Adsense

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My School Template from Kwizera Yves

I know that I'm in the minority when it comes to the letter templates that Compassion gives to children under the age of 9, but I really like them.

I feel like if they gave my little kids an empty piece of paper to write me a letter, I'd hear a whole bunch of the same information over and over again. With these templates, they have simple fill in the blank statements to write and the sponsor gets to learn a lot of new information.

Granted, some of the information in this particular letter is a little odd, especially for a typical school day, but I'm going to go with it, haha.

_________________________________________________________________________________


My School

I am in primary 3 grade

My school is 1 kilometer from my house

I get to school by foot

My school uniform is yellowish 

My school teacher's name is Michel

My favorite thing about school is to have a healthy life 

My favorite subject in school is English

After school I like to fetch water 


Dear Kayla,

I greet you wishing you to live with God through your life. I appreciate the letter which you sent me while asking me different questions. Because of a small space, I am going to answer a few. We use water from the tap. We don't own a house, we are renting. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Xhuliano is Learning Bible Stories!

When I first started sponsoring Xhuliano, I knew that he was in a sensitive country, according to World Vision. That means, due to the area that he is living in, I would not be able to send him anything related to the bible. This is due to the fact that if these letters were to land in the wrong hands, it could be a danger to Xhuliano and his family.

Though, over time, I learned that once you have developed a relationship with the child and their family, you can put in an inquiry with World Vision to ask if the family would be willing to receive a bible and to hear about scripture from you. Towards the end of last year, Xhuliano's family agreed to this. Since then, I've been sending various bible stories to Xhuliano. I've started with basis parables and "children's stories" because, even though Xhuliano is almost 13 years old, he is reading his bible for the first time.

The letter I received from Xhuliano yesterday, was the first time he has mentioned a bible story that he has learned about on his own. He's also been reading Pslams. Cool!

_______________________________________________________________________________


Dear My Friend,

I was very happy receiving your letter and that you wrote to me. I always like reading your letters. Reading them, I become very glad of having such a wonderful friend that always expresses her love to me and my family. I hope we can be inseparable friends and unforgettable ones in the hearts of each other. 

I love my teacher because she helps me with any difficulty I get in school. I ask her for everything and so I am very tranquil with my studies. I need lots of help in my school and my parents tell me that if I hear them and my teacher, I will become a wonderful child like you, my friend. 

I am glad that in your letters I read very good words and thoughts from you and I would like to thank you for all your wonderful words you write to me through your letters. I am glad that you have installed a gas warming system and so you are able to feel warm during cold times. We have got a stove at home where we cook and my mom makes her special dishes for us. 

David was a shepherd one day. Another day he became king. David did not live a perfect life and so he prayed to God. God listened to his prayers. David's prayers were like songs. We have called them Pslams and one of them is titled "Shepherd's Song." 

I wish you all the best!

Hugs, 
Xhuliano

________________________________________________________________________________

Florenc's Letters Come in Twos

It seems like I've found a pattern in Florenc's letters. It seems like his letter always come in pairs. They aren't dated, so I'm curious how far apart they are written. My guess is they are written about a month apart and then they are held in the Albanian office until there are enough child letters to mail in bulk.

Very interesting, I must say.

Both of Florenc's letters are short and sweet. He seems to be a very busy guy! He did take some time to answer my questions, though, so I am very grateful for that.

________________________________________________________________________________


My Dear Sponsor, 

I was glad to receive your letter. My family too were happy for me. They are proud of me, because I try a lot to help them. 

My dad is 1.85 meters (about 6 feet) tall, while I am 1.65 meters (about 5' 3") tall. I guess I'll reach him. (I asked him how tall he was, compared to his father).

I like summer too. It's a beautiful season. 

My mom isn't so well, but she is really pleased when I get letters from you. She reads your letters. She loves you and your family. 

Love,
Florenc

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

My Dear Sponsor,

I was very happy to receive your letter. I enjoy writing to you. Thank you for caring so much about me. I am very happy when I read the bible. Today I will be very brief because I am very busy with my studies. We have been having many tests these last days. (What a studious guy!)

