December 29, 2017

Your Selfies Inspired Hope Around the World in 2017

On Sept. 16, we invited you to join us for the first ever Sponsor Selfie Day. And WOW! You all responded with our favorite selfies ever! You shared stories and photos from 21 different countries around the world talking about why you sponsor. The day was an undeniable love fest!

There’s an inherent problem with selfies, though. A quick Instagram hashtag search shows that #selfie has been used more than 325 million times. They are wildly popular because we put ourselves as the center of attention in the photo. There’s no denying that selfies can be a bit, well, self-centered.

But something was different with the pictures posted on #SponsorSelfieDay. They weren’t focused solely on us. We invited others into our photos and it transformed our selfies into something different. We found that when we shift our perspectives just a little bit off of ourselves, there are amazing stories to be discovered.

That’s why these were our favorite selfies in 2017. These pictures are centered on connectedness and relationship. They are an expression of generosity and love and compassion and HOPE that spans the globe.

Enjoy this small sampling of the thousands of sponsors who shared their journey this year!

It’s #sponsorselfieday and a good excuse to share a story… • This is Andy. He’s one of four young men and women Emily and I sponsor through @compassion. • Every day after school, Andy makes bricks to help support his family. His dad is a radio repairman who hasn’t worked consistently for years. His mom works part time as a house cleaner. Their family of four lives in a house the size of my dining room and survives on a few hundred dollars a month. I heard all this when I took him paddle boating on that lake behind us. • When I asked him if there was anything his family needed that Emily and I could help provide, he paused for a good 30 seconds and said, “No. God has been so good to us. We don’t need anything.” • Wait. What? • How could he say that? His needs seemed so obvious to me. But Andy’s going to school when most of his peers are joining gangs. Andy’s working an honest job to help care for his family when most every other 19 year old like him is already a few years into drug addiction. Andy is involved in his church where he finds hope in a God who loves him, who has a future in mind for him while the young men around him live with no hope for anything to ever change. • Andy was born into poverty, but poverty was not born in him. This young man, in that moment on a lake, put me in touch with the poverty that I let live in me. And an act that I thought was a kindness to someone else became a tool for me regaining my own humanity. Because Emily and I give a little bit each month, Andy is able to live into that future he longs for and we’re able to discover a hope that this young man has in spades. • Sponsoring Andy has absolutely wrecked the agenda I had for my life — and I couldn’t be more grateful!

A post shared by David Greco (@davidagreco) on

And then there were three, Aaron and I just added to our family. Sponsoring a child through compassion you have the ability to change a little life. It’s not going to break the bank and you get to write and receive letters knowing your sponsorships goes beyond the foundation and to your sponsor child. If you think you are able to sponsor please do, our newest little friend has waited 210 days for a sponsor and I am grateful that we can now have her in our lives! ♡♡♡

A post shared by Jessica Sinnitt (@jessicasinnitt) on

Today is #SponsorSelfieDay. I sponsor Evelin, among other children, through @compassion. Traveling to Guatemala this summer to meet Evelin and visit Compassion centers there made my sponsorship come alive even more. Evelin is a smart, funny, kind girl with big dreams, and she deserves every chance to achieve those dreams. The centers are doing the work every day by providing opportunities and nourishment in every sense to her and all the children they have enrolled. I am happy to play my part by supporting them so they can continue doing this life changing/life saving work. In addition, I get to be a cheerleader for Evelin and the other children I sponsor, encouraging them every step of the way by building a relationship through letters. By the way, Evelin, like any 8 year old girl, likes selfies ?#compassioninternational

A post shared by Alisa (@alisasila1) on

I’ve been a @compassion sponsor for 17 years. My first little girl from Colombia already graduated! (not pictured) I met Julieth in person on a Compassion tour and was moved by how far just a little love can go. Funny story: I started sponsoring out of guilt. A friend and I went half-and-half on a sponsorship after attending a concert that promoted it. I bailed on my friend a few days later. Didn’t believe in acting out of guilt. Months, maybe only weeks, later I entered a speech contest at my college. I promised God if I won, I’d split the winnings with Him. I won! With half of the prize money I started sponsoring Julieth. Have no clue what I did with the other half. I don’t often remember what I buy, but I remember who I invest in. And unlike stuff, people yield dividends in joy and mutual encouragement. If you choose (NOT out of guilt) to show some love with your finances, I heartily endorse Compassion International. To learn more go to @compassion and click the #linkintheirbio #SponsorSelfieDay #compassion #dontgivefromguilt #givefromlove #welovebecausehelovedusfirst #alittlelovegoesalongway #childsponsorship #changetheworldonepersonatatime

A post shared by Pearl Allard (@look_up_sometimes) on

We adore this community of people who love kids just as much as we do. Thank you for partnering with us and sharing your stories!

Be sure to mark your calendars to join us next year … Sponsor Selfie Day 2018: Sept. 15 is coming your way!

Photo of Sam Hoover

Sam Hoover

Sam Hoover is the Global Social Media Lead for Compassion International.

Categories:

Advocacy, Join the Cause, Sponsors and Donors

Tags:

Sponsor Selfie Day  /  sponsors

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