and stories about the impact of letters on the children we serve. We’ve been amazed at the response. More than 180 of you joined our collaborative Pinterest board, collectively pinning nearly 1,000 ideas for your letters and for the more than 18,000 followers of the board. Many of you have shared fun ideas in comments on the blog posts. But at the same time, there’s been a lot of change in the past year. Our guidelines and processes for letter writing have changed, and there have been some bumps along the way.

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How Much Love Can You Fit in an Envelope?

How Much Love Can You Fit in a Letter?

I was 10 years old when I went to summer camp for the first time. I still remember the feeling as my mom drove away in our family’s station wagon. Utter and complete dread. I cried in the nurse’s office that night, clutching my stomach, telling her I was sick. She understood what I couldn’t. Sadness can feel a lot like a stomachache.

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How to Use Snapchat for Pictures to Send to the Child You Sponsor

How to Use Snapchat for Pictures to Send to the Child You Sponsor

Snapchat doesn’t just give me the ability to take pictures. Because what would be the point of using it instead of my camera? It lets me and my own kids get creative together in our letters to Fabian, our sponsored child, with features that let us draw, add text and stickers, and even overlay a cool filter based on where the picture was taken.

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10 Curious Questions to Ask the Child You Sponsor

7 Curious Questions for the Child You Sponsor

Sometimes asking questions that aren’t of the normal fare is a great way to get the conversation heading in a deeper direction. They can help you get more of a glimpse of personality and begin to truly understand who this special person is.

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woman teaching children in a classroom

How to Encourage A+ Excellence In Your Letters

Your letters have the power to influence the child or children you have chosen to invest in. They really do make a difference. Use your words this month to inspire them and get their mental gears shifting into learning mode.

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What Children Really Want to Hear From Their Sponsors

What Children Really Want to Hear From Their Sponsors

Even sponsors who have been writing for years still ask, “What should I write about?” Well, instead of us giving you ideas of what to write this month for the Second Friday Letter-Writing Club, we decided to share from a trusted source what children really want to hear from their sponsors and the importance of letter writing.

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Comfort Found in the Words of Her Sponsors

Comfort Found in the Words of Her Sponsors

With no money, a drunken, violent father and a community plagued with malnutrition, one little girl found comfort in the words of her sponsors. This powerful story reminds us once again of the importance of letter writing.

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Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

Every person knows that deep down, hurtful words DO hurt. As a parent, I have heard it said over and over that for every negative thing I’ve ever said to my children, it needs to be countered with five to ten positive things. We should change the rhyme to: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always help me.” Let’s explore the importance of letter writing and the power of your positive words to the child you sponsor.

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Letter Delivery Process

3 Great Letter-Writing Ideas for the New Letter Delivery Process

Starting this month, Compassion is implementing a new sponsor letter delivery system that will speed up the amount of time it takes to receive a letter! These exciting changes mean some changes to what can be delivered.

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How to Encourage a Mother in Poverty

How to Encourage a Mother in Poverty

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. And you have an opportunity to encourage them too.

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3 Tools to Develop Your Family's Heart for Social Justice

3 Tools to Develop Your Family’s Heart for Social Justice

In order to help children grow in compassion, we can activate their vivid imaginations and give them the tools they need to be empathetic world-changers. Values are formed early in life, and I believe our role as adults is to create experiences that will inspire children to see the world through God’s eyes.

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What Can I Mail to the Child I Sponsor

What Can I Mail to My Sponsor Child?

If your love language is gifts, this is a hard one for you because you want to be able to send material items along with your letters to show the child you sponsor that you love them. Today, I am going to share with you five things you can mail with your next letter.

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