How have you and your family been doing? You are a wonderful family and I love you very much. 

Lately, I have been having a tough time. My mother is not feeling very well and she was very sick in May. I feel very sad about this. (I wish there were words I could say to make him feel better).

We live in a small village that is far away from the city. Here, where we live, there is not much rain during the summer. Now it looks wonderful because everything is green and the flowers have bloomed. 

With Love, 
Florenc

_________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, July 29, 2013

Good Information from Karanja!

It is always great to get a letter from Karanja in the mail. You can tell he works so hard to write in English. You go, man!

________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

How are you? I hope you are fine together with your sister. I am doing well with my sisters and brothers. First, I want to thank you for replying to my letter. 

Thank you for sponsoring me. God will bless you. I have five sisters and four brothers. It is fun to be part of a big family. You asked me what our house is made of. Our house is made of iron sheets and I live in the house with my mother, father, and cousins. My brothers and sisters are all grown up. We do not have electricity in our house. We get water from a community water hole and pay ten shillings per jerri can. 

Greet your sister and goodbye

Karanja

________________________________________________________________________________

Summer Plans for Xhuliano

In this letter, Xhuliano is talking more about the gifts that he was able to buy with some money I sent him. He is also sharing plans for his summer vacation with me. It's a very nice letter!

________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla,

I received your letter and once again I like your letter a lot, because you wrote very sweet and beautiful words to me. I was glad to hear that you liked my photo. I like your photos too, because you are such a good, beautiful, and well-behaved girl. I am still excited regarding the new bike I got. I am very glad riding it. Stelina just learned to ride it. I take Marsela with me sometimes when I ride my bike and she is happy about that. I thank God everyday for me a wonderful friend like you. You will be forever in my heart and will be always unforgettable to me and my family. 

Yes, my friend, we use the forks and plates every day. As many times as we sit to eat, we remember you. Thank you very much for being an important friend of us and being always close to my family in the difficult days they have had. 

I continue to be a good boy and I promise I will do my best with my studies. On June 7th, I started my summer holidays. I will spend them at home where I will help my mom in taking care of turkeys. I will take them together with the sheep and two lambs to feed all of them in the fields. I love the sheep and the two lambs we own a lot. 

I love you very much! I thank you and your family for everything you are doing for us. I wish you have a happy summer time! God bless you! May you have good health. 

Xhualiano 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Xhuliano's Progress Report: 2013

Another progress report makes it's way to my mailbox! I always love sharing these on my blog. There is always so much good information in these things. Plus, a new photo! That is always an ultimate blessing.

Here is what my dear Xhuliano looks like this year. He is 12 years old. He'll be 13 in December.


I wish they had the kids stand next to a height chart or something. I would love to see how much they grow from year to year.


Child Name: Xhuliano
My Nickname Is/My Relatives and Friends Call Me: Binas

This Year I Go To: Secondary School Grade 6
My Favorite Subject Is: French
I am getting Good grades at school
My Close Friend's Name Is: Allerisch
We are 24 pupils in my class 

My Health Condition Is: Satisfactory

My Favorite Fruit Is: Strawberry
My Favorite Food Is: Meat
I Like Wearing: Sports Clothes
My Favorite Color For Clothes Is: Black
The Flower I Like Most Is: Gilly Flower
The Most Precious Thing For Me Is: My Diary, Your Letter, Your Photo

I Was Very Happy When: I received a photo from you, I received a letter/gift from you, You showed you cared for me, I see the changes in my family and community. 

Some Activities I Took Part in Last Year: Birthday Celebration & Life Skills Activities 

My Greatest Achievement This Year Is: Becoming part of a football team

Something New About My Family: I've got a nephew (I'm a little confused about this. He only has two younger sisters, that I know of) 

My Message For You: You are my best friend! 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Looking for a Sponsor for Anan

Every week, Compassion updates their website and adds more children that are waiting for sponsors. Each week, I check three different groups of children, so I can pray over the kids that jump out at me. I always check the kids from India, the kids from Honduras, and the kids with special needs.

