Today, I read a story of a sweet girl from Uganda, who is a graduate of Compassion's program. She is Harriet. I hope you will read her story over here Harriet Mutumba. It is a beautiful slideshow telling her story through captions on the photos.
The room's dark. Two old, wooden chairs are all the furniture in the tiny house. At night, one chair is shoved against the door to keep the drunk, dangerous alley men out. They take turns sleeping in the other one.
Their life is rough. Her mom works hard, but she doesn't get much in return. Young Julian hears her relatives' negative comments. Maybe life will never be good for her, but she can help her family.
They say she's sitting on a gold mine. She has us, her daughters. Soon, I will tell my mom to sell me in marriage. At least then my sisters can go to school. They will have a good life.
Her mom takes her to a Compassion project. A friend told her that they would help her. Julian doesn't believe it though - someone would help her for nothing? Her mom and her check it out to find out what the catch is. Nothing can be found, so she is enrolled. Soon, to her surprise, she gets a sponsor. An even bigger surprise comes a little bit later.
My sponsors sent me a birthday card! No one in Uganda sends cards. They say that cards take too much time and money. I carried that card everywhere with me for weeks. I felt so special.
Julian is succeeding at school and goes to a boarding school for more education. She is thankful that there is a Compassion project near her. Even though she is far from her home and family, there is a project with people who love her.
Then it is the beginning of the 4th semester, and Julian is at the top of her class. Yet, the school master yells at her. He tells her that until she pays for all four semesters in full, she must leave. She goes back home. She forgot how scary it was to live in the alley. She still goes to school, but now she feels no hope. She can't pay for boarding school, so she decides to make a sacrifice for her family.
I'll be worth less, now that I am 14. It'll still be enough for my mom and sisters to have a good life. I will tell my mom to sell me in marriage soon.
Before she tells her mom, Compassion comes to her home. They say that they will pay for her school in full! She studies hard and graduates. Through her hard work, she was accepted into the Leadership Development Program with Compassion. Before she leaves for university, she makes enough money to buy her mom a new home where it is safe.
I attended Makerere University in Uganda and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies. I just graduated from Baylor University with a Masters’ in Social Work! My goal is to use my social work career to advocate for children and women living with HIV/AIDS and to help those in vulnerable situations realize their dreams and potential. *
That is the story of Julian Alum, a former Compassion sponsor child. I walked through her story at the Compassion Mobile Experience, and this is written from my memory of that. I just missed meeting her, as she joined the tour the stop after mine. You can read more about her here - Meet Julian Alum — a Former Sponsored Child From Uganda | Change The Story
Yeah, lots of posts about sponsors meeting children. So let me tell you a little something- those are my favorite posts! They take me to another country. They show Compassion's work at it's best. And they let me dream about meeting my kiddos. I know that day will come for me sometime, but for now, thank you to all those who are taking me there now! :)
I am sooo excited about today's guest post! I could introduce this amazing lady, but she does a better job! I had the privilege of meeting her and hearing her tell her story. I hope you enjoy reading her words.
Without further ado, please welcome Maria! :)
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Maria Momojara Diamond. I was born in Peru in a very dangerous and poor community but at the age of 7, I became a Compassion sponsored child. God blessed me through this ministry not only nurturing my physical body but also my mind and spirit. I was able to strengthen my relationship with God, my family and my friends. The relationship with my sponsors (three different ones) helped me to understand God's love for me. Their letters meant a lot to me and were a source of encouragement and love. I know God used them to bless my life and I am forever thankful to them. Through Compassion, I was able to study at a Language Institute and learn English as a second language. I was 18 years old when I graduated from the Compassion center, and I asked God in prayer to help me find a job so I could sponsor a child one day. I wanted to give what I received; God's love and hope. After few years, I saw God's provision when I was able to get a job at Compassion-Peru as a translator. I loved my work and then, I was able to sponsor my first child. Now, I am married to a wonderful godly man who is also a Compassion sponsor and advocate. We sponsor a total of 9 children and correspond with other 3. We both are committed to share our story and help other children like me to be free from poverty in Jesus' name.
