Two Letters to Wrap Up June

This has been a great letter month for me! It has actually been a record letter month. In June, I received 22 letters from 19 children. That is quite amazing, if I may say so myself!

Today, I received another letter Sadiya and a letter from Wendjy.

I will share Sadiya's letter first. This is the 2nd letter I've gotten from her in the last week. Yay! She must be in a letter writing mood.

Sadiya is 10 years old and lives in India. This letter is dated April 9th, so it was written a month before the letter I shared over the weekend. It must have gotten lost somewhere along the way. Glad it found its way to me.

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am doing good here. I am so glad reading your letter. My father, mother, brother, and sisters are doing good. I got a pass from 3rd grade and promoted to 4th grade. You are looking so pretty in the picture. Where do you get all the pictures for me? Here, the weather is turning summer, which I really don't like. Why don't you like the winter season? 

Here in our country there is an election for the seat of Prime Minister. Does this happen in your country? 

What is your favorite food? I miss you a lot. Please pray for my family. 

Your's Lovingly,

Sadiya

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Now the letter from Wendjy. I seem to finally be seeing a little personality showing itself in his letters. It's good to learn more about him through these letters. 

Wendjy is 19 years old and lives in Haiti. This letter is dated April 21st, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla,

I am very happy to communicate with you each time I have the opportunity. How are your activities and health going? I hope all is well with you, thanks to God. I take advantage of this opportunity to tell you about my school. I am preparing to have official exams from June to July. They will last for one week. It will allow me to move to another grade. It's organized by Haitian state. After the exams, schools will be closed. I am doing better in math now because other students worked with me. I ask you to always pray for God to give me more intelligence and memory to succeed in my exams. May God's grace and blessings be with you greatly. 

Wendjy

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Three Boys from Projects I Sponsor In

I am always on the lookout for children on the website that attend projects of children that I sponsor in/correspond with.

Recently, I have found three boys who are all waiting for sponsors. These three boys attend wonderful Compassion projects. These projects hold great programs for the kids and are so loving to the children that attend.

*These three projects are up-to-date with the current letter writing policy and I get letters from all three of these projects every 2 months**

Here are the precious kiddos:

This cutie is Abdi. He is 6 years old. His birthday is coming up on July 26th. He lives with his parents and one sibling. His father is employed, but his mother is not. Abdi helps his mother at home by making beds, running errands, and cleaning. For fun, Abdi likes to play soccer, play group games, and play with cars. 

Abdi is from project HO-352, in Honduras. The area he lives in is very poor, a full time worker only earning about $180 a month. His community really needs quality school, more jobs, and alcohol and drug rehabilitation. 

He has been waiting 326 days for a sponsor

You can sponsor Abdi here

This handsome young man is Ravidas. He just turned 12 on June 22nd. Ravidas lives with his parents and one sibling. His parents are both sometimes employed as laborers. Ravidas' chores include making beds, cleaning, and running errands. For fun, he enjoys art, playing ball games, and reading. 

Ravidas attends project IN-905 (in India). This is where my boy Kalpesh attends. If you have been a follower of my blog for even a short time, you know how great of letters Kalpesh writes! He has told me all about the project and how much fun they have there. I know that they play games, do skit, have big birthday and Christmas parties, learn about the bible, eat great food, and just have an overall great time. 

Ravidas has been waiting 241 days for a sponsor.

You can sponsor him here.

Up next is Mohit. This handsome guy is 9 years old. His birthday is May 9th. Mohit lives with his father and one sibling. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer. Mohit helps his family by buying/selling in the market and making beds. For fun, he likes art, running, and walking. 

Mohit attends project IN-967 (the same as my Khushi). This project is located in a little village in the Himalayan Mountains. The weather here can be very cold and it does snow in the winter. The children here often do not have quality clothes to keep warm and homes are not heated. Typical foods here include wheat and rice. Many families simply can not afford things like meat, fruit, and vegetables. Compassion provides these foods for the children. Most of the adults in this community do not have jobs, because there aren't really any jobs to be had. Some adults travel out of the city and work as laborers, earning about $30 a month. 

