Each month, I like to share the letters that I send to my sponsored children. This month, I wrote two letters.
At the beginning of the month, I wrote about the autumn season and some of the things that I had been doing to enjoy the cooler weather and the season. I included pictures of trees with changing leaves, a bonfire I went to, and a picture of my class on our field trip to the farm. I hope the kids love them! Here's what I wrote:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Here where I live, the weather is getting colder. We are now in a season that we call autumn. It is cooler in temperature than in the summer, but it not yet snowing or bitter cold. I really like the season of autumn.
One of my favorite things about fall are all of the beautiful colors that show up in nature. The leaves on the trees, which were once green, start to turn bright colors like orange, yellow, and red. Everything looks so beautiful! I love to go outside and walk around looking at all of the pretty colors. The air even smells different in autumn. The air smells more crisp and fresh. Autumn makes me very happy.
One of my favorite things to do during the season of autumn is have a bonfire with my friends. We like to choose a night and get together at one of our homes. We pile up a lot of firewood and light a fire. It is very nice to sit around a warm fire on a cold night. While we are sitting around the fire, we like to tell each other stories about how our days are going and about our families. One of our favorite things to do when we have a fire is to cook marshmallows on the fire. A marshmallow is a sticky, sweet treat. When it's cooked over the fire it starts to melt and tastes very good. You can see a picture of a marshmallow cooking on a fire on the bottom of this page.
A few weeks ago, I took my class of students on a field trip to a farm. Farms are a fun place to visit in autumn because that is when most things where I live are being harvested. It was fun to go with my students to see some of these fruits and vegetables being harvested. We also got to see and touch animals like goats, cows, sheep, chickens, and rabbits. The children also had time to play and run around in the fresh air. We had a wonderful time on our field trip. I included a picture of my class at the farm on this page. I hope you like seeing my class!
I hope you liked hearing about what I'm doing this season.
Love, Kayla
__________________________________________________________________________________
The other letter that I wrote was about Valentine's Day. It was written letter, so I don't have the exact words that I chose to write out, but I basically explained what Valentine's Day and I told each child about how much I love them and what things I love about them. I sent each child a card that they can write out and give to somebody that they love.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Touching Thursday: Young Man Edition
I contemplated titling this post the Older Boy Edition, but I just couldn't do it. These "children" that I'm going to share with you today aren't so much boys anymore, as young men. I dearly want to see these young men find loving sponsors. I would like to see them with sponsors that will write to them and tell them how to be men of God.
12-15-12 Aditya has been sponsored!
Jose has been sponsored!
Bharath has been sponsored! I am so happy for this young man!
Monday, November 26, 2012
One Year Anniversary
Today, November 26th, marks my one year anniversary with my dear boy, Xhuliano.
It was one year ago, today, that my agonizing decision of sponsoring a 2nd child came to an end. After seeing a handsome Albanian boy with serious eyes, praying about it for several days, and deciding whether or not it was a good idea, I sponsored Xhuliano.
I couldn't be happier with that choice.
Xhuliano is one of my best letter writers. He writes at least once a month, sometimes twice, and these letters are not ordinary or boring letters in any manner. They are long, detailed, and full of extreme amounts of love and sweetness.
I feel as if I am truly a part of his family and he is a part of mine.
I am just so in love with this 11, almost 12, year old boy.
I hope we have many more years together.
In the last year, I've gotten 3 pictures of Xhuliano.
It was one year ago, today, that my agonizing decision of sponsoring a 2nd child came to an end. After seeing a handsome Albanian boy with serious eyes, praying about it for several days, and deciding whether or not it was a good idea, I sponsored Xhuliano.
I couldn't be happier with that choice.
Xhuliano is one of my best letter writers. He writes at least once a month, sometimes twice, and these letters are not ordinary or boring letters in any manner. They are long, detailed, and full of extreme amounts of love and sweetness.
I feel as if I am truly a part of his family and he is a part of mine.
I am just so in love with this 11, almost 12, year old boy.
I hope we have many more years together.
In the last year, I've gotten 3 pictures of Xhuliano.
The picture that lead me to sponsor Xhuliano
Xhuliano's Updated Picture for 2012
The picture Xhuliano sent showing me what he bought with some money I sent him
Here are some of my favorite quotes from him:
"Hope to receive a letter from you very soon! I wish you luck in your
life."
"In Albania, we have a tradition on the first of January if somebody
comes in our house on the first, that means that they
year will be great. I took your letter that day. "
" I do all my homework because my teacher, like you, says that it is
important"
"I cover myself with the blanket you sent and I feel the warmness as in
the moment I get letters from you."
"I am very happy since the day I met a wonderful friend like you and
I love you with my whole heart"
"Here we celebrate Teacher's Day, that is on March 7th. Hapyy March 7th, my
friend! If you were here I would give flowers to you."
"I think of you everyday and you are my unforgettable friend."
"Thank you with all of my heart, my dear friend. I wish you a good school year."
"I am happy to have got the possibility to have such a wonderful friend that
expresses such good words about me and my family and will always be a friend to
our family"
Saturday, November 24, 2012
It's Official!
I am signed up to go on the Compassion tour to Honduras! The trip is next summer, in August. I am so excited!
I am so excited to experience, more closely, how Compassion does what they do. I'm am so ready to play with children like this:
I am so excited to experience, more closely, how Compassion does what they do. I'm am so ready to play with children like this:
But, more than anything, I want to see this beautiful girl, my beautiful sponsored girl, Celeste. My 10 year old beauty queen:
This trip is going to be amazing!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Clarification for the Doubters
I want to talk a little bit more about Yonas's sponsorship and why I dropped it for those of you who are doubting me and posting comments (that I deleted, by the way) judging me and downright being hateful for no reason, and then not even being courageous enough to post your name. An annoymus judgemental comment is pretty classy, I'm just saying.
