From Wisconsin to Honduras, one sponsor’s support knows no borders

Stephen and his sponsored child, 14-year-old Randy, during Stephen’s recent trip to Honduras.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet your sponsored child in person? Stephen Hawk, a longtime sponsor from Wisconsin, just got to find out for himself.

A retired college professor and father of two grown children, Stephen is also a self-proclaimed lover of adventure. He has traveled to many countries in recent years, from India to Russia to Ecuador. He’s also an avid learner of Spanish. In fact, he had already planned a language immersion trip to Honduras when he learned that ChildFund had opened sponsor visits back up for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeing a window of opportunity, Stephen happily altered his travel plans to make room for an extra special detour – a stop to visit Randy, the child he sponsors in Honduras.

The journey to sponsor a child

Stephen has sponsored children through ChildFund for over 30 years, but he didn’t begin sponsoring Randy until four years ago.

“I recall Randy’s first letter,” Stephen says. “He said his wish was to be friends forever, amigos para siempre.”

The two struck up a great friendship indeed, one in which Stephen developed a keen interest in learning more about Randy’s language and culture. Randy wrote all about his family, his school and his love of football (or soccer, as we know it); Stephen offered advice on the best ways to achieve Randy’s dream of becoming a teacher. Today, the two exchange one or two letters every month. Stephen writes to Randy exclusively in Spanish, and he’s able to translate the letters he receives back himself.

Randy as a young boy in Honduras.

Over the years, Stephen has also learned a great deal about the challenges Randy has faced growing up in his rural community in Honduras. Randy has lived for some time now with his grandparents, who are farmers who grow their own food and sell the extra for an income. They make, on average, about $100 USD a month selling their surplus of beans and corn.

As a former teacher himself, Stephen knows how challenging it can be to take the career path Randy dreams about, even under the best of circumstances. “In rural areas of Honduras, more than half of all students drop out after elementary school,” he says. “So, when I learned he wanted to go to college, I started sending $50 a month.”

Randy is in middle school right now – or colegio, as they say in Honduras – and his school is quite far from where he lives. Stephen is hopeful that the extra funds will help Randy be able to attend class as regularly as possible.

“I told him I’d help him in any way. For me, it’s not that much. It’s worth it to feel like I’ve been supporting him in trying to achieve his dream.”

To arrange for an in-person visit seemed like the natural next step. Even so, in September 2024, Stephen found himself on the plane to Honduras accompanied by all the usual travel jitters, and then some.

“I was a little bit scared, to be honest,” Stephen says. “I thought, ‘I think he has a high opinion of me from the letters, but is the reality of meeting me going to meet his expectations?’ It’s hard to prepare for actually meeting someone that you’ve only corresponded with and sent photos.”

From writing letters to meeting in person

Stephen finally made it to the ChildFund office in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, where he was escorted by ChildFund and our local partner staff to the meetup location.

“We drove and met in the middle of a resort that had a hotel, horses, a pool and kayaks,” Stephen says. There, he finally met a few of the people he’d been hearing so much about through letters – Randy, his mom and little sister. “I appreciate the fact that ChildFund set this up to be a fun visit. Of course, the most important thing was to meet Randy. But it’s even better that they chose that location; I’m assuming Randy doesn’t get the opportunity to do things like this often.” Best of all, Randy himself got to choose each activity.

Horseback riding was first on his list. “It was a slow ride through well-worn paths,” Stephen says. “It was funny, because Randy actually knew how to ride a horse” – unlike Stephen, who had very little experience in this area!

Randy with his mom and sister.

Then they went swimming, enjoyed some lunch with the ChildFund employees, and exchanged gifts. Stephen had brought Randy a handful of items – a backpack, a jersey, a facemask for swimming (because he’d learned that Randy often free-dives for fish in the river near his house!), and a baseball cap. He hadn’t expected anything in return, but Randy and his family had gifts for him, too.

“I started crying when I was looking through the gifts that he gave me,” Stephen says. These included a souvenir Honduras T-shirt, a beautiful gift bag and even a packet of coffee grown in Randy’s local community. “I was taken aback by the thoughtfulness.

“It went great, you know. I have to give my regards and praise for [all the ChildFund staff] in Honduras,” Stephen says. But one of the most memorable parts of the trip was the letter Stephen received in the mail almost immediately upon his return – from none other than his dear friend Randy, someone he now knows and appreciates more than ever.

Hello, friend Stephen. It's a pleasure to greet you. I hope you are well. I am very happy to have received your letter and to have met you in person. What I liked the most was swimming with you in the pool, riding a horse; in general, I liked everything. At first, I felt very nervous, but as time went by, I became more confident and felt more secure, and I will always remember these happy moments. … The truth is that it was very emotional. Not all of us have the privilege of meeting a sponsor and having them so close. For today, I say goodbye with a big hug and may God bless your life for being such a noble and good person.

Stephen is just grateful for the chance to be as involved as he is. He hopes that his support and encouragement will continue opening doors of opportunity for Randy as he grows up.

“When I worked full-time, I was a more hands-off sponsor. I wrote one or two letters a year and focused on supporting the program financially. Since I’ve retired, I take a lot more pleasure in and pay more attention to it.

“I almost feel like I’m being selfish in that I’m enjoying helping as much as I am,” he laughs. “But it’s the most rewarding thing, feeling like I can do something. Knowing that I can make a difference in somebody’s life.”

Interested in traveling to meet your sponsored child? Our Supporter Care team would love to help you start the planning process! Give us a call at 1-800-776-6767 or email us at questions@childfund.org to learn more.