Every day, Food for the Hungry has the privilege of processing hundreds of letters between sponsors and sponsored children. These letters encourage us as we work to end poverty in the hard places. They are tangible pieces of hope that bring a smile to our face, or even make us shed a tear. In the latest series on the FH Blog, we will periodically share some of the letters that have touched our hearts. They are reprinted here, with only minor grammatical edits. We hope they bless you, too!
Laughter echoes across the office as someone from the Correspondence Processing Team (CP Team) shares a cute and encouraging child sponsorship letter. This happens quite often in our building, as the CP Team shares letters, poems, pictures, and stories that come across our desks.
A small but mighty team, our team receives enormous amounts of mail on a daily basis! So far this year, our team has diligently sorted and processed 165,516 pieces of correspondence. Last year, we processed 602,705 total pieces of correspondence between children and their sponsored families. These letters include regular sponsorship letters, as well as Easter posters, birthday celebration cards, “get to know me better” letters, and even graduation letters, once a community is flourishing and ready to exit out of poverty! Once this processing is complete, the letters are and sent to the international field offices where the mail is then sorted, translated, and distributed to some very excited sponsored children.
Encouraging Sponsorship Letters: A Legacy of Love
It’s no wonder children get excited to receive a letter! Have you ever thought that writing an encouraging sponsorship letter would leave a legacy of love? The word legacy is often used in the financial realm. However, letters packed with wisdom, encouragement, and love leave a lasting legacy and bond with your sponsored child. In Proverbs 13:22, it says that “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”
Here are some of these letters that recently brought a smile to our face. We are sure they will be cherished for years to come! If you’re ready to take a leap of faith and start your own 1:1 relationship with a child in poverty, learn more about sponsoring a child here.
Mamo, 9-year-old boy from Kenya (facilitated by an FH translator)
Dear Friend,
He likes making friends. The picture he drew shows the traditional huts in our area. “Thank you so much, my sponsor,” says your sponsored child. Mamo is very happy to have a sponsor like you. He also thanks you a lot for the family photo that you sent him with the letter. Mamo carries your photo with him to school all the time.
Bucyedusenge, 12-year-old boy from Rwanda
Hello Dear Friends,
I hope that this letter finds you well. At home, we are all doing well. I’m happy to receive the drawings you drew to me. But I enjoyed your good picture even more; you are looking good on it. I was praying for your picture, and now I got it. May God be praised. [Your kids] are in which grade? Are they now on holiday? How are you preparing for Christmas? Do you have a cow too? Is it raining there too? I love you so much. I hope that God will help me to meet you face to face. May God bless.
Midina, 19-year-old girl from Kenya
Thank you for your photos, stickers, and letters. I received them all. The photos are beautiful. You have beautiful family members, especially the children. I would want to see them all. They are very cute. Thank you for the good message from the Bible, it is encouraging and comforting to my heart. I did my KEPE (Kenya Preliminary Examinations) well and got good marks. I joined high school in our county Marsabit, Kenya. Our school is called Malkana Coris Secondary School. I am learning a lot there and am taking 11 subjects: math, English, Kiswahili, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, business, history, Christian religious education, and agriculture. I love them all and would like to pass. Thank you so much and may God bless you and all your family members. I promise I will work extra hard to succeed in my education. Your sponsored child, Midina
Jhonny, 8-year-old boy from Bolivia
Hi Dear Sponsor,
I want to tell you that I enjoyed very much the day that I was baptized (it was also the day to welcome new students). They totally wet us with water. After that, they painted us with shoe polish and we ate a cookie with mustard. After all of that, they gave us a certificate as new students. It has been a very funny day. I met my friend that day, his name is Itamar. I say goodbye. May God protect you. Thank you for the photos.