Mohit has been waiting for a sponsor for 241 days

You can sponsor Mohit here

Love From India

Today I received letters from three of my Indian children. My children in Indian are easily some of my best and most consistent writers. The projects there really seem to have mastered how to teach the children to share details with their sponsors. I feel like I'm learning so much about them with each passing letter.

First up, is a letter from Sadiya. When my sponsored children have a birthday coming up, I like to write them a letter telling them what it was like when I was their age. With these letters, I also included pictures of me when I was the same age as them. It seems that Sadiya appreciates this. :)

Sadiya is 10 years old. This letter is dated May 8th, 2014

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the sweet name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am doing good here with my parents, brother, and sisters. I'm hoping you are also doing the same. I was so glad reading your letter, especially about the two children whom you look after. They are looking so cute. You are so good. You work very hard to help me. One thing, the 10th birthday photo is looking very good. There is a kid near to you, who is that? You go to your job at 7:45 a.m and I often go to school at 8:00 a.m. I directly come to the project from my school. Now I am studying in class 4th. I am very much happy to enter into a new class. My school and project's summer vacation will start very soon. The weather is becoming very hot. How is the weather there? Please pray for me and for my family. 

I miss you a lot! 

Yours Lovingly,

Sadiya

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Next up is a letter from Khushi. Her letters are getting longer and longer each time. She writes in English, so she can use both sides of the paper, if she wants to. She always writes in beautiful cursive (but hard to read. It's always hard for me to read cursive) handwriting and this time she used bright blue ink. Makes the letter extra fun. 

Khushi is the same age as Sadiya, but for whatever reason, Sadiya is in 4th grade (which seems age appropriate) and Khushi is in 7th grade. Blows my mind!

Khushi is 10 years old and this letter was written May 12th, 2014. 

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

Greetings! I pray that you are well. I am also doing well and everybody at my home is good. I have been receiving many letters from you and my teachers at the project read them for me and help me understand them. I also read the letters. I am really glad and blessed to hear from you. Thank you very much for all of the letters. Thank you for sharing many things with me. I love all the sweet pictures of you and the little children. I love the job that you do. I hope both the children are having a great time with you. It is May 12th and days here are getting warmer. We have just finished the wheat crop and are about to sow the rice. I am very happy to get in a new class in school. I am in 7th grade now. I go to school at 7:00 and return at 1:00, then I take my lunch and do homework, then have some rest time. Then in the afternoon at 3:30, I go to the project and return by 5:30. God has been good and faithful to us. Here, all at home are happy. I am happy that we will have a great time at our Vacation Bible camp which is coming up the last week of May. 

My aunty now has a photocopy machine. This is the aunty that lost her husband in the flood here last year. She is earning some money now from it. This machine was gifted to her by our director at the Agage Organization. Both of her children are doing well. I am very happy and thankful to you for your love and prayers. I am also praying for you. I would love to see you someday. 

Yours,

Khushi

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Lastly, is a letter from Sagar. I was able to send Sagar a cross necklace with a friend on a sponsor tour in March. It seems that he recieved it. Like Sandesh, he also received a blanket. I can't figure out where these blankets are coming from. Both Sandesh and Sagar thank for me for a necklace and a blanket, but I definitely didn't send blankets. Any ideas? 

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Dear Kayla,

I am sending joyful greetings to you in the name of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

I am glad to write to you! How are you? Everything is fine here. Tanisha is doing well. She is growing up to 4th grade. 

Thank you for the cross necklace and blanket. I like your gift and your gift is so precious for me. I also like the family photo. It's very nice. 

We have celebrated Easter on April 20th. Our teacher taught us how to make plastic garland and other activities at the project center. We got hygiene materials at the project center. 

I close this letter with much affection and wishes of joy and peace to you and your family, in the name of Jesus. May God bless you and your family! May God give you a long life and many happy days for your sister Jordan. 

