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Friday, June 28, 2013

Three Princesses from India Need Sponsors!

Along with the three precious Kenyan girls I shared with you a few days ago, I also have the packets for three sweet girls from India.

These girls have all been waiting over 10 months for a sponsor! 

If you want to sponsor any of these girls, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu and let me know!


  

Isn't she so precious?!

This is Shreyashi. She is 6 years old. Her birthday is December 23rd. 
She lives with her father, mother, and 1 sibling. Her parents are both sometimes employed as laborers. Shreyashi helps at home by running errands. Playing house and playing with dolls are her favorite acitivities. In kindergarten, her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities


   

This girlie's name is Monisha. She is 5 years old. She will turn 6 on July 14th. 

Monisha lives with her mother, who is sometimes employed as a laborer. Monisha helps her mother at home by running errands. For fun, she enjoys playing house and playing with dolls. She attends church activities regularly and is in primary school where her performance is average. 


  

This beautiful little girl is Mahalaxmi. She is 5 years old. Her birthday is September 21st. 

Mahalaxmi makes her home with her father, mother, and 2 siblings. Her parents are both sometimes employed as laborers. She helps at home by running errands and cleaning. As part of Compassion ministry, Mahalaxmi participates in church activities. She is also in preschool where her performance is average. Playing with dolls, hide-and-seek, and playing group games are her favorite activities. 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Jhon's Update: New Photo and Information

If you're like me, as a sponsor, you long for any new information and photos of your sponsored children. With Compassion, photos and information update between 18 and 24 months. When it hits the 18 month mark, I start stalking my account daily, hoping for that update.

Well, a few weeks ago, Jhon's photo updated and today, so did his information (the information always takes longer than the photo). Now, I share with you.


Jhon's photos: Age 10, 12, and now, 14



Close-Up of This Handsome Guy!




Jhon is now in 9th grade and has average performance. 

He now has a graduation date set: October 1st, 2017.

His family duties consist of running errands, making beds, and cleaning. 

His hobbies include soccer, volleyball, group games, and singing. 

He is still living with both of his parents. His father is still working as an electrician and his mother still maintains the home. 

I am glad to hear that Jhon is doing well and that he is succeeding in school. 


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Sweet Little Kenyan Girls Need a Sponsor

As a Compassion advocate, I love that I am able to receive packets from Compassion of children who need loving sponsors. Every couple of months or so, I ask to receive new packets in the mail. Last week, I got the packets of these sweet little girls.

I ask you to prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these little girls. If you are interested in sponsoring one of them, you can email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu and I will lead you through the process of sponsoring. Also feel free to email me if you have any questions about sponsoring. I love to answer questions!


  
This little girl is named Teresia. She is 3 years old. Her birthday is September 15th. 

She lives with her father, mother, and 3 siblings. Her father is sometimes employed as a farmer and her mother maintains the home. In her home, Teresia helps by helping in the kitchen. As part of Compassion ministry, Teresia participates in church activities. She is also in preschool where her performance is average. Playing ball games is her favorite activity. 

She has been waiting 8 months for a sponsor


 v

How cute is she?! 

This is Marrion. She is 4 years old. Her birthday is August 26th. Marrion lives with her father, mother, and 3 siblings. Her father is sometimes employed as a farmer and her mother maintains the home. Marrion's duties at home include helping in the kitchen. For fun, Marrion enjoys playing ball games. She attends church activities regularly and is in kindergarten where her performance is average. 

She has been waiting 8 months for a sponsor


  

This angel in white is Jesca. She is 6 years old. Her birthday is April 6th. 

Jesca lives with her father, mother, and 8 siblings. Her father is sometimes employed as a farmer and her mother maintains the home. At home, Jesca helps by caring for animals. Playing ball games is her favorite activity. In preschool her performance is average and she also attends church activities. 

She has been waiting 9 months for a sponsor

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Happy Birthday September Babies!

In my sponsorship family, I have three children with birthdays in September. My latest correspondent child, Nikko, has his birthday in September, but due to him being a brand new member of my family, I decided to forgo sending him a package (until I can find out his interests) and I sent him an email instead.

