A Song for the Weekend

Do you ever have a song that has just grabbed hold of you and held you hostage?  This morning, Chris Rice's "Deep Enough to Dream" has arrested my soul and I find myself listening over and over to the lyrics.

One line that strikes me, in particular, is the imagery of the fly bumping the window for the hundredth time because "freedom calls from the other side."  That line has reminded me of how all of our spirits are held hostage here on earth until we are freed by Jesus. Jesus opens the window so we can fly free.

Today I find myself thinking of my Compassion children and how I yearn for their little souls to fly free with Jesus; to soar above their circumstances and to dream in the brilliant colors that Jesus has clothed them in. They are kings and queens, filled with inner beauty and light that no amount of poverty or circumstance can rob unless they give up hope. Let's help fill our children with the brilliant colors of Christ's love through our letters and support!

Need help getting started or know someone else who does? I have some free downloadable writing packets - print them, share them, use them and come back for more. Also, Compassion offers online writing--be sure to use that great, easy tool!

A Gift from India

It's always a great day when I get a letter from one of my Compassion children, but yesterday was an EXCEPTIONAL day!! Not only did I get a letter from my sweet correspondence young woman, Florance, but it was a THREE PAGE letter!  Given that I have some sort of virus that has me really bed and couch-bound for the most part, at least my spirits were lifted up by her words!

I was floored that Florance took the time to write such a long and giving letter to me. I feel like I know so much more about her today than I did yesterday. Besides calling me "Aunty" (which made me feel incredibly special), she expressed concerns about the weather here, and expressed surprised that I mentioned in a previous letter to her that I worry about her.

She mentioned a small birthday gift we sent her back in April, with which she purchased a pedestal fan... her description of how useful that fan will be in keeping her home cooler during the unbearably hot summer months was humbling, to say the least. And to think I was complaining about a few days of rain...

If you've never sponsored a child but are considering doing so...don't even think about it, just do it!  God will provide the means, and I'm here to tell you, these children will bless your life in ways you can't imagine.

Bless you, Florance, and all of my compassion family--my prayers are with you all daily!

The Power of "Can"

Sometimes we forget the power of our words. This morning on the radio I heard a story about a boy with a learning disability--he couldn't listen to someone speak and comprehend very well--but he could read and understand perfectly. This boy was verbally tested by his school and placed in "special education" classes where he continued to do very poorly....until his freshman year in high school. During that year, a substitute teacher noticed something special about him and began to test him in different ways than anyone had before. After a series of tests administered in writing rather than verbally she said to him "I believe you are just as gifted as the other kids--you don't need to be in these classes. Why are you still in special ed?"

As a result of her confidence in him, the boy went back to his teachers and asked to be retested using written formats. He passed with flying colors and re-entered the primary classes at his high school. He graduated with straight A's, went on to receive a PhD, and is now a professor of psychology at a university.

The power of words is astounding. I wrote a brief essay once for NPR's "This I Believe" essay series called "I am a Dancer," where I describe how one sentence affected my perception of what I could do for nearly 2 decades.

I know my mom would never remember this, because she encouraged me to try ballet and gymnastics as a child, but when I was a little girl I overheard someone at church tell her that I didn't have the right "body type" for ballet. Essentially, I was too chubby. Overhearing that one sentence, spoken not out of spite I'm sure, but just an offhand statement that I am certain that mother didn't even know I overheard, resulted in years of an overwhelming belief that I "couldn't dance."

I could play music, I could march in a band--all things that require rhythm--but I "couldn't dance." For some reason that was a forbidden world to me all because of the power of words. Then one day words unlocked a magic door... My freshman year in college I had a roommate who loved to dance... One day she looked at me and said "come on, get up and dance with me!" I said to her "But I can't dance!" She laughed and said "Yes you can! I'll show you how! Anyone can dance!" Her words, "yes you can," opened up a whole realm of art previously closed to me.

In the years since I have taken lessons in ballroom, salsa, swing, contra dance, and Middle Eastern dance and have taught lessons in Middle Eastern dance and have led worship dance programsin church. I've danced on stage in at least 7 states. I'm no star, by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know one thing--I CAN dance.

Praise dance on Stage with the Alexandria Dancers (I'm on the front left)

Have you spoken words of life into your sponsored children lately? Have you told them they CAN defeat poverty? Have you told them they ARE princes and princesses, destined for the kingdom?

