Wait. It’s not what you think. Not a real father. I’ve decided to sponsor a child and I guess that makes me a father :)
I’ve been touched these few months and probably encouraged deep down inside to sponsor a child. I had a lot of excuses: “I didn’t trust those sponsorship organizations”, “It’s a scary long-term commitment”, “I don’t have enough money to do one”, “I’m scared I will stop half-way”, “I’ll make a donation to something else”, etc.
Those excuses have now been thrown to the bin.
I’ve read and heard lots of God’s words in the Bible about giving to the poor and the oppressed. The intensity in hearing and reading these have grown quite significantly these past few weeks. I was ashamed. I focus so much on blogging and how to get money from it. I get around $100-$150 a month from my blog and here I am, not even bother looking at those poor kids who would be so lucky to even have a proper meal each day.
I was introduced by a friend to Compassion:
Compassion is an international Christian child development ministry, committed to child advocacy and working in partnership with local churches around the world to foster the spiritual, economic, social, physical and emotional development of children living in extreme poverty in over 25 developing countries.
Compassion is very transparent, meaning you don’t need to worry where your donation will go or what it will be used for. There is a complete FAQ on their web site and I can guarantee that all of your questions will be answered there (how many percentages of your money go to the child, reports on your child’s progress, etc)
You can also pick your own child on your preferred country (photos and descriptions are on the site). It’s a monthly commitment of $44 to sponsor a child and the child will be encouraged to write letters to you 3 times a year (in which you can write back to them). $44 may sound a lot, but think of it, you only need to save around $1.50 each day and that amount is enough for your child’s meal, education, and other needs.
My new "daughter"
If you are a blogger and earning money from affiliates, clickbanks, adsense, and whatever PayPal dollars that you can get from, why can’t you just put aside some percentages of it to these poor kids?
If you are a Christian, I encourage you to also read on a cell group/bible study resource that I wrote here about Giving to the Poor. I hope God speaks to you through this article and moves you to do what I do today.
If you think that you’re not ready to commit to $44 a month, my church also supports a program by the Samaritan’s purse, called “Operation Christmas Child“. Basically you’ll be given a box and you can fill it with toys, books, or whatever you want on that box. The boxes will be shipped to the children on poor countries for this year’s Christmas. I saw the video about the program and seeing the kids’ eyes when they opened the box is something that you can’t see anywhere else. You don’t even have to be a Christian to do this. Feel free to message me if you believe in me and want to participate through me (you can transfer any amount of money to my PayPal and I can get a box, fill it in with the gifts, and send the box for you. I’ll take pictures as proofs. You can also be specific in what things you’d like to be filled on the box!). I need to return the gift box before 28th September 2008, so let me know a.s.a.p, if you want me to help you.
Some great videos on YouTube that hopefully can further move your hearts:
- Maila (a child sponsored via Compassion)
- What is Operation Christmas Child?
- Operation Christmas Child (Michael W Smith)
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Ohhh, from the post title I thought it was something else. Hehe. That’s a nice way to share some of your blessings, brother. We too have something similar to this in the Philippines.
Bless you, Mike.
Congratulations, Michael, You are so kind, and the kid is really cute, moreover, I have added you into my blogroll,
Best wishes!
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You caught me off guard with this post.
Thought you were a real papa!
Giving back to society is something we should all be doing, so I commend you for doing your share. I’ve given to a variety of causes, and my favorite is an inner city church close to my home. They distribute food, clothing, blankets to the homeless, school supplies to disadvantaged kids, and so much more.
Thanks for this post. It really reinforces the fact that many of us should be doing more (including myself).
Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll find it a rewarding experience.
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Thanks, guys. I guess we’ve been all too busy reading stuffs on SEO, how to squeeze every pennis from our readers and forgetting what we are all here for
Hi Mike! I actually wrote something about compassion sometime in February this year. MY wife used to be a sponsored child as well here in the Philipines. Our church is a partner of Compassion and we have so many sponsored kids.
Here a link to my post about the sponsored kids now grown-ups forming an organization to give back to the organization:
http://blogcebuworld.com/2008/02/24/compassion-alumni-cebu-launching/
God bless you and your ministry! I wish there are more people like you guys ^^
Congratulations! I supported a child through Compassion for a while. I felt terrible that I didn’t do much correspondence even though I got some neat letters from them. I did write a few times, but I just wish I could have done more. Make the time to write them and really connect with them and their family. It will be worth your time!
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I think this is a really good idea to sponsor the child. There is so much disparity in the world that we all need to do our bit to redress the balance, good for you!
That’s awesome Mike!!!!!!
@Paul: True, true. I’m planning to reply or at least have an attachment to the child (well, at least that’s the plan!). I’m good at writing emails but not hand-written mails :’(
So glad that you are one of those who took the step too
@Ann & John: Cheers guys. Hope one of you is touched as well
What you have done is a beautiful deed. In a world so starved of goodness every little it helps. Kudos to you!
Hi Mike, that seems to be a very cool idea. I would love to do some donations but my two brothers are in college so I need to help them financially. Honestly, I am considering of donating percentage of my income, but of course I have to prioritize my siblings’ studies for now.
Congratulations for finally being a dad, Mike ;0
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@Eva: Thanks Eva. Yeah, every little bit counts
@Hye Munar: That’s very nice of you supporting your brothers in their college. Well, maybe after your brothers are out of college, then? Consider that a promise to yourself?