The other two children with September birthdays are Khushi and Gemechu.



(Sorry for the blurry photo!)

My pal Gemechu, from Ethiopia, will turn 12 on September 12th. The dot-to-dot and the maze are probably too young for him, but I think they are pretty cool and I'm 24, so that has to count for something. I think he's really going to like the car coloring page. 



My Indian princess, Khushi, will turn 10 on September 24th. I decided to send her some princess themed items. I think the color page is so cute. The castle maze is pretty complicated, so I hope she enjoys it. The little sticker cards are from a Dover book that I took apart. Khushi can dress Cinderella in the sticker clothes. 



I think putting together little birthday packages is a really fun thing to do. I always like to choose a theme for each child, each year. 

Do any of your sponsored children have birthdays in September? 


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Tales of Child Sponsorship Facebook Page!

Like I said, I now have a facebook page!

Check it out! Tales of Child Sponsorship Page.

I created this page for a few reasons. One reason was to get to know my blog readers. Let's be real, it's fun to see how many views my blog has each day, but, it's no fun to not get to know who's reading. Unless people leave a comment, I have no idea who has stopped by for a visit. I want to know you guys!

Another reason was to get my blog readers. Yes, I know this may sound like a selfish goal, but it's really not. The more people that read my blog, the more people get to hear about the great things that Compassion does. I want the whole world to know about how wonderful sponsoring children is!

Yet another reason for this page is for everyone to have a singular place to get together. A place to talk, to interact, to share their love of sponsoring children, to meet new friends. If you're like me, you don't have any friends "in real life" who sponsor children and anybody you try to talk to it about seems put off or unsure that it's a good idea or a worthy cause. It's always nice to talk to somebody who feels the same way as you do about something, especially when it's a common passion for Compassion.

Lastly, and probably the most important reason I created a Facebook page is to get more children sponsored. Anytime I receive a packet from Compassion, I will post the pictures and information of the child in my "Children Needing Sponsors" photo album. I'm hoping to see many children sponsored through my page! It would be amazing to see God move through this page.

Currently, I have 6 children posted in this album of children who need sponsors. All of these children have been waiting 8-10 months for a sponsor. I encourage you to visit the album and pray for these children. Maybe you're even meant to sponsor one of them!

I hope to see you on my page!

Touching Thursday

It's been quite a long time since I did a Touching Thursday post. There have just been too many other things to post about. However, I have not stopped being touched by the beautiful children on the Compassion page.

In particular, these three children have touched my heart a lot:



This first little boy is making my heart break out of my chest. If there was a way I could sponsor him, he would absolutely be mine. I love his almost grin and he's wearing a Monster shirt! Plus, his orange tinted hair is a sure sign of malnutrition. He looks like such a fun kid and his home/school situation is pretty difficult.

Name: Mail
Age: 9
Birthday: February 24th, 2004
Country: Indonesia
Guardian: Grandfather
# of Siblings: None
Chores: Gathering Firewood
Hobbies: Soccer
School Performance: Not Attending School
Compassion Activities: Church Activities 

He has been waiting 475 day for a sponsor





Does it get any cuter than this? I think not! Her plain dress makes her face even more beautiful! 

Name: Yamini
Age: 5
Birthday: July 28th, 2007
Country: India 
Guardians: Father and Mother
# of Siblings: 1
Chores: Buying & Selling in the Market
Hobbies: Hide-and-Seek
School Performance: Average in Primary School
Compassion Activities: Church Activities

She has been waiting 291 days for a sponsor




Don't you just love his eyes? How expressive!

Name: Steven
Age: 6
Birthday: September 11th, 2006
Country: Honduras
Guardians: Father & Mother
# of Siblings: 3
Chores: Carrying Water, Gathering Firewood, & Running Errands
Hobbies: Soccer, Playing with Cars, Playing Group Games
School Performance: Average in Kindergarten
Compassion Activities: Church Activities

He has been waiting 291 to be sponsored



Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Follow Along in Nicaragua!

The Compassion Bloggers are in Nicarauga! Right now!