Yesterday, a sweet boy from Thailand just jumped off the page and into my heart. Meet Anan:



Precious Anan is listed as "developmentally disabled." I know enough by his physical characteristics that he has Down Syndrome. But, there is so much more to him, and people with the same "disability". People with down syndrome are some of the sweetest people that God put on this Earth. They are so loving, always willing to hug everyone they come across. They typically have the best smiles and a wonderful sense of humor. 

I just know whoever decides to sponsor Anan will be blessed beyond measure. 

Like I said, Anan is from Thailand. He is 8 years old and his birthday is February 18th, 2005. He lives with his parents and two siblings. Anan helps out his family by doing household chores. 

Sadly, Anan is not attending school. I'm guessing that due to his special needs, there is not a local school that is equipped to handle him. As a teacher, I know how much benefit there is to having children with special needs included into the classroom. I wish he was able to attend a school. 

For fun, Anan loves to ride his bike, play soccer, and singing. 


Edit! 

Well, a friend and I will be sponsoring Anan. We just both love him too much to see somebody else sponsor him. We are beyond excited! 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Two Weeks

Last November, I signed up for a sponsor tour to Honduras. Honestly, that day feels like it was just a few days ago. Time has flown by! 

In November, I was worried about how I was going to raise the money for this trip. But, with God, all things are possible and over a surprisingly short amount of time, the trip was completely paid off. 

Now, I will be traveling to Honduras in just two weeks. I can't believe it. 

Two weeks until I get to hug this precious little lady: 


At this point, I have no idea if she's going to look the same, or completely different, than she does in this picture. It'll be a mystery!

As excited I am to meet Celeste, I am also so excited for the full morning we get to spend with the kids at HO-372. It'll be a morning just full of play. Art, jump rope, playing ball, playing card games, blowing bubbles, painting nails, and many, many smiles. I feel as if God has given me my deep love for playing with children for this trip, and for other trips in the future. I feel like I have literally been created for moments such as these. I can not wait! 

I only have a few things left to buy for the trip. I need to get a swimsuit, some bug spray, and some weather appropriate clothes. I figure I won't want to be wearing jeans in the Honduras heat. There will be a weekend shopping spree! 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Lots of Love from Sandesh!

Today, I opened the mailbox and saw 3 letters. It turns out that all three of them were from Sandesh. How wonderful! You know what's even more wonderful? These letters came with pictures! I will share each of the letters with you first, then at the bottom, I will share the photos. I made them into a collage so they can all be in one place.

The first letter I got was actually dated December 12th, 2012. I'm not sure what took it so long to get to me, but I'm glad it got here. It looks like it was a first letter of sorts. They told me all about his family, interests, school, etc.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you in Jesus name. I am writing this letter on behalf of Sandesh. He is 9 years old and he study in 4th grade. His father name is Sunil. He is a ward-boy in hospital. His mother is Maya and she is a laborer in a school. He have a grandmother, one elder brother, one elder sister. They are all staying together. He is really happy about you. He also believe in verse Matthew 6:26. Really, God loves us. He really thankful to God to provide my needs from a sponsor like you. He also like Easter Sunday and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save us all. 

Here is so hot weather and summer season. He want to become a successful  person with higher education and wants to become a doctor. His family is going through many pitfalls. He likes your pictures and your family. He likes your letter and stickers. His father likes letters, Egypt pyramid, Statue of Liberty, and snowman (I sent pictures of all of these things). His favorite color is red, favorite sport is ball, subject is science, and food is chicken. He wants to visit Taj Mahal in India. 

Thank you for your support and help and also for your prayers on behalf of Sandesh. Your's in Christ! 
________________________________________________________________________________

This next letter is in response to a family gift that was sent to him in October. His family was able to buy so many great things!

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you in Jesus name. I am writing this letter on behalf of Sandesh. Our staff visit his home, met his family, and observed many needy things. 

He got your gift, which is very helpful and useful for him and his family. It is very needed for his family so he & his family say thanks to you. 

