I got a letter from Gabriel today, dated before Christmas. Well, based on the content anyway, as the letter itself isn't dated. I wish they would put a date on the letters...oh well. I'm just glad to get a letter, no matter when it was written. :)
I'm still unsure of an average transit time from Indonesia, though. This letter seems to have taken about three months (assuming it was written mid-December, and arrived here mid-March). My first letter from him seemed to take between 6 and 8 weeks (written sometime in September, delivered by Thanksgiving).
What both warms my heart and humbles me at the same time is the gratitude of the family for my sponsoring him, "to continue my life to the future in the name and love of God the Father. My parents also wish to thank you a lot for your willingness in becoming my sponsor to lead and guide my life to the future. Let us praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--the son of God the Father."
What I find mildly humorous is that, when he writes (his dad on Gabriel's behalf), he addresses me as "Bapak", which translates as "Father" (or "Papa", as per the person who translated this particular letter). I double-checked using an online Indonesian-English dictionary.
I suppose that the country staff couldn't tell my gender from my name (although I figured that information would have been provided by Compassion when I sponsored him, and they sent him my name). It appears to be universal--when I'm speaking about someone of unknown gender, I tend to use male pronouns: he/him/his, rather than he-or-she, etc. Or when I'm writing a business letter and I choose not to use "to whom it may concern", it's generally "Dear sir". So perhaps they simply guessed and used a "generic male" title for me.
Since the letter mentions the coming Christmas and New Year, it is reasonable to assume that the letter was written before my cousin's visit on January 2nd. During Kim's visit, she found out that they hadn't received my letters yet (so I know it takes at least 4 months to get there; I'll keep that in mind when I want to mail out holiday/birthday cards for next year). Because they hadn't even received my "sponsor profile" pamphlet, they didn't even have a picture of me when she visited. In that case, I'm glad I had sent Kim some family pictures to deliver for me.
Now, while I have no idea what Kim told the family about me, I wonder if somehow it became known that I'm female. I suppose I'll find out if they start calling me "Ibu/Mother". :)
Protecting Our Children
11 hours ago
2 comments:
Hello! My name is Kristina and I found your blog by following today's Compassion blog post. I have to say that I have loved reading your words (even made it back all the way to the first post!) and congratulate you on joining the Compassion family and making a difference in the lives of so many children. I became excited for you when you wrote of receiving your letter... you will never, ever tire of going through the mail and finding that familiar old envelope. A smile will inevitably fill your face and your heart will pound with excitement. It is almost a supernatural experience, the connection made between sponsor and child. Yes, it often takes months and months for letters to be received and responded to, but a rythym will develop after about a year or so. And the way you are addressed is always entertaining, simply due sometimes to little errors in translation. No big deal, and by now your child and family know who you are. Also (since I seem to be on a roll here ;) Peru is absolutely wonderful in their response letters and time (or at least, our child and her center is). You will more than likely have a GREAT time communicating with Nells because of this.
Speaking of Nells, she is part of the reason I am writing to you. If you have the time, I would love to know more about having a correspondence child. My family has sponsored four children for about eight years now (my mother Sheri sometimes comments on the Compassion blog) and I have read a lot about correspondence. At this time I am a college student (working on a degree in nursing)and simply do not have the income to sponsor another child. But I do love to write, and have always loved encouraging our sponsored children with words.
If I gather it correctly, correspondence is when you write to a child who is sponsored by someone else, right? I have a few questions about this, such as: How exactly do you become a correspondent "writer"? Does the child understand that someone who is not their sponsor is writing (and does this confuse them)? What happens if the sponsor begins to write at the same time? If for some reason the sponsor has to let go of the sponsorship, do you get offered sponsorship of that child? I probably have more questions I cannot think of right now, but I think this about covers it. I know technically I should contact Compassion directly with these questions, but I would love to hear your advice and experience.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and, if you feel so led, to respond to some of my questions. Little by little, step by step, sponsors like us are changing this world. It is amazing, it is humbling, it is a blessing. God bless you, Judith!
Sincerely,
Kristina
Hey, Kristina!
Thanks so much for your comment.
Correspondence sponsorship is a great ministry made available by Compassion. I've heard so many reports of people going on a sponsor tour, and children asking them why their sponsor never writes to them. Letter writing is such an important part of Compassion's sponsorship program--that's why there's the one sponsor/one child initiative (even if the "sponsor" is a youth group or business--basically, multiple people).
And the reason I asked Compassion for a correspondence child is because I can't currently afford another child, either--so I can relate! Basically, you are correct: you write to the child, but someone else provides the $32 a month. For whatever reason, the financial sponsor has not written in a certain length of time (probably several years--but that's just a guess). That could be for any number of reasons: businesses may be financially able to sponsor 100 children, but don't have the manpower to keep up the writing. Or it could be an elderly person (or of any age) who is not physically capable of writing due to blindness or other physical ailment. Or a person simply doesn't write.
As for whether the child knows whether or not you are their sponsor, it might depend on the project or the age of the child. I recently read about instances where a sponsor would automatically request a correspondence sponsor (perhaps an actor or someone who knows they'll be too busy). Chances are, the child will think of you as their "new" sponsor.
I was wondering also about if the sponsor chooses to write later on--I've heard about that happening; a sponsor didn't write for the first year or two, but then started. I don't have an answer for that; I think I've heard that Compassion may notify the financial sponsor that someone will take up the writing "duties". That's something you'll have to ask Compassion when you call and request a correspondence child/children. The # is (800)336-7676. Normal business hours are 8-5 Mountain time (7-4 Pacific, 10-7 Eastern). If you find out about whether the financial sponsor is informed about the correspondence sponsor, please let me know! I'm also curious as to whether Nells' sponsor sends birthday gifts. If not, I'd love to!
I scrolled down to make sure I addressed all your questions; I forgot at least one: if the sponsor discontinues, I think you are given the option to pick up sponsorship. Ask Compassion for clarification (yup!), and please let me know also! Ha! Or maybe I'll call and find out, particularly in my relationship with Nells, since I'd love to be given the option to pick up the financial aspect of things if necessary.
Hope that helps!
I may not change the world, but I can change the world for my sponsored child.
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