Anyway, it was first stated that I dropped Yonas because "Africa isn't my favorite country at the moment." I think it should first be said, that Africa is a continent, not a country. Yonas was from Ethiopia. That's a country. I love Africa. If you would have chosen to at least look at my blog, before you posted your comment, you would have seen that my very first sponsored child is Abu-Bakarr is from Sierra Leone (that's a country) in Africa. I have sponsored him for almost 5 years and I love him with my whole heart. Him and his grandmother are two of the most wonderful human beings on this planet.
In your comment, you then brought up that I asked for help to sponsor Sandesh from India, and then dropped Yonas. You said something along the lines of I should be using that money for Yonas. Well, that wouldn't be very honest, would it? Taking the money that people donated for one child and using for another? I asked for people to help out and come together to sponsor Sandesh, because I believe that it was the right thing to do. Many people have a child sponsored through their blog, by generous donations by their readers and I don't see anything wrong that. If you look back a little, you can see that I set up this blog sponsorship before I cancelled Yonas's sponsorship. When I did this, I had enough money to sponsor Yonas. I was not looking to replace Yonas with Sandesh. What an insensitive thing to assume.
You did mention in your comment that it was confusing that I was talking about sponsoring another boy from Albania. You do have a point there. Here's the thing, I should have been more clear in what I was trying to say. Me wanting to sponsor another boy in Albania is a far off dream. I will not have the money to sponsor another child for around another year, if I even have it then. I was simply stating that I love those Albanian boys and I think it would be great to sponsor another one someday. Someday does not meant today. And when that someday arrives, maybe I will be able to look up Yonas again, maybe I won't. I sure hope by then, he has another sponsor.
Now that I think I've addressed all of the parts of your comment, I'm going to tell you why I stopped sponsoring Yonas, even if the nature of your comment doesn't really deserve it. I currently have two jobs. One full time job teaching and one part time job working with the children at my church. Due to circumstances in my church and rearranging of staff members, I will not be able to work as many hours as I was. The sad truth is that means less money for me. That lead to me having to make the horrible decision of cancelling one of my sponsorships, one that was not taken lightly. I prayed about it for a month. And that prayer lead me to the decision that I made. I was not going to cancel the sponsorships with children I've had long enough to form a relationship with, I was not going to cancel the sponsorship of the child I will be visiting, and I will not be cancelling the sponsorships of the children in India, the country that God most calls me and my heart to. That left one child. As sad as it is, it was something that I had to do. I did not want to do it.
No sponsor wants to drop their children, but I truly believe that God is in every circumstance and every situation. As hard as this choice was for me, I feel at peace about it and sometimes, difficult decisions are what God is calling us to do. I know that God is with Yonas and God will lead Yonas to his perfect sponsor, since I clearly could not be that for him.
I urge you, annoymus commenter, to think about how your words may affect somebody, before you post them. You did not have the background knowledge of this situation and you did not know the agonizing decision that this was for me, before you commented. I hope that this blog post clears it up a little bit for you.
Anyway, it was first stated that I dropped Yonas because "Africa isn't my favorite country at the moment." I think it should first be said, that Africa is a continent, not a country. Yonas was from Ethiopia. That's a country. I love Africa. If you would have chosen to at least look at my blog, before you posted your comment, you would have seen that my very first sponsored child is Abu-Bakarr is from Sierra Leone (that's a country) in Africa. I have sponsored him for almost 5 years and I love him with my whole heart. Him and his grandmother are two of the most wonderful human beings on this planet.
In your comment, you then brought up that I asked for help to sponsor Sandesh from India, and then dropped Yonas. You said something along the lines of I should be using that money for Yonas. Well, that wouldn't be very honest, would it? Taking the money that people donated for one child and using for another? I asked for people to help out and come together to sponsor Sandesh, because I believe that it was the right thing to do. Many people have a child sponsored through their blog, by generous donations by their readers and I don't see anything wrong that. If you look back a little, you can see that I set up this blog sponsorship before I cancelled Yonas's sponsorship. When I did this, I had enough money to sponsor Yonas. I was not looking to replace Yonas with Sandesh. What an insensitive thing to assume.
You did mention in your comment that it was confusing that I was talking about sponsoring another boy from Albania. You do have a point there. Here's the thing, I should have been more clear in what I was trying to say. Me wanting to sponsor another boy in Albania is a far off dream. I will not have the money to sponsor another child for around another year, if I even have it then. I was simply stating that I love those Albanian boys and I think it would be great to sponsor another one someday. Someday does not meant today. And when that someday arrives, maybe I will be able to look up Yonas again, maybe I won't. I sure hope by then, he has another sponsor.
Now that I think I've addressed all of the parts of your comment, I'm going to tell you why I stopped sponsoring Yonas, even if the nature of your comment doesn't really deserve it. I currently have two jobs. One full time job teaching and one part time job working with the children at my church. Due to circumstances in my church and rearranging of staff members, I will not be able to work as many hours as I was. The sad truth is that means less money for me. That lead to me having to make the horrible decision of cancelling one of my sponsorships, one that was not taken lightly. I prayed about it for a month. And that prayer lead me to the decision that I made. I was not going to cancel the sponsorships with children I've had long enough to form a relationship with, I was not going to cancel the sponsorship of the child I will be visiting, and I will not be cancelling the sponsorships of the children in India, the country that God most calls me and my heart to. That left one child. As sad as it is, it was something that I had to do. I did not want to do it.
No sponsor wants to drop their children, but I truly believe that God is in every circumstance and every situation. As hard as this choice was for me, I feel at peace about it and sometimes, difficult decisions are what God is calling us to do. I know that God is with Yonas and God will lead Yonas to his perfect sponsor, since I clearly could not be that for him.
I urge you, annoymus commenter, to think about how your words may affect somebody, before you post them. You did not have the background knowledge of this situation and you did not know the agonizing decision that this was for me, before you commented. I hope that this blog post clears it up a little bit for you.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Touching Thursday: Super Long Waiting Kids
It's time to jump back into my Touching Thursday posts after a short break last week.
