New Photo: Tania

I have a new photo of Tania!  I have to admit that it caused me some consternation initially.  It showed up in the "my sponsorship" area of my Compassion account and for a while it only showed up on one page...  only when I clicked on "view all" did this new photo appear.  When I clicked on Tania's specific page it still had the old photo:

Then on Friday, this new photo was appearing on all the pages.  My initial and gut reaction to the new photo was that it was a mistake and it wasn't her... I even contacted Compassion about it.  Then I started to second guess myself.  I dug out the profile they had sent to me that had this photo in the blue hoodie, a photo that Tania sent me after receiving birthday money and purchasing new pants and compared them to the new photo:

You, and I, have to remember that there is at least two years time between the taking of these photos.  In the first one, she has more eye makeup on and that changes the look of her eyes.  Having the 2nd photo that she sent to me (haven't been able to figure out how to get my scanner to send the image to the computer yet... working on that) was very helpful... it really was a transition picture and although it wasn't taken head on like these two it did help me to conclude that, yes, this is indeed Tania!  Nose, eyebrows, pose... it all adds up!  I love her school uniform!  I am so proud of this hard working young lady.

This is an experience that I am able to share with other sponsors and advocates.  Sometimes we don't expect changes as we look so long and hard at that one (or two) pictures that we have of our sponsor children that when a new photo comes it can be a shock that lots of changes have happened!  She's an older child, so I can only imagine the changes in very young children between their photos.

Pipe up if you've ever had photo issues/anxiety... I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Birthday, dear Katherine!

Our Katherine in Nicaragua is 10 today!

 We are praying for her today and hoping that she will have received the card that we mailed over 2 months ago in the hopes that she would receive it today.

We started sponsoring Katherine in December of last year.  We were blessed to attend Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God concert in Richmond.  I pretty much informed Super-Awesome that we would be sponsoring a fifth child that night (We already had Maria, Andres Camilo, Allan, & Tania).  I usually don't try to tell things to Super-Awesome this way, I usually ask, we discuss, but this was something that I was adamant about.  We had been to BtLoG twice before (driving down from Ontario to NY & CT) and I knew they were strong supporters of Compassion.  I had heard Bebo Norman share very eloquently twice before about Compassion and their work, but it hadn't been the right time for us.  It was the right time this night.  Bebo was no longer on the tour, so Andrew Peterson shared about Compassion.  At intermission we headed (or rather, I dragged Super-Awesome) to the Compassion table, manned by one of the tour members, Gabe Scott, a very talented multi-instrumentalist.  Gabe and his family are very involved with Compassion.  His wife, Keely, is one of the photographers that accompanies bloggers and sponsors on their trips to visit their sponsored children.  Her photos are breathtaking!

Back to Katherine...  I surveyed the table and scanned the faces and dates.  I definitely felt that the Lord wanted us to stick to Central and South America.  None of the dates were specific to anyone in our family, no one's birthday, anniversary, etc.  Three things did jump out at me about Katherine and these made me pick up her packet, fill out the information and commit to sponsoring her.

First was her name:  Katherine.   Super-Awesome and I have had numerous discussions about baby names in the past on our many drives everywhere.  (You can ask him... it was the number one topic of discussion before we had kids... maybe even before we got married).  Catherine was/is our choice for a second daughter if that should ever happen.

Second was her sad face and eyes.  Some of the photos do feature happy looking kids, but Katherine was not one of these.   Michelle, over at Blogging from the Boonies has a post about why the children in the packet photos often don't look happy.  Click here to read about it and see a video that Kees Boer had taken on one of his trips to Bolivia.

Third was a blue box on the packet (below her name, birthdate, and country) that said: 

PRIORITY 

THIS CHILD HAS BEEN WAITING 10 MONTHS

IMMEDIATE SPONSOR NEEDED

Those three things sealed the deal for me.  This was the child that the LORD intended for us to sponsor.  I later learned from Compassion that Katherine had already had two sponsors and had been dropped by them.  So, while the usual photo difficulties can account for some of the sad faces, this was not the case for Katherine.  I believe her sadness, beyond the poverty that she lived in, came from having had not one but two sponsors who had to discontinue their support of her.  After I learned that information, I (again) told Super-Awesome (really, it's not my usual style) that if our finances changed and we had to stop supporting any of our children, she would be the absolute last one to go, I would find someway to get the $38 a month. 

