Many of the children in our program think about their sponsor as an extension of their family. Maybe you feel the same way about the child you sponsor. You know you want to pray for him or her daily and write letters often. And through those actions and your financial gifts, you’ll no doubt make a powerful impact on your sponsored child’s life.
But … you feel the need to do more. You want to incorporate your sponsored child into your daily life as much as possible. The question is: How?
To answer that question, let’s turn to the Compassion family. Some of the stories that inspire us most are about the incredible dedication and commitment of our sponsors. If you’re looking for ways to further incorporate your sponsored child into your family — or even just ways to remind yourself to think about and pray for him or her on a daily basis — look no further.
We’ve reached out to sponsors to see how they make their sponsored children part of their daily lives. Here’s what some of them had to say …
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t pray for these children. Their letters and drawings and photos are everywhere, with so many of them. And their birthdays are on the calendar. They have truly blessed me, and I have realized over the years that God has used my letters to them in ways I could never have imagined.” — Jan
“I tell my sponsored children that they are always in my heart, and I take them with me everywhere I go. I try to take photos of my either holding their picture or a special sign for them in different places. For example, I am an MD/Ph.D. student and took a photo for one child from the research lab.” — Emily
“Besides taping their most recent photos and letters to my fridge, every day I make one of my sponsored kids the background photo on my phone. That way, anytime I see a notification or check my phone, I’m reminded to pray for them. I also frequently check global news sites and Compassion’s Crisis Updates page to learn more about what might be impacting them and how to pray for their countries.” — Katie
“For me, it’s crucial to involve my son in the process of sponsorship, so he often draws them pictures or picks out stickers to send them in the mail. We have thrown a little birthday celebration to show our sponsored child how much a part of our family he is.” — Kristen
“I home-school my kids, and when we’re studying an area of the world where we have a Compassion child, we write to that child. Also, when my kids find folktales they love, they narrate them into letters and we send the stories with artwork from my kids to our sponsored children.” — Hannah
“I have a collage of all my sponsored children (past and present) displayed on my desk and in my Bible. I incorporate traditional holiday foods from their countries into my family’s holiday celebrations, such as tamales for Christmas, and send them photos of it. I also send them photos of big life events so they can feel included.” — Megan
“I put their names on a map and seek out books and YouTube videos that help me better understand the countries and areas where they live.” — Sarah
“My daughter and I pray for our sponsored children’s food when we pray for ours. Their photos are on our refrigerator and all of their letters are saved in a binder. I use a bookmark from Compassion to pray for them daily.” — Christy
A Fuller Daily Life
We pray these ideas from some of the most dedicated sponsors will encourage you to also include your sponsored child in your daily life in new and powerful ways. And in doing so, we pray your relationship with your child will continue to deepen and bless you both in ways you never imagined.
International photography by Eric D. Lema and Lina Marcela Alarcón Molina.