Thinking back to my childhood I had a lot of great people around me who did encourage me. There were of course a handful of classmates or others who would pick on me because of my acne and the mole I had on my face (since removed by plastic surgery). I always felt self conscious of my face since a very early age. I knew my parents, friends, and family loved me (and of course God too!), but it still bothered me that I had to deal with acne and the jokes from others. Other kids can be cruel (and adults too sadly).
Now, years later, looking back on it, I wish I could have told myself that it would get better, that my face would clear up, that surgery to remove my mole would happen, that I would eventually get married, etc. At the time I wasn't so sure any of those would happen, but now looking back I know I should have prayed more about it, accepted how I looked, and have confidence in my personality to shine through.
I know as a child, it would have helped to hear all of this, or to hear encouraging words instead of insults from classmates.
Because of this, I make sure to tell all my sponsored children with Compassion International just how loved and special I think they are. I make sure to tell them how pretty/handsome they are, how much I love them, how unique and important they are, and how much God loves them. I hope my words of encouragement mean as much to them in their young lives as I know it would have meant to me to hear it growing up. For those of you that do sponsor a child, please make sure to write them often and encourage them in their schooling and life. Even if you don't think you have anything exciting to write to them, they love just hearing about your day, or the fact that you are thinking of them. A short letter to say hi is always appreciated, as it makes them feel special getting mail on mail day at their project.
I had a great family and childhood growing up, but my appearance definitely made me shy/self-conscious until it cleared up. My sponsored children may not be going through physical appearance struggles (I hope!), but I'm sure they have their own struggles with family finances, missing parents, struggling in school, worrying about their futures, etc. I pray that they won't have to worry about any of those, and through Compassion International and the child sponsorship program they can get their needs met to overcome those obstacles.
I want you to consider sponsoring a child today. There are a lot of kids on the Compassion site that still need sponsors so feel free to click on the link below to pick any child that jumps out at you.
Click here to sponsor a child today!
I have also found a few children on the site that I would like to advocate for from Rwanda who have been waiting to receive a sponsor for over a year now! These children could use all the love and support that you can offer to them through your monthly financial help as well as your precious letters that you send them. My kids from Rwanda write great letters and are so thankful to hear from me, that it always brings a smile to my face to read their letters.
Uwimbabazi Dianne
Her birthday is November 2, 2006 (so she is 6....soon to be 7). She lives with her parents who are sometimes employed as farmers. There are 5 children in the family.
Irambona Gaudance
Her birthday is July 30, 2006. She just turned 7 a month ago and has been waiting over a year for a sponsor. She lives with her mother and there are 4 kids in the family.
Ndayishimiye David
His birthday is November 18, 2005. He is 7, almost 8 years old. He lives with his parents and helps carry firewood and water. There are five kids in his family.
Please consider sponsoring one of these 3 children to put a smile on their faces :) Otherwise, please feel free to look through the Compassion site to find a child with a certain birthday, name, from a certain country, etc. There are so many ways to search for a child that I encourage you to explore the Compassion page today.
What a great post! I think it's a great reminder to share with your kids that they are valued no matter what they look like. I think a lot of kids struggle with appearances...but I bet your kids would love to hear that they're important and that you think they're beautiful and handsome :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Hannah :)
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