When my sponsored girls turn 13 years old, I send them each a special themed letter. It celebrates becoming a teenager while also sharing a memory of myself at their age. Here is a letter I wrote to one of my girls who will be turning 13 next month.
Hello beautiful! How are you? I am sending this letter around your birthday, in November 2021. This year, you are turning 13 years old! I can't believe how much you've grown! I recently saw some photos of you at the youth conference you attended with your church. I am very proud of you for being so involved with your church. Youth groups are a great way to grow in Christ with others your age. Did you have fun at the event? What was your favorite part?
Since you are turning 13 this year, I want to share a special memory with you. Many years ago, on my 13th birthday, I felt very mature because I was finally a teenager. So, I wanted to try coffee for the first time. Where I live, children don't usually drink coffee until they are older (Note: I added this because children in Honduras often drink it from a young age.) So, on my 13th birthday, my mother took me to a café called Starbucks and bought me a coffee and a cookie. I decided the coffee was too strong, so I only ate the cookie. I learned to like coffee later, when I was a little older.
Do you like coffee? Do you like it black, or with cream, sugar, and flavors? I usually drink it with just a little sugar, but sometimes it's fun to add extra flavors. In The United States at this time of year, we sometimes add pumpkin flavoring to our coffee, because pumpkins grow so abundantly here at this time of year; from September to November. (Note: I write about a different type of coffee drink or flavor depending on the time of year.) I wish I could be there for your birthday, to have a coffee with you to celebrate. I hope to come soon, but until then, here is a picture of coffee that you can color.
When I'm sending the letter by physical mail, I include coffee-themed stickers. I'm a huge fan of Shine Sticker Studio and their adorable coffee-themed sticker options. I love that you can choose the skin tone of the characters and that they're so fun and girly. Click the photos to enlarge.
On the rare occasion that I'm visiting around the time of one of the girls' 13th birthdays, I will bring a coffee-themed gift or take her to a café for the celebration. These Starbucks instant latte packets, which I brought for my Estefani's 13th birthday, are fun because we get to share the exact brand of coffee I first tried at their age.
While this tradition is fairly specific to me and my girls, I hope it encourages you to use your own childhood birthday memories to celebrate your sponsored children. Another example I've used was sending American Girl paper dolls for Christmas, and writing about how my American Girl doll was my favorite Christmas gift as a child. You can also tie in the tradition of gift giving, and how it reminds us of God's great gift of love when He sent Jesus to save us. Sending this type of gift for a holiday rather than a holiday-themed gift (such as Christmas stickers) is also a great way to be sure the gift is still useful if it arrives late.
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