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Child Development2 min read

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What is Child Sponsorship?

Amanda Mattingly
Jan 31, 2012

Is it merely a $30 gift each month? Is it so a child somewhere in the world can simply survive?

Yes . . . but it is so much more! It is a combination of financial giving and an opportunity for the sponsor to connect personally with a child through correspondence and prayer. We have seen so many children’s lives completely transformed, not only because of the opportunity they are given because of support, but through simple gestures of love that are shown through letter writing and relationship building with a child.

The timeless impact that a sponsor has on a child is indescribable. When a child receives a gift, letter, photo, or some other form of correspondence from their sponsor, they treat it as a treasured possession, immediately sharing it with their friends and family and even keeping it under their pillows or in their Bibles for safe keeping. You are also giving your child the opportunity to do something many have never done before . . . write a letter!

But more important, sponsorship offers children the chance to know they are cared for, provided for, and have a special value. Although supporting a child every month is crucial and provides the essentials the child so desperately needs, your efforts to build a personal relationship with that child is what demonstrates Christ-like love.

The simple things have a powerful impact on the life of a child.

One recent example of the kind of significance sponsorship and specifically correspondence has on a child comes from Natalia, a little girl from Kazakhstan. With great pleasure and a heart full of thankfulness, she begins to write a letter to her sponsor. Natalia describes the things she likes to do, such as drawing and listening to music, and then she expresses her desire to someday have the chance to meet her sponsor.

Before she finishes the letter, she encloses a special card that was recently given to her by the President of Kazakhstan’s wife. The children received these cards as a special gift on Kazakhstan’s Thanksgiving Day. Instead of keeping the card for herself, Natalia wanted to offer it to her sponsor. Receiving a special present is not something common for these children as it is for you and me; however, it still does not prevent this little girl from wanting to send this gift to her sponsor. As she slid the card in with the letter, she had signed it:

For you my friend, from Natalia.

Sponsors are considered a friend to these children . . . a very special friend. The impact you can make is eternal, and their lives will never be the same.

Your monthly gifts and the relationship you build with one of these special children brings laughter and joy to their life and gives them help for today and hope for tomorrow. You give these children faith in knowing that there is a God who hears their prayers. And just as Natalia so plainly showed, you are considered a “friend.”

In a world where so many are hurting and in need, it can seem near impossible to make a difference. But a life is still a life and you as a sponsor are changing the world . . . one child at a time.

You can find out how you can invest in the life of a child for the first time or even the second, third, or twentieth time by visiting worldhelp.net/sponsor.

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