They decided which things important for he & his family. They chose an induction stove, a water purifier, and one cookware set.  Sandesh is really joyful about his gifs. 

Thank you for your support and gift and help and also your prayers. 

________________________________________________________________________________

This last letter was written on June 22nd, 2013, so it got here in just one month! In this letter, Sandesh is answering all of my questions about his home, school, community, project. I love that so many of my kiddos have answered these questions. It is so good to learn these things about my kids. He is also mentioning other letters/photos that I've sent him.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

Greeting to you in Jesus holy name. I am writing this letter on behalf of Sandesh. He is 10 years old. He his result and passed with good grade. He now goes to 5th grade. For this success, he shared vote of thanks to his project teacher. He is very thankful to his project teacher. 

He has one pet cat. Her name is Mani. Thank you for stickers. It's nice. He likes your pet cat, Scamper, your dog, Dudley, and your turtle. 

In his family are 6 members: His father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, and him. His house is made up of cement and the roof is of steel. He lives with his whole family. He doesn't have a bed. He sleeps with mom and dad. Yes, he have electricity in his home. He has a common tap system for water. They get water through municipal corporations common tap water system in community. The adults in his community mostly are workers, not properly educated. The people of his community travel around by walking. 

He also likes the story of Good Samaritan. He go do good act on this story. 

He is really thankful for Compassion because Compassion provides all basic needs of his family and himself. Our project staff helping for community and taking counseling and educating, health awareness, etc. There are about 166 children enrolled in his Compassion project. They sing Jesus action songs and do biblical story studies. He doing very nice prayer in our project. He is really good and obedient obedient boy. 

His school is very near his home so he goes to school by walking. His favorite subject is science because he likes to research new things. He is struggling with math. He wears a uniform to school: white shirt and brown pants. It is required for his school. He spends 6 hours in school each day, from 11 a.m to 5 p.m and a half day on Saturday. He spends time learning, playing, studying, walking, and eating in his school. Yes, he gets 1/2 hour of time to play outside during the school day. He likes to play cricket, football, etc. Ritesh and Sharron are his best friends in school. 

Thank you for your support and gift and help and also your prayers. 

On behalf of Sandesh

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, as a reward for making it through those long letters, here are the pictures I received!



Top Left: Sandesh with his parents and the gifts they bought with the family gift

Top Right: Sandesh with his sister and grandmother

Bottom Left: How about that sweet smile?!

Bottom Right: A portrait of Sandesh

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Preparing for Honduras

I'll be in Honduras in less than 3 weeks!

On this day, in 3 weeks, I will attending a church service in Honduras. I will be listening to worship music in Spanish. I will be praying with a new group of people. I will get to play with some beautiful children.

Then, that night, I will lay my head down and attempt to sleep. The next day, Monday, August 12th, at about 10:00 a.m, I will meet Celeste for the first time.

I've run through various situations of what meeting her will be like. Will she come running to me with open arms and give me a big hug? Will she hide behind her grandmother out of shyness? Will she have a lot of things to say? Will she be quiet and reflective? Will I be able to break the ice?

I've been praying and attempting to prepare myself what what I'm going to experience in Honduras. This will be my first time to a 3rd world country. I don't have any prior mission trip experience. I know that I'm going to see things that shock me. I know that my heart is going to be broken. I also know that I will see some beautiful things and I will have moments where I'm happy beyond measure.

It's going to be quite an adventure.

Last week, I received this in the mail:


Compassion sent a whole book of things we need to know. A packing list, a short history on Honduras, Compassion's history in Honduras, things to watch out for, suggestions of how to dress, and our daily schedule. It's a great resource! 

Plus, how cool are those luggage tags?!

Other than that, I have been packing and packing and packing. So far, this is what my suitcase looks like: 



As you can see, there are no clothes in this suitcase yet. 

What I have packed is many, many, many gifts. The right side of the suitcase is gifts for Celeste and her siblings. 

The left side of the suitcase is gifts that I'm taking for other sponsors. I will drop these gifts off with the Compassion staff and they will deliver them to the various projects. 

