Sponsorship?

Four years ago, my dear friend and I decided to co-sponsor a child. Time has flown and honestly, though we as sponsors wish for more of a relationship with our child who is not so much a child as a girl on the cusp of womanhood, we realize that the current state of our relationship exists largely due to us. Living in different states and different countries while each spinning numerous plates has resulted in sporadic, hurried communication that has often lacked intentionality and depth.  It's been all we can do to keep track of and be financially able to make the payments that have sometimes backed up for months at a time. When the letters come, they sometimes read so generically that we wonder if she receives ours or writes her own. But when I flip the letters over, without fail, I find a beautiful drawing in consistent Eliana style. In spite of all the success stories you  hear on Sunday mornings we wonder if we are truly making a difference. We wonder if this is THE ministry that God has called us to when there are so many others vying for our limited resources. When it truly hurts to give, we wonder if we can continue- if we should.

Over the past few weeks the specific organization that I sponsor through has come across my path three times. First, there was a lengthy presentation in church with more specifics and personal stories than I am used to hearing followed by this blog post that fell in my lap.
http://margaretfeinberg.com/5-things-your-sponsored-child-can-never-tell-you/

In all honesty, the first point struck me the most. I knew these children were poor, but not the poorest of the poor- or to the extent the numbers show.

The other points were not fresh to me, but were a reminder of how plush my life is compared to so many people around the globe. As a young teenager, I mailed a $1 bill to our sponsored child in Ethiopia as a Christmas present. I knew that you weren't supposed to send money directly, but I figured that the amount was so insignificant it wouldn't be a problem. A town meeting was held and it was decided that the family would keep the money to buy a chicken. The eggs that chicken laid were sold and with time bought shoes for the whole family. I had given that family a major economic boost. $1- it's staggering to think what so little of what I have can do. That skipped latte could buy three chickens.

So we wonder, does this sponsorship thing work? Does it truly, generally result in impact-full change across the board or are the success stories an exception? Are the results inflated? I brought in the mail and on the cover was this story. Yes, according to the numbers from an economic stand point it really does work.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/june/want-to-change-world-sponsor-child.html

Today, I wondered how I could make a change in this current scenario. I asked myself how I could better build relationship. How could I better mentor this young woman in Ecuador thousands of miles away? The pen is mightier than the sword and prayer mightier than the pen.
                       
                                                                         Eliana