What was your experience with letters as a sponsored child?
During my 3 first years of sponsorship, I did not get letters from my sponsor. I only knew his name and his nationality. It was sad because I still had to write letters because they were mandatory, and I could see the joy every time my friends got a letter from their sponsors. I wanted that so much.
When I was 10, I got a new sponsor, Harriett. Even when she only sponsored me for a year, she wrote me letters and they became so special to me. I remember asking her to pray for my dad's salvation and work opportunities. She wrote me back and said she would do it. That meant the world to me to know that she will join me in prayer to interceed for my dad.
My last sponsors, Amy and Brian sponsored me since I was 11 until the day of my graduation. They wrote me many letters and they made me feel part of their family. They would tell me that they loved me, that they were proud of me, that they were praying for my family and me.
What was your favorite thing to read about in your sponsors' letters?
About my sponsors' lives and country, and their favorite Bible verses.
What was your favorite thing to get with letters?
Pictures and stickers.
Did you have a preference between typed or handwritten letters?
Not really. My last letters were typed but I still liked them, I guess because what I really wanted was to hear from my sponsors.
What advice would you give a sponsor about letter writing?
Write to your kids and share with them what God is teaching you. Kids growing in poverty always face difficulties and temptations and the only thing that will help them is God's Word and presence in their lives. Tell them how much you and God love them. Teach them how important it is to pray to our Heavenly Father and to read and study His Word. Also think about how you were at the age of your sponsored child and give them an advice. Advice about their studies, honoring and respecting their parents, growing in their relationship with God, developing godly friendships, remaining sexually pure, and dreaming for their future. Your words are so powerful.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
My participation in the Compassion center blessed me so much. All my friends and I received the same benefits: meals, medical checkups, education, and Christian values; but each one of us had a personal experience with our sponsors. The relationship with my sponsors helped me to dream big in God and be free from poverty.
So there you have it- letter writing tips from a formerly sponsored child! You can write your child from your online account HERE.
Maria is on Facebook, and you should totally friend her because she's awesome and probably shares lots of cool stuff (though I am not on FB, so I don't know, but that is how Maria is!). You can find her HERE.
This month I am going to write to my Compassion family about foster care. I read somewhere that May was national foster care month, so I thought this was the perfect time to write about it.
Here is my letter. Feel free to edit it and use it yourself. If you have had experience with foster care or adoption, or know someone who has, I am sure your child would love to hear about that as well!
Dear friend, Hello! How are you? My family and I are well, thanks to God. I have been thinking about you and praying for you lots. You are very special to me! In the USA, May is national foster care month. Foster care is when a child goes to live with another family. The child either does not have parents, or his parents cannot care for him. The child may live with many families in the foster care system. One day, a family may choose to adopt that child. Then the child goes to live with that family forever. Do you know anyone who was adopted? Do you have something like foster care in your country? In Romans 8:14-17 says, "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Just like when a child is chosen to be adopted by a family, we too are adopted into a family. When we trust Jesus with our lives, we are adopted into God's family! In Ephesians 1:4-5, it says that God choose us, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." Psalm 103:13 tells us that God takes good care of his children, "The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him." It is good to know that God loves us and will take care of us! If you have accepted Jesus into your heart, then you are my sister! We are both children of God, and that makes us sisters! God made you special. He loves you very much. You are important. I love you, friend! God bless you. Much love and many blessings to you, Elisabeth
I wrote this next letter a couple months back, but I think some of it goes with the theme of adoption. Either way, your child will love to know that they are special to you!
Dear friend,
Hello, how are you? My family and I are well. I have been praying for you, and I thank God for you!