That little open space is where I will put clothes and other such necessities. Good thing it's only a 5 day trip, right?

As of now, I have everything I need for kids bought and packed. I still need to buy a few things for myself: shorts, capris, bug spray, and sunscreen.

Other than that, I'm completely ready for this trip!

Friday, July 19, 2013

An Inquiry Answer and Something Truly Wonderful from Abu-Bakarr

Quite a few months ago, maybe 6-8 months ago, I called World Vision and asked them to inquire whether or not Abu and his family have a bed net to sleep under. I got a call a couple of months ago from World Vision telling me that they do have them and use them every night.

Today, I got a letter from the ADP giving me even more information about it. I was expecting this, so it was very nice.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla,

The inquiry letter for your child, Abu-Bakkar, was received on June 5th, 2013. 

It was stated that you would like to know whether your child Abu and parents sleep under bed nets. World Vision has supplied every registered and their dependents with treated insecticide bed nets. 

I would like to inform you that your child and family sleep under the bed net to prevent malaria. They thank you so much for your concern you have for their well-being. May the Almighty God bless you and your family.

________________________________________________________________________________

Now, I have what feels like an absolute miracle to me. I have been sponsoring Abu for over five years and I have never gotten a letter from him that was actually written by him. In his native language, English, or otherwise. His letters have always been written by a wonderful woman named Mary. She would always use his input and write what Abu says, but it's just not the same.

A few months ago, I wrote Abu a letter and told him that I would love to see him write a letter himself. I would love to see what he has to say, putting his ideas directly onto the paper.

Today, I got that letter. It's a short letter, but that doesn't matter. It's written completely in English. There are some spelling issues but that doesn't matter to me. To actually read the word "I" in this letter, there are no words. It's beautiful. I get to take in this 11 year old boy's actual handwriting. I get to know that his thoughts are being altered by anybody else.

I got a little chuckle too because at the bottom there is a section that says "Helped By:" for this kids to write the tutor that helped them. On that line, Abu wrote "Myself." Love it!

_________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

I am happy to say that I received your letter. It was covered with stickers of toy cars. Even the gift for my grandmother was in the envelope. (I sent her a cross sun-catcher). She joins me to say thank you. 

We are taking our end of the year exams this month. I hope to go to a new class next year. 

I hope to hear from you at any time. 

Much Love to You All, 
Abu-Bakarr

________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Touching Thursday: Indian Boys Near and Dear to my Heart Edition

Like, I said, I'm going to share two Indian boys that are very close to my heart. These two boys attend a project in India that I love very much. Yes, I have a favorite project. I bet if you think about it for second, you'll figure out which project I'm going to talk about.

These two boys attend the project IN-860. This is the project that is situated right in the middle of a red light district in India. This is a community where many people are involved and working in the sex industry. Prostitution is an open and common profession here. And where you find sex, you also find drugs and gangs. The children here see things everyday that we can even imagine.

Yes, Compassion is a ray of hope in this community. They are truly doing amazing things here. I sponsor a boy, Sagar, in this project. The letters he writes me tell me exactly what kind of difference Compassion is making in his life. I would like to share two of these letters with you:



Now, meet two boys from this project who are waiting for a sponsor. Both boys have been waiting 381 days for a sponsor. This is how long the project has been open. These boys have seen many children around them get a sponsor, receive letters, and get love from a sponsor. They have not experienced that joy yet for themselves.

Can you change their world for them?





Sujal has been sponsored!



Shilraj has been sponsored by a wonderful reader of my blog! I am beyond happy for her and her knew boy, "King Tut".


I must admit that I am absolutely in awe of what God can do in just one day. Two beautiful boys who had to wait for such a long time have found great sponsors. 

I am beyond happy for these boys and their project. 




Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A New Correspondent Child (It's a Girl!)

Last week, I emailed Compassion and asked them for a new correspondent child. I asked for a girl from either Brazil, Rwanda, or Uganda.

Today, I logged onto my account and saw a beautiful 16 year old...from Ethiopia. I must say, I wasn't really surprised by this. This will be my 5th child from Ethiopia that was either assigned to me randomly or was assigned to me after I asked for something else specific.

