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!

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!

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!!