Yes, those are probably obnoxious exclamation points, but I absolutely love following along with the posts when the bloggers go on these trips. The Compassion bloggers go on trips twice a year. On these trips, these  men and women get to experience Compassion's ministry firsthand. They get to see sponsored children, they get to meet parents/guardians of these children, they get to visit projects and see the work being done there, and they get to truly see the positive impact all of this hard work is making in the lives of people living in extreme poverty.

Each day, the Compassion bloggers, exhausted from the day, sit down to their laptops and write a blog post about what the experienced that day. They write about anything they want to. Anything that left a mark on their lives. They share happiness, sorrow, joy, good news, and absolute heartbreak. But most of all, they show you how Compassion is working right in the middle of all of this.

I want to encourage you to follow along with the bloggers on this trip. You can see all the posts compacted into one website:



Be sure to check back to this page everyday, as any new blog posts will be added to this list. If I were you, I wouldn't miss reading a single one. Seriously. They just got there and the first day blog posts are already amazing. These next few days are sure to be amazing as well! 

Let me give you a little sneak peak of these posts today. In my favorite style, this sneak peak will be in photos. If you think the photos are intriguing, you should read the blogs! 






A blog post from today that I really, really, really love is this one: Marco's Story, The Impact of Compassion on a Child . Check it out!

Monday, June 17, 2013

First Letter from Wendjy!

I have truly been blessed lately with so many letters. I've heard from almost all of my kids (except for a small handful) in the last month. It's been quite wonderful.

Today, I heard from my young man in Haiti. In September, he will start his last year of high school. He was actually due to graduate from Compassion in October, but since he won't be done with school, Compassion extended his graduation two more years! This gives him time to finish high school and prepare himself for the "real world" for a year. I am so happy to have two more years with him.

Here's the beginning of our letter writing adventure:

_________________________________________________________________________________



Dear Kayla, 

It is a pleasure for me today to take a pen for common meeting with you. (That is a very strange line, to me). How are you? Your health? Your activities? Me, I am fine, thanks to God. I wish God would let everything be well for you, while he keeps on blessing you and your family. I let you know that I did well at the first exam that I took and at the second one too. Please always keep on praying for me so that God can give me more intelligence for being able to do well in all that I do. I will always pray for you. I thank you too because you sponsor me. And I tell you that I would like to finish school well, without repeating anymore, and after to enter college for studying to become a doctor at the medical school. I wish you would pray for me so that my dreams get realized. God bless you. 

Wendjy

_________________________________________________________________________________

Fongwin Wrote on His Own!

I haven't been corresponding with Fongwin for very long, and this is only the second letter I've gotten from him, but he told me that this is the first letter he is writing on his own. Exciting!

This letter was written on May 13th.
_________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla,

Hello sponsor. I am very happy and excited to write a letter contacting you, which is the first letter that I write by myself. 

First of all, I would like to thank you for the picture that you sent to me. I would like to answer your question you asked. There are 5 members in my family, my father, mother, older brother, older sister, and me. I am the youngest. I stay with my parents. My parents go work as calcining everyday. My older brother and sister go to study. My school and my older brother and sister schools will open soon. I will move to grade 4. I am very excited to meet new friends. Is your school also closed like mine? 

I will concern about you and will tell about my house to you again later. I would like you to pray for my study and my parents in working. 

Lastly, may God stay with you and bless your family forever.

Love in Christ, 
Thawatchai Tana 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 16, 2013

A Surprise from Sagar!

Yesterday, I got a lovely letter from Sagar. This letter is wonderful, everything said is just lovely. And, there was a picture attached! Apparently, Sagar was able to buy a bike with some money that I sent him. I am so happy!

Side note, I heard from Sagar and Kalpesh (his letters were posted yesterday) exactly two months ago. Letters were received from both of them on April 15th. I think this means that India is officially on the writing every two month schedule. Yay!

________________________________________________________________________________



Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you in the sweet name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

I have received your letters and wishes. While I was reading the letters I become so happy. I was thinking that if I could be playing in snow with you. 