Your Loving Son,

Sagar

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First Letter from Emanual

I received a first letter from Emanuel in Tanzania. It was a short letter, but that's pretty typical for a first letter. It's hard to write in detail to a complete stranger. :) 

One thing I did like is that his project attached his Compassion Report Form, for the year 2013. He told some of the things he learned in the project and it gave me his grades from school. Unfortunately, in all 9 of his classes Emanuel either got a Poor or a Fail grade, according to chart it provided at the bottom of the form. Looks like I will writing him some letters on the importance of education. Hopefully I can write some letters to boost his confidence. I find that lack of confidence tends to play more into difficulty at school that a lack of intelligence does. 

However, even though his grades were so poor in 2013, this year he was still allowed to move up to Form III, simply because his grades didn't fall into the fail category. To me, that is a little disheartening. I can only pray that his school performance is better this year. 

Emanuel is 17 years old. This letter is dated April 22nd, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I and my family are doing fine. What you you, how are you doing? Now I am in Form III and I am home from school for Easter holidays. We will open the school on April 28th. I would like you ask you a question. How did you celebrate Easter? I wish to give you a memory verse, that is Psalm 133:1 - "How good and pleasant is it when God's people live together in unity." God bless you and your life. 

Emanuel

Education Progress Report Form 2013

Subjects learned this year at the center:

Physical/Health: Dental Care

Social: Thinking through problems and solutions

Spiritual: Preparation for studying the Bible

Livelihood: Cooking, Carpentry, Tailoring

Special Events at the Center: French and Learning Computer

Current Class: Form II

The boy didn't enter Form III this year because of poor performance in his National Exams last year. 

Student's Performance in Secondary School

Mathematics: 19

Civics: 24

Biology: 35

Chemistry: 24

Physics: 20

Geography: 26

History: 28

Kiswahili: 32

English: 24

Average: 25.78

D=21-40 Poor

F= 0-20 Fail 

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Two More Letters!

This has been a fantastic month for letters! Just wonderful. It's not surprising, though, since May was such a slow letter month. I'm already at 15 letters this month, which is a new record for me! I have to say, it's been pretty great to open my mailbox and see Compassion blue & cream and World Vision white & orange in there everyday. Yay mail!

First up, a letter from my sweet Xhuliano. This letter is just as expressive and open as all of his previous letters. I just love him so much.

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Dear My Friend Kayla, 

I am very glad receiving letters from my wonderful friend. I will always express in my letters the thoughts that I have in my life. (I thanked him for being so open and honest with me in his letters) I still feel myself to be very young and I love receiving advice from you and I listen to them to become a good and smart boy. I was given the opportunity to have a wonderful friend who gives me beautiful ideas and good advice. I hope we will be close friends together. 

My goats gave birth to some kids. One of them gave birth to three male kids and the other gave birth to one male and one female. They are so cute. I love them a lot and I take care of them too. On February 28th, my goats gave birth to their kids and in the same day I received your letter, as well. So that day I received two big surprises! Reading your letter I felt so sad about your cat because I love animals very much. I send my condolences to you for your cat. 

I enjoyed celebrate New Year's Eve. Here, we spent the holiday nicely, as always. My parents and my sisters did not come here (Xhuliano is living with his grandmother) , because they did not have enough money to buy the tickets. My mom had left some money with my grandmother for me to celebrate New Year's Eve together with her. My sisters were very happy about the stickers that you sent and they want to thank you for them. 

My friend, I have a lot of dreams in my life. First, I want my dad to have good health and I want that he could bring a lot of money to build our house. I pray to God to meet these two dreams in my life. I love you very much! 

With Lots of Love,

Xhuliano

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Next up, a letter from Jhon. As far as handwriting goes, Jhon has the best handwriting I've ever seen come from a teenage boy. It's just beautiful. He even dots his "i" with a little circle. 

In past letters, Jhon has shared that he's really interested in rhythmic gymnastics. I wonder how good he is at them. Who knows? Maybe he'll be in the Olympics someday! 