This week, I want to share three kids with you that have been waiting a REALLY long time for a sponsor. And it really surprises me that kids this cute haven't been scooped up and sponsored. Please take a look at their photos and information and prayerfully considering sponsoring one of them. Maybe it could be a special Christmas present for your family! A way to give back for the holidays.
This week, I want to share three kids with you that have been waiting a REALLY long time for a sponsor. And it really surprises me that kids this cute haven't been scooped up and sponsored. Please take a look at their photos and information and prayerfully considering sponsoring one of them. Maybe it could be a special Christmas present for your family! A way to give back for the holidays.
12-22-12 Rajesh is no longer on the website. He may have been sponsored, or, because he was on the website so long, he may have been taken down by Compassion to attempt to find him a sponsor in another way. I'm praying for him.
Stella has been sponsored!
Joset has been sponsored! I wish I knew who sponsored him because I would love to be able to bring him a gift next summer.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Broken Hearted
It has come to the point where I am needing to drop one of my sponsorships. I can't believe this is happening. Truly.
During the last couple of months, I've been taking money out of my savings account simply to pay bills and to buy groceries. I know that sponsoring children is good, but there is no way that God wants me to sacrifice meeting my own basic needs, paying my rent, and paying off student loan debt. In fact, the bible mentions paying off debts quite a lot.
So, I began to pray. Which child was I supposed to cancel? How could I do this? Each of my children have such a special story of how they came to join my family. I just couldn't imagine how I was going to do this. A friend of mine helped me think through it logically. The children I've been sponsoring for over a year and I have developed a relationship with, I need to keep. My three World Vision kids are staying with me. My beautiful girl in Honduras, who I will be visiting next year, I clearly cannot cancel her sponsorship. My kids in India? No way. My heart is so with India and I know that I will be spending time there in the future.
Well, that left one child, my Yonas from Ethiopia.
Yonas is 8 years old and his birthday is December 12th. He's in 3rd grade. He lives with his aunt and brother. His favorite thing to do is ride bikes, his favorite food is soup, he likes horses, his favorite color is red, and when he grows up, he wants to be a scientist.
If you would like to sponsor him, I will gladly share his information with you and you can call up Compassion to add him to your family.
I will be calling Compassion to cancel this afternoon.
Prayers are much appreciated!
During the last couple of months, I've been taking money out of my savings account simply to pay bills and to buy groceries. I know that sponsoring children is good, but there is no way that God wants me to sacrifice meeting my own basic needs, paying my rent, and paying off student loan debt. In fact, the bible mentions paying off debts quite a lot.
So, I began to pray. Which child was I supposed to cancel? How could I do this? Each of my children have such a special story of how they came to join my family. I just couldn't imagine how I was going to do this. A friend of mine helped me think through it logically. The children I've been sponsoring for over a year and I have developed a relationship with, I need to keep. My three World Vision kids are staying with me. My beautiful girl in Honduras, who I will be visiting next year, I clearly cannot cancel her sponsorship. My kids in India? No way. My heart is so with India and I know that I will be spending time there in the future.
Well, that left one child, my Yonas from Ethiopia.
Yonas is 8 years old and his birthday is December 12th. He's in 3rd grade. He lives with his aunt and brother. His favorite thing to do is ride bikes, his favorite food is soup, he likes horses, his favorite color is red, and when he grows up, he wants to be a scientist.
If you would like to sponsor him, I will gladly share his information with you and you can call up Compassion to add him to your family.
I will be calling Compassion to cancel this afternoon.
Prayers are much appreciated!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Blogger Trip to Peru: Memorable Moments
I've been thinking about this post since Compassion emailed all of us on the blogger team and asked us to blog about the trip, to spread the word, to show the way that Compassion is changing the lives of children and families, one child at a time.
How was I going to share?
Well, I decided that I'm going to share about this trip in way that I know best how to do. Quotes and pictures. For me, the best way to share about something is to show a picture. Pictures truly speak a thousand words. To me, that's not just a cliche. You can look at a picture and see the true story of what is happening. So, I'm going to be sharing pictures and quotes from my favorite blog entries, which I, of course, will link you to, so you are able to enjoy them too.
Without futher ado, Compassion Peru 2012:
How was I going to share?
Well, I decided that I'm going to share about this trip in way that I know best how to do. Quotes and pictures. For me, the best way to share about something is to show a picture. Pictures truly speak a thousand words. To me, that's not just a cliche. You can look at a picture and see the true story of what is happening. So, I'm going to be sharing pictures and quotes from my favorite blog entries, which I, of course, will link you to, so you are able to enjoy them too.
Without futher ado, Compassion Peru 2012:
"Thanks to God, we now have a better life. We live. We breathe. We eat."
"I wish I could really, really describe to you how it felt inside that place. I’m trying so hard to string the right words together, but every time I line them up, they don’t seem to explain it quite right. All I know how to tell you for sure is that that place was overflowing with Love."
"It moves us, this kind of love"
"Giving is Living Life to its Fullest, and in my brief hour visit I received so much more than I could ever give"
"And these letters, pen on paper, every curve and dot…they tell a story of hope that Anibal needs to hear."
"Children once grounded by poverty, once unable to think beyond the next meal, now dream of their future. They see it. They chase."
"Long and bumpy bus rides lead to the loveliest of things around here, and we feel so lucky to have captured so many of them for keeps."
"Or, we can jump in an empty room, knot our lives with the lives of others, and finally understand the power of being woven by the hand of the Lord."
- Woven
Saturday, November 17, 2012
A Letter and Picture from Xhuliano!
I love each of the children I sponsor and write to with my whole heart. (Yes, it's like I have 12 hearts). I love each child in their own special way. Xhuliano is so special to me! His letters are fabulous! If you've spent any time on my blog, you already know that, though.
