MISSIONWITHOUTBORDERS
Autumn 2013
CRIFOCUS Child Rescue International is the child sponsorship programme of Mission Without Borders
What’s it like to have a sponsor?
M
any of our sponsored children are able to be in touch with their sponsors by letter. One of our CRI Coordinators in Ukraine talked with some of them at a couple of State boarding Homes to ask them what it was like for them to have a sponsor. Here are a few of their comments:
Oleh
Inna
“I have never seen my father as my parents abandoned me when I was a little baby. I am an orphan. I have no siblings and no relatives. I’m really thankful to my sponsor, Mrs. B. from the Netherlands, that she can be my family. Imagine it, I have a family in the Netherlands!” says the boy, proudly showing a letter with a small picture of his sponsor.
“My sponsor writes to me quite often, and I’m really happy to get his every one of his letters. My mother died in November, and I stayed with my grandmother. My father doesn’t care about me, he lives separately. I miss my mummy very much... You know, it’s so great to know that there’s someone who cares about me, even if this person lives so far away... My sponsor sends me beautiful presents, and I’ve got one this Christmas too! There were so many beautiful and needed things there: a toothpaste and a toothbrush, a nice perfumed soap, socks, beautiful bracelets and hair-pins and many other things. But my favourite was a lovely teddy bear! I was really surprised that my sponsor can guess my dreams! I have always dreamt of exactly the same! My teddy bear is so beautiful, brown with a nice red bow. My sponsor makes me feel happy!”
“I would like to be a Christian like Mrs. B. It’s really interesting to communicate with Christians. They are different and very special people. Thanks to my sponsor, I was at a Christian summer camp. I just loved it! It was so much fun, and I’ve got to know so much about God! My sponsor says she prays for me. And it feels so great to know that somebody always prays for you. I guess no one else does it, after all! I really want to meet my sponsor one day! I hope she is well and her health is good. I worry about her. Mrs. B., thank you for everything! May God bless you with very good health!”
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Eduard “My sponsor is very attentive, careful and good. He always sends me a card to me for the holidays! He also writes me letters, and I’m really excited to get them and to know some news from him. It’s so different and interesting to have a pen-friend somewhere overseas. I really like writing back to him. I feel like I’m privileged to have a sponsor. I know that he cares of me and thinks of me. He must be a very kind person to care for somebody who he doesn’t know and who he’s never seen in his life. What’s more, he sends me nice presents! And I would like to be like him when I grow up! I wish to keep in touch with my sponsor to the end of my school year and even further into my future.” ♦ Note: We are reporting these comments to show you that sponsorship can make a real difference, even from so far away. However don’t feel under any pressure to write to your sponsored child (or family) if you can’t or would prefer not to. The gift that Inna referred to was a Christmas Gift parcel bought by her sponsor through our special facility to provide a substantial gift bought within the country. It is not presently possible for sponsors to send other gifts to sponsored children and families in Ukraine because of Customs and border control problems. Once children graduate from the Home (at 17 or 18 years) or move to a Home where we don’t have our CRI programme operating, sadly it is no longer possible for us to maintain communications with them, however much they or their sponsors would like to keep in touch!
Supporter Tour 2013 COUNTRIES: We are offering a tour for supporters and sponsors to Romania, Moldova and Albania for 3 weeks at the beginning of October 2013.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the tour is to visit the projects of Mission Without Borders in those countries and to allow sponsors to visit their sponsored child or family.
COSTS: It is only possible to give a rough estimate of costs of about $6,500 to $7,500 for this trip, which should cover all flights, food, accommodation and internal travel.
REGISTER: If you wish to join the tour, please register your interest and contact details no later than 15 May 2013 with our office by letter or by email so that we can send you an application and information.
More sponsors needed We need to find more sponsors for families and children in our F2F and CRI programmes. If you know of family or friends who may want to sponsor, please tell them Mission Without Borders needs more sponsors! Thanks for your help!
MISSIONWITHOUTBORDERS (NZ) PO Box 56264, Dominion Road, Auckland 1446 Phone 09 309 6969 Email nzadmin@mwbi.org Helping to Change Lives in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine
Website www.mwb.org.nz
Reg. Charity No. CC37218