Encouragement in sponsorship can be found in unexpected places. This sponsor heard God speak to her -- powerfully -- in a worship song.

May your heart for changing the lives of others be refreshed by this message! Click to read more.

In addition to Thanksgiving, this week was International Girl Effect Week. We've written about this before -- about how powerful even an extra year of education can be for a girl, and the challenges girls face in the developing world.

But it's not just girls -- simply encouraging a child to stay in school, to work hard, to emphasize that you believe in them has tremendous power. For young boys with few positive male role models in their community, your words may have more weight than you know.

Which is why we are so thankful for you. Your support and commitment to changing the life of a child creates a new dynamic for their growth and development. Your prayers give hope and encouragement, and your words proclaiming their worth in your eyes are treasured.

Your sponsored child may not have developed the eloquence to fully express their thanks, so we want to do it for them. THANK YOU. Thank you for the effect you have on the children of the world.

This may not make a typical Thanksgiving list, but that's no reason not to be grateful for the way you've helped us improve the lives of children!

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When Jack Eans, Mission of Mercy's Vice President of International Child Ministries, traveled to Zimbabwe to train the new project staff, God spoke to him in a surprising way.

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The approach of Thanksgiving makes us consider all that we are grateful for -- so it may be worth hearing why our sponsored children are thankful:

“I thank God for your life and for picking me to sponsor me and letting me come to the center. I feel happy to know that someone is worried for my own good. Without knowing you, I feel that I know you, but I know you love me too…” – Helen, age 12, Honduras

“I am very fine here by the grace of God and by the blessing of yours. I am still trying to do much better and work hard from before days. Thanks for making me confident to do my work well. I also want to see your picture. I am very prosperous and happy to receive your letter. Myself also feels very lucky that you are my sponsor. I love you all.” – Shirpa, age 13, India

“My family and I thank you for all the love you have toward me. I ask God to take care of you and of all your family. I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to be in this project and because he made us to be together. I love you a lot and I carry you inside my heart and mind. I thank you for helping me to reach my dream …I don’t find a way to thank your kindness. I say bye with lots of love and appreciation and wishing that God bless you.” – Maycol, age 9, Honduras

“Hello, how are you? I am good and happy because you love me and want me and I love you a lot, too. And I pray for you so God will care for you and give you peace.” – Darwin, age 12, Dominican Republic

“Thank you very much for your support for my education. May the Lord Father bless your profession. I have secured good grades in the final exam. Your support is the main cause for my success. May the Lord bless all your activities enabling to help poor children like me. I will never forget you.” – Anushan, age 12, Sri Lanka

“I am very happy when I accept your letter. I thought as if we met face to face your word of love and advice forces me to read your letter again and again. Thank you very much! I am very lucky of getting your love. I love you and also pray for you.” – Wasyihun, age 6, Ethiopia

Your sponsored child is so grateful for you. We hope you know how thankful we are for you, too!

Do you have a favorite story on this blog? Here's what other sponsors liked to read... if you're new to this blog, here are the top 10 stories from the past few months! Some are stories, and others are photo galleries, so click away!

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The Bible shows us that a person's name has a lot of symbolism. So what does it mean when your sponsored child's name changes?

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Mission of Mercy has one major goal as we minister to children: we want to help them reach their God-given potential.

Yet as much as we wish the children would stay and learn and grow until graduation, we know there are many situations outside of our -- or their -- control. So why do children leave the program?

Here are a few reasons why... and some advice on how to respond from a child who had to leave, as well.

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Kenyans gather to view the destruction caused by a broken fuel pipe in a Nairobi slum. Photo: Khalil Senois/Associated PressA Sponsor's Journal explores the options in responding to the needs of the world. Does poverty always lead to negative things? Or can we use it as a tool?

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It may seem like a simple question, and the answer is hugely important. It involves your prayers and perseverance... and to help, we've included lots of tips.

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When you think about writing to your sponsored child, do you struggle to come up with something to write about? The inspiration for four letters may be right outside your window...