In this post, like with Florenc's on Tuesday, I will be sharing two letters from Xhuliano. One is a letter, in general, talking about him and responding to letters that I've written. I just love this boy. Check out these letters:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Dear my amazing friend,
My family, I, my 2 sisters Stelina and the little Marsela were very happy to receive your present (the football players pictures), because I like sports, especially football and basketball. Even in school I like to run. When wer are off, we go in Vlora and play in teams and I always win. (He always wins! Maybe I have a future professional soccer player on my hands). Even the teacher is happy when his team wins. Even I love you very much my friend. the words that you say to me are so beautiful and sweet. As you would keep my flowers in your desk, even I keep everything you send to me. I take the notebooks to school. Yes, I do like the stickers and Stelina put them in her books and mine too. My dad's birthday is coming. It is on September 23rd. I will collect the money that my uncle, mother, and friends will give to me and I will buy a bunch of flowers. Even here the stars shine. The city is around 20 minutes by car. Even my dad shares the same opinion about drugs and bad friends. He wants us to be away from smoking, to be nice with family and friends, not to stop in the street, not to take things from unknown persons. (He's responding to a letter I wrote to him about shining like stars. To make good choices in his life, like obeying his parents and stay away from bad influences. I'm happy to hear that his dad agrees with me.) I listen to his advice and I love him very much. I love you too, my friend, for sharing the same opinon. My sisters and I alwasy listen to our parents because they want the best for us. Yes, I live in the city. We have the same colors in Albania: green, yellow, and white. (I shared about a baseball team in my town with these colors. Funny.) I like to run on Saturday and Sunday, because school is off. Yes, I did like the pictures. I like all kinds of sports. In sports you have to have faith and courage. I'm closing this letter now. A big hug from me with lots of love.
Xhuliano
_________________________________________________________________________________
My dear friend,
This is Xhuliano writing you this letter.
My friend Kayla, I was very happy to receive the surprise from you. My parents and my two sisters, were very happy. Everytime that you send me presents, Marcela gets excited and in the evening she sits and plays with the doll dresses that you sent her. She puts them on the dolls and then she puts on her head the hairpins and starts dancing with Stelina, as she loves music. (I sent both of his sisters a doll and doll clothes. I'm so happy that they love them! I also sent hairclips.) Stelina dances very well and she is the pupil with best results in her classroom, my wonderful friend.
School here starts on September 10th, my friend and I am in 6th grade now. School seems very difficult this year. The teachers are not the same and I need to brace myself and study harder, my friend Kayla.
What about you my friend, how are you doing? Do your pupils get bored during the day? I hope they will better this year, as they are happy to have got a loving teacher just as I am happy to have got a loving friend in you, Kayla. My friend, I hope that your family and friends are all well.
My wonderful friend, I loved all the presents that I took from you and I am very thankful that you continually send me presents and I am happy to have got the possibility to have such a wonderful friend that expresses such good words about me and my family and will always be a friend to our family. I am ending this letter with a few words and with much love. My friend Kayla, I send you a hug from far away.
Xhuliano
- With the money you sent, I got a pair of trainers and some groceries. Thank you very much from the heart!
Without further ado, the picture of Xhuliano with his shoes and groceries! Two whole boxes of groceries!
In this post, like with Florenc's on Tuesday, I will be sharing two letters from Xhuliano. One is a letter, in general, talking about him and responding to letters that I've written. I just love this boy. Check out these letters:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Dear my amazing friend,
My family, I, my 2 sisters Stelina and the little Marsela were very happy to receive your present (the football players pictures), because I like sports, especially football and basketball. Even in school I like to run. When wer are off, we go in Vlora and play in teams and I always win. (He always wins! Maybe I have a future professional soccer player on my hands). Even the teacher is happy when his team wins. Even I love you very much my friend. the words that you say to me are so beautiful and sweet. As you would keep my flowers in your desk, even I keep everything you send to me. I take the notebooks to school. Yes, I do like the stickers and Stelina put them in her books and mine too. My dad's birthday is coming. It is on September 23rd. I will collect the money that my uncle, mother, and friends will give to me and I will buy a bunch of flowers. Even here the stars shine. The city is around 20 minutes by car. Even my dad shares the same opinion about drugs and bad friends. He wants us to be away from smoking, to be nice with family and friends, not to stop in the street, not to take things from unknown persons. (He's responding to a letter I wrote to him about shining like stars. To make good choices in his life, like obeying his parents and stay away from bad influences. I'm happy to hear that his dad agrees with me.) I listen to his advice and I love him very much. I love you too, my friend, for sharing the same opinon. My sisters and I alwasy listen to our parents because they want the best for us. Yes, I live in the city. We have the same colors in Albania: green, yellow, and white. (I shared about a baseball team in my town with these colors. Funny.) I like to run on Saturday and Sunday, because school is off. Yes, I did like the pictures. I like all kinds of sports. In sports you have to have faith and courage. I'm closing this letter now. A big hug from me with lots of love.
Xhuliano
_________________________________________________________________________________
My dear friend,
This is Xhuliano writing you this letter.
My friend Kayla, I was very happy to receive the surprise from you. My parents and my two sisters, were very happy. Everytime that you send me presents, Marcela gets excited and in the evening she sits and plays with the doll dresses that you sent her. She puts them on the dolls and then she puts on her head the hairpins and starts dancing with Stelina, as she loves music. (I sent both of his sisters a doll and doll clothes. I'm so happy that they love them! I also sent hairclips.) Stelina dances very well and she is the pupil with best results in her classroom, my wonderful friend.
School here starts on September 10th, my friend and I am in 6th grade now. School seems very difficult this year. The teachers are not the same and I need to brace myself and study harder, my friend Kayla.
