How do I visit my child?

Thank you kindly for replying to my question!  I am not sure if you will be able to answer this, however I was wondering how far apart Luis and Zulema are from each other?  My missions trip is right near Luis, so that is why I originally was only going to visit him, however if Zulema is near him I would love to visit her as well.  Also, am I allowed to bring gifts for the children and their family members upon visiting them?  I would really like to purchase toys and clothing for them and everyone in their family. If I am allowed, is it possible to know exactly who is in their family and their ages and gender so I know what to bring? 

 

Thank you again for your help and information!  I truly appreciate your support and assistance!

Cassie, you would be able to visit both of them if you would like! :) When a sponsor goes on a group tour and has more than one child in a country, we setup transportation for your children to be brought to a central location where you are to meet both of them. If you set up a custom visit, the tours department will work with you during this process on specific details and locations but you would be required to pay for all expenses involved in transporting both children to where you will be as well as any activities you did that day. Their towns are roughly 2 hours and 32 minutes driving distance from each other. 

You are definitely encouraged to bring gifts to your child if you feel led to do so! This can be a great time for you to bond with your children and bless them in a tangible way that you aren't able to do just through letters. Toys and clothing are acceptable items to bring to your child but we do not have information on what size clothing your child may need. This will be something you would need to inquire with your child in a letter or purchase a size you think would fit your child. Regrettably, we do not have the ages of the members of your children's family but we do have information on their genders. Our records indicate that Zulema lives with her mother and father and has 2 brothers, one of which is in the program so we know that he is 10 years old. Luis has 1 brother and no sisters and lives with his mother and father.

I would encourage you to visit our FAQ page and Preparation page, for our trips as they provide a lot of helpful information and great ideas for gifts to bring your child and their family! 

Lindsay, it may depend on the age of the child, etc. but most likely we could plan a visit like you had mentioned. You are more than welcome to send a request for a Custom Visit like this and our visits team will look into whether this would be possible. Also, please keep in mind that you will be responsible to cover transportation costs for your child, a caregiver, and translator to travel to meet you. 

Hi Chak! We currently automatically notify sponsors who sponsor a child in a country we are visiting on an upcoming tour. Regrettably, the specific centers that we will be visiting on a tour are often decided upon much later in the tour planning process than when sponsors would need to sign up. This means that it would not be possible to notify sponsors that we are visiting their child's center before they register for that tour.

Thanks Susan.

I sure hope you do visit your sponsor children. When possible go on both sponsor tours and individual visits. On the individual visit you get to see the child center and home of your sponsor child. Whenever you go on a group tour don't be surprised if God leads you to sponsor one more. I've seen that happen.