This I Believe--these children are VALUABLE to Christ Jesus. They CAN make a difference in their families, communities, and world! Let's speak hope into their lives today!

Scent with Love

So, as is true to my "can't leave well enough alone" nature, I'm dabbling in yet another past time, which is aromatherapy. Actually, I've been interested in essential oils for almost 2 decades, ever since I majored in botany in college and took some courses focused on the human uses of medicinal plants, and on the phytochemicals in plants that give them their various aromatic and medicinal properties. I've also dabbled in homemade soap and lotion-making over the course of the last decade and the use of essential oils in those crafts, so I suppose this really isn't all that new, after all, just a resurgence of an interest.

So I'm rambling on about this interest in fragrance, and I'm sure you're wondering what that has to do with sponsoring children through Compassion. It occurred to me as I have been accumulating the supplies to make some scented necklaces, handmade soap, and handmade lotion bars for my Compassion ETSY store that certain fragrances instill an immediate sense of peace in me. For me, patchouli is a scent that is forever relaxing because I associate it with carefree college years (my husband, on the other hand, detests it). I also love the scent of suntan lotion because I recall summers on the beach in Florida with my family. The smell of cinnamon and oranges reminds me of Christmas, while the sweet, woodsy smell of Balsam Fir, quite possibly my favorite smell in the entire world, reminds me of quite walks in the woods on a warm day, no worries, and a deep connection to nature and to God.

If fragrance evokes such warm, deep memories (and countless research proves it does), then why not use fragrance to scent our sponsored child's world? No doubt our sponsored kids are surrounded by pungent scents of their own that evoke memories, hopes, dreams... but what if we introduce our own scent story to our kids, sending a little piece of scent that they associate with love, with hope, with uplifting strength? Forevermore they will associate that with a sense of well-being, of being cared for and loved. What a special gift, all in an aroma!

So...how to do that when we can only send paper? Here's my plan, and maybe you'll want to do it, too.  I am going to spend some time thinking about what scent describes me. I am going to play around with my essential oils (maybe you have a perfume you love to wear, or maybe the warm smell of cinnamon or vanilla extract makes you swoon), and when I find just the "right" scent, I'm going to stick a cotton ball with several drops of this oil in a plastic bag with my writing paper, stickers, bookmarks, etc.  Leave the paper in the bag for a while and...voila! You have lightly scented paper that will waft out when your child opens the bag.

I'll explain in the letter that I've scented the paper with my favorite scent, one that fills me with hope. Maybe for you it would be the frankincense and myrrh gifted to Jesus on his birthday, or pungent peppermint. Maybe soothing lavender or uplifting orange.

Anyway, I think it's a pretty neat idea to send a fragrant message of hope to our kids in another place. And who knows--maybe the older kids will return the favor by scenting their paper with the spicy fragrance of India or the Jasmine air of Thailand!

Happy Monday!

PS... Look for my scented necklaces on my Compassion ETSY store next week, and soaps and lotions late summer!

Looking for Great Goodies for your Kids?? Dover has 70% Off Right Now!!!

I'm always looking for great stuff to send my Compassion kids. Dover is one of my very favorite companies (I feature a lot of their free samples in my downloadable sponsor packets), and right now they have a 70% off sale going on!

I really encourage you to check it out--I was able to snag a ton of sticker books for just 45 cents each--you can't even get that at the dollar store!  Stock up for Christmas and Easter mailings now, because it'll be time to mail for Christmas in just a month or two (can you believe that???)!

www.doverpublications.com---just click on the 70% off sale banner!

Here are some examples of the great 45 cent goodies I picked up today!

Treasure Every Moment

This morning the DJ on the Christian radio station I was listening to was describing how he was feeling about his son's graduation from high school. He was reminding parents everywhere about how quickly time passes, and how your children grow so fast. How often we (I) forget to treasure every moment and to let go of some things in order to appreciate the people we love most.

Dharavi Slum in Mumbai - from Wikimedia Commons

To me, this includes my Compassion children. I get so busy during the week trying to do a billion other things that sometimes I forget to just be thankful for all that I have in my life...not things, but people. I'm so thankful for my sweet son, and all the joy he brings to my heart. I'm grateful to my beautiful Compassion children for making me a better person, one day at a time.

