Meet Magarette. She told me her nickname is Liline, and so that is what you will usually hear me call her. Liline is my first Compassion kid. She lives in Haiti. I started sponsoring her in 2008, just before her 10th birthday. She writes 3-4 letters a year, but they are gloriously long and detailed. She is 12 in this picture. Liline turned 15 on June 13th, this year.
This is Alok Nath. Isn't he just so handsome? He lives in East India. I began his sponsorship in 2008, about 6 months after I sponsored Liline. He was 5 then. He has always been a serious little man. This is my favorite picture of him, because he does not often smile! Alok Nath is 7 now. I do not get many letters from him, but I am hoping that will change when he gets older, though I get the feeling he might always be the strong silent type. He likes riding bikes and playing soccer and marbles. Silent or not, this boy makes my heart smile.*Unfortunately, his project closed, so I no longer sponsor him, but I don't have the heart to take his picture down. He turns 10 in 2013*
And finally, this is Abigail. She is my 3rd sponsorship. She is 12 years old on (Oct 16, 2013) and lives in Ghana. She sends me many short, cheerful letters, and is starting to smile more often in her photos now. I had not intended to pick up a third sponsorship, but this one, I feel, God picked out for me. I wasn't going to do it, and I heard God whisper in my soul that if I didn't I would be missing out on something great. No shock here, but I'm glad I listened to God. Abigail is an inquisitive little one, interested in details, and she has an incredibly generous heart. Every monetary gift I have sent her has a note that she bought some sort of small treat as well, so she can share with her friends.
This is Alex, from Haiti. I sponsored him at the end of last year after losing Alex. He just turned 9 on June 19, 2013. He gets his cousins and siblings to help him write lots of short letters to me, and lives with his grandmother. He's a sweet heart!
If you are interested in sponsoring a child, check out Compassion International. It costs $38/month to sponsor a child. Compassion International is a trustworthy organization, if you would like to see an outside review, they are reviewed by multiple organizations, the one I find easiest to read is Charity Navigator This money goes towards taking care of the individual child's needs, whatever those specific needs may be(including education, Bible lessons, health care and hygiene training, vocational programs, and more). The great part about it for you, is that you get to be an essential part in changing a child's life. You get to be a mentor through your letters. Don't worry, it is not very hard, because the moment the child learns your name, you are immediately considered cooler than Batman, Hannah Montana, and Nintendo combined! (Talk about a boost in status, eh?) You will get at least 3-4 letters a year. Trust me, you will be amazed(if you sponsor and stick with it) what a difference $38/month and several letters a year can make in a child's life. If you have any questions, you can ask Compassion, they are incredibly helpful, or you can ask me, and if I don't know, I'll go find out! Believe me, I love to talk about my Compassion kids, please ask!
If you already sponsor a child, and haven't checked these sites out yet, then I suggest you peruse OurCompassion, which is a message board for sponsors to gather, ask questions, and discuss things in general. Often there are a lot of inspirations in letter writing, and also The Compassion Blog which posts daily articles about things happening throughout the Compassion organization.