Happy Birthday, dear Katherine!  I pray for blessings from God in your life!

It's beginning to look a lot like ... Christmas... yes!

No, I haven't lost my mind...  well, not at least in this respect :-)

Yes, I do realize that we're still over two months away from December 25th...

but in the world of child sponsorship it takes around 2 months (sometimes more) for a letter or card to get to our sponsored children so, it's time to get into the Christmas season!

Compassion has a great online letter writing tool that they rolled out just over a month ago.   Yes, you've been able to e-mail a letter before, but now you can select a colorful template and upload photos.  As with the e-mail option available before your e-mail is received by Compassion, sent to the country office, then translated, then sent to your child.  Here's an example of one of the templates:


They put your photos in the bottom right section.  You can upload 3 photos per letter.   Another great feature is that you can copy the text and photos to send to another child with the ability to edit the letter so that it is specific to the child you are writing to.  You can choose a different template and Compassion will suggest templates according to the age and gender of your child.

What a great tool!

You can access this Compassion tool by signing into your account at www.compassion.com

Author's Note:

This morning (October 19) I received an e-mail from Compassion about this very feature.  Check out what they have to say here:

Five-Minute Friday: Catch...

It's Friday, and it's been ages since I've joined in with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama for Five-minute Friday.  Both kids are sleeping, the sun is shining and hey, I've got Five Minutes!

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Catch…

The first thing that comes to mind right now for the word CATCH, is this:  Catch the vision!

I'm learning all about Compassion International as I train to become a volunteer Advocate with them.  I'm learning more and more about these children suffering poverty and what Compassion can do and IS doing to help them.  

Compassion is a Christ Centered, Child Focused, Church Based organization that is Committed to Integrity.  

They work holistically with these children in a 1:1 sponsorship program that addresses their spiritual needs, physical needs, social needs and economic needs.  Each child has 1 sponsor and this relationship is the most important factor in releasing that child from poverty in Jesus' name.  Sponsorship through Compassion while of course having a financial component, is so much more.  The letter writing is what really lets the child know that they matter.  I love my sponsor children and the best way to let them know about my love and even more importantly, Jesus' love is by writing letters to them!   Won't you CATCH the vision too?  Visit www.compassion.com to find out more!

Happy Birthday, dear Allan!

Yesterday, October 10th was Allan in Ecuador's seventh birthday.  We were in the car all day driving from Quebec back to Virginia, so while I couldn't write this then, I did think of him often and pray for him too.

This is the photo of Allan we received when we signed up to sponsor him:

2009

Earlier this year we received a new updated photo.  (Ashamed to admit I haven't uploaded here it for months!!!)

2011

Allan is a dear, sweet boy and we have a great letter writing friendship.  Allan does not yet write his own letters, but has a faithful tutor named Monica who writes down what he says.  It is so consistently Monica that writes for him that I always address the letters to "Dear Allan (and Monica, his tutor),"

Allan lives in Ecuador and from the number of letters I've received they must have a reciprocal program (a reply is written when a letter is received).  October 1st marked the first anniversary of our family's sponsorship of Allan and we've received 9 letters from him.  It seems to be the pattern that he will reply to any letters received on the last day of each month.

Allan lives with his mother and 3 brothers in the mountainous area near Quito.  He loves to play soccer, and in his most recent letter Monica described his days to me:

"Allan's days are fun.  The first thing he does when he wakes up is thank God for everything, when he goes to school, he goes happy.  There he learns many things as the vowels, etc.  When he gets home he eats and rests, then he does his homework.  The three days he goes to the [Compassion] project he plays a lot of tag and soccer."

I'd like to share briefly how we chose Allan.  When searching for a child I entered a birth date of October 10, 2004. (Yes, you can specify a birth date, year, gender or country when you are searching for a child).   No, this isn't someone in our family's birthday... well not exactly.  But this was my due date for our first child, whom I lost to a miscarriage.  We know that these due dates are only estimates, but that date resonated with me and I wanted to see if there was a child who was indeed born on that day, that year, that I could sponsor and show love to.  And there was!  This little boy named Allan.  I am so blessed to be his sponsor.

Happy 7th Birthday Allan! 

Is there room in your life for a boy or girl who needs a sponsor?  Click on the link below and it will tell Compassion that you were referred by me.  May God bless you!