Now here, we have almost finished winter and entering into summer. My upcoming exam will come soon. So for that, I am studying very hard to get first rank. 

Since I have joined the project I am so happy to be there and learning new things about Jesus. Thanks for becoming my sponsor and helping me in such condition. Now, I go to the project everyday and learn good things there and I like to learn more. 

I want to say a big thank you for giving me a cool bicycle! 

Please pray for me and my family. Also pray for my studies so that I may score good marks in my exam. I am so excited to ride my bicycle and I thank God for you. God's peace abide with you. 

Your dear child, 
Sagar



Don't you think he looks so much younger in this new picture than in his original one? I am always amazed at how much a calm attitude and a hint of smile can make a person look more like themselves. 

Side note, I love his chubby cheeks! My little teddy bear!

_________________________________________________________________________________



Saturday, June 15, 2013

Two Long Letters from Kalpesh!

It's always so nice to hear from Kalpesh. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my sponsored/correspondent children with my whole heart (I must have a lot of hearts, haha), but there is just something special about Kalpesh. Maybe it's because he's from the first batch of correspondent children that I ever got. Maybe it's because we've developed a wonderful relationship through our letters. Whatever the reason is, I love him very much.

Here are his letters. I'm not sure when the first letter was written, but the second one was written April 18th. The first letter was written before that.



________________________________________________________________________________

Dearest friend Kayla, 

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I am very glad to receive your letters and to hear about you and many more things about Jesus. Once again, I am happy to write this letter. By the grace of Lord and your prayers me, my sister Sheela and my uncle's family are all safe and sound. I hope you are also doing well. here it is starting to get hot. Say hello to your students from our family. 

I am very glad to hear the story of Prodigal Son, because we had presented a small skit on this story during Christmas program and I played the role of that son. My favorite verse also same as yours from this story. (I think it's so cool he played the role in this story!)

I am also glad for encouraging verse, really we are precious to God than birds. God loves us very much and always wants best for us. Thank you so much for the other verses which you have written and sent on your hand print. Also, thanks a lot for the letter from God in our language. 

My school and study is going well. I'm studying in 5th class in this year. Very soon, I am going to take annual exam of this class. My best subject is Marathi and it is my favorite to study. 

My uncle and aunt are like dad and mom. We are all living very happily. Sheela's sponsor also writes letters to her. (I asked if his sister received letters) Once again, thanks a lot for doing everything for me. I love you very much, too. 

With Lots of Love,
Kalpesh

_________________________________________________________________________________

Onto letter #2!

_________________________________________________________________________________

In Christ Dearest Taee (Taee - respectful term to address for an elder sister in Marathi)

Greetings to you. How are you and your students doing? Lots of hugs and kisses to all of you. First of all, I praised the Lord for this wonderful opportunity which God has given once again in my life to share with you. 

Here it is getting too much hot since last month and due to that it is difficult to go outside during the daytime. By the great love and grace of Lord and through your prayers, we are fine. 

A week before this, our annual exams finished and now waiting for result. 

I am very glad to receive your letters, stickers, and my photograph. Thank you so much for the letter, stickers, and birthday wishes. Also thanks a lot for encouraging words. I had celebrated my birthday at the project, only with all the children and parents. Our sir brought cake for us and we ate it and also sir prayed for us. We are using the plates for food and keeping vessels on the rack. At time of night I am using one blanket and my younger sister is using another one. (I asked him what he would do with the gifts he bought. I still don't know what vessels and a rack are, haha)

Once again, thanks a lot for your love for me. I would like to see snow someday in real. How did you make snowman! Finally, I request you to pray for my mom and siblings health and safety. I am also praying for them and you too. May God help you in your job and bless you. Take care

With Lots of Love,
Kalpesh

________________________________________________________________________________

Sweetness from Xhuliano

It's always a blessing to hear from Xhuliano. Here's the letter:

____________________________________________________________________________________

 
 
Dear Xhuliano,
 

I was so happy to receive your letter again and I got happier when I read it with all of your sweet words you wrote for me. I am happy for you that you started March happy. I wish you will always begin everyday happy. I am very happy that you like my letters and I love your letters too. You write such many beautiful words and sweet, as well, for me and my family.

