When my friend and her husband recently had a baby, they did what almost all new parents do these days — they posted the happy news on Facebook.
In a matter of minutes, they were flooded with the inevitable requests:
Post pictures!
When will you have photos?
I can’t wait for pictures!
We all love pictures. They help us connect with people, places, and experiences. Pictures are especially helpful when they connect us to people we’ve never met — people like our sponsored children!
When you sponsor a child, you receive a photo of that child to hang on your fridge or use as a bookmark. But your child doesn’t get a picture of you! And without a picture, it can be hard for your child to connect with you in a meaningful way.
Thankfully, you can easily solve this problem — just send your sponsored child a photo of yourself!
And if you’re already going to send your sponsored child a photo, why not take it a step further and send a small photo album? By sending more than one picture, your sponsored child will get to know you better and understand your world. Don’t forget to check the package guidelines before sending in your photo album.
Unsure which pictures to include in your album?
Try choosing pictures of things you’ve talked about in your letters:
• Your family
• Your pets
• Your Bible
• The city or town where you live
Another option is to include pictures of activities you and your sponsored child have in common:
• Your favorite sports
• Your schoolwork
• Your family eating a favorite meal together
When you’re taking these pictures, try to focus on you and not your things. A picture of your house or car could be an unwelcome reminder of what your sponsored child doesn’t have.
Once you’ve gathered your photos, you can organize them in a small, flexible photo album like this one. Or, if you’re feeling really creative, you can make your own paper album like this blogger did. Either way, be sure to include descriptions of what is happening in your pictures.
Pictures are an incredible gift because they can instantly help you understand someone better. When you send photos of yourself to your sponsored child, you strengthen your relationship.
Your photos help your sponsored child see you as someone a lot like him or her, instead of an anonymous, far-away source of help.
If you have other ideas of ways to help your sponsored child bond with you, you can post them on our Facebook page — we’d love to hear them!
And if you are looking for more tips to help you strengthen your relationship with your sponsored child, check out our blog!