One sponsor shares an idea of a simple way to share about God's great love for us while allowing your sponsored child to learn more about your life. Click here to read more!

Can something as simple as summer camp help a child see the love of God?
One child shares her experience...

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How do you measure poverty? If a child has access to a television, is he truly poor? If your sponsored child has mentioned watching cartoons or movies, this may provide some perspective.

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Can you believe it's back-to-school time already?

As you prepare your own children for the start of school (or as you begin to see the little ones with their giant backpacks waiting for their bus) say a prayer for your sponsored child.

Their school schedule may be a bit different -- while they do have longer holiday breaks, they may not start their school year in August and September like we do in the U.S. -- but a new school year brings the same anxieties. Will my friends be in my class? Will I have the right supplies? Will I fit in?

This week we'll explore what school can look like in several countries, as well as how a Mission of Mercy project can come alongside a child to help them with their classes and schoolwork.

In the meantime, you tell us: how are you praying for the new school year?

One of the teams in Honduras boasts FIVE mother-daughter teams... and there's also a husband and wife who brough their two sons on the trip, as well!

One of the mothers wrote that "when you go on a missions trip, you never know who you'll be serving alongside, but you always see God's hand at work in the people He brings together. None of us had any idea there would be other mother-daughter teams along, but we've all been so blessed to be serving the Lord alongside our children."

How do you involve your children when you sponsor a child overseas? Has sponsoring a child helped you teach your own children about God's kingdom and work in the world? Share your answers in the comments below!
 

These are the faces of children in our projects in Honduras.

What do you see when you look at their faces? Do you see hope? Joy? Dignity?

That is the goal of all of our programs in each country we serve, to give each child the opportunity to learn, to feel accepted, to see just how much God loves them. And when given that chance, these children truly transform.

The mission trip participants currently in Honduras are seeing this first hand. One participant from our radio partner WPFF in Wisconsin wrote this:

The difference in the children who are in the program [and those who are not] is like the difference between night and day...it's the difference between hopelessness and HOPE...hope of a happy, healthy life. YOU may be the one to put an end to their family's cycle of poverty that has been in existence for generations.

Over the course of this week, several of our partner radio stations will be asking listeners to sponsor some of the children their friends and fellow listeners are serving. If you came from WPFF, WNLI, KSLT, KLMP, WMSJ, or 97.9 The Point, welcome.

If you came looking for more information about child sponsorship, please explore this blog. But if you want to see the impact of child sponsorship, look no further than these faces. Listen to the experience of others, such as this trip participant from WMSJ:

Today we were reminded that we are all one family and these children in God’s eyes are ours. You wouldn’t believe the joy in the eyes of each child who was able to meet their sponsor. It was hard to hold back the tears as we watched when a child was overcome with joy upon meeting their sponsor for the first time, and the hugs and sheer gratitude they had in knowing that they had a sponsor. It was almost as if they were meeting a long lost family member.

But there was also some sadness as one little girl mistook one of our team members to be her sponsor. When he told her he was not her sponsor, she said to him that the sadness in his eyes reflected the sadness in her heart.

What wisdom in that precious child! Proverbs 27:19 tells us that “As water reflects a face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” What is your life reflecting right now? Did you know you could bring such joy and hope to a child for $34 a month?

How many of us grew up on a playground, chasing friends and competing to see how high we could swing?

Should children growing up in poverty be denied that opportunity?

Get a glimpse at what one devoted group of generous donors did for thousands of kids in Swaziland!

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Your sponsorship goes beyond providing educational support, but does having fun really make a difference in a child's life?

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Her hard-working father earns $2 a day.

It is not enough so her mother goes to another country in search of work.

Where does that leave Praveena and her siblings?

It is a predicament many children in the developing world face...

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One of Mission of Mercy's radio partners, SOS Radio, is currently in Sri Lanka, working at a very special project and learning how the opportunity for leadership changes lives...

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