What about you my friend, how are you doing? Do your pupils get bored during the day? I hope they will better this year, as they are happy to have got a loving teacher just as I am happy to have got a loving friend in you, Kayla. My friend, I hope that your family and friends are all well.
My wonderful friend, I loved all the presents that I took from you and I am very thankful that you continually send me presents and I am happy to have got the possibility to have such a wonderful friend that expresses such good words about me and my family and will always be a friend to our family. I am ending this letter with a few words and with much love. My friend Kayla, I send you a hug from far away.
Xhuliano
- With the money you sent, I got a pair of trainers and some groceries. Thank you very much from the heart!
Without further ado, the picture of Xhuliano with his shoes and groceries! Two whole boxes of groceries!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, November 15, 2012
3 Children From Kalpesh's Project
If you spend any amount of time on my blog, you know who Kalpesh is. :) But, if you don't know who he is, I will tell you about him.
My dear Kalpesh is a wonderful 10 year old boy from the project IN-905. This boy is an absolute sweetheart! I have received 26 letters from him since the beginning of this year. 26!
While I can't garauntee that this is something every child in this project does, clearly, their project is open to letting the kids write whenever they want to. Kalpesh answers every, single letter than I write to him. He always answers every question I ask and then asks his own questions. We completely have a pen pal relationship, a constant conversation going on between the two of us.
I currently have three packets from this project. If you sponsor one of these children, you could be on your way to 2-4 letters a month!
If you would like to sponsor one of these children, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu or message me on O.C.
My dear Kalpesh is a wonderful 10 year old boy from the project IN-905. This boy is an absolute sweetheart! I have received 26 letters from him since the beginning of this year. 26!
While I can't garauntee that this is something every child in this project does, clearly, their project is open to letting the kids write whenever they want to. Kalpesh answers every, single letter than I write to him. He always answers every question I ask and then asks his own questions. We completely have a pen pal relationship, a constant conversation going on between the two of us.
I currently have three packets from this project. If you sponsor one of these children, you could be on your way to 2-4 letters a month!
If you would like to sponsor one of these children, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu or message me on O.C.
This handsome guy is Yogesh. He is 9 years old and will be 10 on January 14th. He lives with his father, mother, and 1 sibling. His parents are both sometimes employed as laborers. Yogesh helps at home by carrying water and buying/selling in the market. For fun, Yogesh enjoys hide-and-seek and playing group games. He attends church activities regularly and is primary school where his performance is average.
Meet Ravidas (I love his name!). He is 10 years old and his birthday is June 22nd. Ravidas makes his home with his father, mother, and 1 sibling. His parents are both sometimes employed as laborers. Ravidas' household duties are making beds and running errands. As part of Compassion ministry, Ravidas participates in church activities and Vacation Bible School. He is in primary school where is performance is average. Playing with friends is his favorite activity.
Bharath has been sponsored!
IN-905 is on the plains of Kotada, where about 5,500 people live.
Typical houses are made of mud floors, bamboo walls, and tile roofs (as you can see in the background of the pictures). The regional diet consists of maize, chicken, beef, rice, and potatoes. Common health problems in this area include malaria, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal diseases. Most adults work as farmers and earn $41 a month.
This community most needs scholastic materials, employment opportunities, food, and improved housing.
I encourage you prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these children!
Happy 8th Birthday Kwizera!
Today, the baby of my Compassion family, Kwizera, turns 8 years old. I suppose he's not really a baby, haha.
I was only assigned Kwizera has a correspondent child about two months ago, and I haven't received a letter from him yet, but I dearly love him. He is just so cute! And he's from an absolute wonderful project in Rwanda.
So, here's to Kwizera:
Dear Kwizera,
Happy 8th birthday, little one. You are certainly a handsome boy with your serious face and your dress shirt on in your picture. I wonder if you dress this nicely all the time or if it was a special picture day outfit.
I think of you often. I have your picture on my fridge and I look at it everyday. I have memorized every little detail of it. It's such a blessing that we get to be a part of each others' lives. Only God knows if we will have a short relationship or a long one, but I pray that each day we have each other is blessed and special.
I absolutely love writing letters to you. It's fun to think about what kinds of things you may like that I can send you. Things with sports, cars, superheros, animals, etc. I have sent you a variety of things hoping that you will write me telling me which you things you like the best.
I can't wait to get to know you more!
I pray that your birthday is wonderful! I pray that your family makes this day special for you and that you are happy and healthy.
Love,
Kayla
I was only assigned Kwizera has a correspondent child about two months ago, and I haven't received a letter from him yet, but I dearly love him. He is just so cute! And he's from an absolute wonderful project in Rwanda.
So, here's to Kwizera:
Dear Kwizera,
Happy 8th birthday, little one. You are certainly a handsome boy with your serious face and your dress shirt on in your picture. I wonder if you dress this nicely all the time or if it was a special picture day outfit.
I think of you often. I have your picture on my fridge and I look at it everyday. I have memorized every little detail of it. It's such a blessing that we get to be a part of each others' lives. Only God knows if we will have a short relationship or a long one, but I pray that each day we have each other is blessed and special.
I absolutely love writing letters to you. It's fun to think about what kinds of things you may like that I can send you. Things with sports, cars, superheros, animals, etc. I have sent you a variety of things hoping that you will write me telling me which you things you like the best.
I can't wait to get to know you more!
I pray that your birthday is wonderful! I pray that your family makes this day special for you and that you are happy and healthy.
Love,
Kayla
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
World Vision Blew Uy My Mailbox Today!
I opened my mailbox today and saw three things from World Vision! One envelope was full of 2013 calendars to send to each of my boys. I love that World Vision sends special greetings throughout the year to send to our kids.
Then, I had two letters from my dear Florenc. One was a regular letter and the other was a letter telling me what he was able to buy with the money that I sent to his family. When you send a financial gift to a child through World Vision, you have to send $100 or more. They don't accept anything less. While this does seem like a lot of money, the child can get much more AND you ALWAYS receive a picture of your child with what they bought. Just wait until you see this handsome boy!