Last night I took some time to sit down with my special notebook that I keep full of my Compassion kids' photos and letters, and to reread the letters I've received so far. I was blessed again and again as I reread each letter and planned what to mail them this week.

Do you write to your sponsored children? Again and again Center directors and pastors, Compassion workers, and the children who have graduated from the program tell us how much it means to sponsored children to hear from their sponsors on a regular basis. And the blessings extend both ways--through the preparations of reading past letters, praying over your children, and writing to them you are developing relationships--between you and your Compassion children and between you and God.

Jesus' ministry was about relationships. He came to save the world, but while he was hear on earth he worked through relationships, one person at a time. He took the time to hold a hand, speak a kind word (or sometimes a stern word), to teach, to laugh, and to love. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, that is our ministry, as well. These are treasures stored up in heaven. We have this moment only once.

If you haven't written your child in a while, please take a few minutes today and do so. You can use Compassion's online writing tool or you can download one of my free sponsor writing packets. Either way, it's easy--all it takes is a few minutes.

If you haven't sponsored a child yet, what are you waiting for? A sweet little face out there is waiting for your prayers, your love, your encouragement. Can you be the hands and feet of Christ to that child? Poverty stinks, but YOU can change the story. Think you can't afford it? Check out this awesome post on Red Letter Christians and think twice: http://www.redletterchristians.org/spoiled-witches-puerile-vanity-and-compassion-international/

Sponsor Theme Packs--Now there's a page :)

I'm adding new theme packs nearly daily for sponsors to print and send to their kids. Today I'm adding a paper doll Psalm 31 themed pack for girls.  To avoid making a new blog post each time, I have set up a page just for the theme packs.  Just visit the home page of my blog and click on the Sponsor Writing Pack page, and you'll find them all in one place!

Thanks! Hope you find them useful!

New Sponsor Writing Packet--Trees theme for young kids

Here's a cute tree themed packet for kids ages 2-10 with devotional verse from 1Chronicles. Most of the activities in this packet come from the US Forest Service. Includes cute little paper doll puppets and a puppet stage, plus a mini book and coloring sheets!

Tree themed Sponsor Packet

Sponsor Theme Pack ~ Gender Neutral Ages 2-8, Bees

Much of the artwork/activity sheets in this printable pack came from the US Forest Service Natural Inquirer Website. There are free downloadable magazines available on that site, as well, in English and in Spanish--they make great items to send along to your Compassion Kids! You can order hard copies, also (they are free!!).  Great for homeschooling!  The website for the Natural Inquirer is www.naturalinquirer.org

The Devotional Verse for this packet is Psalm 50:11- I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.

Bee-themed Sponsor Packet

Sponsor Writing Packet--for Teen Boys! Space theme, with Devotional Verse

Here's a new packet. I know that sometimes it's hard to know what to send teen boys. This packet has space-themed stationery, 2 bookmarks from www.NASA.gov, and a paper model for your teen boy to cut out and make (please note--the model came from www.NASA.gov and I have not tested the model, so if you are concerned about how it turns out, please try it yourself before sending it!)

In addition to the "goodies", there is a page with a lovely devotional verse from Psalms, with a space-related theme.  The verse is given in English, Spanish, and French.  The English translation is from "The Message," which I appreciate for it's modern-day resonance.

Thanks for dropping in!  Next up--a packet for teen girls, and a generic packet for any age group.

Download the Space Theme Sponsor Writing Packet Here

Jonah Themed Sponsor Packet-Free Download

Here is a Jonah Themed packet, suitable for girls or boys, complete with coloring sheets, mini book, and game... Enjoy!

Jonah Themed Sponsor Packet

Free Printable Sponsor Packet ~ Soccer Theme!

As promised, here is the next free printable packet.  Please check back often, as I will be adding Noah's Ark, Daniel and the Lions, God's Princess and Prince, and several Teen themes, including Solar Systems, Angels, and Devotionals.

Enjoy! If you like these, consider making a donation to Compassion International!

Soccer Theme Sponsor Packet

Free Printable Sponsor Packets!

So the other day I started by posting templates for allowing young children to engage in the writing experience. Today I'm excited to post the first of several downloadable, printable sponsor packets!

I know sometimes it is hard to round up all the links, sites, and printables in one place and get them ready to send. I'd like to offer these up as one solution, especially for first-time sponsors who may need some ideas to get started.

Each packet is themed and has a stationery sheet, several coloring pages, and a game or maze (or both!).