Psalm 103:13, "The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him." Psalm 68:5, "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." God is your heavenly father, and He loves you so much! Think of it, the God who made you is your Father. He wants the best for you. He is always with you, cheering you on! God is so proud of you when you do your best, and He encourages you when you don't succeed. You are precious to Him, like an expensive jewel.
Here are some lyrics from one of my favorite songs by Britt Nicole, Gold-
"Well everybody keeps score, afraid you're gonna lose Just ignore them, they don't know the real you All the rain in the sky can't put out your fire Of all the stars out tonight, you shine brighter Don't let anybody tell you that you're not loved, And don't let anybody tell you that you're not enough Yeah there are days when we all feel like we're messed up, But the truth is that we're all diamonds in the rough So don't be ashamed to wear your crown, You're a king you're a queen inside and out You glow like the moon, you shine like the stars This is for you, wherever you are This is for all the girls, boys all over the world Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold So hold your head up high, It's your time to shine From the inside out it shows, you're worth more than gold, You're worth more than gold! So don't be ashamed to wear your crown You're a king you're a queen inside and out"
That is what I think of you, Juan. You are more precious than any gem or expensive thing. No matter what anyone says to you or the way they look at you, you are worth more than gold. Don't let anyone look down on you, but set an example for all people in what you do and say. (1 Timothy 4:12) I love you!
Your friend,
Elisabeth
What are you going to write to your sponsored kids about this month?
As you all know, I had a packed weekend. It was one that I didn't want to come because I didn't want it to be over. None-the-less, it did come, and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be.
I want to share about the Advocates Retreat first. It was a dream come true, really. I was going to meet a formerly sponsored child. I watch the videos of them sharing their stories on YouTube, and I read the posts of bloggers who have met them. But I hadn't met one, and I wanted to.
So, I got to the church, where the retreat would be. I saw Maria, and I hung up my kiddos photos (it was a wall of blessing with all of our sponsored kids photos). She asked me where my Haiti girls lived. Then we chatted about Haiti for a second and parted ways.
She sat behind me during the classes and worship. Then, Maria shared her story. She told about the poverty and then the hope. She shared how Compassion changed her life forever. Compassion changed her life in three main ways-
EDUCATION
Through Compassion, Maria was able to get an education. Not only did she go to primary school, but also high school and university. She studied English.
JOB
After Maria finished up her English classes, Compassion hired her as a translator. She translated children and sponsor letters. She also translated for sponsor tours. Even before she finished her classes, her pastor had her translate for a group of missionaries.
MARRIAGE
Maria met her future husband on a sponsor tour for which she translated! They have now been married for two years.
After she shared her story, there wasn't a dry eye. Yes, this was a story I had heard many times- hopelessness turned into hope, fear turned into boldness, sadness turned into joy. Something about that story though touches my heart every time. It was different this time too. This time I got to meet the girl who used to be scared. I met the girl who found hope. I met Maria.
She is the sweetest person I have ever met. She's so happy and kind. She showed me that letters make a difference. She proved to me that sponsors make a difference- that Compassion makes a difference.
So here she is-
If you want to make a difference in the life of a child like Maria, please visit this page.
Because you seemed to enjoy my Letter Writing Prompts post, I thought I would post another one!
Your School/College-
Are you in school now?
What was the name of your school?
How far away was your school?
Did you walk, ride a bus, or live at your school?
What classes did you take in school?
Which class was your favorite? Why?
Which class did you not like? Why?
Who were your friends at school? Are you still friends with them?
Include pictures of you when you were in school or school worksheets.
Your state-
Where do you live (state and country)?
What is your state known for?
What is your state/national flower, tree, etc?
What seasons do you experience? Which is your favorite?
What grows near you?
What is your favorite thing about where you live?
What don't you like about where you live?
Does your family live near you?
Share pictures or coloring sheets of your state.
Your hobbies-
What are your hobbies?
When did you start doing those things?
What do you like about them?
Where do you do your hobbies?
