Here is the third letter I received from Judith, my first sponsored child, back in 1994.
May the living God be with you this time of Christmas. I am thanking you very much for ksh443 which you sent to me as a Christmas gift. I was filled with joy. I have bought a blanked for ksh300. Right now I am sleeping well without any problem. I used to sleep for a short time because of disturbances of mosquitoes and coldness at night. Thank you very much and for that may God bless you. The remaining balance I bought a dress for Christmas day. My family and I were joyful for what you are doing for us. This time we are now enjoying the Christmas and I wish the Lord fills you with more love for the happy new year 1995.
Judith Wanga
On the back of the letter, Judith drew a picture of a blanket ~ presumably the one she bought.
This is the letter that really got to me and made me start thinking about doing more. Because this was only her third letter and I was still new to Compassion as a sponsor, I had not yet heard about the advocate network. But this letter was the first seed that was planted in my heart towards advocacy. When I did later hear about the advocate network, I don't think there was much thought put into joining. I knew it was the logical next step for me.
As you can see from the original letter, it has been highlighted. I have used this letter in many presentations, sharing how a selfish college girl gave a Kenyan girl a measly $10 and lives were changed. If someone had given me $10 at that point in my life, I would have likely complained that it wasn't enough to buy anything significant. Yet this young Kenyan teenager used it to buy something she needed....something that made a difference in her well being....a blanket so she could sleep better at night.
