CHILD SPONSORSHIP NEWS

Below is the letter that LPGM sent out to all sponsors in early February 2009.  If you did not receive this letter or would like an extra postcard to send to your child please let us know.

Dear Project Education Sponsor,

Postcards
This year instead of the annual sponsor newsletter Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry (LPGM) is sending a letter full of updates on the program as well as a postcard for you to use to write a quick note to your child.The postcards are already addressed, all you need to do is add the child’s name and ID# so that it will be delivered to the correct child. Writing a couple quick sentences to your child will mean a lot to him or her! A postcard will bring so much joy and let them know that you are thinking about them. The postcard is made up of a handful of pictures from the kids in the program—maybe one of them is yours! Postcards to India require a .94 cent stamp. Be sure to send your card now so the child has time to respond before the end of school. The children are required to respond to each letter that they receive from their sponsor, so if you do not see a response in 2 months please let us know and we will follow-up with our Field Office.

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts!
LPGM travelers to India got to take part in the first ever Project Education India New Year gift giving for the children. LPGM plans on making a tradition every year of giving all the children in the program a special gift in January during the LPGM trip. Ruthie Melzer, a recently returned traveler, commented on the experience of distributing these gifts:
“The smiles and the little sparkles in their eyes told a thousand words. Their eyes just lit up! One child would be given a gift bag and all kids would huddle around to see what was inside then they realized that they each got a gift too so they would line up again. In America this bag of stuff [pencil, pen, eraser, ruler, markers, candy, stickers, etc.] would just end up in kids’ closets, but these little gifts meant the world to the children in India.”

By doing this LPGM can ensure that each child receives a gift from their sponsor. We encourage any sponsor to donate a couple dollars to the gift fund with their next sponsorship payment if they are able. The gift bags are not expensive but when you are buying 1,900 for all of the children in the program it adds up! The cost for purchasing the gifts in 2009 was about $1,700 and we hope to continue this every year. Donating to the gift fund will help not only your child but all children have the thrill of receiving a gift and it will save you the expense of mailing something yourself; you can always still communicate with your child through letters, cards and by sending photos.

Making the Connection Personal
Sponsors have asked us how they can educate their children about what sponsoring a child in India really means. Here are some ideas for both your family and you to stay “in-tune” with your sponsored child from across the globe:

• Listen to Indian music.
• Go out to eat at an Indian restaurant.
• Make a meal that the children in India typically eat, rice and a few vegetables, and eat it in the traditional Tamil Nadu fashion—with your right hand and no utensils.
• Sleep on a mat on the floor instead of a bed.
• The children in India have very few possessions, often just enough that will fit in a square-foot box. They have no iPods, no cell phones, no personal books or toys—not even shoes sometimes! They are still happy with what they have and find other ways to learn and play. Try going for a day or more without your toys, electronics and movies, instead find the everyday things that make you happy too.
• Choose a Bible verse that depicts why you decided to sponsor a child and make that a theme of your sponsorship when you pray and talk about it.
• Watch Slumdog Millionaire to gain a better perspective of what this child’s life would be like without your sponsorship. The Namesake is another recent movie depicting Indian culture and life (Both not recommended for young children).
• In addition to the child’s photo, hang up a map of India or Tamil Nadu or the Indian flag to remind you everyday of your child.
• Read a book about India with your child. For younger children try Anni’s India Diary by Anni Axworthy—you can buy a used version on-line for as little as $4 including shipping!

Changes Coming
LPGM is always looking for ways to improve this program. Some things we have in mind this year are to hire a new staff person in our India Field Office who is going to be in charge of all things sponsor related including sponsor communications. Our projects have expanded in India and Project Education India has grown to the point where we need another person there devoted just to this project. We hope that this will help us at the beginning of each school year receive information a little quicker on students still in the program, those who graduated and those that go on to extended studies.

The India Field Office also will explore ways we can send you updates from the children twice a year and also how LPGM can better use the internet and email to keep you connected to the child(ren) you sponsor in India. Please share with us any ideas you have.

On the Lookout: More Sponsors Wanted
If you enjoy sponsoring a child in India why not tell your friends about it? The economy has caused us to lose some of our long-time sponsors. If you know of anyone that can sponsor a child please tell them about us. Also, consider sponsoring a second or third child. This is what Corinne Engstrand, who along with her family sponsor multiple children, had to say about her experience supporting children in India “We started out wanting to sponsor a child for each of our children. Since then we have volunteered for LPGM helping to sponsor other children and selling linens from India. Just seeing the sweet little faces of the children awaiting a sponsor when we volunteer makes it hard to say “no” when we know how much a sponsorship changes their life–and we can afford it. Just the cost of our family going to eat at McDonalds could change a life every month. Our support is pretty modest as far as what it does in the lives of the children.”

Thanks for all that you do for the children in India! We are so grateful for your partnership and so are the children!

The LPGM USA office:
Gordon, Betty, Anne, Yoahnnes and LuAnn