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=121852

Denisse's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my far-away sponsor daughter, Denisse!

She turns 6 today!  I hope and pray that the card I mailed 2 months ago will get into her little hands today and that she will know that she matters and she is loved, by us, but more importantly by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Denisse is our most recent correspondent child, and we've only received two letters from her so far, but I absolutely cherish each word and look in that mailbox everyday hoping to hear from her.   She is too young to write herself, so her letters are spoken to her tutor at the project, then written down.  Denisse signs with her fingerprint.

May God richly bless you, sweet Denisse.

Wow... kleenex required!

Saw this this morning and have to share:

The Final First Letter!!!

Hmm??  You must be wondering... "Has she finally lost it?"

How can there be a final first letter?

Well here, as in Bible study, context is extremely important.

As you can see by the right side of my page, we sponsor a number of children in developing countries.  We've gotten first letters from all but one of our "new" Compassion children and finally, on Saturday, we got our final first letter :)

Now, really and truly, it was a very short time in transit and translation.  Just slightly over a month.  The date on the letter from Denisse was March 3 and we received it on April 9!  That is possibly the fastest...  Camilo's also came very quickly for the first one.  I'll have to double check, but it was around 1 month too.  Often it can be 2-4 months.  All of our children are in Central and South America and the average so far is around 2 months. 

Of course, said letter is upstairs in my binder, and I'm sleepy, warm, and snuggled into my rocker recliner...  so quotes will have to wait till next time :)

Denisse is young, 5, so it is written by her tutor, but it's still such a blessing to get an letter with her thoughts, even if written by another.

Praise the Lord!

Less faces & an egg hunt!

Praise the Lord!

2 more families requested sponsor children at the Egg hunt today.

Iris & Satrio have found a place in the hearts of two dear MOPS sisters and their families.

So right now I only have 3 packets left with me! 

Here's who's I still have with me:

Ana from Mexico, Nov. 17, 2002

Kelvin from Honduras,  Feb. 1, 2003

Upendo from Tanzania, March 18, 2003

A great time was had at the MOPS Easter Egg Hunt this morning.  Special thanks to Emily for hosting, it was great fun!

I don't have extensive photos of the event but I do have a few:

Pre-Egg Hunt playing.

Super-Map, the rule-breaker, heading out to get his eggs....  have I mentioned he's obsessed with eggs.... yes, there's a whole post!

The other law-abiding children waiting for the word to go.

And they're off!

So we just have to add an Easter Egg hunt to soccer games to get Super-Beautiful to run ;)

"A Egg, A Egg!" 

Eggs hidden in with the tractors,  cool!

An armful!!!

Jelly beans, skittles, starburst, stickers, bubbles and toys!

Checking out the loot!

A wonderful morning, followed by a picnic lunch.  Delightful!

Look at these faces!

I seem to be very sporadic in my blog posting lately.  I apologize, but life has been crazy the last little while.  As I am not making a living from this blog, it is the first thing to go :)

The focal point of my week was a presentation for Compassion International.  I presented at my MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) group.  This was my first presentation for Compassion and I am so thankful to the Lord that it went well.
Compassion Sunday is a national event whose purpose is "to draw the attention of the Church to the needs of the world's poorest children. It's a powerful opportunity for God to use you to share with the members of your family His deep love for children – and show how each of us can intervene in the life of at least one child in poverty through sponsorship."  Clearly my event was on a Thursday, but it was still a Compassion Sunday event.  They have prepared all the materials for sponsors like me to present the needs of these precious children to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am so pleased to say that 2 of the children were sponsored at the event and a few others are in discussions with their spouses about sponsoring a child.

I do have 5 packets left, and was able to request the photos so that I may show you these dear children in the hopes that someone would be able to sponsor them, or be in prayer that sponsors would be found.

This is Ana from Mexico.  Her birthday is November 17th, 2002.  Singing, bicycling and reading are her favorite activities.

This is Iris from Ecuador.  Her birthday is January 14, 2002.  She lives with her mother and there are 10 children in her family.  Playing house and playing with dolls are her favorite activities.

This is Kelvin from Honduras.  His birthday is February 1, 2003.  Art, bicycling and playing group games are his favorite activities.

This is Satrio from Indonesia.  His birthday is February 3, 2006.  Playing with cars is Satrio's favorite activity.

