What do I say? How to write your sponsored friend
November 18, 2009
“I feel very good when I get a letter. I feel I am being loved very much. It makes me want to write lots of letters to my sponsor.” — Sesilia, 9, Tanzania
Sesilia expresses what all sponsored friends feel about receiving letters from their sponsors. A letter from you is a symbol of love and represents the human connection in the relationship. Exchanging letters is a way for you build that relationship.
If you haven’t written your friend because you don’t know what to say, grab a piece of paper and a pen. Our goal with this month’s eNews is to help you compose a letter step-by-step using as an example a letter written by a sponsor to her friend in Venezuela.
Step 1: The opening
How do you start? This is usually the toughest part of the letter. Start by greeting your friend and asking about the family. Then, follow up with something your friend mentioned in a previous letter as Sheila has done here. Did he take a test? Is a family member ill? Did she have a birthday? The opening is the place to touch base about important events your friend has talked about.
Step 2: The body
Now that you’ve opened the letter, share what’s going on in your household. Sheila mentions Halloween and the upcoming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sponsored friends love hearing about holiday customs. Or, share something about yourself. Describe a pet. Talk about your favorite sport. Tell your friend about your children, their ages and grades in school. The words will flow once you start writing about something important to you.
Step 3: The closing
In your closing paragraph, give your friend encouragement. Sheila simply closed her letter by wishing Edinson and his family a happy New Year. Tell your friend you think about him and pray for him and his family. Then, sign off.
Congratulations! The hard part is done. You can include a photo of yourself and your family with your letter. Sponsored friends love getting pictures.
Mailing your letter
Follow the instructions provided with the pre-printed mailing labels you received from CFCA. Send your letter via international airmail, unless it is sent to a U.S. mailing address. Check postage rates at the U.S. Postal Service Web site, www.usps.com.
We have more suggestions about letter writing here.
Was this helpful? Do you have any questions for us regarding letter writing? Drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you.
Entry Filed under: Around the World with CFCA. Tags: aging, cfca, children, christian, letter writing, letters, sponsorship, technorati.
12 Comments Add your own
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
1. cynthia giel | November 18, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Very helpful, especially since I sponsor an elderly person. I would also appreciate suggestions for small gifts. I have sent 2 gifts that were never acknowledged and I am almost sure they were stolen before they even made it to my friend.
2. cfca | November 18, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Dear Cynthia,
Gloves, plastic rain ponchos, hand or dish towels, canvas bags, sewing or first aid kits, and small calendars are just a few ideas of things you can send to your aging sponsored friend. Please remember that whatever you send must fit in an envelope no larger than 9 x 12 inches, no thicker than one inch and no heavier than one pound.
You may also find some helpful information and tips about sending gifts here.
Thanks for writing to your sponsored friend!
~ Ashley
Sponsor Services
3. Evelyn Gilbertr | November 18, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Since we have to send Christmas letters out so much earlier, this would have been more helpful in October.
I’d like to know how far in advance you need to mail something to
Chile.
Thanks
4. cfca | November 18, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Dear Evelyn,
Thanks for your feedback. That’s a great suggestion. In response to your question, for all our projects, we recommend allowing at least eight weeks for correspondence to reach your sponsored friend, although around the holiday season it can take 12 weeks or longer for the project to process the large volume of letters sponsors send. Even if your mail arrives later than you anticipate, it will always be a joy for your friend to hear from you!
~ Ashley
Sponsor Services
5. vee | November 18, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I didn’t really find the suggestions helpful. I try to write letters as is suggested, but it seems fruitless to write about current happenings or refer to something the child has written because so much time passes between when they wrote it and when we receive it and vice versa. It can be six months or more to receive a letter from Guatemala. Whatever season or event took place is now irrelevant. I always include something that will transmit my love, but honestly, I am discouraged from writing a lot because it seems we can’t stay with a topic due to the time delay.
6. cfca | November 19, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Vee,
First, thank you for taking the time to write to your friend. We do understand that the length of time that passes between letters can sometimes make it difficult for the letters to be conversational with your sponsored friends. This is due to many factors, such as the distance between the project office and where your friend lives, translating the letters and mail volume, just to name a few of the possible reasons. We work constantly to improve the quality and timeliness of the letters.
Even if it is difficult to keep a conversation going through your letters, we hope that you will continue writing to your sponsored friend, because your words of encouragement and support really do mean very much.
Thanks for your feedback.
Claudia
Sponsor Services
7. Joan Albers | November 19, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Thanks for the helpful hints. Most of these I have gradually figured out since I have been a sponsor since 1989. I think that short letters are much better than what I use to send.
I quit sending gifts when air mail postage sky-rocketed. I always remind my child that I contribute to the Christmas and birthday funds so they will have a gift. I also enroll my child and his family in Masses for the entire next year with his Christmas card.
Thank you for making this service available to me and others–one of the many ways we can help take care of Jesus’ children.
God bless.
8. Angie | November 23, 2009 at 9:13 am
Joan,
I agree, the cost of sending small gifts is quite high. I still like to do it whenever I can, though. I just look for small items that can fit into the 9×12 enevelopes. A little packet of lip balms and a necklace in a narrow gift box that fit perfectly into a padded envelope made a nice inexpensive gift for our sponsored child. I do like your idea of reminding your sponsored child that you contribute to the Christmas and birthday funds. I also like the idea of having Masses said for them and their families. This is a good place to share ideas!
9. Maria Liscano | November 23, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Another idea that I have found quite nice and unexpensive, specially during the holidays or a birthdays, is to send those recordable cards that you may find at any grosery store. They allow you to record a 10 second personalized message that it’s usually followed by a nice song or tune. This is a very nice way to send a piece of you to your child who will be able to hear your voice thousands of miles from here!
10. shirley | November 24, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Thanks for the suggestions especially about offering masses, and reminding the children that we contribute to birthdays and Christmas.
if we know there are siblings, or even if not, is it acceptable to mail small gifts to the other children in the familty?
11. cfca | November 25, 2009 at 9:49 am
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for your comment! It is fine to include extra little gifts for your sponsored friend’s siblings or family members. I recommend including a note with the items to let your friend know that it is all right to share them.
Ashley
Sponsor Services
12. David | December 12, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I have one other suggestion: check the news for the country where your sponsored child lives before sending the letter. I sponsor a child in the Phillipines and was sending off a Christmas card this morning. Immediately after sending off a cheery and upbeat Christmas card, I heard the Phillipines mentioned on the radio news. They’ve been in martial law for the last few days/weeks and they had outbreaks of violence. Hearing this news made me feel bad for writing such an upbeat letter when the people in their country are probably feeling scared and uncertain. Next time, I’ll check the news before writing my letter…..