Today Is...

Today is INTERNATIONAL WRITE TO YOUR SPONSORED CHILD DAY!

Wahoo!!!

Okay, so I totally made that up.

Complete hogwash.  I don't even know if there is such a thing as an International Write to Your Sponsored Child Day!

But there should be.  And today can be it for your family.  This post is dedicated to, and inspired by a conversation yesterday with Elizabeth about writing to our sponsored children.  I hope it provides you with some inspiration and ideas!

Here are a few:

Now you might be thinking, "How sweet, they wrote to their sponsored children together."  You may have pictures of cultured discussions around the table with my son while drawing beautiful artwork for our beloved sponsored children overseas.  Please rid yourselves immediately of such inaccuracy!  Sometimes writing to our sponsored children is like that.  But more often than not (and definitely today!) it is harried.  It is five minutes of Munchkin's attention with a hovering Mummy, trying to get him to do something, anything artistic before his enthusiasm wanes and he is diverted (yet again!) by his cars, playdough, or sandpit.  Then Mummy finishes it all off.  Writes names and numbers, makes sure the right letter goes in the right envelope, finds addresses, takes photos (so I can remember what I wrote last time!).  It isn't usually pretty.  But we do it.  And I know it makes a difference, both to our sponsored kids and to our own family.  It opens our world to theirs.  It provides an opportunity for my son, even though he is only three, to do something for someone else.  And as he grows, it will help him realise that not every family lives in a home like ours, eats food like ours, or even looks like ours.

It's hard.  It takes time.  It is inconvenient.  I won't lie to you and tell you otherwise.  It would be easier not to do it.  But the fascinating thing is that most of those issues are in our minds.  Once we sit down and do it, I usually find myself wondering why I thought this would be such a hard thing to do. I put it off, thinking that "I don't feel like it today," or "I don't know what to write."  Then it's done, and it wasn't really hard at all.

This month's offerings were all simple.  Nothing deep and meaningful.  I don't have the brain capacity for that (I'm sick and my boy's been sick most of the week which means he's hyped up on redipred and ventolin and I'm having trouble moving at all!  Therefore anything other than eating and sleeping is a bonus!).

Drawing Munchkin's hands.  He had to be bribed to colour in - "We aren't having lunch till you colour that picture for me!"

A truck artwork from a few weeks back put to good use for our sponsored boy, and a fish card for our girl.

Some pictures cut from an old calendar and glued onto A4 paper.  I did a couple of extras to send another time while I was there!  This is for our 18 year old in Bangladesh.

Christmas Cards - supplied by Tear Fund and World Vision.  Yup, it's that time already!  Boyo has been commissioned (mostly against his will!) to write a brief message.

 I hope you are encouraged.  Write.  Draw.  Photograph.  Connect with a child who would love to hear from you!

Amy