No Better Time Than NOW, to Sponsor a Child!

Kim Hall, director of Manna 4 Lempira (Sowers4Pastors' sponsorship program), shared some basics - and beyond - of child sponsorship. As she said, “Don’t bring up child sponsorship around me unless you really want to hear about it.”

Escarlet Alejandra (age 4) is available for
sponsorship. Click here for more info.

If you’ve ever wondered about the process of sponsoring a child through Manna 4 Lempira, then this post is for you. If you already sponsor a child, this post is for you. And, if you’ve never even considered sponsoring a child, this post is also for you. All others can stop reading.

Let’s begin with the “How To” portion. Go to the Sowers4Pastors website and you will see a drop-down menu for “Child Sponsorship Programs” across the top of the homepage. A great place to start is the drop-down option “Learn about our Sponsorship Programs."

You will be able to scroll through the children and see both sponsored and unsponsored kids (here's the direct link to that page). Select a child to sponsor. You will then complete the process by giving your contact information and setting up your sponsorship payments. Signing up is not rocket surgery. It’s way easier than online shopping and much more rewarding.

In the same menu, you can find the Manna 4 Lempira policy page. It lists all of the Dos and Don’ts of Child sponsorship. It is also highly advisable to connect with other sponsors through a Facebook forum mentioned on the policy page. When you join the forum, you will be connected to a group of sponsors who can counsel you and help you make the most of the sponsorship opportunity.

Angel Javier (age 10) is available for
sponsorship. Click here for more info.

The process of becoming a child sponsor is easy-peasy. The results change lives.

Kim said, “I’m sitting here in Honduras because I sponsored children. We were at a concert and we heard the appeal of sponsoring a child. It was the Christian thing to do, but I didn’t expect to be so involved. It was a little income that I didn’t really miss coming out of my bank account every month.”

She went on to discuss the joys of becoming personally involved. “This link you’re clicking isn’t like naming a star! It’s a person. It’s a child that God made--a unique individual. This is the opportunity for a relationship. The child wants a relationship. They pray for you. If you send them a picture, they hang it on their wall. You are important to them. This is about how you allow God to impact your heart through sponsorship. It took a while for me to realize that I have an impact on their lives.”

Kim originally visited Honduras because she sponsored a child and she wanted to meet her. That child lived just outside of Gracias. Years later, that child now lives in Kim’s house!

Kim said, “It’s the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission in a different way. We get to tell these kids, ‘God loves you as a person.’”

Allisson Camela (age 6) is available
for sponsorship. Click here for more info

She explained that many parents are busy trying to survive, so a lot of them aren’t sitting down and telling their kids, “You matter.” As a sponsor, this is an opportunity for you to tell the kids that they have hope to offer the world. They have something spiritual to offer. By clicking the link to sponsor a child, you are getting the chance to “Do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone.”

“I have a desire to do a lot for a lot of people. I can’t. But I can impact the ones God puts in my life,” Kim said.

You will impact the life of the child if you are just sending your $15 a month. By going deeper, you are creating relationships. Every time letters are sent between the sponsors or the kids, the equivalent of two novels-worth of words are translated. No one would do that if it weren’t important.

Take every opportunity to get to know your sponsored child. Write letters. Send a backpack filled with gifts once a year. Those backpacks are telling children, “I believe you are smart enough to go to school.” Pray for the child by name.

Manna 4 Lempira and Sowers4Pastors are small enough that you have the chance to talk to the actual missionaries who go out and see these kids. I have it on good authority that Kim Hall is always up for talking about the kids and the program!

Click here to see all the children available for sponsorship in the Manna 4 Lempira program!

 - posted by Christi