Jhon is 15 years old and lives in Bolivia. This letter is dated April 22nd, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello! I greet you with the peace of the Lord. I thank you so much for the beautiful letter, picture, and stickers. In answer to your questions, I know the story of Easter and it is impressive. I think that our Lord will come soon for his children and the earth will open up like the sky and there will be earthquakes and tsunamis. 

I am in good health, thanks to God, and I am so happy for the nice letters. I think that it is fun to be a nanny; the children whom you take care of are so beautiful. I learned the rhythmic gymnastics at school and I like it so much. It makes me happy to know that you like to gather fruits. 

I thank you so much for praying for me and my family. My family and I are in good health, thanks to God. I am doing well in my subjects at school. My brother Rodrigo is not studying, he is just working, Katherine is doing well in her studies and she is in 7th grade, Nicolas is learning because he is in 1st grade. They all are well. When we are at home we play soccer and basketball. 

What is the weather like there? Does it snow in your country? What is your favorite color? 

I send you a bible verse, please read Deuteronomy 6:13. I say goodbye with the peace of the Lord, with blessings. Please pray for me and my family. 

Jhon

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Hearing from the Boys

On Saturday, the child care staff and I worked for a special event at my church. We spent about 6 hours at the church playing with a great group of kids. When I got home, I found five letters in my mailbox! Two were from Debora, which I posted a couple days ago. The other three were from three of my boys:

First up, I'll share the letter from Sandesh. The translation on this letter was rough, so instead of typing it out exactly as it's written, I'm going to reorder and add/take away some words and make complete sentences to get Sandesh's point across better. :) In my Easter letter to my all the kids, I asked them what they think it will be like when Jesus returns to Earth again. Sandesh's answer is pretty great:

Sandesh is 10 years old. This letter is dated April 28th, 2014

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Dear Kayla ,

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus. I am Priyanka, child development facilitator, writing this letter on behalf of Sandesh. He and his family are happy here by the grace of God. What about you? How are you and your family? 

He is always asking about you. He is very excited about your letter. He likes all of your letters. He is always thankful to God because of you. 

Sandesh is a very active boy. He always prays for you and your family. Sandesh is having a holiday from school. He is enjoying his holiday. He participates in all the activities at the project. He hopes you had a great Easter! Sandesh enjoys listening to your letters. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. 

He also likes the Olympics events, but he only watched them on TV. (I talked about how I watched the Olympic events. It seems like he thought I was watching the events in person). 

Thank you so much for sending some coloring page. He colored it. He enjoys coloring and feels proud. 

He invites you to our country and our project. What's going on there? 

In India, the weather is very hot. What cold weather in your country! (I sent letters about the snow back in February). He is very happy to see your photos: you dressed warmly and the snow on the road. It is very pretty. He likes the snowball fights. You were having a lot of fun. 

He is also happy about your Easter story letter. He thinks when Jesus returns to earth, that day will be really awesome. Thank you so much for sending him cross necklace. (I was able to send a cross necklace to three of my boys with a sponsor on a trip). 

Yours In Christ, 

Sandesh and Priyanka 

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Next up, a letter from Kalpesh. I also sent one of the necklaces to Kalpesh (and Sagar), but have not heard about them. The trip was in March, so either they aren't going to be mentioned or just not yet. Either way, I'm sure they all received them. 

I was happy to hear in this letter that Kalpesh visited his mom. Kalpesh and his sister are both registered in a Compassion project and live with their uncle and aunt. Kalpesh's mother and two brothers live in another city and they don't get to see each other too often. 

Kalpesh is 12 years old and this letter was written May 7th, 2914. 

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Dearest Kayla, 

Greetings to you and your family in the great and holy name of Christ Jesus. Thank you so much for the letter. I'm very much glad to get your letters and to hear from you. Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity which God has given in my life. Once again, I'm glad to write this letter to you. 

By His love and grace and through your valuable prayers, I am doing fine. Only last week, I went to see my mom and siblings. They are doing fine. They say hello to you and your family. 

I got good marks in the last exam, which was held in the month of November 2013. I also got good marks in the annual exam which was last month. Praise the Lord for that and we thanks you so much for praying for me. 

