June 30, 2020  · AMY HECKMAN

In 62 countries around the world, the Church of the Nazarene ministers to children in need through child development programs and centers. These centers provide safe spaces for children to develop and learn holistically. The staff and volunteers in each center support the physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational needs of each child. Some centers offer homework help in the afternoons after school, others provide hot meals and medical care, and some offer a full school curriculum. No matter what shape they take, each center shares one key feature—they are church-led and supported, offering the families of the students a connection point to the local church and to faithful Christians who care.

Many of the children who attend these centers are sponsored through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. The sponsorship program links caring adults to students, giving the students a friend in their lives who encourages them and prays for them as they grow. Below are some quotes from children and excerpts from letters that children have sent to their sponsors. 

Note: The letters were sent before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of centers to prioritize the safety, health, and education of children and their families. Holistic child development programs, which have historically focused on in-person teaching and care, have adapted during the pandemic, and are continuing to care for children while they are unable to meet.

When I receive a letter, first I read it alone, then we sit, the four of us, in the family: my dad, my mom, my younger brother, and me. I read it again and I give the boy stickers to my brother and I take mine. Then we all pray for my sponsor. Her letters are like my precious stories. I hide them in my secret drawer beside my bed, so I can read them whenever I want. I love her so much. She is a blessing!

~ A sponsored child in Lebanon, on receiving letters from her sponsor

Dear Sponsor,

Greetings to you! I pray for God's blessings upon your daily activities. Let me tell you that I finished my school year. I have learned many new things. Now I am in second grade. I am happy to attend the Church of the Nazarene. We have Children's Church service for all the children. We have learned God's Word, to sing, to pray, and to give offerings.

~ A sponsored child in Guatemala, writing to their sponsor

Hello dear sponsors, 

I greet you along with my family, wishing that the peace of God will cover you, and that God will bless you in a special way. We are doing well here. ln July, I graduated from high school. We are in a time of vacation now. My plan is to begin to work while I wait for a space to study in the university. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the sponsorship children in the scholarship program that the church of the Nazarene has. I am thankful to you for choosing me to be your sponsored child for these four years. May God bless you in health, love, peace, and prosperity. Thanks for your prayers and the support that you have given my entire family unit. 

~ A sponsored child in Venezuela, writing to their sponsor

“I saw nurses and caregivers are taking care of sick children. That inspired me and I started dreaming to be a nurse when I grow up,” said a sponsored child in Bangladesh. She loves to go to her child development center. “Every day she comes home and share the stories she has learned there,” her mother said. Her father is the only earning member of the family of five. He says, “I didn’t have the ability to provide proper education to my daughter, but she is getting it from the center.” 

~ A sponsored child and her family in Bangladesh, on the difference her center has made.

Dear Sponsors,

I thank you for the financial support you send me. When l grow up, l want to teach kindergarten because I would like to help children who live in the streets and do not have resources. Spiritually I would like to be a teacher of children to teach them more about the word of God, I have faith that I will achieve it with the help of God because to this day He has never left me alone.

~A sponsored child in Bolivia

Dear Sponsors,

I am good in health and attending school in grade 9. The schools are closed for it is winter, but that does not mean the books are closed. When I wake up in the morning, I assist my parents and thereafter I go to the center to play with other children. But what I like most is the support group where child and youth care workers discuss different topics. I enjoy to be at the center, it is a great help. 

~A sponsored child in South Africa

If you’d like to learn more about the sponsorship program and how you can make a difference in the life of a child, visit ncm.org/sponsor.