Have you ever had one of those awesome, world-colliding moments when people from two different parts of your life meet? Like bringing a significant other home to meet your family for the first time. Or introducing your friends from church to your friends from work at your birthday party. These experiences only come around every now and then. And I love them.
One of these moments happened for me when I was in college. I went to a university across the country from where I grew up, so my two worlds never overlapped. But, one year over Christmas break, my college roommate came to visit me at home. After years of hearing me talk about how much I loved my family, she finally got to meet them. It was so sweet to watch the most important people in my life connect. They all still talk about how awesome it was to this day!
Aren’t moments like these the best?!
Now, imagine how awesome it would be if you could create a meaningful, world-colliding moment with the most important people in your sponsored child’s life.
No, I’m not talking about taking a trip to visit them (although, that would be WONDERFUL in a post-COVID-19 world). I’m talking about building a relationship with your sponsored child’s family through letter writing!
There are two different types of situations in writing your sponsored child’s family.
- You are sponsoring a child who’s too young to be writing their own letters, so you’re already regularly corresponding with his or her caregiver.
- You are sponsoring a child who is old enough to write, but you still want to connect with his or her family.
Well, today I’d like to give a few connection-building, letter-writing tips for both of those scenarios!
Tips for Writing a Younger Child’s Caregiver
For those of you who sponsor a young child who cannot write letters on their own yet, you might already be familiar with exchanging correspondence with his or her caregiver. This is a unique, built-in opportunity to make a connection with the people who most love the child you sponsor. Here are a few tips for writing your child’s caregiver:
- Affirm the growth and development of their child. What parent doesn’t love to hear affirmations of their children? Look back at old letters to remind you of how the child has grown and developed. Share specifically about the developments you are excited about. Remind the caregiver that they are doing an amazing job in raising their child.
- Ask the caregiver specific questions about herself or himself. Show your child’s caregiver that you take a special interest in them as well. Ask questions like “What is it like to have a child in the Compassion program? What are some challenges as a parent that you are facing right now? How can I be praying for you specifically?”
- Bring up information about the caregiver that you’ve learned in the past. If your sponsored child’s caregiver has shared about herself or himself in the past, follow up about what’s been shared. Did she get a new job? Ask about it. Did he share a parental struggle? Let him know you’re still praying.
- Swap drawings. If you have a child at home with you, ask him or her to draw a picture for your sponsored child’s caregiver. Include the caregiver’s name on the drawing. Then, request that the child you sponsor draw a picture of his or her caregiver to share with you. This is a great way to build a connection between your family and your sponsored child’s family.
- Include a special prayer for the child’s caregiver. One of the most encouraging messages that a caregiver living in poverty can receive is that they are covered in prayer. So, consider writing out a prayer for your sponsored child’s caregiver, covering specific challenges they face. For example, “Lord, thank you for Noelle. Thank you that you have specifically chosen her to be Alison’s mother. I pray that she knows that she is loved and cherished. Give her wisdom as she raises her young daughter. Fill her with courage as she continues to work hard and share the love of Jesus with Alison. Continue to bless her with work, loving community and the supplies she needs. Amen.”
Tips for Writing an Older Child’s Family
If you sponsor a child who is old enough to write his or her own letter:
- Always begin your letter with a note to your sponsored child. Even if you know that you want to include a message to the child’s family, always make sure to address the child at the beginning of the letter! Ask questions about the child’s life. Remind them how loved they are. Then, transition into asking questions about their family.
- Ask your sponsored child specifically about his or her family. You’ve probably already done this before. But if you’re wanting to learn more about their family, come up with a list of more specific questions. For example, “How would you describe your mother’s personality? What do you love most about your family? What do your brothers and sisters like to do for fun in their spare time?”
- Include a special message and a few questions for a member of your sponsored child’s family. After writing directly to your child, transition into a note to their family. Make it clear to the child that you are transitioning and ask them to share what you’ve written with their family. Tell the family that you are so proud of their child. Let them know that you believe in them. And even feel free to ask them specific questions like “How does the church help your family?” or “What are you most proud of in your life?”
- Send a photo for your sponsored child’s caregiver. Make it as personal as possible! For example, you could take a selfie of yourself while holding a sign that says “Hi, Alison,” or whatever your sponsored child’s caregiver’s name is. Or you could send a photo of your children holding up signs and drawings they’ve created specifically for them.
- Ask your sponsored child to include his or her family member’s response in their next letter. This may or may not happen. But it’s worth asking your sponsored child to include their caregiver’s, sibling’s or grandparent’s response to your questions and encouragement in their next letter. Make sure to emphasize how special it is to get to know their family more deeply.
Feeling inspired to get to know the child you sponsor’s family in a new way? Write a letter today!
21 Comments |Add a comment
How long does it usually take to receive a letter back??
Hi Shonna! Thank you so much for choosing to bless a sweet child with your support and encouraging letters! The amount of time for your letter to be sent and then for you to receive a reply may vary from a few weeks to a couple of months. This is due to distance, time, and cultural differences.
When Sumaiya writes a letter to you, it may be several weeks before it is delivered to Compassion’s national office in Uganda. The letter is scanned into our letter system along with hundreds of other child letters and assigned to a translator. After the letter is translated and reviewed for quality, it is uploaded to our system at Compassion’s office in Colorado Springs, CO. In Colorado Springs, the letter is printed and mailed to you. This process can take two to three months from start to finish, depending on the workload at each point in the process. The good news is that once a letter is uploaded to our system in Colorado Springs, the letter is visible on your My Account, which saves the time it takes to print and mail the letter.