Do you know anyone else who likes to do those things?
Share pictures of your hobbies or coloring sheets!
I feel very organized and even inspired and motivated right now! :) So when a sponsor of a four-year-old on Compassion's support network asked for letter writing ideas, I decided I would come up with a detailed list of themed letter ideas.
Obviously the list is endless, but here is what I came up with- Your church-
Is it big or small?
What is your pastor's name?
Do you teach in Sunday school?
What did you learn this week? (perhaps in simpler terms though)
You can share a picture of your church, your pastor, or you and some church friends.
Also, Bible coloring pages could be sent.
Your family-
How many people are in your family?
What do they like to do?
How old are they and what are their names?
What do you like most about your family?
What is your favorite family memory?
Share a picture(s) of your family.
You can include coloring sheets representing things your family likes to do/
Your favorites-
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite animal? Why?
What is your favorite place (church, the garden, etc.)? Why?
What is your favorite Bible story or verse? Why?
What is your favorite season? Why?
What is your favorite thing to do?
You can share photos of your favorite things (not like material things such as a car or your house, but photos of your community or seasons)
You can also include coloring pages of your favorite things.
About yourself-
What is your birthday?
Who is your best friend(s)?
Do you work? If so, what do you do?
What do you do in your free time? Why do you like it?
What are the seasons like near you?
Where do you live (state and country, not specifics)?
Do you live in a city or in the country?
What is your town like?
You could also share some about your family or some of your favorites.
Share photos of yourself, your friends, and where you live.
Include coloring pages that show things you like or that are near you.
When I was your age...-
What did you like to do?
What was your family like?
Who were your friends?
Did you go to school/preschool? What did you like about it? What didn't you like?
What was Sunday school like (if you went)?
What were your chores?
Share a picture of yourself when you were that age.
Include coloring pages of little kids.
My friend just wrote a post showing examples of "when I was your age..." letters. You can read it HERE.
Bible story-
Where can the child find the Bible story?
What is the Bible story about? (share it in your own words)
What can you learn from the Bible story?
When was the first time you heard the Bible story? What did you think of it then?
When was the last time you heard the Bible story? Did you learn something new from it?
What do you like most about the Bible story?
How has this Bible story impacted your life? (Did it comfort you when you were scared or sad? Did it help you trust God more? etc)
Are you learning anything from the Bible story today?
Include coloring pages of that Bible story.
I hope these ideas inspire you to write to your sponsored child! But if they don't, here's a song to encourage you to get writing! :)
What are some things that you have written about lately?
Here I am going to disprove three letter writing myths that might be believed when writing to your sponsored child.
1. I have to fill up the whole page.
No, you don't. Yes, your child would love to read pages and pages from you, but they would also love just a few words. Even only a few sentences of encouragement would be such a blessing to your child!
2. I can't tell them what I do because there is such a difference between my life and theirs.
Yes, there is a big difference between your life and your child's. However, you can still tell them about your life. Tell them that you had lunch with a friend. Tell them that you went to work. Please do be careful about what you say, but if you keep it simple, it should be perfectly fine!
3. I have to send out a whole package when I write my child.
While a whole package of coloring pages and stickers is nice, so is a letter. Often when I try to put together a whole package, it takes me longer to get the letter out. That is the most important thing- the letter. Sure, send extra fun stuff sometimes, but it is not as important.
Well, I hope this encourages you to write to your child and shows you how simple and easy it is!
I thought this was a great song that could be an inspiration to write to your sponsored child. It talks about how your words can change a life. I hope you'll listen to it-
Here are two posts on Compassion's blog that share how sponsor letters change lives-
Since everyone seems to sponsor children under six, I decided to write up a sample letter to send to kids six and under. Because we got a lot of snow today, I thought it would be a good topic to write about.
