80 ideas for writing your Compassion child

The relationship you build with your Compassion child through letter writing is crucial in helping meet your child’s needs. Your letters can inspire him to study harder at school, to be more confident in his relationships, and to draw closer to God.

Over and over, graduates from our Child Sponsorship Program point to your letters and prayers as the two things above all others that gave them hope, courage, and the belief that they could overcome their circumstances.

A recent study we carried out in Peru, Rwanda, Guatemala, eastern India and Thailand reported that:

• More than 90 per cent of children strongly experience joy, love, encouragement and a sense of belonging when they receive letters from their sponsors.
• Many children who receive letters are more likely to pray and are more self-motivated to improve their circumstances.
• Children who receive letters feel more motivated at school and church activities, and they consistently demonstrate greater confidence, including behaviours such as an ability to care, awareness of generosity and sharing, ability to communicate, obedience and helpfulness.
• Virtually all children who receive sponsor letters keep them forever, regularly reading and rereading them, particularly when they are discouraged.

The following 80 letter-writing prompts are meant to help you write your next letter. The prompts are questions for you to answer about yourself, but many of them can serve as letter-writing ideas and questions you can ask your sponsored child too.

You can also use this GREAT acronym to guide you.

• G — Greetings
• R — Remember something your sponsored child has said and build on it.
• E — Explain something about yourself or your world. This is where our letter-writing prompts come in.
• A — Ask your sponsored child a question. The letter-writing prompts work here too. Just turn them around.
• T — Toodle loo! Say your goodbyes. This is a great place to share a Bible verse and a word of encouragement.

Letter-writing prompts about your childhood

1. What activities did you enjoy as a child?
2. Who was your favourite teacher? What was the teacher like?
3. Whom did you admire as you were growing up? Why?
4. How did you get your name? What does it mean?
5. Did you grow up in church? How did you come to know Jesus?

6. What was a challenge you had to overcome as a child or teenager?
7. What was your favourite part of school?
8. What was your least favourite part of school?
9. What happened during a typical school day?
10. What was your first job like?

Letter-writing prompts about your life today

11. What is your typical day like now?
12. What do you do at church/work/school?
13. What do you like most about your hometown?
14. What are some interesting facts about your state/province/region?
15. How do you relax?
16. What’s your favourite holiday? How would you describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes of that holiday?
17. What’s your biggest challenge at the moment?
18. What other human understands you better than anyone else? How did you come to know this person?
19. What are you learning right now?
20. What’s one of your favourite Bible stories or passages? Why?

Letter-writing prompts about your family

21. What are your closest family members like?
22. What happens when your extended family gets together?
23. What do you believe is God’s purpose for your family?
24. What is your biggest challenge as a family?
25. How has God been faithful to your family?
26. What prayers has God answered in your family?
27. Who else in your family knows Jesus? How did they come to know Him?
28. What’s your favourite thing about your family?
29. In what way does your family work together best?
30. What role has your family played in your faith journey?

Letter-writing prompts about your spiritual life

31. How has God recently answered your prayer?
32. How have you sensed God’s leading at different points of your life?
33. Who is your spiritual role model?
34. When have you needed to repent?
35. How has God comforted you in trouble?
36. Why do you love God?
37. How did you become involved in your local church?
38. What do you believe are some of God’s purposes for your life?
39. What was the latest sermon you heard or class study about? How has it impacted you?
40. What is a challenge in your relationship with God?

Letter-writing prompts about your local church

41. How would you describe your pastor?
42. What do you like about your local church?
43. What role do you play in your local church?
44. How do you use your gifts, skills and passions in your church?
45. Who is your best friend at church and how did you become friends?
46. Why is your local church important to you?
47. How is your church active in the community and world?
48. How does being a part of the church challenge you?
49. How do you know God wants you to be part of this church?
50. How did God lead you into ministry within your local church?

Letter-writing prompts about your Compassion child

51. What is your prayer for your Compassion child?
52. How do you remember the child throughout the week or month?
53. Why does this child matter to you?
54. What have you recently learned about the child’s country?
55. What do you hope the child will learn about God or spiritual life? (This could be a truth or skill.)
56. What do you appreciate about this child? (Comment on recent letter, the child’s prayers for you, artwork in a letter, smile in the photo, or something else.)

57. What do you want your Compassion child to remember when facing discouragement?
58. What concern of yours would you like your Compassion child to pray about?
59. What do you think about the child’s latest letter or picture you received?
60. How has being a Compassion sponsor changed you?

Letter-writing prompts about food

61. How would you describe one of your favourite meals?
62. How do you prepare one of your favourite meals?
63. Who taught you to cook or who cooks for you now?
64. What role does food play in holidays or celebrations?
65. What’s your favourite holiday food/special food?
66. Does your family have any food-related traditions?
67. How does your typical family/group meal proceed?
68. Who is the best cook you know?
69. Where did your family’s favourite dishes originate? How did they become favourites?
70. Have you ever eaten a dish from your child’s country? What did you think?

Letter-writing prompts about current events

71. What’s something significant occurring in your town or region right now?
72. How are you praying about a significant event in your child’s country or region?
73. What does the Bible say in relation to a current event that concerns you?
74. How do you overcome anxiety when facing worrisome events?
75. What goals have you set for yourself? How much progress have you made?
76. What news has recently made you happy?
77. How has a recent event impacted your faith?
78. How does your life fit into a larger trend or situation in your area?
79. What role has your church played in an area event?
80. Why do you care about what’s happening around you?

Write your child today!
Written by Rachelle Dawson for Compassion International. Republished with permission.