I pray to God everyday for you that will come a beautiful day that you will wear a wedding dress and a crown also. I would love a photo of that day and I wish you to find the man of your life with a good heart, as you have. (This is the second time Xhuliano wishes for me to be married. In a Muslim country like Albania, it is probably pretty rare for a 24 year old woman like me to be unmarried. I hope that someday I do get married and can send Xhuliano a picture!)

Also, I wish to your mother a good and happy life and to be healthy. I send to her a hug and tell her that I love her as I love my mom. My friend, I wish you to have a good time with your mom and she is happy to have two daughters like you and your sister. God bless your family and I hope you will write to me again soon, my amazing friend.

I love you and with lots of love from Xhuliano

__________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 14, 2013

Pastor Letter from Nikko's Project

As I've mentioned, a short time ago, I received new correspondent boys. After getting myself calmed down from the excitement of new faces on my account, writing the first letters, and getting their pictures on my blog, I go onto Our Compassion and check to see if there are pastor letters posted. Unfortunately, Taye's project does not have a letter.

But...Nikko's did! I love reading these letters and hearing about what things are like at the project. It also gives a sense of some of the things these children go through and experience on a daily basis. I will share this letter with you know:

____________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Sponsor,

Greetings in the name of Jesus from Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.



My name is Edgardo. I am the pastor of The Great Shepherd Christian Fellowship, the church that ministers to your Compassion-sponsored child. I am so thankful to your for your kindness by sharing your support, prayers, and love with your sponsored child. May God bless you!

I would like to share some thoughts to help you understand more about our children's community and about the Green Valley Child Development Through Sponsorship program, our local Compassion program here.

Our child development center is making a big difference in the lives of the children. Right now we have 199 children who have sponsors and another six who are registered but are still waiting for sponsors.



I know that the children are very happy to come to the center here at our church because they face many stressful needs in their homes and in the community. There is much unemployment in this part of the country, and for those who do have work, they often cannot make more than 200 pesos, which is equivalent to about $4 US, per day.

The children live in homes that are very small and crowded. Conditions are quite unsanitary and many of the children have skin rashes, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses. Also, the spiritual needs of the children are very great. There are Christians in our community, but we are in minority.



I am proud of our many workers and teachers - all of whom are Christian brothers and sisters from our church - who devote themselves to the children. They truly love them and know each one by name. We teach them many things about health, hygiene, and good behavior. Most important of all, we teach and lead them to Jesus, making every effort to help them develop their personal relationship with the Lord. We pray for each child and have regular bible classes for them. During the past year, by the Grace of God, our children made first-time professions of faith and several family members have been attending our Sunday church services.



My vision is to serve this community in the name of our Lord and Savior. I am so thrilled when I see children and youth come to our center and learn about our heavenly Father and lives are truly being changed.

Your support as a faithful sponsor means so much for your sponsored child. If you could only witness how thrilled and excited children are when they find their name on the bulletin board informing them that a letter has arrived from their sponsor. You could behold a moment of unspeakable joy overwhelming a child, not even bothering by being in need, but enjoying the reality of the moment that someone out there loves and cares for them. Our children need to feel loved and valued.



Please pray for all our children here at the center. And please pray for us here at the center as we work for these children to help them know Jesus and grow up to be healthy and better educated. Sometimes the work is very hard, but we love to minister to them.

Thank you for being our partner in ministry,

God bless you!

Edgardo

_________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
There are many children from the Philippines currently waiting for a sponsor. I encourage you to pray over these two sweet children and see if you are being called to sponsor one of them. Help Compassion help these kids!
 
 
This sweetheart is Jonna. She is 5 years old. She lives with her father, mother, and one sibling. She likes to play house and play group games. She is currently in preschool with average performance.
 
 
 
 
This adorable boy is Joseph. He is 9 years old. He lives with his parents and four siblings. For fun, Joseph enjoys swimming, singing and playing with marbles. He attends church activities regularly and is in primary school where his performance is average.
 
He has been waiting almost 500 days for a sponsor!
 