Today's sponsor packet is butterfly and flower themed (don't worry sponsors of boys--a soccer theme is next up!). This packet has stationery, flower and butterfly coloring sheets, a memory matching game, and a maze.

Butterfly and Flower Printable Sponsor Packet

Enjoy!  Please let me know if you find these useful!

Congratulations, Goodbyes, Hellos, and FREEBIES!!!

One of my correspondent children, Banji Mariyadasu, has left our family fold this month. Thought I truly never got to know Banji, because he was assigned as a correspondent child in January of this year and finished the program on April 1, I do hope that the letters and cards I have sent him have and will continue to touch his life in some small way. I am so very proud of Banji for completing the Compassion Program as a successful graduate, for finishing his education to a 12th grade American equivalent, and for....securing a JOB!!! Way to go Banji Mariyadasu! You are well on your way to breaking the bonds of poverty and I am certain you will become a rock for Christ Jesus!

Congratulations Banji!!

Only a few short days after losing Banji to graduation, we have welcomed a new correspondent child into our fold. This sweet boy is 6 year old Manikandan Palsamy from India. Isn't he handsome?? I just sent my first introductory letter and a packet of goodies to him yesterday. I'm looking forward to getting to know Manikandan and supporting him through encouragement and love in the coming months and years. Won't you please say a prayer for our Banji as he takes the next steps into his future, and for Manikandan as we begin a relationship with him?

Welcome, Manikandan!

Speaking of Hellos... On the amazing Our Compassion sponsor forum, discussions went around not long ago about templates for writing to your sponsored children, and Michelle from Blogging From the Boonies asked if anyone had developed child-friendly templates (e.g., templates younger children could use to correspond with sponsored kids). I think that's a great idea for young kids, especially since I have a 2.5 year old and sometimes struggle with how to involve him!

Several people popped up with excellent templates, including and especially Elephant Grace, who also offers correspondent kits. I thought I might take a stab at the challenge, as well. So, here are the first of my downloadable templates (more to come in the future) for young children to correspond with your sponsored child! Just click on the photo and it should take you to a pdf for download. These templates are specifically geared toward very young kids (e.g. ages 2 to 5) who may need help writing, so that they can feel like they are a part of the sponsorship experience. 

I'm hoping in the future to develop downloadable sponsor packets by theme for those who might need a quick solution or might just be getting started.

Thanks for stopping in, I'd love your feedback about the templates, I'd love your thoughts about themes for future packets, and I'd love your prayers. I'd also really love it if you'd pass my blog along and if you'd check out my ETSY store...100% of purchase price for all items on my store goes to Compassion Child Survival Programs!! GREAT for Mother's Day (which is coming up--so don't forget your mom!). To date, over $400 has been raised and donated through my site/sales thanks to your generosity and purchases!

Conspiracy of Love handmade jewelry for Compassion

Compassion Sunday Prayer Request AND Free App Recommendations

This has been a really busy spring for me, and it's wearing me thin. I'm so grateful that I have the wealth of opportunities I do, though, and wouldn't have it any other way (except maybe to have those opportunities spread out a bit more on the calendar!)

Coming up in just a little over a week, on April 21, I'm hosting our church's first ever Compassion Sunday event! I'm worried about it. I speak in public and I dance in public, so I'm not so worried about speaking in public (although I am quite worried I will cry). What I'm most concerned about is the responsibility I feel for finding sponsors for the sweet children on the packets that arrived in my Compassion Sunday box last week. This is an opportunity for me to release the reigns over to God and let Him handle finding sponsors. I'm just the spokesperson.

As part of Compassion Sunday, I do have a page set up where you can get a jump on the process and read my Compassion story, and have an opportunity to sponsor a child! You can visit my Compassion Sunday page at: http://my.compassionsunday.com/Sonja76

And now for the random part of this post... I've been having a ton of fun lately playing with some great apps for the Iphone for modifying photos (framing) and for creating scrapbook pages directly on the iphone (or iPad). Now what I really love about this is that I can play around with it using the pics I took on my phone without ever having to connect to my computer, and I can do all this while I'm waiting, say, at the doctor's office or on a plane, etc. They also connect directly to Facebook. 