I celebrated my birthday at the project only. Our Sir (The title of the leader of his project) brought cake for us. We all (whose birthday was in April) cut the cake. Our local church pastor served us the cake. He also prays for all the children, including me. Thank you so much to Compassion and to you too for caring for us. May God bless you a lot! 

In his Love,

Kalpesh

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Lastly, a letter from Melaku. Melaku is 21 years old and will be graduating from the project in January. He's currently attending vocational school and learning various skills in construction. In this letter, Melaku mentioned receiving a financial gift from his financial sponsor. He used the money to buy a satellite dish and a stereo system. I love that! I know that some people don't like when their children spend money on electronics and things like that, but I think it's great. I think it shows that Compassion's work really does make a difference. Melaku's family has moved beyond having to constantly worry about basic needs. Melaku is now able to indulge a little and buy something that he enjoys. I am happy to know that he will enter into his adult life with job skills and less of a worry about where his next meal will come from. Go Compassion!

This letter came after about a 7 month wait since the last letter. I am hoping to receive one more letter from him before he graduates in January. This letter is dated May 17th, 2014.

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Dear Kayla,

How are you doing? I am doing good. You have beautiful children (the kids I nanny for, I'm assuming). God bless them. I love you all. Thank you for the letter you sent me. I am grateful for the verses you quote from the bible. God bless you. I bought a shirt with the money you sent me for Christmas. I have received a family gift of money. We bought a satellite dish and stereo. Thank you for your gift. I have enclosed a picture which shows the materials we bought. We are longing for you to come here. I learn the word of God. Pray for me and my family. Goodbye until the next letter. God bless you. 

Melaku 

Love the smiles! Isn't his mother so beautiful? 

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Three Cuties Waiting for a Sponsor

Compassion sent me three packets of children this weekend. All three of these children are waiting for a sponsor. If you choose to sponsor one of these children, you will be blessed beyond measure. Not only will you get to financially invest in the life of a child, helping to provide them with healthy food, clean water, heath care, bible teaching, and tutoring, you will also get to invest in them personally. You will get to write letters to this child, telling them how much they are loved, how important they are, and that they have a purpose in this world. You will also receive letters back from them, helping to build a relationship that will develop and grow over several years.

You get to do all of this for only $38 a month. The cost of twelve $3 coffees, the cost of one night at the movies, the cost of a dinner out, less than the cost of a tank of gas. It's truly doable.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these children, please email me at Groth.Kayla@mail.ic.edu and I will get you all set up.

Seleni is 6 years old. Her birthday is January 24th. She is from Guatemala. 

Seleni lives with her father and mother and does not have any siblings. Her father works as a laborer and her mother takes care of the home. Seleni helps her family by caring for animals, washing clothes, and running errands. For fun, she enjoys rolling a hoop, telling stories, and playing house. She has average performance in kindergarten. 

Will you sponsor Seleni?

Rudahunga is 5 years old. His birthday is January 1st. He lives in Rwanda. 

Rudahunga makes his home with his parents and four siblings. His parents both work as farmers. Rudahunga's chores include carrying water, gathering firewood, and cleaning. He enjoys running and playing soccer with his friends. He has average performance in primary school.

Can you be Rudahunga's sponsor?

Perimala is 4 years old. Her birthday is September 27th. She lives in India. 

Perimala lives with both of her parents and one sibling. Her father works as a laborer and her mother maintains the home. Perimala helps at home by running errands. For fun, she likes playing house and playing with dolls. She has average performance in preschool. 

Will you sponsor Perimala?

Hobbies, Pets, and Learning, Oh My!

I received two letters from precious, little Debora. Since Debora is so young, she is helped to fill out fill-in-the-blank style form letters. Debora's mother always helps Debora fill out the blanks and then she writes me a nice, long message on the back of the letter. I feel like I'm really building a connection with Debora's mother and I like that. :)

Both letters were written on May 20th, 2014. I will share both letters with you now:

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My Learning at the Project

In my project I'm learning about: Sharing with others and discovering my talent

In the spiritual area I have to learned to: Pray and worship God

About taking care of my body, I have learned: To brush my teeth, to wash my hands, to shower every day. 