But, you will have to wait, haha. I will share his regular letter first, then his gift notification letter.
___________________________________________________________________________________
My Dear Sponsor Kayla,
I was very happy to get your letter and to know that you still show interest towards me and my family. (This breaks my heart. The word still, I will always show interest in him and his family).
I am in the eighth grade and I am doing very well at school. My biggest problem is my mother who is still having some health problems even though she had some operations.
My family and I live a very simple life. We have a very simple house because we do not have money to have a good one. The only wish that I have is to see my mother getting better.
I like playing football. I am very grateful to you for your interest towards us.
I got the bible and the photos that you sent. (I sent photos of two of the other children I sponsor) I was very happy to know that I have some new friends. I consider them as my sister and brother. We are a very big family together.
Thank you very much for your respect.
I am looking forward to your next letter.
With much respect from Florenc and family.
_________________________________________________________________________________
My Dear Friend Kayla,
Thank you very much for the respect and interest that you show towards me and my family.
I am feeling very bad with the odd meat (Hahahaha, what an awful translation. He has nodes in his nose that make it very hard for him to breathe). The doctors said that I should make an operation and take it away. My brother Esati is doing well. He is doing well at school too. I am in the eigth grade and my brother is in sixth grade. My father is well. My mother is still having problems with her kidneys. Her problems are making us all feel very bad about her.
My dear friend Kayla, I got the present that you sent me and I am very thankful to you. With the money that you sent, I could buy clothes for my brother and for myself. I could buy a blouse for my mother too. We are all very happy.
How are you, my dear friend? How are you doing? How is your mother, your stepfather, your grandmother, and your sister? How are you doing at school? I got the photos that you sent and I liked them very much. You looked very beautiful. I put them in my bedroom and I see them everyday.
I am closing this letter now hoping it will find you doing very well and happy.
We are very thankful to you for everything you do.
With much respect from Florenc and family.
Here's the picture of what him with his bags of clothes:
Then, I had two letters from my dear Florenc. One was a regular letter and the other was a letter telling me what he was able to buy with the money that I sent to his family. When you send a financial gift to a child through World Vision, you have to send $100 or more. They don't accept anything less. While this does seem like a lot of money, the child can get much more AND you ALWAYS receive a picture of your child with what they bought. Just wait until you see this handsome boy!
But, you will have to wait, haha. I will share his regular letter first, then his gift notification letter.
___________________________________________________________________________________
My Dear Sponsor Kayla,
I was very happy to get your letter and to know that you still show interest towards me and my family. (This breaks my heart. The word still, I will always show interest in him and his family).
I am in the eighth grade and I am doing very well at school. My biggest problem is my mother who is still having some health problems even though she had some operations.
My family and I live a very simple life. We have a very simple house because we do not have money to have a good one. The only wish that I have is to see my mother getting better.
I like playing football. I am very grateful to you for your interest towards us.
I got the bible and the photos that you sent. (I sent photos of two of the other children I sponsor) I was very happy to know that I have some new friends. I consider them as my sister and brother. We are a very big family together.
Thank you very much for your respect.
I am looking forward to your next letter.
With much respect from Florenc and family.
_________________________________________________________________________________
My Dear Friend Kayla,
Thank you very much for the respect and interest that you show towards me and my family.
I am feeling very bad with the odd meat (Hahahaha, what an awful translation. He has nodes in his nose that make it very hard for him to breathe). The doctors said that I should make an operation and take it away. My brother Esati is doing well. He is doing well at school too. I am in the eigth grade and my brother is in sixth grade. My father is well. My mother is still having problems with her kidneys. Her problems are making us all feel very bad about her.
My dear friend Kayla, I got the present that you sent me and I am very thankful to you. With the money that you sent, I could buy clothes for my brother and for myself. I could buy a blouse for my mother too. We are all very happy.
How are you, my dear friend? How are you doing? How is your mother, your stepfather, your grandmother, and your sister? How are you doing at school? I got the photos that you sent and I liked them very much. You looked very beautiful. I put them in my bedroom and I see them everyday.
I am closing this letter now hoping it will find you doing very well and happy.
We are very thankful to you for everything you do.
With much respect from Florenc and family.
Here's the picture of what him with his bags of clothes:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Monday, November 12, 2012
Compassion Bloggers: Peru
The Compassion Bloggers are traveling to Peru this week!
Starting tomorrow, November 13th, the Compassion Bloggers will be in Peru serving the children and families involved in the Compassion Projects.
Along the way, they will be writing blog entries telling about their experiences.
Let me tell you, I LOVE the Compassion Blogger trips. I love being able to read about the good that Compassion is doing, I both love and hate hearing about the conditions that these children and families live in and overcome on a daily basis. I love seeing the bloggers pour out their hearts and souls in the form of writing.
I, not so secretly, long to travel on a Compassion Blogger trip someday. Being able to travel with Compassion and blog about it along the way would be a dream come true.
But, until that day, I will follow the bloggers wherever they go. You can follow them too! If you click on the banner on the right of my blog, you will be taken to the blogger page, where you can read the blog entries that these people post during their trip.
Also, if you could keep these bloggers in your prayers, that would be wonderful. Let's raise up Angela Smith, Jennifer Schimdt, Kevin & Layla Palmer, and Shaun Groves as they spend a week in poverty and show God to these families.
And, because I like pictures, here are some beautiful children who are being served through Compassion Peru:
Starting tomorrow, November 13th, the Compassion Bloggers will be in Peru serving the children and families involved in the Compassion Projects.
Along the way, they will be writing blog entries telling about their experiences.
Let me tell you, I LOVE the Compassion Blogger trips. I love being able to read about the good that Compassion is doing, I both love and hate hearing about the conditions that these children and families live in and overcome on a daily basis. I love seeing the bloggers pour out their hearts and souls in the form of writing.
