Peacable Kingdom Press

I just love the notecards from this company.  I found mine at Barnes & Noble.

Photo Bookmarks

Today I made some bookmarks.  On the front is a flower with the kids' faces in the center.  On the back is a photo of each one in black and white.  I had them laminated at Staples -- very inexpensive.

Multicultural Sticker Scene

From Oriental Trading.  $4.99 for a dozen.

Here's the link to buy them. 

Mini-Lapbook

I found some 6x9 inch envelopes at Michael's and made a miniature lapbook small enough to fit the envelope.  I took a piece of cardstock and cut it down to size.  I folded over the ends to make a little book and put in some easy mazes, a word search, a dot to dot and some miscellaneous stickers I had around the house.  It's for our 5-year old child, Fredy.  It's my first attempt at a lapbook and it was really fun to do!!!  Thanks to everyone on the Compassion blog who suggested this idea!

    

   

Next batch of letters ready to go...

The sparkly stars are from Family Christian Stores.

Fun Stuff from Oriental Trading

I keep a goody bin filled with items that can be sent to sponsored kids. These are all from the Oriental Trading catalog.

When I write letters - about every 6-8 weeks - I grab something from the bin and put it in along with the letter. Whatever is left over goes to my daughter and the neighbor kids. Here's how to find the items above in the Oriental Trading catalog:

• Make-a-Fish Aquarium Stickers - $2.99 per dozen
• IN-34/684
• Bird Sticker Books - $5.99 per dozen
• IN-9/1082
• Design your own Noah's Ark Sticker Scenes - $4.99 per dozen
• IN-57/6308
• 3-D Space Sticker Books - $9.99 per dozen
• IN-9/1091
• ***NOTE: These are expensive -- and the 3D effect isn't great. If I had to order again, I would go with...
• Make Your Own Solar System Stickers - $2.99 per dozen
• IN-70/3770
• "God's Greatest Gift" Color Your Own Stickers - $2.99 per dozen
• IN-36/1858
• Make A Racecar Sticker Sheets - $2.99 per dozen
• IN-9/748

Bible Verse Cards

Our oldest sponsored child is preparing to graduate from the program in May. In addition to a monetary gift for a graduation present, I wanted to share with him some of my favorite Bible verses. I made Bible verse cards and on the back I put photos of Ethiopians who are victorious in their lives.






















My verses:

• Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.


• Philippians 3:13-14 I forget the past and strain ahead for what is still to come. I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upward to receive in Christ Jesus.


• Isaiah 40:31 Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


• Matthew 7:7 Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you.


• Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Oldies, but goodies.

Easter-themed letter

Here is the Easter letter we're sending out to our younger sponsored kids. We are including:

• "He Lives!" make-a-scene stickers from Oriental Trading, with paper;
• "Color Your Own Cross" fuzzy pictures from Oriental Trading;
• Pics of our daughter decorating Easter eggs;
• DLTK's free make your own custom writing paper in an Easter theme.

Winter-themed letter

I'm getting ready to send a winter-themed letter off to a little boy in the Philippines who is 6 years old. I'm sending:

• Pics of a recent snowstorm
• Penguin stickers and paper (from the Oriental Trading catalog)
• A letter on penguin and igloo-themed stationery from the DLTK website -- make your own free customized writting paper -- http://www.dltk-cards.com/writingpaper/

Pocket folders that fit Compassion's mailing size

EDITED TO ADD:  I've since found out that full-size folders will go through.  You don't have to cut them down.  My only recommendation would be to avoid the folders with the metal clasps in the center.  Stick to simple paper folders.

Someone on the "Letter Writing Ideas" page over at the Compassion Blog came up with a GREAT idea!! (Hi Donna!) :) Send a folder to your child so he or she has something to keep letters and gifts in.

The standard-size folder exceeds Compassion's size limit. One idea is to cut the folders down to size. Cut an inch or two off the top and an inch or two off the right hand side. Then staple the pockets closed again.

This is what we did for one of my daughter's art projects and they are really sweet. See pics above!

"Favorite Things" Letter

We asked one of our sponsored kids to tell us about his favorite things -- and got a really neat letter back. So we sent a list of our favorite things.

Here is the letter we sent. It's just an idea if you're feeling stuck about what to write. It's kind of an easy and fun letter to put together.

Click on the images below to see them better. (Use the back arrow to get back to this page.)

Sports Cards and Stickers

Our oldest sponsored child from Ethiopia is interested in the World Cup and we've exchanged some letters on the subject. I found some cool football/soccer stickers and cards and sent those. I got them on Amazon.

Mail for unsponsored kids

I went through all of my old Christmas cards, cut out images and taped those to cardstock. On the back of each I put a Bible verse. I put each one in an envelope with some stickers.

They're on their way!

Mail for Unsponsored Kids Part II

I found some cute Peanuts stickers around the house and decorated up my envelopes for the unsponsored kids a bit. I think they look cute:

Bookmarks

There is a new group on OurCompassion that is inviting people to write letters to children in the program who don't yet have sponsors. You can write letters, send stickers, bookmarks, etc.

To find out more about this, join OurCompassion and sign up with the "Encouragement and Hope" group. They have all the info on where to send your letters.

My daughter and I made some cards/bookmarks to send. We'll put them in an envelope along with some stickers. I hope the kids like them!

Soccer Stencils

Here is my latest find for my sponsored kids. "Fun with Soccer Stencils." It has six paper stencils of a person playing soccer. My Ethiopian kids love soccer/football! One thing to note, Compassion International can no longer send books or booklets -- anything that has a binding that is too thick or stiff. But these very small Dover booklets will go through. I found this one at my local children's museum.

Pop-Up Cards

I'm getting ready to send a package off to one of my children in Ethiopia. I found these cute pop-up cards at Barnes & Noble. The brand is Panoramics.

How to be a top-notch sponsor

Everyone has their own approach to building a relationship with their sponsored kids. Here are a few tips that have helped me be the best sponsor I can be!

1) WRITE TO YOUR CHILD: I write once every 6-8 weeks. But I would say writing 3-4 times a year is great. With Compassion, you can e-mail your child through their website -- how easy is that? A birthday card, a Christmas card, a postcard and an e-mail and you've corresponded four times right there -- totally doable!

2) SEND FUN THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME: Photos, postcards, stickers, bookmarks. Anything paper and flat. Whenever we go someplace new, I enjoy scouting out the giftshops for cool cards or postcards to send. (Greeting cards that play music were a particular hit!)

3) KEEP YOUR LETTERS AGE-APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE IN LENGTH: I read a post from a woman talking about the 7-page letter she sent to her sponsored child.  My personal opinion is that's too long and taxes the resource of the organization - specifically the translators.  One to two pages in length is appropriate.

4) UNDERSTAND THAT THE INITIAL LETTERS FROM YOUR CHILD MAY BE SHORT AND GENERIC: All relationships take time to build -- and your child is likely young and still learning the skill of correspondence.

5) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADDITIONAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Birthdays, family gifts, etc. With Compassion, these gifts go directly to the family, maximizing what your money is doing for your sponsored child.

6) LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUNTRY AND CULTURE: I knew nothing about Ethiopia when I started as a sponsor. Well, nothing other than the usual stereotypes -- I doubt I need to elaborate on those. What a difference two years has made. I know a ton about the Ethiopian government, current events, tourist spots, national parks, landscape, wildlife, national holidays. What a wonderful place it is! Having my horizons expanded was an unexpected benefit for me.