I am a happy and playful child. 

My favorite thing I have learned at the project: To Sing

Hello Dear Kayla, 

This is Gladis writing to you. May God bless you richly and prosper the work of your hands, so that you are blessed. I want to tell you a little of what Debora has learned at the project. I thank God for what she has learned at the project. Debora has learned to share with other children, to be happy, to sing, and to discover her talents. In the spiritual area she has learned to pray and worship God. About taking care of her body, she has learned to shower everyday, wash her hands, and brush her teeth. Debora is very happy and playful. She has learned so many news things and every day she amazes me how much she learns. Debora has 2 brothers. Abraham is the oldest and he is 12 years old and Aaron is 7. Debora likes to eat fruits and vegetables, chicken and beef. She is very special and she always talks to us about you. She plays a lot. It is a pleasure to write to you. Thank you very much. We always remember you and we love you very much and Debora loves you very much. I say goodbye with many kisses and hugs. 

With Love, 

Gladis

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My Hobbies and Pets 

Some of my hobbies are: Playing at Home

I like to share my hobbies with: My mom and my dad

My favorite hobby is: Playing with toys

I have a pet and it is: A chicken 

My pet's name is: Copetona 

Hello dear and beautiful Kayla,

God bless you and multiply you. I hope that God can pour many blessing upon your life. I am really happy to write to you and to tell you about Debora. I'm really happy to know more about you and I hope that you're healthy next to those that surround you. It is such a delight for us, as parents, to know that you are part of our family and to see how much you have helped Debora. Let me tell you that Debora is really beautiful and a playful girl. I want to tell you that Debora has already started Kindergarten (I know that the school year starts in February in Honduras). She is in her first quarter. She really likes going to school. She starts school at 1:30 in the afternoon and ends at 3:30 in the afternoon. She has learned a lot and she also likes to share her time with us, her parents. She also likes to play at home with her toys. Debora likes animals a lot and she has a hen that has little chicks. The name of her hen is Copetona. Her pets are really fun and she likes to play with them. Well, I must say goodbye to you with much love. It has been a pleasure to write to you. We want to tell you that we love you and we hope that God can bless and protect you. Receive many hugs and kisses from us. 

Gladis

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Sandesh's Updated Photo!

After a long wait, some ridiculous confusion, and an inquiry to his project (whew!), I got Sandesh's new photo!

He looks so grown up, I can't even believe it. Such a handsome guy, that's for sure.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I think that's getting taller. Or, at least, his legs look longer in the jeans that he's wearing. What do you think? 

Eric Answered Every Question!

Eric, the young man that I write to in the Uganda, is truly a wonderful guy. He's just great. The letters he writes are fabulous and you can tell he really puts a lot of effort into them. 

The only downside is that I only hear from Eric every 5-6 months. This time, it had been 6 months since I last heard from him. My last letters were received in December. However, Eric doesn't skimp on writing, so I feel like that makes up for having to wait so long for a letter. 

I think that when Eric settles down to write a letter, he must have every letters I've written to him since he last wrote. Which, in 6 months, would be about 12 or so letters. When he is writing, Eric literally addresses everything I say and answers every question I ask. I ask my older writers a lot of questions, as a way to to boost conversation. I truly do wonder how much time he spends writing these letters. It has to be quite a while. 

I wonder if I should tell him that he won't have to write such long letters if he wrote to me more often than every 5-6 months. ;) 

Anyway, I'll share the letter with you know. Eric is 18 years old. This letter is dated April 2nd, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla,

Eric sends greetings to you my beloved friend Kayla. How are you these days? Eric says he is happy for you and for the way you keep him informed about you and what you are doing. Eric says thank you for loving him so much. Your love to him is extreme. Eric says that he is very serious with books. Eric appreciates the so many letters he received. This show how much you think about him. He was happy to know the anniversary date of December 13th, the day you began to write letters to him. 

