Why do you...?

   I've had a lot of things going on in my head lately. Sometimes it's so 'LOUD' in there that it's hard to stay focused (is that a problem for you too?). One big thought lately has been, why do we sponsor children? I mean what is your reason? Mine is to make a difference in someones life, and that is one way that I can. I used to think that we couldn't afford to, but yet once we worked out our finances, we were able to tithe to the church. So then I got to thinking, we give to God every payday but do we have to give all the money to church? If we sponsor a child, we are still giving to God but just in a different way.
So that was the thought that started our decision to sponsor. I started to read different blog posts written by Compassion Advocates and learnt a lot about how very important it is to write to your child/ren. It was through reading these posts that I decided to become a compassion correspondent and write to more children. Imagine my surprise when I was given two 18 year old boys to write to! What do I say to them? I am a stay-at-home-mom of a 4 year old and a 1 year old! I have nothing exciting to say to an 18 year old! But God knew (like always), and he has given me a wealth of loving words to write to these young men. It has amazed me how many words it takes to describe something that's so ordinary for us. Take hockey for example, I assumed that they knew nothing about hockey so I wrote it out in detail. It almost took up half a page! Single spaced! So anyone can write to their sponsor child. If your drawing a blank, remember that their world is very different than ours. Talk about ordinary everyday things to us like, gardening, knitting, sports, things that you are familiar with but they probably are not.
A really big reason for us to sponsor (and correspond) is to help someone. I love knowing that Alejandro and his family all benefit from our financial sponsorship. Not only does he get food, and medical check-ups, he also gets a solid teaching about Christ. His family also gets taught as well. His parents learn how to better provide for their children and how to raise them in a Christ centered home. So now, with his physical needs being met, it's up to me to help with his emotional needs. I'm (in a sense) another mom for him. So I take that responsibility very seriously, and send him my love and encouragement as often as possible. I feel that way about all of my 'boys'. I love them so much, and I want them to feel loved, so that's why I write them so often. I can't see them every day, nor can I phone them, so I write.
Maybe you haven't written to your child in a while, today is a good day for writing. Everyday is a good day for writing. You don't even need paper, just go to the website of the organization that you sponsor through (most of them have email), and send your letter of love. It does not need to be long, just send some love!


If you've sent a letter to your child recently and you want to share, I'd love to hear about it!

* Andrea *