This photo was framed in imikimi then set on a background in Papelook

I tried several, but the two I like best (and these were free!!!) are Papelook and imikimi. I've attached a couple of examples here of what I've done with these. The uses for these apps are several: you can send your kids framed photos of themselves or your family; you can create mini-scrapbooks, bookmarks, notecards, print-to-puzzle images, stickers (if you have printable sticker paper), calendars, and all sorts of other goodies. 

This was done in Papelook

Check them out! They're free!  And, sponsor a child!!

Two Pieces of Mail

My mailbox generally doesn't excite me much. I hate to say it, because mail gathering time is one of my favorite times of the day (ask me who is going to be upset if the Postal Service quits delivering on Saturdays??).  Most of the time I get a ton of junk mail, a stack of bills, and if I'm really lucky I get a magazine. I don't subscribe to many, so those really lucky days are few and far between.

Saturday, however, was a really really super lucky day...I opened up the mailbox to find not one, but TWO letters from my sponsored kids!!  And, both were from kids who have already written me once, so I'm really shocked to have received letters again so soon!

These letters were from sweet Florance in India, who is one of our correspondence children, and Mohamed, who was the first of our sponsored children.  Mohamed is just 4 years old, so his letters are still more or less form letters, with a little bit of information about his life tucked inside. This letter was super special from him, because it talked about how he used the Christmas gift we sent him. His family was able to buy some rice, some corn, a dress, and a ball. Bless his sweet heart, he asked me how my job is going!  I thought that was really cute. He also asked how my friends are doing, which is cute. His prayer request was for his family to have peace and good health. Wise requests for a four year old. Sweet Mohamed wants to be a policeman when he grows up.

My letter from Florance continues to show me what a joy she will be to correspond with. I sense in her an intelligence and a strength, and a joy that I hope grows and stays with her as she ages. It's hard to sense much through short letters that reveal fairly little, but there's something about her handwriting and her phrasing that brings those characteristics to mind. Of course, heaven help me if anyone ever makes any personality judgements based on MY handwriting, they'll all think I'm crazy... oh. wait. Maybe I am... 

Kho Kho

Anyway, Florance shares that she enjoys Kho-Kho, a local sport that I had to look up on Wikipedia, and I still don't understand. It appears to be some sort of a 12-person game of tag, and is apparently very popular in India. She also tells me she really likes curd rice, which is rice with Indian spices and yogurt mixed into it. The word "curd" threw me off a bit, but having read the description (thanks again, Wikipedia, what would I do without you?) it now sounds fabulously yummy (but I really like Indian food). She writes that her father is a mechanic and her mother is a tailor. This is interesting, as her profile information has her living with her father and her mother appeared to be out of the picture. So now it seems maybe she has some contact with her mother, after all. Her prayer request is that her community will be free of Dengue fever. 

Curd Rice

These sweet children really brought light into my day with their letters, which is proof positive that sponsorship is as much a gift to the sponsor as it is to the sponsored child. I hold my breath every time I head to the mailbox now in the hopes that I will have a letter waiting. I can only imagine the children at the projects around the world waiting with baited breath in the hopes that their sponsors have sent them some token from their lives--a letter, a photo, a sheet of stickers...any reminder of the world beyond the boundaries of poverty where dreams are allowed to grow, thrive, and sometimes even come true.

Being so excited to get mail from my kids reminds me of the importance of sending mail to my kids! It's so very important. I look forward to the mail....and I know they do too!

Blessings!

Ten Fun things to Send your Sponsored Child

Spring brings so much pleasure to me. I love the longer days, the warming sun, and the color of new leaves and bright blooms after a cold, gray, dark winter. There is something about spring that wakes us up and makes us want to do more, to work harder, to shake off the doldrums and get to living again.

Spring also makes us a lot busier. I know for me, personally, this spring is shaping up to be one of the busiest I've had in years. I have several work-related trips planned, I'm dancing quite a bit, there are birthday parties to attend, Mother's Day jewelry orders to fill, garden beds to be planted and tended, and yardwork galore. I'm also planning a yard sale with a fellow sponsor to benefit Compassion, so I need to start pulling all my stuff together that I plan to sell--and I have no idea where to begin!

In the busy new outdoor life of spring, it may be harder to remember to sit down and write our Compassion kids. The official Compassion International blog recently posted a series of pictures of sponsored children holding their most prized possessions...the letters from their sponsors.

It seems that the overarching agreement among sponsored children who have graduated the program is that sponsor letters were extraordinarily influential in their lives. In fact, children who recieve letters from their sponsors are more likely to remain in and graduate from the program than children who do not.