He was excited to see what snow looks like and how the children play in it. Thank you for praying for Eric, Moses, his mother, project staff and children. He says that all are fine. Thanks for the encouraging verses. Eric is happy to hear that you are a teacher and that you teach young children. 

In response to some questions asked: 

- His younger brother Moses is studying well and he is in Primary 2. His mother is also fine. Eric says that he likes playing with Moses. 

- Are there a lot of babies at your church? Eric says yes, there are a lot of kids at his church and they often have Sunday School lessons away from the elders. 

- Some of the things that make Eric happy are listening to music, visiting his friends, riding a bicycle, and playing football. 

- Eric is always afraid of snakes

- Eric's nickname is Boy. 

- Eric uses his right hand to write 

- Eric gets to bed at 9:30 p.m and wakes up at 6:30 a.m. 

- Eric says he resembles his mother

- Eric's favorite sport is football

- Eric says that he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He says that he likes reading his bible and learning bible stories. 

- Christmas was good and he spent it with his mother and brother Moses. How was yours? We also celebrated at the project together with the children, staff, and parents. It was nice to see your photo, Jordan and her boyfriend, plus your mom. How are they doing? Did you have Christmas together? Is Jordan now working as a policewoman? Send his love to them. 

Eric was happy to see some of the children you teach in their play corner with their toys. How did you find the work that you do? He also received the birthday wishes, animals pages to color, a picture of a pretty rainbow, some alphabet stickers, and an envelope you made out of a map. He would like to thank you for considering him to be your brother. He is so proud of you. As earlier communicate, Eric would like to study Mechanics after completing Primary 7. He requests for you to keep praying for him. 

Eric says that he lives in Uganda country, Kisoro district in South-Western Uganda. The National bird is the Crested Crane. The colors of the flag are black, red, and yellow. Independence Day is October 9th. The National language in English, but in Kisoro they speak Rufumbira. The main religion is Christianity. 

There was also another letter that had some questions about school. Here are responses: 

1. You asked whether they have a library at school. Eric says yes. 

2. Does your school have sports teams? Yes. 

3. Do you have a physical education class at your school? Yes. 

4. Do you have computers at school? No

5. Do boys and girls sit together or separately in your classroom? They sit together. 

6. At what age do children start school? Eric says at 6 years old. 

7. At what age do children graduate from school? He says it depends on the level of understanding in school. If a child does not repeat any class, he/she can complete school at 20 years of age. 

8. How many classrooms are in your school? Eric says seven. 

9. Do you wear a uniform? Eric says yes. 

Eric ends by wishing you a nice Easter and a prosperous 2014. 

May God bless you! 

Yours,

Eric

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Whew! That is quite the letter! I love all of the details! 

A Surprise Letter from Nikko!

I just received a letter from Nikko last week, so this letter was definitely a surprise! It was written at the end of April, so usually it would take longer to get here. However, this letter was written in English, so no extra time was needed for translation. Yay!

However, this was not the happiest of letters for me. Nikko has definitely had some hardships lately. Poor guy. I pray that things start to improve for him quickly. I have a lot of questions to ask him in my return letter.

Nikko is 15 years old. This letter is dated April 25th, 2014.

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Dear Ms. Kayla, 

Hi! How are you? I hope you're fine. I am happy to receive your letter. I enjoyed reading it. 

I was helping my uncle to sell clothes in D.V Sona (I'm guessing the name of the community/market) but now we stop selling clothes because the Mayor of our city demanded that all vendors in D.V Sona is no longer allowed. 

On Easter, we went to Divine Mercy in El Salvador City to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, with my uncle and friends. We enjoyed staying there. I'm happy to hear about your job as a nanny. You enjoy taking care of children. I also enjoy taking care of my younger siblings, but sometimes it is hard. 

I stopped schooling last year. I hope this year I can enroll again. Please help me to pray. I'm trying to write to you in English so it will be easy to communicate and I asked my teacher to help me. 

I hope you're always in good health. I would like to talk more but I need to stop now. I will pray for you. Please pray for me too. Thank you very much.Til the next letter! 

