Dan Wright wishes he’d had a mentor as a kid. “I know how desperately I could have used someone coming from ‘the outside’ to encourage me and show me my full future potential and my value to God,” he says. As a JMI sponsor for eight years now, he seeks to be a role model for his sponsored children. “What they will remember forever, and what will most impact their view of God, faith, and themselves, is how it felt to be loved, accepted, believed in, and respected by someone who chose to be part of their life, no matter what.” Read more of his inspiring Q&A below.
Q: Why did you become a sponsor with JMI?
A: A friend from my college days shared on Facebook about her experience as a sponsor, which made me aware of JMI. I’d also been curious about Eastern Europe since I was a little kid, and a missionary to Romania spoke at my church in the years after Ceaucescu fell. And finally, I was at a point in life where I wanted to help encourage and support the next generation in ways I’d not been supported when I was a kid; I’d accepted that having kids of my own might not be in the cards, so a sponsorship through a smaller, more hands-on organization that encouraged active relationship sounded like a great idea.
Q: With Vulnerable Child sponsorships, you write letters back and forth each month. Is there a particular letter that has stuck with you?
A: You’re communicating with kids, so mostly they write briefly about school and hobbies and thank you for the shoes and toiletries. But one time a boy I was sponsoring opened up more about his family problems at home, and I wished so much I could be there to give him a big hug and tell him how proud of him I was, and how loved he was. I did eventually have the joy of meeting him in person just this past autumn (pictured at top), but this was soon followed by the heartbreak of finding out that his family had suddenly taken him from Moldova, and I would be unable to communicate with him anymore.
Q: What impact have you seen in the lives of your sponsored children and their families?
A: I’ve seen kids work harder in school now that they have someone to encourage them and to tell them they can have hope for a better future. But I’ve been especially fortunate to maintain contact with the first boy I sponsored, even after he aged out of JMI. I’m so proud of how he has grown up and fought through some really difficult circumstances to find hope and ambition for his future. I’m also so proud of how he is navigating the complexities of faith, religion, and culture.
stepping out in faith can lead a person to unforgettable relationships and experiences beyond their imagination
A: He’s taught me that I matter too and that I can truly have a positive impact on someone else’s life. He’s taught me that stepping out in faith can lead a person to unforgettable relationships and experiences beyond their imagination. He’s taught me that even a small child and his defeated, substance-addicted parent in a tiny, downtrodden Moldovan village can know they have endless value and potential if they are shown love and given half a chance.
Q: What do you think is the greatest benefit that your sponsored children receive through this program?
A: I grew up in a very poor household (by American standards) with only one parent in a small, insular community, and I know how desperately I could have used someone coming from “the outside” to encourage me and show me my full future potential and my value to God. I think that’s the biggest impact I can have on these kids through this program. Besides just JMI’s perspective, in life, they will be confronted with a variety of religious and secular perspectives trying to win over their allegiance–some healthy and some not. We can’t necessarily dictate what they will choose when faced with all those options. But what they will remember forever, and what will most impact their view of God, faith, and themself, is how it felt to be loved, accepted, believed, and respected by someone who chose to be part of their life, no matter what.
Q: What has the experience been like to see them in person over the years?
A: So far, I have met all the kids I’ve sponsored except for the two brothers I just started sponsoring this year. I think getting that glimpse of their real-life experience is so important, but even more valuable is simply being able to give them a big hug in person to show them that you care about them so much that you came all the way from the U.S. to see them. I recognize that visiting might not be possible for every sponsor, especially if they have a family of their own or have obstacles to traveling, but it is absolutely worth every penny and minute spent to see the joy and sense of value it gives to the kids and their parents. And through visiting my kids, I fell in love with Moldova itself and have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle here in Chisinau when possible.
Sponsorship will break your heart and put it back together again, stronger and fuller than it was before.
Q: If someone is considering sponsoring a child, what would you tell them?
A: It is 100% worth it. Most of us can fit $40 a month into our budget one way or another, even if it means cutting that Apple TV subscription we rarely use, and of course, that money goes a whole lot further in Moldova. But even more valuable–it’s priceless–is the relationship you can build with a kid who is desperate to know that someone sees them and loves them without condition. If you’re worried, like I was at first, that you won’t be able to follow through on a commitment, start by sponsoring an older child who only has a year or two left in the program. That’s what I did; it has changed my life and his for the better to an immeasurable degree. Sponsorship will break your heart and put it back together again, stronger and fuller than it was before. God loves and values all of his kids, no matter where the random birth lottery put them, and sometimes, we get lucky enough to show that love and value in tangible form.
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