How to sponsor a child
How I did it: I had prayed about sponsoring a child, the more I read about how few of them have adequate food and clean water, and difficulty being able to receive an education. My brother and I agreed to one day take on a child and share the monthly payments, but kept forgetting to do some research and take the initiative to do it. Tonight I went to an exhibit by World Vision at a church nearby that had you see the life of a child affected by HIV/AIDS from their point of view, in their own shoes. It was devastating, especially since I've volunteered with people who likely have lived similarly to what I saw. At the end, there were packets with children's faces on them for you to take and go send it in to sponsor them. Without hesitation I took the first one, and now we're going to sponsor a 13 year old boy in South Africa! Thank God for making me see how simple it would be to change someone's life forever.
Lessons & tips: Just jump in and do it; not many organizations will force you to keep supporting a child if you can no longer do it, although I'd encourage you to keep going even in financial hardship -- money always seems to take care of itself when some of it goes towards a greater cause.
Resources: World Vision definitely put on a great event that opened many eyes! Compassion International is another great one, if I have the name correctly. Just search the internet and look hard at their website!
