How to encourage your child's relationship with God
Poverty's greatest damage to a child's heart is the relentless message "Give up! You don't matter, and no one cares." Your letters can send a different message to your sponsored child: "Don't give up! You matter deeply to God. He gave His Son for you because He loves you so much."
A child who understands his or her true value to God has taken the first step in overcoming poverty.
In your next letter:
- Tell about your own spiritual life and church activities.
- Remind your child that you pray for him or her regularly.
- Ask your child to share a favorite scripture verse or Bible story.
- Include a verse about God's love for your child, such as John 3:16.
How to build a relationship of prayer with your sponsored child
No matter how far away your sponsored child lives, letters can help you develop a close bond of prayer with him or her. Compassion children consider it a privilege to pray for sponsors who have invested so much in their lives.
In your next letter:
- Share your prayer requests with your child.
- Also share praises and God's answers to your prayers.
- Ask your child to share his or her prayer requests with you.
- Include a verse about the power of prayer, such as Matthew 21:22.
How to affirm your child's place as "family"
Compassion children consider their sponsors beloved members of the family. Letters are a great way to boost your child's self-esteem by affirming that he or she is also an important part of your family.
In your next letter:
- Tell a little about each member of your family and send a family photo.
- Explain how your family includes your sponsored child in daily life — such as praying together for him or her or displaying his or her photo in a prominent place in your home.
- Invite your child to share news about his or her family.
- Include a verse about loving one another, such as 1 John 4:7.
How to support your child's efforts to learn
"Learning for life" is the foundation of Compassion's program, and your sponsorship provides your child with lessons for success in all areas of life. Compassion children have the opportunity for education and also learn valuable life lessons about personal hygiene and social interaction. Most importation, they learn how to develop a close relationship with God.
In your next letter:
- Talk about something you're learning now or have learned.
- Ask about your child's favorite school subjects and what he or she is learning at the Compassion project.
- Encourage your child as he or she learns about the Bible.
- Include a verse about the importance of learning, such as Proverbs 4:13.
How to affirm your child's value — to you and to God
Sponsored children treasure every letter they receive from their sponsors. Even a few simple words scrawled on a card show sponsored children that someone they've never met cares and believes in them. Such knowledge is a source of great hope and joy for children living in poverty.
In your next letter:
- Express what a privilege it is to be your child's sponsor.
- Briefly talk about what being his or her sponsor means to you.
- Affirm that God loves your child and has a great plan for his or her life.
- Include a verse about the value of your child, such as Psalm 139:13-14.
How to encourage your child to look forward to the future and dream about all he or she can become in Christ
For children struggling with poverty, the question "What will you be when you grow up?" often has a bleak answer — day laborer, bricklayer or high-school dropout. But your faithful sponsorship provides your sponsored child with the opportunity to dream about the future — as a doctor, lawyer or teacher — free from poverty!
In your next letter:
- Tell about a goal you've had and what steps you took to reach it.
- If you are a student, tell about the profession you are preparing to enter.
- Remind your child that you support his or her dreams for the future and are praying that God will help him or her achieve those dreams.
- Include a verse about God's provision for the future, such as Jeremiah 29:11.
Send your child a letter now.