That's the amazing difference that Compassion sponsors make.

There are so many amazing posts out there with topic suggestions if you run out of things to discuss with your sponsored child. Blogging from the Boonies has some awesome suggestions. Compassion.com had some great suggestions, as well. Here, I thought I would chip in my 2 cents with some ideas for "extras" (besides stickers) that you can send along to your sponsored children to add to their excitement when they get your next letter.

1. Paper Dolls ~ Paper dolls are so fun, and so easy to find. Dollar General carries books of paper dolls for about $2 each, and Dover Publishing has amazing paper dolls (and they offer frequent discounts). If you have a pinterest account, search "Paper dolls" and you'll find many free paper dolls--print on cardstock and cut out for a great treat!  Another fun paper doll idea--make paper dolls of YOUR FAMILY for your sponsored child! Simply have your family members stand against a plain background and photograph, then print out on cardstock and cut out. You can use decorative scrapbook paper to make clothing for your paper doll selves. For extra fun, print your sponsored child's picture as well, and make him or her into a paper doll! Here's an adorable printable paper doll to get you started: http://oliverands.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/paperdolls2.jpg

 

2. Paper airplanes ~ For young children you can pre-make the paper airplanes and tuck them into a small envelope so that they are ready to fly when the child receives them. For older children, print out instructions from the internet (or photocopy instructions from a book) and send along with sheets of decorative paper. Here's a blog with many printable instructions: http://paperplaneideas.blogspot.com/

3. Recordable Cards ~ There are a great many musical cards out there--some that include flashing lights and pop up! Most of them are birthday or holiday-specific, but Hobby Lobby carries a lot of Christian themed musical cards that are generic in nature. Some feature contemporary Christian songs and some feature classic secular music. People from the Compassion mailroom indicate that not only do the children love to recieve these cards, the staff in the mailrooms love them as well! If you are ambitious you can find cards that also include a record button, and you can record a personal message from your family--what a gift to your sponsored child to be able to hear your voice!

4. Friendship Bracelets ~ We are unable to send real jewelry or string through the mail, but there are some really adorable paper bracelet (or necklace!) tutorials out there that feature strips of paper folded across each other. Here's one fantastic tutorial: http://increations.blogspot.com/2008/09/origami-bracelet.html
You could coat the paper with a layer of mod podge or spray acrylic for durability. For older kids, send a completed bracelet along with instructions and materials for your child to make his or her own! And don't think these are just for girls--in other cultures some men wear jewelry as well, so your little boy may well enjoy wearing a cuff-style bracelet in "manly" colors or a superhero theme. To close the bracelet, many sponsors have reported that small (tiny) velcro circles that stick-on have made it through. You might also try including some glue dots or punch a hole in each end and perhaps the child can find a small piece of string or grass with which to tie it closed.

5. Photo album ~ I plan to do this for my children this spring. The most beloved and requested items from sponsored children are photographs of their sponsor family. You can make a simple photo album using commercial software (or even MS Word) or online tools and print your album at home or your local copy store. Staple with a cute decorative cover and you have a treasured gift for your child. This is super easy to do for multiple children because it's as easy to print 4 copies as it is to print 1 copy. Include a photo of your sponsored child in the album so they know they are part of your family, too!

6. Thin books or book chapters ~ I recently discovered that it is okay to send thin books as long as the cover is removed and the book meets the 1/4 inch thickness rule. In fact, for older teens you can send big books (think C.S. Lewis) chapter-by-chapter. Yes, it hurts to tear a book apart, but visit a used bookstore, yard sale, or Goodwill for a copy of a beloved used book and start ripping! Be cognizant of language differences, however--if your child speaks a different language the translators will not translate an entire book. You may be able to find used foreign-language books through Amazon or Ebay (or even at your local used bookstore--particularly in Spanish).

7. 3D bookmarks ~ I love the 3D and "moving" bookmarks that craft stores and bookstores sell. Even young children love these.

8. Magazines ~ You can remove the cover and send thin magazines. For little kids, National Geographic has great animal-themed magazines. Zootles is a good one for little kdis, as well. Highlights is wonderful for English speaking children. Target ocassionally carries some Highlights activity pads and posters in the $1 section that are wonderful.

