Kathie Tanttari burst into tears as she read the message on Facebook. Sitting in a small, NSW library while on holidays, she was mesmerised by the words on her screen.

"You may not remember me but I hold fond memories of you and your family. I was able to attend a private Christian School in the Dominican Republic thanks to you and your family. I am very excited to have found you and would sincerely like to thank you for your kindness. Hope to hear from you. Neferty."

The tears kept flowing as Kathie fondly remembered Neferty Veloz, a child she sponsored through Compassion about 20 years ago. Neferty is from the Dominican Republic and was just a young girl when Kathie's sponsorship began. She sponsored for some time, but unfortunately Kathie could not afford to keep paying for their sponsorship. "It was really sad when we couldn't sponsor anymore."

However in the time that Kathie's family did sponsor her, they made a big impact on the young girl who always appreciated the sacrifices Kathie had made. They had exchanged letters, postcards and photos and Neferty had kept them all, including the family photo Kathie had sent her after all those years-and uploaded it to Facebook.

The reunion was only months ago in March and since that time, Kathie and Neferty have been emailing each other. Kathie says she has discovered that Neferty's life has been transformed through sponsorship. She has not only completed school, but has just graduated from an American University and is now living in New Jersey.

Kathie is thrilled that she has the means to sponsor again and invest in another young life. She and her son Abel now share the sponsorship of a little boy in El Salvador. To pay for the sponsorship, Kathie makes a cake every month which she sells to a local café.

A Skype reunion

On the other side of the world, in the United States, some more sponsors have just reunited with their former sponsored child. 

For more than 20 years, former Compassion assisted child Wolly Towoliu prayed for a miracle, to reconnect with his former sponsors Bob and Joanne Cottone from the United States, and give them a thank you letter which was returned to him in 1989, unopened. Having sent it to the Compassion office after it had moved, it was returned to sender.

When a Compassion photographer met Wolly in Indonesia recently, the miracle was set in motion. The photographer contacted the Cottones and told them the news. Hand-delivering the returned letter, he then logged onto Skype and introduced Wolly and the Cottones.

"I was in shock!" says Joanne Cottone, recalling the day when she and her husband Bob received a phone call from Compassion. The photographer had just met their first sponsored child Wolly Towoliu, whom they hadn't heard from since the Compassion child development centre he attended closed in 1983.

Now a successful businessman and happily married father of two, 42-year-old Wolly tears up when describing how the Cottones changed his life. "I got one letter every month from them," he says. "They asked me to study hard, obey my mother, and never give up. And they told me to keep my faith in Jesus." Wolly says he will never forget one particular letter which helped him keep hope during difficult times in his life. It said, "Wolly, please do not lose your hope for your future; please be faithful and pray to the Lord, because one day God will open the door for you and you will reach your dream."

Fond memories

The Cottones still fondly remember Wolly's engaging letters. "We always wondered what had happened to Wolly and had often thought of him," husband Bob says. They soon learned just how much Wolly had thought of them, too.

Virtual reunion

It was 10 April 2009, when Wolly and the Cottones met;  speaking through a Compassion translator via Skype with Wolly, his  wife Ike Ingkiriwang, son Winston and daughter Kezia.

For more than an hour the families laughed and cried together. Wolly expressed his deep gratitude to the Cottone family. He also told them of God's faithfulness over the years.

Wolly says, "I have a fear of the Lord and I am bringing up my children to attend church." He credits the Cottones' letters for his remaining steadfast in his faith.

Wolly's remarkable story, Joanne says, underscores what she's always believed: "The Lord has confirmed how great He is. Even though we were concerned, He was taking care of Wolly. The Lord was with him. We're just a little link in the chain ... all of this, God has done."

As God continues to work miracles in the lives of Wolly and the Cottones, "Lord willing," Joanne says, "We hope to visit Wolly and his family in Indonesia next year."

Important note:

While these reunions were wonderful, it is important to note that Compassion does not encourage any contact between a sponsor and their sponsored child or student while the child or student is currently registered in a Compassion program. This is to both protect the sponsor and beneficiary. Once a child or student has left the program, it is up to the sponsor as to whether or not they want to continue contact in any form, via Compassion's contact continuation mediums or through sites like Facebook. For risks associated with using sites like Facebook while a student is currently registered in a Compassion program, click here.

Authors: Katherine Seddon and Janet Root