He is 16 and in class 10. His favorite food is KFC: really dry fried chicken. His favorite color is purple and his favorite song is Amazing Grace. He is incredibly smart and memorizes as many Bible verses as he can. His best friend’s name is Jimmy and they love to sing together. He is an amazing leader in his school: helping the younger students as much as he can and encouraging his peers. He wants to travel the world one day. But one of his biggest desires is to meet you: his sponsor. He was brought to tears telling me his thankfulness for you and the support you have given him for so long. But he wants to know more than just your name. He wants to know about your family, your job, and the name of your dog. He wants to know that you hear his gratitude. He wants a friendship.
So many children are sponsored by people in the United States. It’s incredible, and they are so thankful. But their hearts break when they don’t even receive so much as a letter from the one who sponsors them. It’s a wonderful thing to sponsor a child, but that child becomes a “good deed” that Americans check off. I realized that so many children who are sponsored never hear from their sponsors. Their sponsor is just a ghost that sends money. Let me tell you that I have seen firsthand the heartbreak in that child because they so desperately want to know small things about your life. If you sponsor a child, thank you! I want to tell you that they are grateful beyond any words that I could ever say. I encourage you to not just write a check, but write a letter. Pray for them. Heck, write a prayer in your letter. Build a long distance friendship. Humanize the child: get to know them and let them get to know you, even if it’s in just three letters a year. Children get educated through your financial investment. Children come to know Jesus through your friendship.
