How Sponsorship Changed … Me!

As told to Daniela Velasco

What is a sponsor?

When I was little, I remember one day the tutors at my Compassion center told me with excitement that I now had a sponsor — but I struggled to understand what a sponsor was!

My tutors and my mother used to tell me that a sponsor was a person who would watch over me and support my family. It all become clearer for me after my mother read the headline of one of my sponsor’s first letters: “You are far away from me but not from my mind.”

My name is Jacqueline. I’m 17 years old, and I live in one of the greenest communities in Mexico called Almoloya de Juárez.

Thanks to God, both of my parents are hardworking and responsible people who have always prioritized my oldest sister Itzel’s well-being and mine. My family and the church have played a great role in my life; they have continually encouraged and instructed me about the importance of education. I’m currently studying in my fifth year of high school and can’t wait to graduate to pursue a career in teaching.

I’ve always felt passionate about learning and knowledge. I believe this is mostly due to my mother and older sister, who are teachers, and to my Compassion child development center, where the staff continuously encourage us to develop our potential through study.

My sponsor became one of my closest friends

My journey in Compassion’s program began 14 years ago, and I am very grateful to my mother for registering me when I was only 3 years old. Most of the few memories I have from my childhood are from the child development center. They are all happy moments, full of laughter, games and creativity.

The program has been a great blessing in many areas of my life, but my favorite part has always been the communication and relationship with my sponsor, Amy, who has sponsored me since I was only 4 years old.

As I grew up, I came to see my sponsor as a close friend I could fully trust. She told me about her work, friends and her life at church, and I told her everything about what was happening to me at school and in my family.

When I was a child, I knew I had few opportunities to communicate with my sponsor, so I always tried to make each letter count. I wanted Amy to feel all my love through my words and drawings.

My sponsor’s postcards and greetings had the power to light up my smile in periods when I felt down or worried due to personal problems or family difficulties. They still do!

These are the words I’d love to say to my sponsor

Amy has been a great blessing not only in my life but also to my whole family.

Her encouraging words and the financial support she has given us have been of great help to my parents in covering our home’s basic needs. She helped them buy food supplies, shoes and clothes for the winter.

If I could have Amy in front of me, I honestly think words would fall short to express how thankful I am to her and how happy her letters, advice and gifts have made me feel over the years.

I would simply tell her that I love her, and I would thank God for her life since she has greatly enriched mine.

Without a doubt, Amy’s words of affirmation and motivation over the years have been fuel to my soul and have helped me become the person I am today.

Thanks to Compassion’s program, the church, my family and my dear sponsor, I can see myself today as a valuable, beloved young woman who is capable of achieving all her goals.