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Vol. #28

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“I would like to sponsor a child…”

February 22, 2001
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When I first started working at territorial headquarters, I was relatively new to The Salvation Army. Although I attended a corps and knew of the Army’s involvement in many worthy causes, I did not realize the scope of their commitment to those in need.

As an employee, though, the first thing I needed to do was to learn the specifics of my job. When I had time, I would just go through files, trying to get a feel for my position in the youth department. Tucked inside one miscellaneous file, I found a colorful little brochure, entitled Bless the Children. Children of different cultures grace the cover of this booklet. This, then, is how I learned of The Overseas Children’s Sponsorship Program ­ by rifling through some files.

I was delighted! Whenever I heard the radio appeals for a World Vision child or viewed a TV special, I wanted to get involved, but I never did anything. Those running the show were always so far away. Here was a wonderful program, and the people in charge were right down the hall from me!

Soon I became acquainted with Hope Maxey, who works for the OCSP, and I expressed my interest. She asked me if I preferred to sponsor a boy or girl, and from what part of the world. As a single mother of a little girl, I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have a sponsored sister in another part of the world. Since my daughter is learning Spanish, I asked for a little girl from a Spanish-speaking country.

Hope searched for just the right child for my daughter and me to sponsor. After a couple of months, she found the right child. We now sponsor a little girl from Uruguay, named Lourdes, who is also the only child of a single mother. The connection is a very personal one for us. A sponsor may want to wait for a specific child, as we did, or may be happy to support a child of either sex from wherever the need is greatest. However you wish to participate, the program will work with you.

Many people throughout the world live in depressed, if not horrifying conditions. When I see photographs or read about these people and places, I realize that those could be the faces of my daughter and me; it could be any of us, struggling just to survive. I know how much I have taken my circumstances for granted, and how many times I have complained, because by our standards, I am a struggling single mother.

These are the reasons I sponsor a child. No, I can’t change the whole world, but I can make a difference in life of one child. If each of us made a difference in the life of one child, we would change the world.
–KG

 

When I first started working at territorial headquarters, I was relatively new to The Salvation Army. Although I attended a corps and knew of the Army’s involvement in many worthy causes, I did not realize the scope of their commitment to those in need.

As an employee, though, the first thing I needed to do was to learn the specifics of my job. When I had time, I would just go through files, trying to get a feel for my position in the youth department. Tucked inside one miscellaneous file, I found a colorful little brochure, entitled Bless the Children. Children of different cultures grace the cover of this booklet. This, then, is how I learned of The Overseas Children’s Sponsorship Program ­ by rifling through some files.

I was delighted! Whenever I heard the radio appeals for a World Vision child or viewed a TV special, I wanted to get involved, but I never did anything. Those running the show were always so far away. Here was a wonderful program, and the people in charge were right down the hall from me!

Soon I became acquainted with Hope Maxey, who works for the OCSP, and I expressed my interest. She asked me if I preferred to sponsor a boy or girl, and from what part of the world. As a single mother of a little girl, I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have a sponsored sister in another part of the world. Since my daughter is learning Spanish, I asked for a little girl from a Spanish-speaking country.

Hope searched for just the right child for my daughter and me to sponsor. After a couple of months, she found the right child. We now sponsor a little girl from Uruguay, named Lourdes, who is also the only child of a single mother. The connection is a very personal one for us. A sponsor may want to wait for a specific child, as we did, or may be happy to support a child of either sex from wherever the need is greatest. However you wish to participate, the program will work with you.

Many people throughout the world live in depressed, if not horrifying conditions. When I see photographs or read about these people and places, I realize that those could be the faces of my daughter and me; it could be any of us, struggling just to survive. I know how much I have taken my circumstances for granted, and how many times I have complained, because by our standards, I am a struggling single mother.

These are the reasons I sponsor a child. No, I can’t change the whole world, but I can make a difference in life of one child. If each of us made a difference in the life of one child, we would change the world.
–KG

 

When I first started working at territorial headquarters, I was relatively new to The Salvation Army. Although I attended a corps and knew of the Army’s involvement in many worthy causes, I did not realize the scope of their commitment to those in need.

As an employee, though, the first thing I needed to do was to learn the specifics of my job. When I had time, I would just go through files, trying to get a feel for my position in the youth department. Tucked inside one miscellaneous file, I found a colorful little brochure, entitled Bless the Children. Children of different cultures grace the cover of this booklet. This, then, is how I learned of The Overseas Children’s Sponsorship Program ­ by rifling through some files.

I was delighted! Whenever I heard the radio appeals for a World Vision child or viewed a TV special, I wanted to get involved, but I never did anything. Those running the show were always so far away. Here was a wonderful program, and the people in charge were right down the hall from me!

Soon I became acquainted with Hope Maxey, who works for the OCSP, and I expressed my interest. She asked me if I preferred to sponsor a boy or girl, and from what part of the world. As a single mother of a little girl, I thought it would be nice for my daughter to have a sponsored sister in another part of the world. Since my daughter is learning Spanish, I asked for a little girl from a Spanish-speaking country.

Hope searched for just the right child for my daughter and me to sponsor. After a couple of months, she found the right child. We now sponsor a little girl from Uruguay, named Lourdes, who is also the only child of a single mother. The connection is a very personal one for us. A sponsor may want to wait for a specific child, as we did, or may be happy to support a child of either sex from wherever the need is greatest. However you wish to participate, the program will work with you.

Many people throughout the world live in depressed, if not horrifying conditions. When I see photographs or read about these people and places, I realize that those could be the faces of my daughter and me; it could be any of us, struggling just to survive. I know how much I have taken my circumstances for granted, and how many times I have complained, because by our standards, I am a struggling single mother.

These are the reasons I sponsor a child. No, I can’t change the whole world, but I can make a difference in life of one child. If each of us made a difference in the life of one child, we would change the world.
–KG

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