Country Stars Thompson Square Show Newfound Appreciation After Visiting Honduras

The award-winning country stars Keifer and Shawna Thompson of Thompson Square received the lesson of a lifetime when they traveled to Honduras to meet the child they sponsor through ChildFund International. Now, they’re spreading the message at their concerts.

Country duo Thompson Square are well-known for their musical prowess and awards, but fans may not know they're also becoming one of ChildFund International's most visible advocates for children in need.

A year ago, Keifer and Shawna Thompson joined the team at ChildFund LIVE! channel, which is an initiative that encourages performing artists to raise awareness about sponsorship and what it means for youth who struggle with extreme poverty. In hopes that their celebrity appeal may have some weight with their fans, the husband and wife band implore the audience at every one of their concerts to sponsor children who survive day to day without clean water, sufficient nutrition or access to health care.

Keifer and Shawna sponsor Emerson, a four-year-old child who lives in a village in central Honduras. The couple visited Emerson and his small village earlier this year, a two-hour drive from the capital across rough roads and mountainous terrain. Upon arrival, Emerson's family warmly greeted the country stars and enthusiastically welcomed them without hesitation.

The couple received the lesson of a lifetime, reveling in the love and joy shared by Emerson and his family despite their daily hardships. The couple felt "totally changed" by the experience—as Shawna explains, it "definitely makes you realize what is important in life, and it's pretty obvious that it's family."

Thompson Square also saw some of ChildFund's youth programs in action at a local school. Through the school support program, Keifer and Shawna watched children tutoring their peers and engaging in other ChildFund programs that aim to strengthen self-esteem, cultural identity and leadership skills. The married couple used the Honduras experience as an opportunity to shoot a video of the work they support as LIVE! artists. They featured their popular hit "Glass" as the soundtrack and dedicated the soul-touching video to the children they met in Honduras.

Now, Keifer and Shawna show that video at their concerts to share their experience and inspire others to sponsor children and spread awareness for ChildFund programs. As it turns out, their experience is par for the sponsorship course. Many of ChildFund's sponsors grow more grateful, even if they don't get the chance to visit their sponsored children. While the $28-a-month sponsorship gives a child a fighting chance to survive and thrive, it also gives a sponsor a new outlook on life that money or fame can't buy.