WFMW: Connecting with your Sponsored Child

Tomorrow, a couple of Compassion International advocates are coming to speak to our MOPS group. I'm super excited to expose these women, many of whom aren't churched, to the simple miracle that is child sponsorship.

Since our family has sponsored two children for the past few years, I'm supposed to speak briefly at the end about how to make child sponsorship meaningful even for families who have young children (five and under). I have a few ideas -- we've colored pictures for our children, for example, and we love to send (and receive) handprint outlines to enforce the reality of our sponsored kids -- but I'd love to hear what you do.

How do you keep your young kids connected with your sponsored child?

3 comments:

  1. One thing we've done is mail a throw-away camera so that either our sponsored child (or her caregiver) can take photos for us. We also mail with the camera a self-addressed box and the postage needed to mail it back to us, but we have the ability to do that. If your sponsored family doesn't have easy access to a mail route, etc.... that might be difficult. But if it's possible, photos are a GREAT way to stay connected.

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  2. Oh how I wish I could have been there! I've wondered this very thing. Miles doesn't really get it yet. We simply go over our two kids' names and where they live and say a prayer. I'm not sure he comprehends it at all at this point. So far, I've kept it light. Soon enough he'll understand the heavy parts.

    (Of course, Asher is pretty clueless) :)

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  3. We aren't as good at this as I'd like to be. One great thing to do is to read all the letters you receive to your kids and to keep the sponsored child's picture on the fridge. I've tried to have my kids help me write letters to the sponsored kids but I am REALLY bad at keeping up with that. This reminds me that I need to do better! Praying for them together with your little ones is probably the best way.

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