Compassion International's Correspondence Program

Selene

When Tabby was a little girl, I decided I wanted to sponsor a child through Compassion International.  I wanted Tabby to be involved too.  So we choose our child to sponsor together.  I decided I wanted to sponsor a child in Mexico and that I wanted it to be a girl that was approximately Tabby's age.  So I pulled up all the photos of the girls meeting that criteria and let Tabby choose which little girl we would sponsor. She choose a girl named Itzel.

I wrote letters to Itzel and would tuck in a drawing that Tabby had done and would print a few recent photos to include.  It was fun getting letters back from Itzel.  Since she was young, one of the Compassion workers at the center she attended would write what Itzel dictated, and then Itzel would draw a picture for us.  (The original letter is translated into English before being mailed to us.  It's fun to see how much of the Spanish part I can read.)

After several years, I learned that Itzel's family had moved away from where the Compassion Center was located.  We were assigned a new child - Selene.

Selene is a couple years younger than Tabby and she lives in Mexico.  We have enjoyed getting to know Selene through letters.  It is so sweet when she asks for us to pray for something specific for her and then tells us she loves us and is praying for us.

Earlier this year, Tabby said she wished she could afford to sponsor a child.  (It costs $38.00 a month.)  I suddenly remembered that Compassion has a "Correspondence Program" where you can write letters to a child the same way you would if you sponsored them, but the child would be monetarily supported by someone else.  There are apparently sponsors who, for whatever reason, simply don't write the children they sponsor.  Receiving encouraging letters is so important to these children.  I think it's awesome that Compassion has this program!  Click here to read a post on Compassion's website about the program. 

I contacted Compassion using their online contact form told them my daughter was interested in writing letters to children who did not have sponsors.  I received an email back that had several questions, so as determine what types of children Tabby would be comfortable writing.  We decided Tabby would be open to writing to children up to 12 years old, boys or girls, and that she was especially interested in writing to children that lived in Columbia.

It took a couple months, if I remember correctly, but then she suddenly started getting information packets.  She now has THREE beautiful children, who live in Columbia, to write to and pray for.

Pictures of our special Compassion children are on the side of our refrigerator.  This reminds me to pray for them.

I do my best to write Selene once a month, so when I wrote her last month, Tabby joined me to write her letters.  She briefly introduced herself, and then by reading the descriptions of the children in their Compassion packets, she tried to find something she had in common with each child.  For example, the boy in the bottom right picture, enjoys running.  So Tabby told him she ran cross country and included a picture of herself running at a meet.

It can take awhile to get letters back, though Compassion has recently made some changes to speed up the process.  It is definitely worth the wait though.  These children are always so grateful and excited to get our letters.  We feel the same way in receiving theirs.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works," - Hebrews 10:24