Hello, friend! How are you? My family and I are well. It is winter where I live. Winter is the coldest season in New York. It gets so cold that it snows instead of rain! Snow is white, and it covers the ground. Sometimes the snow gets meters high. (Note: Use metric measurements when writing to your children. The translator will not convert from English to metric.) If you hold the snow in your hand, it melts into water. It is fun to play in the snow. Sometimes you can build a small fort or snow man out of the snow. A snow man is made out of three balls of snow stacked on each other. Psalm 28:7 says, "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy." If you are ever scared, friend, just remember that God is always with you. He is bigger than any trouble you face. God will help you and protect you. It also says in the Bible that God will turn your sadness into joy. God made you special, and He love you very much. He has a great and wonderful plan for your life. You are very important, friend. I love you lots! God bless you. Hugs and kisses, Your sponsor
I would use my sponsored child's name rather than friend, but either work. You can copy this letter completely if you like or just use it to get you started. If you do write a snow letter, here are some pictures you can use (just say a friend took them for you)-
(Please don't use these photos without permission.) Last year I wrote each of my kids' names in the snow with my finger. I took a picture of it and sent it to them. I hope that it encourages you to write to your sponsored children this month!
A couple nights ago, two beautiful new girls showed up on my Compassion account! I was so excited, so I wanted to share about them.
Samantha is thirteen, and she lives in Haiti (not too far from Lucie). She likes to listen to music, draw, bike, run, read, play with dolls, sing, jump rope, play group games, and play hide-and-seek! Samantha lives with her aunt.
previous photo of Samantha
current photo of Samantha (taken October 2012)
My other new girl is Elizabeth. She is sixteen, and Mexico is where she makes her home. She lives about 500 miles away from Juan. She is only in ninth grade, but she is supposed to graduate from Compassion int January 2014. She lives with her grandma. Elizabeth carries water, takes care of children, and gathers firewood to help out at home.
previous photo of Elizabeth
current photo of Elizabeth (taken July 2011)
Aren't they beautiful? I am so excited to have a chance to get to know them. I especially glad that they are older because I can get to know them better soon (older girls usually write really informative and nice letters).
My youth group sponsors a girl who I write to. Her name is Aruna. She is fourteen and lives in India. We started sponsoring her in the beginning of July. Since we had not gotten a letter from her and it had been four months, I called Compassion last week. They said they would do a field inquiry to see why, and the answer to that will come back in two months. I am sure she is fine, but there is always the chance she is not. Will you please join me in praying for her? Thanks!
Wow. Time has flown. I feel like I just wrote the first post in this series. Anyway, I am going to tell you how I keep everything organized. I am usually not very organized, but I think I have done pretty well keeping all of my Compassion things organized.
I was going to post pictures for it to make more sense, however I have been gone all day. I will do my best to explain what I do. So if you have any questions, let me know in the comments. I will do my best to help you.
I have a gallon bag for each of my Compassion family. I use a Sharpie and write the child's full name and number on the bag. I keep the child packet, letters from the child, and any stickers or stationery for that child in the bag. Last summer, this worked perfectly. Now the gallon bags have gotten shorter, so I have to fold the stationery in half.
I keep all the stickers for the child in a quart or sandwich bag labeled "stickers." I also printed off name labels for all of my Compassion family. However, I did not have adhesive paper. So, I find that I do not use them. I have them in a snack bag labeled "name labels" in the gallon bag too.
Whenever I get a letter from one of my Compassion family, I am very excited. That is not really important, but I thought I would tell you anyway ;) Whenever I get a letter, I make sure to keep the envelope and write the date I received it on the back. This way, I know how long it took me to get the letter from when it was written. Also, I can see how long it has been since I got a letter from that child.
I write each of my Compassion family twice a month. I write two each weekend. For instance, I wrote Mabel and Aruna this past weekend. I do this online. The whole month, I work on a package to send out. I will write a themed letter to all of my kids. Last month I did geography. I will print off maps or song lyrics to go along with the letters. I also include stickers and coloring pages.
