Meet Mack's 1st Sponsored Child, Jonathan!‏

(For the sake of the blog, I will refer to Mack's sponsored child as Jon, since I already have a Jonathan as well). Mack has written some sentences to tell more about Jon:

I was very fortunate to find my first child, Jonathan. When a friend encouraged me to sponsor through Children International, I knew right away that I wanted to support an older boy who spoke Spanish. My hope was that my 14-year-old godson, who takes Spanish language lessons at his high school, would be able to write letters and bond with my sponsored child.

My initial search for a teenager on the CI website led me to Jonathan, a 13-year-old Honduran boy who fit my needs perfectly! I didn't realize until later how lucky I was to find Jonathan, as teens seldom appear in the CI listings. Children his age either have sponsors already, or are considered too old to enroll in the program. I learned that Jonathan's third sponsor had suddenly "quit", and that I am his fourth.

Connor, my godson, has not yet written a letter to Jonathan (he is still in his first year of Spanish classes), but he got an even better opportunity – he was able to go with me to visit Jonathan in February of 2009! By then, the two boy's ages were 14 and 15, and they had a wonderful time together playing basketball and air hockey (which Jon won) at the mall.

A little bit about Jonathan:

* Jonathan is short for his age and a slightly shy boy who loves to have fun once he's drawn out of his shell. He has a beautiful, big smile, but sometimes needs coaxing before he will share it with the world.

* Jonathan is the youngest of three brothers. His two older siblings still live at home, and the brothers all share a love for the local San Pedro Sula futbol team, Marathon (pronounced M-are-uh-tan?).

* He lives in a very nice home, and his family (both mother and father are present) has a reasonable and stable income (by local standards) of over $250 per month. I assume that their financial situation was worse when Jonathan first enrolled in the CI program.

* He has a dog named "Stewart" and also a number of pet chickens (or future dinners?).

* Jonathan's best subject is math, and favorite activities are drawing and playing sports.

Now, here is his bio:

Age: *14* Gender: *M* Date of Birth: *1/19/1995*
Height: *4* Feet *11* Inches Weight: *80* Pounds Hair Color: *Black*
Eye Color: *Black*
2. Health problems, if any: *Child requires dental care*
3. Attends School:* Yes*
4. Favorite School Subjects:* Mathematics*
Favorite Pastimes or Sports:* Playing soccer*
Chores at Home: * General housework, Running errands*
Talents or Hobbies:* Singing, Drawing*
Languages Spoken:* Spanish*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:*
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): *$253.00*
6. Name of Father: *Jose Angel* Age: *44* Occupation: *Tailor*
(If not present, why?)* *
7. Name of Mother: *Bessy Suyapa* Age: *42* Occupation: *Homemaker*
(If not present, why?)* *
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name *Jimi Jose* Age *15* Gender *M* Name *Jose Angel* Age *17* Gender *M*
Name *Merlin Yamileth* Age *21* Gender *F*
9. Child now living with: * Parents*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:*
10. Description of Home:* One multi-use room, Living Room, Kitchen *
Cooking Facilities:* Electric burner *
Sleeping Accommodations:* Beds*
Home Construction: Walls * Concrete block* Roof * Corrugated metal*
Floor * Concrete*
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage:* Running water in home*
Electricity:* Available*
Sanitary Facility:* Toilet*