I, not so secretly, long to travel on a Compassion Blogger trip someday. Being able to travel with Compassion and blog about it along the way would be a dream come true.
But, until that day, I will follow the bloggers wherever they go. You can follow them too! If you click on the banner on the right of my blog, you will be taken to the blogger page, where you can read the blog entries that these people post during their trip.
Also, if you could keep these bloggers in your prayers, that would be wonderful. Let's raise up Angela Smith, Jennifer Schimdt, Kevin & Layla Palmer, and Shaun Groves as they spend a week in poverty and show God to these families.
And, because I like pictures, here are some beautiful children who are being served through Compassion Peru:
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Matthew West Shows Compassion
Last Sunday, I had the privelage of traveling to a nearby city to volunteer with Compassion. I will drive for hours (I only had to drive for one hour) to advocate for child sponsorship with Compassion.
The night started off a little rocky. I was supposed to be there at 4:45, but I got lost in the city. I drove WAY past the street I was supposed to turn on. I mean, I drove for so long that I ended up back on the highway towards St. Louis and I didn't want to go to St. Louis. Well, I turned around and found the street. It was close to 5:30 when I got there, which was still a half hour before the concert started.
I met some wonderful people, especially a woman named Susan, who I ended up talking to the entire night. She has a daughter my age, and also two adopted children. She was so great to talk to. It's always nice when strangers click for one day, even knowing they may never see each other again.
During the first half of the show, I went into the auditorium and caught a few songs by the band Mikeschair, which was really good! I've heard a few songs by them every now and again, but seeing them live was really enjoyable.
During the intermission, the table was absolutely SWARMED with people interested in sponsoring a child and a lot of people who had questions about Compassion. I absolutely love when a Compassion table is busy. It feels like all the waiting around during the event was actually for a meaning. Nothing feels worse for me than having nobody come up to the table. Anyway, I would like to share some of the stories that stuck out in my mind with you.
A very nice Chinese family came to the table, after receiving a packet in the packet pass. They returned the packet and told me they would really like to sponsor a child in China, close to where their family lived. When I told them that Compassion does not currently work in China, they walked away from the table a little bit. I could hear parts of their conversation and I heard their son, who had to have been around 10 or 11 years old say, let's just sponsor the boy they gave to us during the concert. The family came back to the table and ask for the packet they returned to be given back. A handsome boy from India found a lovely sponsor family!
A woman came up to us and told us that she wanted a boy with a December 6th birthday. She shared with us that her son had passed away and that was his birthday. I made it my personal mission to find a boy with that birthday. I literally sat on the floor behind the table and looked through every single one of those 300ish packets. I found one child with a December 6th birthday, a little girl. The woman said that the girl was beautiful, but she really wanted a boy. She then looked over the packets, chose a boy she said reminded her of her son, and sponsored him. Just like that. Wow. God sure does move.
At the very very end of the night, a woman and her mother came up to the table. She shared with me that her husband is from Colombia and she wanted a child from the city of Bogota, where he was from. We found several boys who matched her description. After much deliberating, and convincing her mother that she had to back her up when her husband complained about the sponsorship. Funny. But, all in all, she chose a very sweet little boy, one who was the same age as her son.
I love working Compassion events! I always feel God working in huge way. 27 children were sponsored that night.
The night started off a little rocky. I was supposed to be there at 4:45, but I got lost in the city. I drove WAY past the street I was supposed to turn on. I mean, I drove for so long that I ended up back on the highway towards St. Louis and I didn't want to go to St. Louis. Well, I turned around and found the street. It was close to 5:30 when I got there, which was still a half hour before the concert started.
I met some wonderful people, especially a woman named Susan, who I ended up talking to the entire night. She has a daughter my age, and also two adopted children. She was so great to talk to. It's always nice when strangers click for one day, even knowing they may never see each other again.
During the first half of the show, I went into the auditorium and caught a few songs by the band Mikeschair, which was really good! I've heard a few songs by them every now and again, but seeing them live was really enjoyable.
I got to particpate in my first packet pass! I've volunteered at other events, but I've never done a packet pass before. It was a blessing to hear Matthew West talk about Compassion and share stories about his sponsored boy in Haiti. Watching the video of him and his band in Haiti was very touching. So touching, in fact, that later, people were coming to the table asking to sponsor children from Haiti. Guess what country we didn't have packets for? Yeah...you guessed it, Haiti. Oh well.
Then, Matthew West and his band sang a song and people raised their hands if they wanted us to hand them a packet. I only handed out a couple, but from what I can tell, both of those people sponsored the child they were handed, which I think is really cool. If it was me, I feel like I would take the child I was handed as a sign that God wanted me to sponsor them. I talked to a woman on Facebook who felt like that. She told me they little girl was in her hands and she just felt like that was the child for her. What a blessing!
During the intermission, the table was absolutely SWARMED with people interested in sponsoring a child and a lot of people who had questions about Compassion. I absolutely love when a Compassion table is busy. It feels like all the waiting around during the event was actually for a meaning. Nothing feels worse for me than having nobody come up to the table. Anyway, I would like to share some of the stories that stuck out in my mind with you.
A very nice Chinese family came to the table, after receiving a packet in the packet pass. They returned the packet and told me they would really like to sponsor a child in China, close to where their family lived. When I told them that Compassion does not currently work in China, they walked away from the table a little bit. I could hear parts of their conversation and I heard their son, who had to have been around 10 or 11 years old say, let's just sponsor the boy they gave to us during the concert. The family came back to the table and ask for the packet they returned to be given back. A handsome boy from India found a lovely sponsor family!
A woman came up to us and told us that she wanted a boy with a December 6th birthday. She shared with us that her son had passed away and that was his birthday. I made it my personal mission to find a boy with that birthday. I literally sat on the floor behind the table and looked through every single one of those 300ish packets. I found one child with a December 6th birthday, a little girl. The woman said that the girl was beautiful, but she really wanted a boy. She then looked over the packets, chose a boy she said reminded her of her son, and sponsored him. Just like that. Wow. God sure does move.