9. Lapbooks ~ Lapbooks are among my favorite things to send. Originally a homeschooling idea, a lapbook is simply a folder-sized study unit organized around a central theme, containing multiple activities. For example, you might choose a Noah's Ark theme and include coloring pages, stickers, a matching game, a mini book, paper dolls, etc all depicting the story of Noah's Ark, and you might tuck it all into an animal-themed school folder. Some great resources for lapbooks include www.lapbooklessons.com (www.lapbooklessons.com/NoahsArkLapbook.html for Noah's Ark), http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/lapbooks-scrapbooks-make-learning-fun/, http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php, http://pinterest.com/MeetPenny/lapbook-ideas/

10. Paper bag puppets ~ How much fun are paper bag puppets? They are easy to assemble yourself, and you can find plenty of templates on Google and Pinterest, or you can be lazy like I was and purchase a Paper Bag Puppet kit from Alex toys, which comes with 5 ADORABLE puppets in individual plastic sleeves, with all the pieces necessary to make the puppet AND instructions AND stickers for decorating the puppet. How easy is that?? I punched out the pieces to keep the package within the size limits, and then stuck them all back in the plastic sleeve with a photocopy of the instructions, and my mailing was ready to go! http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Toys-Little-Hands-Puppets/dp/B0013GRW1K

I hope this post gets you excited about spring mailings for your sponsored kids. I would love to hear your ideas and comments! What do you plan to send this spring?

Blessings and Happy Easter!

Skunk Cabbage

  “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” author L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables series author)

Eastern skunk cabbage

 Sometime between today and Thursday I will sit down and write to my sponsored children. I make a point to do this bi-weekly, which may be a little frequent for some of my younger children, but I try to keep my letters to them short and sweet anyhow, given that as the mother of a toddler I know they don't have the longest attention span.

Whether you've sponsored for a decade or a day, letter writing can be a challenge. Internet tools provided by Compassion and countless blogs before this one have made it much easier to come up with ideas, but it can still be a daunting task to write to someone worlds away from you not only in terms of physical distance, but in age and spiritual growth.

What I write about depends, much like this blog, on what grips me on that particular day. There are things about each of my children that stir my heart in different ways. But, more than anything else, I encourage them. Who knows if they care about the national parks in the United States, or what my son did in school today? But they certainly care that someone seemingly a million miles away has taken time to write to them, to maybe send some stickers or a photograph, and to let them know that they matter.

In fact, the cornerstone of Compassion's child sponsorship program is the relationship between Sponsor and child. Even if you never hear from your child, you could be influencing them in an important way. I remember telling my son not too long ago that words are very important and very powerful. I don't recall the context, but I do recall his little face wrinkling up in laughter at how silly that sounded. But it is true. The Bible says so in at least 147 verses. Our words have the power to shape lives, to shape the future, to mold minds and careers and dreams and ambitions. Our encouraging words are sweet-smelling roses in the hands of our little ones across the globe.

What words will you speak into the lives of your Compassion kids (or any other child you are blessed to encounter) today? Sometimes it's hard to come up with something NEW to say after 40 letters, when you're trying to remember what you said last week or month or 3 months ago. Here's a list of possibilities for sending a rose of encouragement to a child you may not know too well:

• I/we love you.
• I/we are praying for you.
• Jesus loves you.
• Our church is praying for you.
• We hung your picture on our wall with the rest of our family!
• We talk about you during the day and what you might be doing!
• You worked really hard on the last letter you sent me, I can tell!
• I love getting letters from you--you are learning so much!
• I love hearing about your life.
• I love hearing about your family/church
• Your drawings on your letters are really fun for us to see!
• Thank you for writing to me/send me a drawing-it was really special to me!
• I am so proud to be your sponsor!
• I really appreciate our relationship
• I am looking forward to getting to know you over time
• Your country/family/villiage/center looks very unique/beautiful/interesting
• You are beautiful to Jesus!
• You are so unique! There is no one else like you!
• Jesus knows everything about you, he has all the hairs on your head numbered!
• You are important to me.
• You are important to Jesus.
• You have a very special purpose.
• Jesus has great plans for your life!
• Don't ever give up.
• You seem so resourceful!

Remember--your words are so important! I know many "seasoned" sponsors have spoken these words of encouragement and many, many more into the lives of many children over the years. I would love to hear how you encourage your sponsored children (or even your biological children!) through a thoughtful word.