You might remember that when Matthew went on his World Vision trip to Sri Lanka last year, I bought two Thomas the Train t-shirts – one for Elias and one for our sponsor child Vidharshan.
This was a tangible way we could talk about Vidharshan with Elias – that he was a little boy, just like him. They even had the same shirts!
Every time Elias would pull that shirt out of his closet, we would talk about Vidharshan.
A few weeks ago, we received an update from Vidharshan, which included a photo. Look at the shirt he was wearing.
I died!
Elias thought it was so cool. Both boys have grown. But the shirt still fits them both.
That picture of Vidharshan was such a sweet reminder to me that sponsorship impacts the lives of children, their families and their communities. I also couldn't help but think about Vidharshan's mom. I wonder if she knew that they would be taking Vidharshan's picture that day, and if she intentionally had him wear that shirt. (That's so something I would do.) Or was it just coincidental, being that he only has a few shirts to call his own.
Either way, I pray that every time he sees that shirt, he knows that he is loved and prayer for by a family on the other side of the world.
If you sponsor a child with World Vision, or another organization like it, will you take time this weekend to write to your sponsor child? Make it a family affair. Color pictures. Print photos. Your letters make a difference. I'm sad to say we haven't done this in awhile, but receiving that update from Vidharshan really lit a fire in me to make this a priority.
And if you don't sponsor a child, I pray that you will consider doing so.
Peace be with you this weekend.
I have struggled so much with wanting to write my sponsored child, but not having a clue what to say! I want to tell him about my life, but it seems he would have no frame of reference to understand it. I mostly want to ask questions about his life, but is that appropriate? I don’t want to do the wrong thing, so I’m paralyzed.
I think keeping it simple is best. Talk about the weather, the ages of your family, that you are praying for the child and their family. If you have gotten correspondence, respond to what they wrote about, the art they send, etc. The most important thing is to let them know they are loved, and a letter, no matter how simple, will do that!
Thank you for your advice. I am encouraged to do it this weekend!
We have ours in Guatemala with Food for the Hungry. What a great opportunity to show love to others that our kids can see us being hands and feet in the world. Putting this on my to-do list for the weekend.
My heart is melting. Great post!
Just now seeing this, but I just wrote my sponsored girl in Ecuador last week. I sponsor a child through Compassion and it’s been a great experience. I usually send stickers, tell her about where we live and what we’ve been up to.