Love, 

Nikko

Psalm 102:25: "In the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands." 

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A Letter from Kenya: Regards to the Kiddos

I received a letter from Karanja in Kenya. His handwriting and spelling/grammar is getting better every time. I'm so proud of him. 

Karanja is 14 years old. This letter is dated March 29th, 2014

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Dear Kayla,

How are you? And with your family members? I hope you are all fine. My family members and I are fine. 

Here in Kenya the weather is rainy and sometimes sunny. How about the weather in your country? 

I am approaching my end of term examinations. I had improved in my marks in the last examination we took and I am certain I will improve more. Please pray for me as a I tackle my test. 

I have received the letter you sent me and I was happy. Please pass my greeting go G*** and C*** (the kids I nanny for). 

I pray that God may protect and guide you in your life. I hope to hear from you soon. 

Your Faithful Friend, 

Karanja

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Children Waiting For Sponsors: Ethiopia, Haiti, and Honduras

It's been awhile since I've done a post like this, I used to do them weekly. I think I may start that up again. One of my favorite things to do is share my joy of child sponsorship with others. I have been doing a lot of sharing about my sponsorships, but not a lot of sharing when it comes to drawing people in.

I want to share three children who are waiting for sponsors. These children all attend a project that one of my current children attend. I can vouch for these projects and know that they are awesome and are doing great things for the kids and their families and communities. If you are looking to sponsor, these would be great kids to sponsor.

Name: Nahom

Country: Ethiopia

Age: 4

Birthday: December 16th

School: Not Attending Yet

Chores: Running Errands

Interests: Soccer, Group Games, Hide-and-Seek

Guardians: Father & Mother

Siblings: 1 Sibling

Learn More about Nahom Here

Sterlande has found a sponsor! 

Name: Jose

Country: Honduras

Age: 4

Birthday: March 7th

School: Not Yet Attending

Chores: Running Errands

Interests: Playing with Cars

Guardians: Mother

Siblings: None

Learn More about Jose Here

New Boys of the Family!

Last month, I added two new correspondents to my family! I've been putting off writing this post because both of the boys are from CO-384 and they were both due for a photo update. I have received a photo update of one of the boys, but not the other. I know for a fact that he looks nothing like the photo I have of him, but I can't keep putting off this post. Without further ado, here are my new boys (per usual, I get assigned my correspondent children 2 at a time)

Name: Jonatan

Age: 6

Birthday: October 13th 

Grade in School: 1st

School Performance: Below Average 

Chores: Running Errands & Carrying Water

Interests: Soccer, Group Games, and Hide-and-Seek

Guardians: Father and Mother

Siblings: 2 Siblings

(Keep in mind, most of this info is out of date, nearly 2 years old)

Name: Juan

Age: 9

Birthday: June 7th

Grade in School: 1st

School Performance: Average

Chores: Running Errands & Cleaning

Interests: Group Games, Hide-and-Seek, Storytelling 

Guardians: Father & Mother

Siblings: 3 Siblings

Then, in a surprise twist, I've also financially sponsored a new child! Surprise! Haha. A group of friends just returned from Honduras, where they went on a mission trip. They visited Compassion project HO-133 to help them build a new roof, do a VBS, and just love on some kids. The group returned with a whole stack of packets of newly registered kids. As it always goes with me, I never really have the intention or desire to sponsor a new child. I look at the kids on Compassion and World Vision websites every single day. I pray over them, fawn over them, and share kids that reach out to me with others, in the hopes of finding them a sponsor. Though, I hardly ever get that feeling to sponsor. But, man, when I do get that feeling, I've learned over time not to doubt it. My friend Kim posted like little boy named Enoc on her page, and I just knew that he was mine. 

How precious is he? I don't know too much about him yet, but he is 3 years old, his mother works as a tutor at the project, and he is all boy. In this picture he was rolling around in the grass and dirt, haha. I love that! 

Here are a few more pictures that I have of him: 

His official Compassion Picture

Figuring out how to take a selfie with someone's camera. 

Such a sweetie!

ALL BOY!