Why Sponsor is about more than you might think. We hear the same message from all sorts of organizations about why sponsorship is important, but this time, we want to hear from you—the people who sacrifice and commit to sponsorship . . . and have been changed because of it.
This time, we’re asking you not to take our word for it. It’s time for your story to take center stage.
A Change in a Child’s Story
Noel Brewer Yeatts, vice president of World Help, began our sponsorship program years ago with one simple vision: to change the world, one child at a time.
I knew this concept worked. You see, years before as a teenager on the streets of Brazil, I met a boy named Nildo, and he changed my life forever. Abandoned and on his own at just 5 years of age, Nildo was one among millions. He was easily forgotten and really too small to even be noticed.
But he taught me two important lessons:
- I can’t save all the children in the world.
- I can make a difference for one.
The vision for child sponsorship started with the idea of one . . and we love this concept. But before long, we realized there’s another side of the story that also needs to be shared.
A Change in Your Story
It’s not all about the children.
Let me explain.
In preparation for this campaign, the World Help Bloggers and I talked about some misconceptions about sponsorship. As a whole, it is often perceived in terms of impact (far-far away) or as a noble exchange between benefactor and recipient.
But it’s not the whole story.
There’s more going on here than a $35 a month transaction, or a child moving from point A to B on the poverty spectrum. We don’t get to walk away without being affected.
As a sponsor, you’re a part of a relationship that is mutually beneficial, mutually encouraging, and mutually needed . . . whether you realize it or not.
It’s a symbiotic relationship that thrives when both parties recognize and appreciate their need for one another—to support, to teach, to encourage, and to inspire.
Let’s give our sponsored children a little credit . . . they have more to offer than we could ever imagine!
We cannot forget to share this side of the story.
The idea of even one life being changed is a beautiful thought. But stories cannot be experienced alone. Each one of our stories is composed of reflections—of people who have poured into us, invested in us, and made us who we are.
What would your sponsored child see if they looked into a mirror? Would they see their own story . . . or would they see yours as well?
That’s why we believe sponsorship is changing the world . . . one child—and one sponsor—at a time.
Share Your Story
Will you consider sharing with others in our community about how sponsorship has changed you?
- Share how writing to your child has made you sensitive to the needs of others who are struggling.
- Express how the long waits between letters has taught you about what it means to treasure every one.
- Describe how the financial sacrifice has been a beautiful reminder to you of God’s provision.
- Explain how your family, your community, your church has been impacted by a child they’ve never even met.
- Write in a way that tells that story—your story of sponsorship—as only you can.
I can promise you this: There’s someone out there today who needs to hear it.
