What’s on the Other Side of a Child Sponsorship Letter?

For the month of October, leading up to Orphan Sunday on November 3rd, we will be sharing stories on the theme of adoption and orphan care – stories of street kids, orphans, and children at risk, and the ways our missionaries have seen God care for them. We’ll share stories of missionaries caring for children, fighting for them, and even bringing them home to stay.

And on Monday, November 5th, we’ll share a special story that is close to our hearts.

To kick off our series, here is a story from Jessica Gasperin, a World Race alumnus from the July 2011 X Squad. After years of sponsoring a little boy through Compassion International, Jess got to meet him face to face during the World Race and see what life looks like on the other side of a letter.

My teammate and I boarded a bus around and headed to a region of Thailand known as Mae Sot. It’s amazing how different the atmosphere, culture, and landscape change just minutes outside of the city. We sat as hours of mountains, rain forests, rice fields, and street markets passed.

This was the Thailand I imagined – women bent over, straw hats shading from the sun, coconut trees so high you can’t see the top, hills so green with life. I was so thankful, but more than the scenery I was thankful for where we were headed.

Seven years and hundreds of letters led to this day.

The reason why I traveled hours on a bus, the reason why I wanted to do missions in the first place, and today was the day I would meet my Compassion child Anutai.

When I gave my life to Christ seven years ago, one of the first things he told me to do was sponsor a child through Compassion International, and I chose Anuthai. This sweet five-year-old Thai child created in me a desire and a longing to go overseas, to go specifically to Thailand, and at that point I had no idea what missions was or that missionaries even existed.

We pulled up to the church nestled in the middle of his village, and the first thing I heard when I got out of the car was the sound of hundreds of little voices singing. We stood outside the office as I saw him walking over, flowers in hand, smile swept wide across his face.

My gosh how he’d grown. His handsome little face was no longer five, his hair mo hawked, his smile so shy but anxious. What an overwhelming moment.

All I wanted to do was grab him in my arms and hug till I couldn’t let go. He bowed and placed the flowers on our heads and in our hands.

We sat at the table as wondering eyes were glued to us. They chopped some coconuts out of the tree, stuck some straws in, and we sat and talked.

They told me he had quit school and that he and his family were Buddhist. His parents had split up and he was now living in someone else’s home.

My heart ached, but passion to fight for him rushed through my veins.

We strolled to his house and were graciously greeted by a tiny Thai woman. She welcomed us in, and for the next few hours we just sat, talked, laughed, exchanged gifts, and played with his two-year-old twin sisters.

She asked if we could eat a snack together and came quickly with a huge bowl of dough. We all sat and rolled dough balls. It’s amazing how cooking needs no translation – how the simple act of joining someone in preparing food can bring you so much closer, how laughter can bridge language gaps and unite cultures.

His mom prepared us a donut treat and a traditional Thai dessert. We ate until they stopped serving us and then had to head to lunch.

Anutai and I had the honor to spend the rest of the day together, visiting the school he promised to attend at the beginning of the next school year, eating pork and noodles, seeing local waterfalls, indulging in ice cream, touring the church, and ending the day resting on the bamboo porch of the pastor’s house.

I got to live life with the one on the other side of a letter, and it was a beautiful, unforgettable day.

Sponsoring a child in need – whether they’re an orphan or not – is a beautiful way to connect your story with theirs. Organizations like Food for the Hungry help provide clean water, food, and love to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have these basic necessities. Adventures in Missions has a partnership with Food for the Hungry, and if you sponsor a child through a World Racer’s blog, that Racer gets a special scholarship to their support account. Check out this video for more information.

We will be sharing more stories like this about orphans, street kids, and other children at risk who need love, so make sure you SUBSCRIBE to this blog to receive the updates in your inbox.

Come November 5th, you’ll be glad you did!