I couldn't help but picture God saying, "Hmm...she asked for Brazil, Rwanda, or Uganda. I know she means well, but I'm going to have to go with Ethiopia again."

God must have some big plans for me and this country. I had never dreamed of a trip to Ethiopia before, but I have to admit that it's on my mind a little bit now.

I am pleased to introduce my new lovely young woman. Meet Enatenesh:



I think she is absolutely beautiful. I love her pretty mint sweater. It's very classy. 


Let's learn more about Enatenesh! 

Age: 16
Birthday: November 17th
Grade in School: 6th (Maybe 7th by now)
School Performance: Average 
Graduation Date: November, 2018

Guardians: Father (Factory Worker) & Mother (Loader and Unloader)

Hobbies: Soccer, Ball Games, Jumping Rope
Chores: Cleaning, Buying/Selling in the Marketplace, Kitchen Help


Enatenesh lives within the capital city of Addis Ababa. More than 173,000 people live in this crowded, bustling area. The regional diet consists of bread. That's it. Really. I can't even imagine that. I can't wait to get writing to her.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Sagitaria's Updated Photo and Information

Last week, I saw that Sagitaria's photo updated, which is always an exciting day! Today, her information updated too.


Here's Sagitaria at age 6, age 8, and age 9 1/2. She's so cute! 


Her information really hasn't changed too much since her last update. 

She still enjoys playing with dolls, reading, and jumping rope. 

She still helps at home by gathering firewood, making beds, and cleaning. 

She's now in 4th grade and will be moving on 5th grade soon. She gets average grades. 

She still lives with her mother and father. Her father is a fisherman and her mother is a farmer. 



Sunday, July 14, 2013

My Sponsorship History

Hello everyone! I know that lately, I have picked up some new readers and fans and they may be wondering what this blog is all about. Who are all those cute kids along the right side of this page? Does she really sponsor them all? What's a correspondent child? How did all of this come to be?

Then again, perhaps you aren't asking of those questions, because you already know the answers. But, I would still like to share a brief history of my sponsored children with you. I'm going to share a quick few sentences about how each of my 24 children (I know, that's a lot) came to join my family. It'll be brief, but this will still be a LONG post.

Ready?!


Up first, is Abu-Bakarr. I first became interested in sponsoring a child my freshman year of college. I knew that it was something I truly needed to do, now that I was out on my own and supporting myself. I clicked onto the World Vision website, knew that I wanted to sponsor in Sierra Leone, and saw a precious 5 year old boy. A little one with a giant blue shirt and adorably chubby cheeks. In February, 2008, I sponsored him. 

I went almost four years without sponsoring another child. I got through college and got my first teaching job. I realized that I now had enough money to support more sponsored children. I agonized over it for several months. I thought and re-thought my budget and set aside enough money to sponsor this beautiful boy. Xhuliano is sponsored through World Vision and he lives in Albania. I sponsored him at the end of November, in 2011. 

 

In December, 2011, I found out that Compassion International had a correspondent program. This means that there are children that are being financially sponsored by somebody, but that person, for various reasons, is not able to write to the child. Compassion, essentially, assigns them a pen pal. Writing letters to these children is an absolute blessing. That month, I was assigned Eric from Uganda and Kalpesh from India. 


At the beginning of 2012, I took a look at my budget, rearranged some things, cut out some things I didn't need to be spending a lot of money on, and had enough money leftover each month to bring another child into my sponsorship family. I had fallen in love with sponsoring in Albania, and went to find another loving young man to add to my family from that country. I saw Florenc's picture and fell in love with his big blue eyes. He joined my family in March, 2012. 


In June, 2012, a friend of mine, Amanda, who is also a blogger, was taking a sponsor tour to Honduras. When she found out what projects she would be visiting, she requested some children waiting for sponsors from those projects. Amanda posted several children on her blog. I was instantly drawn to Celeste, but was worried because I had just recently sponsored Florenc and didn't believe that I had any money to spare. I decided to take a few days to pray about it. As the days went on, children from Amanda's blog continued to get sponsored. At the end of that week, only two children were left, and Celeste was one of them. She became a part of my family at that time. 