If I get a letter from one of my Compassion family, I reply to it within a day or two. I don't include stickers or anything, just a letter. I like to comment on all that they wrote to me and ask them questions about it. I don't include any extras because it can get expensive to buy all that stuff and to send it out.
Well, that is what I do. What do you do? How do you keep organized? I am always looking for ways to improve my organization.
What did you learn during this series? I hope you got something useful out of it.
This week, I am going to write about how your sponsored child's letter gets to you.
Most Compassion projects have a letter writing day. All the children will write letters to their sponsors. Then they give them to their tutor to be checked over. Once the tutors have decided that all the letters are satisfactory, they will give them to the field office. This can take two weeks to one and a half months.
Once they get to the field office, the letters are translated. The Compassion staff will then spot check a few letters from each translator. After the letters are translated, they are sent to the GMC (Compassion's headquarters in Colorado Springs).
When the GMC receives the letters, they are packaged up to be sent to the sponsors. You can see this in the video below.
As Compassion bloggers' month came to a close yesterday, I think about all the lives changed through the posts we wrote. Not just the lives of the sponsored children, but of the new sponsors as well. It is quite a life-changing journey.
I can't help but think of the first time I saw Hymns. Though I did not sponsor her, she was the one who grabbed my heart for the first time. Without her, I would not know my beautiful Compassion family.
So as I think of the new sponsors, I also think of the newly sponsored children. I know their lives will be changed too. Receiving a letter for the first time in eleven years almost brought my Mabel to tears. I honestly believe that the children's lives will never be the same.
I am sure that you are all dying to know how many children were sponsored this month. If you were here all blog month, you probably figured it out.
Three thousand, one hundred, fifty nine.
We surpassed our goal of 3,108 by fifty-one. So many amazing children now have new sponsors who love them. I am so thankful.
It is not too late to change a life, though. You can always do that by clicking HERE. Remember, your life will be changed too.
Yesterday I took out a Christmas piano book, so that I could work on a song for Christmas. I am thinking that I will do Silent Night. That is not the point of my post however.
Onto more important things...
Operation Christmas Child- This is one of my favorite ministries. I can remember ever since I was really little going to Dollar Tree. I would pick out toys, wash clothes, gloves, notebooks, crayons, pens, and other stuff for a girl like me who did not have these things. The hard part was putting it all in that small box! I still struggle with that to this day! Anyway, it is an awesome way to bless a child in poverty. Pack a shoe box and bless a child. You can learn more about it HERE.
Christmas cards for unsponsored children- I did this last year, and it was soo much fun. Since I like to make cards, I made twenty five simple Christmas cards. I wrote a couple lines telling the child that I loved them, that God loved them, merry Christmas, and other things like that. Then I sent them to Compassion where they got them all ready to send to unsponsored children. For more information on that, go HERE.
Last but not least, don't forget to get stuff ready to send to your sponsored child- Everything must be sent by October 31. I will be sending cards, paper dolls, stickers, coloring sheets, bookmarks, and other fun stuff in abundance to my Compassion kids. I love getting lots of things together to send out. I also like to say in my letters to share the coloring sheets and stickers with their friends. There is a great post on the Compassion blog about sending Christmas items to your sponsored children, which you can read HERE.
Just talking about Christmas makes me wish it was here!!
What other ways are there to spread love this Christmas with children in need? I would love to hear about what you do to help others during Christmas time.
Imagine- getting a mattress,
having enough food to eat,
getting a bicycle,
having new clothes,
receiving a free gift that is more than you have ever had.
Now, think about your sponsored child.
You can give that to your sponsored child.
Of course you can always give monetary gifts, but you can win a $25 or $100 gift for your sponsored child. All you have to do is create a Pinterest board of your sponsored child, following the guidelines HERE.
So, go pin and win!! Your sponsored child's life will never be the same (that is if you win).