 


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Overview of my Kids: Family Jobs

I consider myself an information junkie. I feel like there is always something more I can learn, something more I can research, something more I can tell others about. That is one main reason that I started a blog. I am completely enraptured with child sponsorship and I just HAD to tell people about my journey with sponsorship. I also created this blog as a basis of posting details about my kids so that I always have a place to come and read things. I keep all paper copies of letters and information in binders, but anything can happen to them. I would hate to lose these things forever. Unless the internet completely shuts down, I feel as if a blog is a pretty safe place to store these things.

With that being said, I love that Compassion International shares the jobs of each child's guardians. It's great to get a glimpse into the lives of each of my children and their families in this way. Today, I want to share each of my sponsored children's guardians' jobs. I warn you early, I have 20 children with Compassion, so this will not be a short post. Read if you're interested.


 
 
My sweet Dafyne lives with her mother. Her mother works as a maid. She probably earns about $170 a month Right now, there is a huge push in Brazil for maids to have workers rights and fair pay. Yay!
 
 
 
Elias in Ethiopia lives with his father and mother. His father works as a construction worker and earns around $20 a month. His mother is unemployed.
 
 
 
 
Karanja lives with his mother in Kenya. His mother is employed as a farmer and makes around $20 a month.
 
 
 
Gemechu, from Ethiopia, lives with his father and mother. His mother is unemployed and his father works as a farmer. His father brings in around $20 a month.
 
 
 
My dear Celeste lives in Honduras with her grandmother. Unfortunately, her grandmother is unable to work. I have learned through letters that Celeste's father lives in another city and sends money. I'm glad they have income to support themselves.
 
 
 
 
Jhon lives with his father and mother. His mother is unemployed and his father works as a construction worker/electrician and earns about $100 a month.
 
 
 
 
Kalpesh lives in India with his mother. His mother is employed as a daily laborer. She doesn't do the same job everyday, but I imagine she does whatever work she can be hired for. She earns about $50 a month.
 
 
 
Khushi lives up in the Himalayan Mountains in India with her father and mother. Her mother is unemployed and her father does odd jobs when he can find them. He earns about $30 a month.
 
 
 
Yves lives with his father and mother in Rwanda. Both of his parents are employed as farmers. I'm not sure if they work their own farm or somebody else's. Either way, even with two working parents, they only earn about $20 a month.
 
 
 
Wendjy lives in Haiti with his father and mother. His father is employed as a farmer and his mother sells things in the market. They bring about $45 a month home to their family.
 
 
 
Melaku is from Ethiopia. He lives there with his father and mother. Both of his parents are employed as builders. They only earn about $10 a month, despite their strenuous work.
 
 
 
Eric lives with his mother in Uganda. His mother works as a farmer and only earns around $5 a month to support her children.
 
 
 
Nikko is from the Philippines. He shares a home with his uncle. His uncle works selling used clothes at the market. He earns about $65 a month.
 
 
 
Sadiya lives in India with her father and mother. Her father works as a tailor and her mother does odd jobs for daily wages. Together, they bring in about $120 a month.
 
 
 
 
Sagar lives with his mother in India. His mother works as a housemaid and earns about $35 a month.
 
 
 
Sagitaria is from Indonesia. She lives there with her father and mother. Her mother is unemployed and her father works as a fisherman. He earns around $40 a month.
 
 
 
Sandesh is from India. He lives with his father and mother. His mother is unemployed and his father works daily jobs when he can find work. He earns about $35 a month.
 
 
 
 
Solomon lives with his father and mother in India. His mother is unemployed and his father works as a Coolie. That literally translates to "Load Carrier" in his language. His father earns about $115 a month.
 
 
 
 
Taye lives in Ethiopia with his father and mother. His mother is unemployed. His father works as a farmer and earns around $10 a month.
 
 
 
 
Last, but not least, Fongwin lives in Thailand with his father and mother. Both of his parents works as farmers and earn around $180 a month.
 


Where! There sure is a wide spectrum of pay between my kids. One question arises with all the jobs:

Could you raise a family on such a small salary?