GUEST POST: Letters!

Do you struggle with writing letters to your sponsored child? I know I do. I love my kids to bits and I would be very happy to spend all day/week/month(!) designing something wonderful for them, but sitting down and writing the actual letter to go with it…?! Not so easy. I guess for me, getting started is the hardest part. Once I get… (and keep, that’s the hard part)… my ‘letter-writing-production-line’ on a roll, it’s much easier. You, too? Today, our volunteer and tour guide has some practical advice for all of us in today’s sneak peek behind the scenes into the heart of Compassion International’s Global Ministry Centre in Colorado Springs, USA. (Thank you! You know who you are – and are much appreciated.) Click here if you missed part 1; part 2; part 3 or part 4 of our tour… and don’t forget your camera, because today we have more lovely people to meet… enjoy!

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FUN FACT:  Did you know that your sponsored child’s letter may have to travel 12,773 km (or more) before it is delivered to your letterbox?  :o

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GUEST POST:  Letters!

Letters! We enjoy writing them, and receiving them: they are very important. So important that Compassion has processes set in place to remind sponsors if too much time (6 months) has elapsed since a child has heard from them. When this is the case, reminders go out to a sponsor, and that is where this smiling (and deliberately disguised) Compassion employee comes into play. An average of 10,000 bounceback cards are mailed out weekly. If you are a sponsor, take courage – it is not necessary to be poetic, elaborate, or necessarily creative; simply pen (or type, if you are using the on-line stationery) a few sentences. Your sponsored child will be encouraged to know that he/she is being thought of.

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[NOTE from Paper Gifts for Estefany:  the photo and details on this bounceback card have been changed to show my own sponsored child, Hubert – just to protect all those concerned on the original and save any embarrassment for the sponsor should you happen to see your own child looking back at you on this post. :o  Although my letter writing has dropped back a little in the last few months to roughly every 6 weeks, I have never actually received one of these… yet. :)  Okay, let’s resume the tour… ]

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Let me introduce John, who has a delightful smile and a friendly word for everyone. When John is not at Compassion, he can be found preaching God’s Word on Sunday morning. Today, John is printing out the child updates that sponsors take pleasure in receiving. Per week, John processes 100,000 updates to be mailed out to sponsors.

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In addition to processing letters to and from Compassion children, there are other mailings which need attention. They may be birthday reminders, or child packets to prepare for a Compassion Sunday event, or in this case, a special thank you to the Partners of Compassion, who commit to help with needs such as disaster relief, emergency medical, or clean water. Please let me introduce you to Brenda who is well-versed in Compassion’s ministry, as she is a former employee of the Compassion Guatemala office. Brenda married a former Compassion employee and is now a volunteer and works quickly and efficiently. But more importantly, Brenda is kind, friendly, and knowledgeable. Her English is accomplished, her accent and smile charming and endearing, and in addition, she is so very interesting and willing to share about her Guatemala.

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If you are a sponsor and find yourself stuck about what to write to your child/ren, spend some time here on this site or at Compassion’s website where you will find plenty of ideas and inspiration. Until next time…

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RELATED LINKS

Glimpse behind the scenes – Compassion Global Ministry Center: part 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 7
A peek behind the scenes by a sponsorship translator
Sample Letter – Bible Treasure theme
Sample Letter – The Secret of the Missing Scrolls
Sample Letter – Stretch your Wings
Dinosaurs in Ghana
Sponsor Visit: Going to Bolivia to meet Raquel – part 1 – 2 – 3

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And most importantly, when you write to your sponsored child, don’t forget… 

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