15 (More) Signs That You Might Be A Crazy Sponsor Parent

For those of you who enjoyed my post “15 Signs That You Might Be A Crazy Sponsor Parent.”… here’s Part 2! (Read Part 1 HERE!)

This is the Compassion Edition of “15 Signs” with suggestions from my friends over at the Our Compassion Forum, the place for Compassion sponsors to gather!

From Victoria A:

1.       You hold your wedding outside on a 97 degree day so that it won’t interfere with the timeframe or budget of your already-planned sponsor tour.

2.       You convince your new spouse that a sponsor tour to a third world country can actually count as a honeymoon!

From Kelli J:

3.       You’re disappointed when you don't receive a letter from your child even when you just heard from them last week.

4.       You devote multiple pages in your scrapbook to your children.

5.       You refer to your parent's sponsored children as your siblings and your parents refer to your sponsored children as their grandkids.

From Trisha P:

6.       The most exciting part of your day is when the mail truck comes.

From Michelle R:

7.       Your heart melts when you see a pencil smudge fingerprint on a letter from your child....  and you press your finger to the print to "touch" that child.

From Erin C:

8.       You’re constantly on the Compassion Forum to talk about your sponsored children and to hear about others.

From Emily J:

9.       You count down the days 'til it's time for a photo update.

From Amanda W:

10.   You refer to your sponsored children as your kids in public and in private.

From Joan C:

11.   You keep looking for and finding kids you want to sponsor on the web site.

From Kayla G:

12.   You jump down almost a full flight of stairs in your eagerness to open a letter.

From Andy and Miranda:

13.   You look at your child's weather online and wish you could move to their community because it's warmer/colder there than it is in your city.

From Lizzie:

14.   You want to name your future child after your sponsored child.

15.   You decide to like washing dishes because your child says their favorite thing to do is wash dishes!

If you’ve done any of these things, or if you have your own “Crazy sponsor parent” moment to share, please feel free to comment below, or share it on the Path of the Carpenter’s Facebook Page!

Monday Mail Call: Catch-up Edition

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been a slacker when it comes to blogging lately! I’ll blame it on the winter blahs. Anyway, I’ve received three beautiful letters from my kids since the start of this year, and today is a good day to get caught up and share them with you!

My first letter of the year was a card from Shakira, which arrived (hand-delivered by Mama Jo I should say!) on January the 11^th. It was my first time hearing from sixteen-year-old Shakira, and she made me a beautiful card! Here it is:

She also drew me a colorful flower inside, adding that she hoped it made me happy because it made her happy!

Shakira wrote that she was happy to have known that I chose her. She told me she loved me so much and added, “God continue to give you many blessings and protect you from temptations.” Then she told me that she wished to have my picture, and she closed by wishing me a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

I love how she is not shy at all about asking for my picture! (There was a mix-up with the Rwandan post, and I recently found out that she just now received all the letters that I’ve written to her – five at one time! She must have been excited!) Of course, I immediately wrote again and sent her even more pictures.

Then, on January the 15^th, I received a quick note from Isimbi. She shared that her family and her are alright, and that she is going to pass in primary 5 soon. She then tells me that she’s happy to write to me and shared her exam results with me. She asked if I was doing all right, and told me her family was preparing for Christmas, and asked if I was as well. She then wished me a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year as well, and thanked me for the coloring pages (“pages of Jesus”) and stickers I had sent her.

I was thankful to hear from Isimbi again; as my youth group’s sponsored child and my first correspondent child, she will always have a special place in my heart. We also celebrated our “1-year anniversary” on January 21^st… I have been writing to Isimbi for one full year! Time sure does fly!

My most recent letter was from my Kenyan brother Mbula, and it arrived on February 4^th. And speaking of Mbula, I just realized that I never shared his second letter with you all… whoops! Anyway, this was his third letter; and like the others, it was brimming with information and answers to my questions. I love the relationship I am developing with this Godly young man.

In his letter, he told me that he hoped I was going on well with my family. He then told me that he was happy to hear about my grandmother and that he is praying that she will live longer. He also thanked God for being with her all over since she was born. (She is 92 now.) He told me that his family is praying for me and that they are remembering me every time. Then he told me, “My brothers were very much interested with the letter that you send me. Actually, it was very interesting and they appreciated very much.” (I have the feeling this is in response to a letter about a historical community I sent him, with pictures and a flyer with lots of details.)

Mbula then told me his siblings’ names (He has one sister and three brothers!) and he thanked me for my appreciation of the Kenyan athlete Wilson Kipsang. (He broke a world record in running recently) Then he thanked me for the Christmas gift I sent him, and asked what I do and what my favorite game is as well as requesting further prayer for his studies. Finally, he closed by wishing me a merry Christmas and a prosperous happy new year.

I love the fact that since Mbula is 18 (well, soon to be 19) and he writes in English, we’ve been able to develop a great friendship so quickly. He seems to be a very mature, conscientious young man. In only his second letter to me, he told me that his hope was that I was praying for him to continue being saved by God the Father, and that I should remember that God is my portion so I must keep his words and commandments. He also told me that he was praying for me to continue being God’s servant. I have said this before and I’ll say it again… I am so blessed to have Mbula as my correspondent “brother”!

Have you heard from any of your sponsored children lately? Feel free to let me know; I love your comments! J