$34/month, HOW?

Where can I find $34/month to sponsor in MY budget?

I asked the question of those that are planning on sponsoring how they were going to find $34/month to sponsor a child long term. These were their responses...

"I am going to drink water at work instead of my 2 cokes and save $1.00 a day. It will be better for me as well."

"I decided to take my lunches 1 more time a week instead of eating out."

"We disconnected cable and are saving more than $50/month leaving extra money for a dvd here and there. We rent movies more from the library."

"I am going to take on a part time job on-line to pay for my sponsor child. This is the chance I get to be a MOM for the first time!"

"As I thought about sponsoring a child, it quickly occurred to me that if I bring my lunch from home vs buying it at work for even 1 week of the month then I will have saved the $34."

"We shopped around for cheaper home phone service. We found a plan that is saving us $46 a month!"

"...we have budgeted for this. We have also included our (adult) son in our sponsorship. He has agreed to co-sponsor our "sponsor daughter" and he is really excited to do so."

"We were paying for something every month that we aren't needing anymore so we are replacing it with sponsoring a child."

"My husband suggested we fast for a day a month to think and pray for our sponsor child."

"We are going to dedicate one meal a week to our little guy at Kechene and have a meatless rice dish. We will remember him each week and save the money for sponsoring him."

"I am about to start a very part time job as a homecare pediatric nurse for an angel of a little boy with severe special needs that was adopted from Ethiopia. What an honor to get to love on him. I announced to my husband last night that since I will now be a “working woman” again (which is laughable since we have 9 kiddos in our home and I homeschool one of our 10 year olds as we navigate her special needs) that my first action will be to sign up to sponsor a child. "

"We are going to start a exercise program at the "Y" and every time we use it, we get money off of our insurance. We get $36 off each month if we use the "Y" 12 times in the month. That's about the savings for sponsorship!"

When I was visiting Kind Heart and Trees of Glory Care Points in Ethiopia, I remember a point at which I stopped the business of the day and activities and just watched as children ate their rice. I couldn't help feeling so ashamed about my selfless life of luxuries. I know we are Americans and this is our culture, yet when we are confronted face to face with a child that otherwise would not be eating and growing strong and seeing them enjoy a meal as these kids did, I realized we can give up a little comfort so these kids can eat.

For us, one of the luxuries we gave up was cable to sponsor a another child, Biz. Since then, I have often had these questions go through my mind...

How often did we actually watch cable? How often did we really gain any real satisfaction from the programs we'd watch on cable? How many lives were saved from watching the games on tv? How does my having cable, or any other luxury really make God's job any easier?

The answers were pretty clear when watching the kids eat and nourish their bodies just so they could learn for the rest of the day. It was their only meal that day and it was because their sponsors gave up a little bit of their own comfort for a little bit of time.

Kids at Kind Hearts enjoy their meal provided by their sponsors.

Kids at Kechene waiting for sponsorship; food, education, love and family.