 

In August, 2012, I found out that you can pretty much have as many correspondent children as you want. I figured I always have more time in my life to write letters to these precious kids. I emailed Compassion and asked to be assigned two girls. I was given Sagitaria from Indonesia and Sadiya from India. Beautiful girls! 


Later that same month, August, I discovered a brand new project. This project instantly and ferociously grabbed onto my heart. It is a project located in a red light district in India. These children face sex trafficking, drugs, and abuse on a daily basis. I immediately began fighting for these kids. Compassion sent me five packets of boys from this project that needed sponsors. Sagar was one of those boys. I prayed about it and sponsored Sagar at the end of August, 2012. 


In September, after hearing several inspirational stories about former sponsored children in Rwanda, I requested to be assigned a child from this country. Adorable Kwizera Yves was added to my account in September, 2012. 


Also in September, 2012, I saw Sandesh on the website. I fell in love with him instantly, but knew that there was no wiggle room in my budget. I decided to try a new approach, after praying about it and a miracle occurred. You can read about Sandesh's Story here. 

In November, 2012, I asked Compassion to add a new correspondent child to my account. A couple weeks later, adorable Solomon was added to my account. 

 
 

Okay, funny story here. In December 2012, Compassion announced that due to recent sponsorships, there were 250 children who needed correspondent sponsors. I emailed Compassion and told them that I would be willing to take on writing to two more children. A few days later, I hadn't heard anything from there and decided to resend my original email. Imagine my surprise when four new children were added to my account. Turns out, two different people received my two different emails and this is what results, haha. I welcomed Jhon from Bolivia, Khushi from India, Karanja from Kenya, and Melaku from Ethiopia to my family. They were assigned one at a time and on different days throughout the month. 


On December 31st, 2012, I decided to use Christmas money that I had received from my family to sponsor another child. I chose sweet Dafyne from Brazil. She lives in an area where girls as young as 5 are encouraged to prostitute themselves on the street to earn money from the family. 


In February, 2013, I asked Compassion for a teenage boy from Haiti to be added to my account. Handsome Wendjy joined my family that month. 


In March, 2013, I asked Compassion to add a child from Asia to my account. A few days later, Fongwin from Thailand joined my family. 


On Good Friday, at the end of March, 2013, I sponsored Domenik from Albania. I fell in love with his beautiful smile. I knew it was meant to be. 


In April, 2013, Compassion again shared that over 200 children were waiting for correspondent children. I asked for two more children to be added to my account. They added Elias and Gemechu, both from Ethiopia. 


Lastly, last month, I asked Compassion if they would add a girl from the Philippines to my account. Imagine my surprise when not a girl, but a boy from the Philippines showed up. So, Nikko joined my family. That same day, Taye was from Ethiopia was also added to my account. He was a complete surprise, as I didn't request him at all. But, I'm glad to have him! 





There you have it! My sponsorship history. Whew! 

Saturday, July 13, 2013

A Letter Full of Answers from Sagitaria

I was happy to see a letter from Sagitaria in the mail today. And just yesterday her photo updated. It's been an exciting couple of days full of Sagitargia. Haha.

This letter is pretty much two pages of her answering questions that I've answered her. Unfortunately, I don't remember what some of the questions are that I asked and I can't seem to figure it out by the answers she gave. Haha. Oh well. I'll make some guesses and see what I can come up with.

This letter was written at the end of May.



________________________________________________________________________________


 Dear Kayla, 


Shalom mama Kayla. How are you there? I'm fine here. 

Praise God, last month my friends and I in project celebrated Easter. I was so happy. 

