Sponsor Letters: A Source of Encouragement and Hope

teen girl holding letter and photo

The Damasco Student Center has given Karen the opportunity to make a good friend thousands of miles away — her sponsor, Kyoung. Every letter from Kyoung is a valuable treasure to Karen containing messages of hope, encouragement and love.

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I Want to Be Part of Something Bigger

woman embracing girl

God doesn’t want me stuck, and I don’t want to be stuck either! I want to be faithful in my little piece of world, but I also want to be a part of something bigger.

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a white cup and white saucer filled with coffee

Giving Up Coffee for Jordano

Our Contact Center recently received the following email from Sarah W., a brand-new sponsor. She sponsored her first child on March 25, 2011. We love receiving emails like this.

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woman holding young boy on lap

Child Survival Program Celebrates the True Meaning of Christmas

María lives in the La Victoria Alta neighborhood, a place with limited access to public transportation and public services. It is one hour away from Quito’s downtown area, a place where the cold weather is so intense that people feel chilled to the bone. María is one of the hundreds of mothers who cry at Christmas time.

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happy children holding letters

Delivering Hope

Sponsored children receive letters from their sponsors. Unsponsored children do not.

Andrea, one of the Compassion workers and our translator, told me that the only time there is a true distinction between a child who is unsponsored and a child who is sponsored is when letters are handed out. It’s a little bit like the unsponsored children are wearing scarlet letters.

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Woman in the middle of a group of children

Poverty Eradication: That’s a Tall Order

I think the volunteers at this center, the facilitator, the pastor and the director understand the importance of eradication. I know they rely on God for the victory, but I think your faithfulness and your commitment to your sponsored children is running poverty out of the minds and hearts of these children.

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man holding water jug standing with woman and two children

The Water Is Now Safe to Drink

This brand-new plant will supply, among other areas, the 21 Compassion-assisted centers in Manabí Province. These child development centers assist 6,394 boys, girls and adolescents. With the consumption of this water, the number of cases of parasites and cavities among children is expected to decrease from 80 percent to 50 percent.

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collage of photo cards

The Words We Carry

Your words are not just printed ink on paper. When I think of the cards I see a weapon that will be used by God. I see hundreds of hammers, in the shape of letters, shattering the lies of poverty. I see the grip of discouragement falling away from the children Jesus watches over.

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group of smiling children sitting on steps

A Christmas Card Drive of Epic Proportions!

We’d like to make a way to send hundreds and thousands of words of encouragement to kids who really need them in this season of Thanksgiving. That’s where YOU come in! Well you, DaySpring, and Compassion International.

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group of adults and children holding gifts

What Is Christmas Like for an Unsponsored Child?

“They wonder why they don’t get a letter or a card. Of course we explain the situation to them and tell them it’s because they don’t have a sponsor, but that’s not enough for a child. This is something that makes unsponsored kids feel very sad and even discouraged.” — Yovi de Racines, Secretary of Camino de Santidad Mission

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Man and boy in an orange paddle boat

Parents in Poverty: In the Trenches of Child-Rearing

No different from parents everywhere, parents in poverty are in the trenches of child-rearing day in and day out. So, encourage your child’s parents in your next letter. Consider including a Bible verse or a small card “For Mom & Dad.”

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How Do Our Sponsored Children Survive in a “Ghetto Zone”?

Chilibulo is a parish located in the southern zone of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. This area doesn’t have much economically because jobs are scarce. A walk along Chilibulo’s dusty and poorly paved streets highlights the lack of progress.

On the sides of the streets there are little houses made of bricks and cement. Some of the homes are not fully constructed and others are old; the colors of their walls have long faded. Many families live here because they have unsteady jobs with low salaries. Most of them are informal merchants or bricklayers.

Chilibulo is also considered a “ghetto zone” due to area gangs and the high rates of delinquency.

This is the place where Mario and his wife, Martha, brought two children into the world.

(more…)

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