At the very very end of the night, a woman and her mother came up to the table. She shared with me that her husband is from Colombia and she wanted a child from the city of Bogota, where he was from. We found several boys who matched her description. After much deliberating, and convincing her mother that she had to back her up when her husband complained about the sponsorship. Funny. But, all in all, she chose a very sweet little boy, one who was the same age as her son.
I love working Compassion events! I always feel God working in huge way. 27 children were sponsored that night.
Friday, November 9, 2012
It's Sign-Up November!
Hi everyone!
You may have noticed a new little blue box on the right of my blog.
Well, that is my new chip-in box for my trip to Honduras next summer. I had one up there before and generous donors helped me raise $55 towards that trip. I still have that money set aside, do not worry! However, I wanted to make a new box, this time I didn't put how much I am trying to raise, because I don't expect all of my lovely blog readers to donate the full amount, obviously.
But, if you feel so lead that would like to help make my heart very happy, to help me visit my dear child Celeste, in Honduras, then feel free to donate.
If you would like to help, but are not able to donate, can you please pray for me? I can't stress enough how much difference prayer makes in this kinds of trips and decisions. Prayer can move mountains!
And since I like to keep it real on my blog (I'm making peace signs and crossing my arms, you know, like a really cool 90's rapper), I want to tell you about what happened to me on Wednesday.
I had a meeting on Wednesday with one of the pastors at my church, who is also the head of the mission committee, about possibly having the church fund part of my trip to Honduras. I was pretty much expecting to go in there, talk about Compassion a little bit, talk about Celeste, and share my heart for children living in poverty.
Well, I did that, but it was far from expected. In fact, it was downright unexpected.
I spent literally 30 minutes crying hysterically while I shared how much children in poverty break my heart. I cried because I hate knowing that children are living in other countries without daily food, clean water, shoes on their little feets, basic health care, and quality education. I cried because I hate that I whine about so many pointless things like how much my student loan payments are, about how I have "nothing" to eat and "nothing" to wear. I cried because I feel guilty that God chose me to live this way and so many precious children don't even live close to how I live. I cried because I love Celeste so much and even the smallest thought of actually getting to see her, hug her, hear her voice, and talk with her is too much for my heart to even handle. It's going to be outrageous! A true miracle!
There are a few steps for me to take before the committee will vote on anything or make any decisions, but I feel like I'm heading in the right direction for support and love and tons of prayer (which remember, I love a lot).
Step 1: Sign-Up for the trip on November 28th!
You may have noticed a new little blue box on the right of my blog.
Well, that is my new chip-in box for my trip to Honduras next summer. I had one up there before and generous donors helped me raise $55 towards that trip. I still have that money set aside, do not worry! However, I wanted to make a new box, this time I didn't put how much I am trying to raise, because I don't expect all of my lovely blog readers to donate the full amount, obviously.
But, if you feel so lead that would like to help make my heart very happy, to help me visit my dear child Celeste, in Honduras, then feel free to donate.
If you would like to help, but are not able to donate, can you please pray for me? I can't stress enough how much difference prayer makes in this kinds of trips and decisions. Prayer can move mountains!
And since I like to keep it real on my blog (I'm making peace signs and crossing my arms, you know, like a really cool 90's rapper), I want to tell you about what happened to me on Wednesday.
I had a meeting on Wednesday with one of the pastors at my church, who is also the head of the mission committee, about possibly having the church fund part of my trip to Honduras. I was pretty much expecting to go in there, talk about Compassion a little bit, talk about Celeste, and share my heart for children living in poverty.
Well, I did that, but it was far from expected. In fact, it was downright unexpected.
I spent literally 30 minutes crying hysterically while I shared how much children in poverty break my heart. I cried because I hate knowing that children are living in other countries without daily food, clean water, shoes on their little feets, basic health care, and quality education. I cried because I hate that I whine about so many pointless things like how much my student loan payments are, about how I have "nothing" to eat and "nothing" to wear. I cried because I feel guilty that God chose me to live this way and so many precious children don't even live close to how I live. I cried because I love Celeste so much and even the smallest thought of actually getting to see her, hug her, hear her voice, and talk with her is too much for my heart to even handle. It's going to be outrageous! A true miracle!
There are a few steps for me to take before the committee will vote on anything or make any decisions, but I feel like I'm heading in the right direction for support and love and tons of prayer (which remember, I love a lot).
Step 1: Sign-Up for the trip on November 28th!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Touching Thursday
I only have one child to share today for Touching Thursday.
I currently have one packet from the IN-860 project, the project that is located in the Miraj Red Light District in India, the one where many people work in the sex industry.
It is the cry of my heart to find sponsors for all of the children in this project.
Usman is 9 years old and his birthday is October 10th, 2003. Usman lives with his father, mother, and one sibling. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer and his mother maintains the home. Usman helps at home by carrying water and cleaning.
As part of Compassion's ministry, Usman participates in church activities and Vacation Bible School. He is also in primary school where his performance is average. For fun, Usman likes hide and seek and running.
If you would like to sponsor Usman, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu
His packet expires on November 16th!
I currently have one packet from the IN-860 project, the project that is located in the Miraj Red Light District in India, the one where many people work in the sex industry.
It is the cry of my heart to find sponsors for all of the children in this project.
Usman is 9 years old and his birthday is October 10th, 2003. Usman lives with his father, mother, and one sibling. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer and his mother maintains the home. Usman helps at home by carrying water and cleaning.
As part of Compassion's ministry, Usman participates in church activities and Vacation Bible School. He is also in primary school where his performance is average. For fun, Usman likes hide and seek and running.
If you would like to sponsor Usman, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu
His packet expires on November 16th!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)