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A Sponsor's Journal, Letters, Tip Tuesday
A Sponsor's Journal, Letters, Tip Tuesday Are You Like Me?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 4:32PM Are you still mourning the swift passing of 2010?
Are you already tired of hearing about New Year’s resolutions?
I am, even though we're only 4 days into the new year. And the resolutions start to feel burdenson, mostly because I know my track record with change.
It doesn’t help that most of my resolutions are intangible – each year, the desire to be less selfish, more healthy, more present in my life reemerges. These aspirations require actions, yet I’m not including those steps in my goals for the new year.
SO this year I’m resolving to change the nature of my resolutions – this year they will be actions, not feelings. To keep me honest, here they are. Feel free to ask me about them over the course of this year!
- I will write back right away. As soon as I get a letter, I resolve to sit down and respond to Munni and Sovanna. Perhaps then I won’t feel that lightning bolt of guilt when I find their letters buried under magazines or file folders. Perhaps by responding quickly, the joy I feel upon reading their words will flow into my own letters.
- I will pray for my girls every day. This slipped away from me as the holiday season grew more frenzied. I’m a woman who needs reminders. So my Outlook Calendar at work is now going to remind me every morning to pray for my girls. I hope that will transform the first few minutes of my workday. For the weekends, I have a specific alarm set for them -- we’ll see how that works!
- I will pray over specific verses. Have you ever had someone pray a verse over your life? It’s a powerful thing -- a gift really. So I asked God to give me a verse for Sovanna and a verse for Munni. A prayer and hope straight from God’s Word. I’m excited to see where He leads me for their sake.
Those are my big three. What about you? What have you resolved to do in 2011? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to hear how God is directing you this new year.
(And since I'm asking for comments, I was surprised that no one responded to my request for requests last week. Do you have questions about sponsorship or want to know how others stay engaged? Let me know!)
Reader Comments (1)
I have been very faithful with #2. I pray for my sponsored children more than once a day, that has been easy. The letter writing is my greatest weakness. Recent posts that included excerpts from sponsored children’s letters are such a motivator to keep me on track. Let me share briefly a story about #3, praying specific verses...Proverbs 31: 1 - 9 has been a favorite passage of mine for years. In this passage King Lemuel reflects on the things his mother has taught him. I am no King but I believe I have a King's mother. My Mom always taught me "to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves". Anyway verses 8 and 9 are my favorite of Proverbs 31 and is also my personal "Mission Statement” if you will, because I am a volunteer as well as a sponsor. Just over a year ago the Lord led me to sponsor another child. Her name is Mary Rose and she is from the Philippines. The first letter I received from Mary Rose and family included the names of her brothers and sisters. To my delight and surprise one of her brother’s name is Lemuel. This confirmed to me how important praying this passage over and over keeps me focused on what the Lord has called me to do and the connection with my sponsored child. I have shared this special connection with Mary Rose and family. My resolve for 2011 is to pray more for the Lord to open even more doors.