The best advice I can give you concerning writing is this.... just do it. The more you write, the easier it will become. Pretty soon you will have many, many ideas and you'll have to choose one or write more often.
Anyway, on to the first topic....
YOUR FAITH
I don't think it matters how old your child is - you can share about your personal faith with Christ and what it has looked like in your life. Think about the following questions and use the answers to one or two (or more) to get your letter started.
- When were you saved?
- How did you come to know the Lord?
- Were you baptized? If so, how old were you and what was the experience like?
- What is your favorite Bible story?
- What is your favorite Bible verse? What does it mean to you?
- Do you follow a daily devotional plan? What are you currently learning?
- Do you study the Bible with others? What are you currently studying?
- What do you pray about regarding your sponsored child?
- What prayer requests might you like to share with your child?
- Has God answered a prayer request for you recently?
Personally I think this topic lends itself to many letters! Here are some examples of how I might use the answers to the following questions in a letter to my sponsored child.
Dear ..........
How are you? Thank you so much for your letter. It is always such a joy to hear from you. Your letters bring big smiles to our faces.
I know that you are learning many wonderful things about Jesus through your church and the Compassion program. I thought I would share with you about my own experience and how I learned about God. My parents always took me to church as a child and when I was 7 years old I began to understand just how much God loved me and what it meant that He died for my sins. I remember praying with my parents and asking God to forgive me of my sins. As I grew older, I continued to learn about God and what it meant to have Him as Lord of my life.
When I was 14 I decided to be baptized as a symbol to others that I was giving my life to Christ. I stood in front of my church family and gave my testimony, publicly declaring that I would live my life to glorify God.
Have you been baptized? I would love to hear more about your faith and what it means to you. I would also love to hear about your family members. I have some family members that do not believe and I would ask you to pray for them.
The first Bible verse I remember memorizing when I was younger was Proverbs 3:5-6..."Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." I love that verse. It is still very meaningful to me.
We love you and are praying for you. Please know that God loves you, too.
Dear..........
In my last letter to you I shared about the beginning of my faith and when I was baptized. I thought today I would talk a little bit about what God is teaching me through the study of his word.
For the past three years I have made it a goal to read through the entire Bible each year. I am almost finished with my third read through and each time I read it I learn more and more about God and His story. I love how so many of the Old Testament stories point to our need for a Saviour - Jesus!
This year I spent a lot of time studying the books of James (in the New Testament) and Nehemiah (in the Old Testament). Each week I meet with other women from my church and we study the Bible together and pray for one another. When I was studying the book of James I studied it so much that I memorized it. The verse that I keep coming back to and that means so much to me is James 1:5...."If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God , who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Have you memorized it? I would love to know what it is.
We love you and are always praying for you.
So there are a couple examples for you. As you can see, it's not long, too detailed or very eloquent. Keep it simple and be real. If you are a couple or a family, you could write on behalf of each family member and share a little bit about each person's faith journey. If you have a photo of your baptism or a photo of yourself in the church when you were younger, I think it would be fun to include it!
I hope this is helpful for at least one person out there. I've actually never written about my baptism, so I think I'll be using this idea myself in my next letter!