I'll answer your questions: 

1. Someone was angry at me (I think she is answering "What makes you sad?")

2. Yes, I did it because I want them to be happy. (Maybe she is answering "Did you do well on your tests?")

3. I once heard about Noah when he made the ark (I told her the story of Noah)

4. I have seen a rainbow after the rain (I asked her if she's ever seen a rainbow)

5. My parents are a farmer and a fisherman (I asked what her parents did for jobs)

6. I'm so happy to have many siblings (I asked her what it was like having so many siblings)

7. 3 brothers, 3 sisters (I knew she had 6 siblings, I asked if they were brothers or sisters)

8. We like to help parents in the field (I asked how she helps her family at home)

Thank you, mama Kayla, for your letters and pictures. 

Shalom. God bless you. 

Sagitaria



Sagitaria drew me a picture of two men playing badminton. Love it!



________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Florenc's Progress Report: 2013

Yay! It's July! I knew that Albanian progress reports would start rolling in this month, but I didn't know they'd be here so early.

Today, I received Florenc's report. Florenc just turned 14 years old this month. I will share his new picture with you and then type out all of the information that I received about him.


_________________________________________________________________________________


Isn't he handsome? 


Child Name: Florenc 

This Year I Attend: 8th Grade
My Favorite School Subject Is: Physical Education
I am getting Good grades in school
We are 12 pupils in our class
World Vision has provided: School Supplies

My heath condition is: Satisfactory

What WV has done if child had health problems: Medical Assistance Provided

My Favorite Fruit Is: Apple
My Favorite Food Is: Sweets (Haha. I love that)
My Favorite Pet Is: Dog
I Like Wearing: Sporting Clothes
My Favorite Color for Clothes Is: Brown
The Flower I Like Most Is: Violet
Most Precious Thing For Me Is: Your Photo (Melt!)
I Was Very Happy When: You Showed You Cared For Me
Some Activities I Participated in this Year: 100th Anniversary of Independence & Birthday Celebration

My Greatest Achievement This Year: He left this blank. It makes me sad. 

Something New About My Family: I wish my mother would be fine

My Message for You: I hope you are fine  

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Pre-Trip Letter from Celeste!

I was absolutely ecstatic to receive a letter from Celeste today! I was hoping that I would get a letter from her before going on my trip. It didn't even matter to me what this letter said, I was just (selfishly, maybe) hoping to hear from her to before I go to see her, maybe as a way to solidify our good relationship. I don't really know.

But, this letter did say something just wonderful. She told me more about her family and her interests. She also said something that makes me even more excited to see her. I will put that part of her letter in bold so it stands out.

This is love.


________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor,                                                          April 13th, 2013

I hope you are healthy and your family too. 

I will tell you some things we do when a tooth falls out. (I asked all of my kids if they had customs for lost teeth). We do not place it under out pillow, but we throw it on the roof. My cousin had a hamster and the hamster had its own house. My dad made it so it could live there. The hamster would take our fallen teeth and place them in his next and when we look at him he would seem so funny, but sadly, the hamster died and we felt sad. His name was Ponchito because he was fatty. (I looked it up, Ponchito is a cute way to say "tummy"). He was very nice and we do miss him here. 

When the leaves fall it looks very nice. My sister Vicky and I go to the lake to take pictures in a boat my brother Antonio was using and Vicky was taking pictures. Vicky takes pictures of one of my favorite seasons, summer, because our dad takes us to the beach and CDC also takes us to different places where we can swim and see animals and we have a lot of fun with our friends and tutors. It is very nice to go swim with them, thanks to God. Summer is one of the nicest seasons. 

The places I have visited are very nice where my dad has taken us, but none of them have had a tower. But, the landscape is very nice. I have also been where my aunt lives, far from the town. Places I would like to visit is where you live, it looks very nice. Also, my biggest dream is to meet you in person and your family too. 

My dad says that I can study and work so I can go. My dad's work sends him to different places that are far away from my town. My dad works in San Pedro Sula and I am happy that he works. I only know that my mom works at a hotel. Sometimes she sends us money for things like shoes and clothes. 

Well, I say goodbye with cordial greeting and may God guard you and your family in your trips. 

Celeste

________________________________________________________________________________

Her biggest dream is to meet me. One of my biggest dreams is to meet her. I have a feeling we're going to have a great time together!