We truly appreciate your decision to bless Sumaiya, and we’re excited for you as you begin your sponsorship journey! If you have any questions, we’re happy to help you at [email protected]. Have a blessed day!
I see where we cannot send items directly to our sponsored child, and you cannot send packages to them either. But you said to include stickers, bookmarks, coloring book pages, etc. Are they getting the actual stickers and bookmarks if we send them to you or just photos of them?
I understand part of the restriction but not totally. Many of us knit or sew items we would like to send to our sponsored child. Can I embroider a handkerchief and send it in an envelope to you for her? Something with the child’s name on it?
If I send photos, do they get the actual photo or again, a photo copy of it?
Just trying to understand what we can and cannot do.
Hello, Carol and Randy! I sincerely apologize for the confusion about what can be sent to your child. We are deeply grateful for your heart to bless and love on your child with such sweet gifts. Please send us an email at [email protected] so we can speak with you further. Thank you!
We have two children we are sponsoring haven’t received a letter to let us know they are ok we are worried
Hi, Penny. Thank you for reaching out and for letting us know. I am sorry to hear that you have not heard from your children yet. Would you please send us an email to [email protected] with their ID numbers? We would be happy to look into this.
How can I be sure the Nicaraguan government doesn’t get my gifts for my sponsored child?
Hello, Donna! Thank you so much for your heart to bless your child with a gift! We work closely with each of our church partners to ensure gifts are delivered to your child. In the event where a gift cannot be delivered due to a variety of reasons such as your child moving, we are happy to return the gift to you. If you have further questions, you are welcome to email us at [email protected]. ~ Amy
We haven’t heard from our sponsored child since March 2020. Is there a way for us to get in contact with them to make sure they are ok. We have written letters with no response for 2 years now.
Hello Stacy and Jeff! I am so sorry to hear it’s been so long since you’ve heard from Yuly! I see that you received a photo letter of her in November 2021, but that there was not a personal letter attached. I have sent an inquiry to her Compassion center today requesting a new letter and asking for more information about why she has not been writing. Hopefully, this will help provide us with more information about her situation. Please know we are so grateful that you have been faithfully writing, even though you have not been getting regular letters from Yuly. As soon as we receive information back from her Compassion center, we will contact you to let you know what we found out. If you did not receive the photo of her from November, please let us know, and we are happy to send you another copy!
You can also reach us at [email protected] if you have further questions or concerns! We are more than happy to help!
Is it possible to have our child’s home address so we can send gifts directly to our child and their family? If not what is the correct way? Thanks!
Hi Judy! We appreciate your desire to bless your kiddo in a very tangible way. Regrettably, we are not able to send packages to your child for a few reasons. We also cannot share his address due to child protection and security guidelines. Instead, we encourage you to send a monetary gift. The child and family, with the assistance of church staff, will purchase what they need most. This also benefits the local economy of your sponsored child by supporting local businesses!
There are other fun ways to bless your kiddo, too! Along with a personal letter, you can send stickers, bookmarks, photos, postcards, greeting cards, coloring pages and paper crafts. The total number of items (including the letter to your child) should not be more than six sheets, and each flat paper gift item should not be larger than 8.5” x 11”. I encourage you to visit cintl.us/letter-faq for more information and helpful FAQs! Please email us at [email protected] if you have further questions. Have a blessed day!
Does a letter to the family count as one less letter to my Sponsored Child?
Hello, Angel! Thank you so much for your interest in blessing your sponsored child’s family with a letter! We only limit letter writing to one letter per day, but your letter can include a note to both the family and the child in the same letter. If you have any other questions, please let us know. You can email us at [email protected]. God bless!
Hi, I’m having difficulty readying my sponsored children’s letters. They are in another language and I guess the interpretation is different, is there any other way of corresponding with them?
Gail, I am so sorry to hear that there have been some issues with the translation of your child’s letters. We would be happy to look into this for you and get it corrected. Can you please email our team at [email protected] so we can assist you further? Blessings!
My first sponsored kiddo was (actually still is somewhat) too young to write and I started writing to mom from the beginning. BEST choice I made — she’s such a wonderful, sweet lady, and I value not just all the information and stories about the child I sponsor, but I treasure her as a person and a wonderful mother. I’ve always suggested writing to parents and caregivers to sponsors who feel like they don’t hear enough about their child’s life, and I was so happy to see this article encouraging that connection. Love, love, love it!
Wonderful ideas shared here. Thank you for highlighting the importance and how-tos of communicating with our sponsored children’s’ family members.
These ideas for connecting with my little girl’s family are great! My Valeria usually writes and the first letter since COVID lockdown came from her Mom. So grateful to hear from the family and that they are doing well. This article gives me ways to lead into how much I appreciate Mom and the way she cares for Valeria.
This is a terrific article…as a sponsor who’s had the opportunity to meet my sponsored child and his family in another program similar to Compassion, this is great advice. There is something very special that takes place for a needy family when you open the door of kindness to mom, dad, auntie or gramma. Thanks for the great tips.
I love these ideas! I shared with my son and his wife who sponsors a very young child and were looking for writing ideas. I plan to do this more with my older kids too. Thank you so much for the great ideas!