Waqo, 10-year-old boy from Kenya
Dear Sponsor,
Receive Christmas greetings from me and my family. I am good and enjoy learning new things at school. School is good for me and I learn about leadership because I am a class leader. My mother has been trained on good saving skills with your sponsorship, and we can now afford to buy food at our home. Thanks for your love and I wish you a blessed Christmas and New Year 2020.
Ann, 12-year-old girl from Kenya
How are you? It is my hope that you are fine and working hard in school. I competed in a potato race and won the race for my school. I was happy! happy! happy! Thank you for helping me with my uniform. I pray for you.
Octavio, a 7-year-old boy from Nicaragua
Hello dear friend! I hope you are in good health! I want to tell you that I received your letter and I liked knowing that you have a pet. My pet is a pigeon. Once I went for a walk with my cousins, I found her beaten up and adopted her to take care of her at home. I would like to know the name of your twin brothers and your sisters.
“God in his kindness,
Made us all in his likeness,
So that we can see his smartness,
And all his orderliness,
God created all in thoughtfulness.
The sun to bring brightness.
The stars to reduce the darkness,
And plants and animals for cheerfulness.
We better stop our hopelessness,
Or we’ll end up in sadness.
Worse still suffer madness,
If we don’t observe kindness.”
-A poem written by Zawadi, 17-year-old girl in Kenya, inspired by Matthew 7:1
Castigo, 12-year-old boy from Mozambique
Hello, I am Castigo. I live with my uncles and I like to eat cake, bananas, and drink coke. I want to be a soldier when I grow up. Thank you for the help.
Abkul, 13-year-old boy from Kenya
Dear Friend,
Receive lovely greetings from me and my family. I am good and doing great at school. I am happy to hear from you and be a part of your wonderful family; thanks for beings a blessing to me and my family. The weather in my village is dry and dusty. There is brown dust all over and you cannot wear white clothes. The expected rains have failed, so my family has not planted our garden.
I am excited to hear about snow sledding downhill and making a snowman with a ball of snow with a charcoal eye and a carrot for a nose. When it rains, I normally make a cow with wet soil and it has a horn, eye, hump, and tail. I have never seen snow. I appreciate all the letters and drawings. You have a wonderful Christmas tradition. Thanks a lot also for your family photos sent for me. I love and cherish it a lot. Yours, Abkul
Letters from Sponsors to Their Sponsored Children
Written from a sponsor’s child to Bernadine, a 23-year-old woman in Haiti (graduated from FH programs in 2019)
Dear Bernadine, it was amazing sponsoring you. You helped me get closer with Jesus. My heart will always have a spot for you. It’s been a blessing to have this friendship with you. Keep doing good in school and always remember Jesus loves you. I will always keep praying for you.
Written to Nathaniel, a 10-year-old boy in Haiti
My Dear Nathaniel,
When we read that your mother passed away our hearts sank. We are sorry that you have had such a great loss at such a young age and we send our sincere prayers, warm thoughts, and hugs to your and your family. (Sponsor) was so glad she was able to meet your lovely mother in person when she visited you! We continue to pray for you and your sisters so that you have loving care by other kind family and friends.
Here is what I would like to know about you. Are you still living in the home (sponsor) visited? It was in such a beautiful mountain area. Do you still have a goat or two? Keep up with school work and having fun playing with your friends. And yes, we like music! It is summer here so there are outside concerts every weekend which we enjoy going to. (Sponsor) plays the piano and violin cello, each for 9 years. I read many books and am now vegan. We all got a lot of haircuts this year. Do you play an instrument? Sponsor drew a smiley face sun and wrote: “You are loved.”
Child Sponsorship is Transformative
Encouraging child sponsorship letters are the building blocks that create a positive foundation in these relationships. Families are uniting and being transformed together by living out 1 Thessalonians 5:11, to “encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.”
When you sponsor a child, you are blessing a whole community. Learn more about how you can get involved and sponsor a child today.
More articles you may be interested in:
Ending Poverty, Together: The “Nature” of Child Sponsorship