This is Upendo from Tanzania.  Her birthday is March 18, 2003.  She lives with her grandmother and there are 3 children in her family.  Ping pong, telling stories and art are her favorite activities.

 If you are interested in sponsoring one of these children please send me a message or leave a comment and I'll give you the instructions on how to sponsor them.  All of these children's packets expire on April 29th.  At that point they will be re-entered into the system and will be available to others again, or maybe sent to another Compassion event.

Thank you for your prayers on behalf of these sweet children.

Writing letters to my sponsor children

My family and I have been involved with child sponsorship for 8 years now (longer than Super Beautiful and Super Map have been alive).

Here's where I confess that for the first eight years I was a lame sponsor to our one sponsor child in Ecuador.  I really thought of it as just a financial support but didn't really realize the impact that letters can have on children in poverty;  nor did I really comprehend the power of prayer in the lives of these special children.

I'm happy to report, that my understanding has changed immensely with the help of Compassion International, their wonderful blog, resources, and the Compassion bloggers who've taken it upon themselves to inform us about the difference we can make in the life of a child.

After reading about and seeing the photos from Ann and Lisa-Jo's trip to Guatemala in September 2010, the Lord really laid it on my heart to change my lameness.  Due to logistical difficulties with our move from Canada, it was hard to sponsor more children at Hope of Bastion in Guayaquil, so while we continue to sponsor Maria through them, we have added some additional sponsor children (Tania, Allan, Camilo, Katherine & Loury) with Compassion.

My new game plan, Lord willing, is to write "actual" letters around the first of each month and to send e-mail letters around the middle of each month.

Yesterday, (after a concerted effort for a few days of writing, gathering, organizing, and printing) I was able to send out 6 letters to our various children.  I was blessed to find the first letter in the mail from our correspondent child, Tania!

Here are some photos of what I sent to the children yesterday.

This was our first "handwritten" letter to Loury in Haiti. We began sponsoring her in January, when the Haiti sponsorships re-opened.  Notice the folder at the top left.  Compassion sends you one with your sponsorship package for you to include some info about yourself, your family and a short message for the child.  In addition to the folder and letter, we included some stickers, a coloring sheet in French and English, a copy of the picture of her and some "snow" photos from our trip to Canada.

Here's what I sent to Katherine in Nicaragua.  The little book is a mini book printable from http://www.dltk-kids.com/.  All the items that we send have to be paper.  Katherine is our next most recent sponsor child, we are anxiously awaiting her first letter.

This is Camilo in Guatemala's pile.  Very similar to Katherine's though I substituted some more manly stickers :)  We received our first letter from Camilo, on November 23rd, one short month after he wrote it.  This, I have learned is very fast, considering how much these letters have to go through to get here.

Allan in Ecuador's packet is virtually identical to Camilo's as they are only a year apart in age.  I did substitute some dog stickers, because Allan mentioned in his first letter to us that he loves dogs and cats.  Allan's letter was written a few days after Camilo's but it took the more usual amount of time to get here, arriving on January 8th.

Tania, also from Ecuador, is our first correspondence-only sponsorship.  She is financially sponsored by someone else, possibly a corporation, or someone who has signed off, saying that they are unable write to her.  The same mail truck that picked up my letters to the children also dropped one off from her yesterday!  So excited to hear from her.  A few more "grown up" stickers for her as she is quite a bit older than the other children.  I was also able to find a devotion already translated into Spanish and printed off a copy for her.

Here are the four letters ready to be stuffed into a large 9X12 envelope.  I mailed Loury's packet separately as all the items fit in a regular letter envelope.  The Compassion children's letters all get mailed to their office in Colorado.

Last here, but first in our sponsorship lives is our packet to Maria in Ecuador.  Her birthday is coming up in March, so I also have a birthday card for her (keeping in mind that it takes time to get things there).  There are some tracts and little cards that I'm sending for the youth group leaders at the church. She and Tania are only a few years apart so I included the devotion also.  I  included some stickers for her niece and nephew, that she's written about in the past.

I am trying to get more organized and have a giant binder in which I keep all correspondence from both groups that we sponsor children with, all our child correspondence, and copies of our letters to them.  In the absence of fancy pocket folders for each child, I hole-punched some ziploc bags to store items that I want to send each child in the next mailing at the beginning of March and subsequent months.

You'll have to excuse me...  I need to go check my mailbox for one of these: