Sagitaria's New Photo!

I am so happy to have Sagitaria's new photo. On July 1st, her photo would have been exactly 2 years old. It's great to see how much she has changed, which isn't too much, haha. She doesn't seem to have grown too much as she's wearing the same shirt that she wore in her last photo, though you can definitely tell she's grown some. Her hair is what has grown the most!

Sagitaria is from Indonesia.

Chatty Boys this Weekend

On Saturday, I received two letters, from two of my young men. They both had a lot to say and Emanuel's letter even had an extra piece of paper attached, to give him more space. I certainly have some chatty boys.

First up, a letter from Kalpesh. He always does a great job responding to the letters that I write to him. There is always quite a big delay because Kalpesh lives in a remote rural village. It typically takes 4 months for my letters to get to him and another 4 months to hear back from him. For example, my friend Kristin got married in October. Kalpesh read the letter and responded in February. It is now June.

Kalpesh is 13 years old and lives in India. This letter is dated February 21st, 2015.

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Dearest Kayla and Family, 

Greetings to you in the matchless name of Jesus, from me and my family. I received your letters with beautiful pictures. I'm very glad to see 6th grade class picture. Really it is great to see each student have a separate bench for sitting and students using laptops and there is a nice library to study. I'm also pleased to see your friend's marriage pictures. First of all, congrats to sister Kristin and her husband. My best wishes to their future life. 

Here, by the Lord's grace and through your precious prayers, I'm doing fine. Right now, my 2nd term exam is going on, so I'm doing hard work. In my class, there are more than 50 students and it is sometimes difficult to sit and learn. We have 3 languages at school; Marathi - first language, Hindi - 2nd language, English - 3rd language. Other than these, we have math, science, social studies, drawing, and physical education. At the project, we are learning computers and our regular school syllabus. At the project, our teachers are always helping us, so we find it a little easier at school. 

Thank you so much for loving and caring for me. Take care. 

Much Love,

Kalpesh

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Onto Emanuel's letter. He's never outright told me, but I think that Emanuel lives in a Maasai area of his country. He always draws me a picture and so far, I've gotten a Maasai woman carrying water and now an elephant on the plains. In this letter, just like the letter that Emanise that I shared the other day, Emanuel told me a story he likes. 

Emanuel is 18 years old and lives in Tanzania and he wrote this letter on April 25th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. My family and I are doing great. I hope you are fine. 

I proceed well with my school studies and prepare for my mock exams. Thank you for the nice letter you sent to me. I enjoyed it much. Our house is made up of bricks. There are three rooms and a sitting room. I stay with my parents, my sister, and my younger brother. My sister is called Evaline. She is in teacher's college. My younger brother is called Bildadi, he is in class 7. I sleep with my younger brother. In our home, there is no electricity because electric pillars are far from our home. Also, we get little water. We travel by using cars and in a place where there is no car, we use motorcycles. 

My country has many great things. There are more than 40 million people. Our capital city is Dodoma and our famous animal in our national emblem is the giraffe. Our national language is Kiswahili and our independence day is December 9th. There are two religions; Christianity and Muslim. When I was 16 years old, I went to the Easter concert with my fellow students. We sang, prayed, and worshiped God. 

I also learnt the story of David and Goliath. Goliath spoke bad words to Israel. He said to David, "Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beast of the field." But David had the power of God. He took out a stone and slung it and struck Goliath on his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. 

I would like to share with you Psalm 102:1 "Hear my prayer, O Lord, let me cry come to thee".

I would like to ask you, why do you receive Jesus as your personal savior? 

I wish you a good life which pleases God. 

Emanuel

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Step Into My World: Urban Philippines

Today is the day to share about another region where some of my sponsored kids live. Today, I write about the urban region in the Philippines. I have two boys who live in this region:

Nikko and Jhonrex

Where Compassion works, these urban regions mainly consist of huge, sprawling slums. Homes in this region are built closely together and are typically made out of found materials, mainly wood scraps and tin scraps. These slums typically have electricity, but no running water and no sewage system, making good sanitation nearly impossible.

Children are often left to their own devices during the day, while parents are out working, usually as laborers or market sellers. Even before children are old enough to attend school on their own, they are left to care for themselves during the day. In slum areas, it is common to find violent gangs, alcohol, drugs, and other dangerous activities. Still, small children wander the streets, looking for ways to entertain themselves. 

In the Philippines, school fees are free for primary and secondary schools. However, many parents can't afford the fees associated with school uniforms, books, and other supplies. In these cases, Compassion purchases these things for the students. Sadly, still many teenagers, especially boys drop out of high school to work and earn money for their families. In fact, both of my boys, Nikko and Jhonrex are no longer attending school for that reason. Thankfully, Compassion is tutoring them at the project, so they are still receiving a good education. I don't know where my boys would be without Compassion. 

Compassion in the urban regions of the Philippines are open all day, everyday. Children are only required to come to activity days, but the projects keep their doors open all day, to act as a safe haven for children. It is not unusual to see children spending their time at their project to stay away from the dangerous streets or to escape difficult things at home. Children know they can come to the center for help, homework help, or just to spend time with their friends, in safety. 

From young children to teens, every child is taught age-appropriate lessons on a wide variety of topics including: bible studies, health & hygiene lessons, songs, poems, games, nutrition, education, etc. The list truly goes on and on. There is something for all ages! 

The urban projects in the Philippines request for sponsors to pray for the following: 

- Pray that children and youth stand up to peer pressure to join gangs for use drugs. 

- Pray that God will protect the children from the diseases and dangers that go along with living in a crowded slum. 

- Pray that children will be motivated to stay in school and that parents will allow their children to remain in school, to allow them a better future. 

I have two boys to share with you today, that I am pretty sure live in the urban regions. It's hard to tell, specifically, but I judged based on information provided in their info blurbs. Either way, I'm praying for these boys to be sponsored: 

6 year old Carl loves to play basketball with his friends. 

You can sponsor him here

5 year old Edgardo lives in the Naga City slums, which is a huge slum, with over 250,000 people living in it. Edgardo lives with his mother and 3 siblings. 

You can change his story here

Taye Answers a Question

This month, I hit the 2nd anniversary since I started writing to Taye. In that time, I have only heard from Taye 4 times. Well, 5 times, if you count the letter I received today. The letter I received today is the first time that I've had Taye respond to any of my questions. Perhaps a breakthrough, if even just a small one? 

Taye is 18 years old and lives in Ethiopia. His photo is nearly 2 years old, so I'm looking for a new one everyday, now. This letter was written on March 12th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla, 

My dear sponsor, peace & grace be with you. How are you doing? Are you fine? I and my family are fine, praise God. Thank you for your helpful letter requesting me on what I am doing in my free time. Accordingly, I play football and other sports in my free time. I also attend Sunday school classes in church every week. May the Lord bless you for all your support. I and my family are praying for you. See you next time in peace. 

Your Child,

Taye

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Three Weekend Letters

On Saturday, I received three letters from my kiddos. No fancy intro here, just letters. 

First up, the letter from Xhuliano. This is a shorter letter for him, but I am glad that it's school keeping him busy. Both of my Albanian boys told me that they study a lot. Good for them! 

Xhulinao is 14 years old and lives in Albania. 

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Hello My Friend!

I'm so happy that you always send me letters and beautiful thoughts. You are so polite and nice to me. I'm glad for you that you are so happy. I celebrated my birthday with my family and my two sisters. Thank you a lot for your wishes. 

I don't have much free time because I study a lot and I read a lot of books. The weather here is getting warm. 

Thank you for the painting and the stickers you sent for my sisters. They love you a lot. I'm ending this letter, wishing you a lot of beautiful days. God bless you! 

Love,

Xhuliano

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Next up, a letter from Emanise. In a recent letter, I asked all of my kids if they had an stories they could share from their country. You might recognize Emanise's story. :) 

Emanise is 15 years old and lives in Haiti. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Today I am happy to write you this letter. How are you, your health, your friends, and your activities? As for me, everything is going well, thanks to God. Did you hear about Arielle's story? I want to share it with you. 

Once upon a time, a father siren had his daughter called Arielle. On her birthday, her father decided to celebrate to honor her. By the time the ceremony is starting, the master of the ceremony was calling Arielle and they could not see her. Her father got angry and he ordered his servant to find out where Arielle could be and the servant did not see her either. However, Arielle goes out with a friend of hers. All of a sudden, they both saw a boat passing and Arielle stated, "Let me go and see what that is." Once she arrived, she saw a young man submerging. She quickly went and tried to rescue him. Since her father was so angry, she explained to him how it happened and she told him that she loves the young man. Her father agreed with her and she helped him come out on the surface of the water. The feel in love and got married. They gave birth to beautiful children. 

In your next letter, I would like to know whether or not you love the story. I wanted to share this story with you. Please keep me in your prayers and then I will be praying so that God can bless you. 

Thanks!

Emanise

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Lastly, a letter from Jhon. Jhon is always good at describing his latest activities to me. I always enjoy hearing from him. 

Jhon is 16 years old and lives in Bolivia. His letter is dated March 25th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello beloved sponsor! I greet you with the peace of the Lord. I thank you for the letter and pictures you sent me. In answer to your questions, I discovered my sponsor when my tutor at the student center told me. My favorite book of the Bible is Genesis. I am doing well in my exams. Yes, I could do the pyramids without falling. (Jhon told me about a gymnastics contest he was in and him and his friends made a human pyramid. I asked if they did it without falling.) 

Past Sunday, I went to the swimming pool with my family and I had a good time. The next Friday we will remember Father's Day in our country. We organized a celebration that our fathers can enjoy it and have a good time. 

I say goodbye with the peace of the Lord and I wish God blesses you. 

With Love,

Jhon

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Step Into My World Saturday: Rural Kenya

It's time for another edition of Step Into My World! Today, we visit Kenya.

Compassion works all over the country, but does differentiate the regions into two categories: Urban and Rural. 

I write to four children in Kenya and all of them live in rural settings. My kids in this region are: 

Brian, Faith, Lazarus, Mulwa

Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa and borders on the Indian Ocean. Due to its placement, it spans across many different types of regions. Due to this, climate can vary widely. Inland, in the highlands, temperatures can be as low as 50 degrees F. Toward the coast, it is more common to experience temperatures in the 90's or above. When most people think of Africa, they picture hot climates, which is not always true. Africa is such a huge, diverse place. 

In rural Kenya, you will not see many buildings. The beautiful landscape, away from the big cities, is truly breathtaking. There are wide open spaces, green and golden colors, and cool lakes and rivers. It's also not unusual to see wild animals like elephants, giraffes, and zebras roaming freely in this area. However, due to these wide open spaces, children often have to walk for miles to reach school. These walks can be dangerous due to lack of clean water and dangerous animals. 

Homes in rural Kenya are typically small huts, built with found materials: sticks and mud walls, with thatched roofs. Families in rural Kenya, on average, consist of a father, mother, and 5-8 children. In is uncommon to find a family in this area with less than 5 children. 

In this rural region, there is rarely access to clean water. Water is collected from nearby water sources, that is polluted with many forms of bacteria. Women and girls usually spend hours a day walking to and from these water sources to bring back water for their families. 

Education is seen as extremely important by Kenyan parents and many strive to send their children to school. However, school is not free in Kenya and sometimes the cost of tuition, supplies, and uniforms is too much for a family to be able to afford. Schools in rural regions are often not large enough to meet demand and each teacher typically has 80 children assigned to their classroom. Classrooms are ill equipped and often made of un-sturdy materials. Compassion Kenya uses sponsor money to make sure that each child registered in Compassion is attending school and has all necessary supplies. 

Children attend their Compassion project a few days a week, usually after school. Here, they are taught to pray, are provided with healthy food, are given clean water, receive health care, and are given time to play with their friends. Compassion projects are seen as a safe-haven in these harsh, rural conditions and children love attending each session. 

One of the biggest issues in rural Kenya is drought. Rain only falls at specific times each year and then there are long periods of drought. Most adults in this area work as farmers and lack of rainfall makes it very hard to grow crops. This leads to a lack of food and many children are malnourished, only receiving quality meals at their Compassion projects. 

Can you please pray for adequate rainfall in these rural regions? 

I have two precious girls to share with you, who need sponsors. They both live in rural Kenya. In fact, the first girl, Lenah, attends the same project as my girl Faith. 

Lenah is an orphan who lives with her grandmother. At only 7 years old, she is responsible for many of the household chores; carrying water, caring for animals, and running errands. 

You can sponsor her here

Meet Diramu. She is also 7 years old. Her parents both work as farmers, when conditions allow for work. Diramu likes playing group games with her friends. 

Visit her page here

Monday Mail

I received three letters today and it really improved my lazy, rainy day.

First, a letter from Ernest. He seems to have written on a general form letter, which has various sections with headers to help him write.

Ernest is 9 years old and lives in Ghana. He wrote this letter on March 23rd, 2015.

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Thank you message for sponsor: Ernest says he wants to thank you for the sponsorship and the prayers. He says thank you for the stickers. 

Child's response to sponsors questions: He says he brushes his teeth everyday and has not lost any teeth yet. He says his house is made of mud and he lives with his mother and his grandmother. He says he sleeps on a mat and he has electricity in his home. He says he gets water from a stream and he lives in a farming community. He says sometimes they walk or ride bikes. 

Child's new experiences: He says he has learnt about keeping his surroundings clean for a healthy life. 

Question for my sponsor: He says, who lives in your home with you? 

Prayer for my sponsor: He says, may God bless you abundantly and watch over you always. 

Prayer request from child: He says, pray for him to be a great person in the future. 

Memory verse: Matthew 6:11 "Give us today the food we need." 

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Next, a letter from Alexander.  I really notice an improvement in his handwriting from his last letter, even from just a couple months ago. He must be really focusing on working on it. I'm impressed that a teen boy wrote so nicely, I must admit. 

Alexander is 14 years old and lives in Honduras. His letter is dated April 26th, 2015. 

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Kayla, 

Hello, how are you? I wish you and your family are enjoying good health. The name of my project is My Hope. There are 256 kids in my project. I got to the project on Saturdays. The project is 4 blocks away from my house. I go to the project on bike. In the project, we do many things often: we read the bible, pray, and sing. My favorite thing to do at the project is read the bible. What I like about the people in my project is that they are very kind. When I'm in the project, I usually eat healthy food. Thank you for the letter and picture you sent me. It is beautiful. I say goodbye with love and kisses and hugs. 

Carlos Alexander

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Lastly, my very first letter from Swapna. She writes wonderfully in English and included many great details. At the end of her letter she drew me the most beautiful artwork I've ever received on a letter from a sponsored child. I always say my kids are great artists, but this young lady is legit. She really could have a future in art, if she wants it. The blending in her artwork is amazing and it's drawn with crayon! Just wait until you see it. 

Swapa was the correspondent child of my friend Debbie, but she was unable to write to her anymore. She gave me the honor of writing to her. 

Swapna is 18 years old and lives in East India. Her letter is dated April 7th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you are keeping well by the grace of God. I have received your letter. Thank you so much for your sweet remembrance. How is Debbie? I pray for Debbie and send her lots of love, for her kind thought. So now I got you in my life. You are doing a wonderful job. Give my love to G & C. My favorite color is pink. My favorite foods are fried rice and chili chicken. My favorite sweet food is ice cream, also. I love to read story books and I love to draw. I like to play badminton. I love to dance. My favorite bible verse is Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to me..." In my family, I have my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and myself. I also have two sisters, they already got married. Now my father is staying home. Before he was staying in another state. Do you have a beauty parlor in your area? I learnt parlor work. I would like to work in a beauty parlor. Please pray that I may get a job. I am studying in B.A 1st year. I will write my final in July. We celebrated Independence Day on January 26th in our center. We also had annual sports meet. I got two 3rd prizes in skipping rope and shot-put. We celebrated Easter on April 6th in our center. Now here, it is summer season. We have here mango trees. Now all trees are having green mangoes. I pray for you. I wish you happy Easter. Please give my regards to your parents. Love to you. Please write to me. 

With thanks, your child, 

Swapna

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Step Into My World Saturday: Northern Thailand

For those of you who are Compassion sponsors, you may have noticed that on your online account, there is a photo slideshow showing typical scenes from the areas that your children live in. If you click on that slideshow, it takes you to a detailed page that tells a ton more information about this area, including facts about the customs, meals, education, and even biggest challenges of this area

I have decided to summarize some of the things on these pages. I plan to post about one area every Saturday. Believe it or not (you probably can believe it when you see all my kids on the side panel) that I have kids in enough areas to last me, posting once a week, until the end of December. For some of you with kids in these areas, you have probably already seen this information and the photos that go along with it. If that's the case, I'm sorry for the repitition. But, for those of you that don't have kids in these areas, I hope this can be a learning experience. Let's learn about the world together, shall we? 

At the end of each post, I will also be posting children from the website, that are from the area that I write about, that are waiting for a sponsor. 

With that long introduction, I will begin with Northern Thailand. I have two children in this region: 

Rujikorn and Fongwin

In Northern Thailand, Compassion works in and around the cities of Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, and Chiang Mai. 

Many of the people living in this area are refugees from bordering countries, especially Myanmar. Families in this area are typically not citizens and are looked down upon by Thai citizens. The biggest group of non-citizens in this area make up the Karen Tribe. This tribe originated in Myanmar and migrate into Thailand. However, because they are not considered citizens, they often are denied a quality education and good jobs. These people rely mostly on farming to survive. 

The education that is available in this part of the country is very poor. Teachers often travel from the big cities only 1-2 times a week to teach lessons to these children. Schools in this area often only run until the 6th grade. If students wish to continue in their schooling, their families must move to one of the big cities, which is often impossible, financially, for families. In the cases of there being no teachers present or older children not having a school to attend, Compassion has stepped up to provide tutors and quality education to the children. 

Homes in this area are typically made out of bamboo with thatched roofs. Bamboo is a very strong material, so homes are often sturdy. However, thatched roofs do not do a very good job at keeping out the rain, which falls frequently in this area of Thailand. Homes are built raised off the ground, to protect them from floods in the rainy season. Homes are often small, with just one room that serves as living area, kitchen, and bedroom, depending on the time of day. Large families share this small space together. 

Compassion is certainly at work in these areas. Children attend the project for at least 6 hours a week. This can vary for younger or older children. During their time at the project, children are provided with nutritious meals that they are, most likely, not receiving at home. After eating, the children are given time to just be kids. There is time for art activities, games, story telling, and music. Children are sorted into groups by age and given time to socialize in a safe environment. 

Compassion also works through a local church, which partners with Compassion, to teach the children about the bible, about Jesus, and how to pray. Children are taught that, with Jesus's help, poverty does not have to define who they will be in the future. 

One of the biggest issues in this area is Child Endangerment. Since many children stop attending school in 6th grade (about age 12), they become prime targets for child labor and child trafficking. Many teens often get involved with drugs and alcohol. Compassion is working to lead these children into a more positive life. Can you please be in prayer about that? 

Here are two children from Northern Thailand who are currently waiting for a sponsor. Would you open your heart and family to one of these precious children? 

Sweet Chutipon was sponsored!

Sutthida has also been sponsored!

A Trio of Kenya Letters

I opened my mailbox today and I was happy to find three letters, each from one of my children in Kenya.

All three of these letters were written on April 11th, 2015. They all attend different projects. That must have been letter writing day in Kenya!

First up, Mulwa wrote on the My School template. It's always nice to get such detailed information like this from the little guys. He walks over a mile to a from school each day. Wow!

Mulway is 8 years old.

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My School

I am in primary school. My school is 2 kilometers from my house. I go to school on foot. The color of my school uniform is blue/yellow. My class teacher's name is Mr. Nigel. My best friend in school is John. The games we play in school are football and ball games. What I like best about my school is reading. My favorite subject is social studies. After school I like to play doctor. 

Message to my Sponsor

Hello. Mulwa greets you in Jesus name. He says that he is doing well together with his family. He says that he is working hard to achieve good school results. He prays that God may bless you and the family. 

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Next, a letter from Faith. She has just graduated up from the template letters. This is the first letter on regular lined paper. Such a big step! 

Faith is 9 years old.

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Dear Kayla,

Hello. How are you doing over there? We are doing well together with my family members. It's the onset of rains and we are planting at our place. What are you doing over there? 

We also celebrated our Easter holiday well together with my family members. How and who did you celebrate your Easter with? 

I pray for you. I also wish you well. God bless you. 

Faith

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Now, on the complete other end of the age spectrum, a letter from Lazarus. He is scheduled to graduate from the program next month and has some wonderful goals for his future. 

Lazaurs is 21 years old. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Receive much greetings from me. I am hoping that you are fine. With me here, I am fine. Even my family members are fine. How about your family members? 

At home I am going on well with my daily duties in helping my parents and helping my younger brother in learning. I would like to inform you that our house is made up of iron sheets roof and the walls are made of mud. At my home, I live with my two parents, brothers, sister, my cousin, and my grandmother. In my room, I have a bed on which I sleep, but we lack electricity. 

In my community, we live with people of different levels. Most people in my community are jobless, but depend mostly on farming to earn a living. We usually get water from the river in my community, but the better families dig wells. In the community, people use various means to travel. They walk, ride bicycles, and drive motorcycles. I have some popular children's stories from my community that my grandmother usually narrates to me. Compassion has helped my community by training children to grow spiritually, sponsoring students in schools, and assisting those faced with challenges, like HIV/AIDS. 

I would like to inform you that after receiving my diploma, I would like to be a medical laboratory technician. Whereby, I will examine the blood or other fluid of a person and probably tell the disease the person is from in a health facility. 

I thank you for the letters and stickers you sent to me and I am glad to hear from you. Lastly, I request you to pray for me as I pray for you and your family members. Thank you. 

Your Loving Son,

Lazarus

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The Three Remaining Letters

Yesterday, I told you that I received four letters, but I only shared one with you. Today, I will share the other three.

One of the letters I received was from Lina. As one of my Colombian kids, she is a fabulous writer. If you have kids in Colombia, you know how wonderful these letters are. The project staff in this country really know how to teach kids to write and express thoughts.

Lina is 15 years old. She wrote this letter on March 2nd, 2015

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello sponsor. I greet you wishing you are very well. Through this letter I want to tell you that I really like Christmas. This year at the CDC we celebrated Christmas with a trip at the end of the year and my Christmas gift was clothes. I want to tell you that the food is very important during the Christmas celebration and this year the food was rice with chicken and vegetables and I loved it! What is your favorite Christmas food? I go on to tell you that on this Christmas vacation the activities we do in "Skills for Life" are painting wood  and sometimes plaster cast sculptures and the things we learn during the activities are different responsibilities we must have. We do this activity twice a month. Sponsor, I thank you for the monthly contribution you give to my project and for the gifts and the letters you have sent me. I ask you to help me pray for my family, that God blesses us always. I give you this bible verse: Isaiah 60. I say goodbye with a hug. 

Sincerely, 

Lina

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Now, a letter from Brenda. I always like hearing about what my children are studying at school and Brenda is usually pretty good at sharing school new. She refers to herself as my daughter. We only 10 years apart, and I know people would find that strange, but I love it. I feel like a mother-figure to all of my sponsored children. 

Brenda is 16 years old and lives in Uganda. This letter is dated March 28th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla,

I am greeting you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How are you and how is your family? Back to me, I am okay, struggling with my books. At my home, my parents are greeting you so receive the greeting. Now we are weeding irish potatoes and staking beans. 

At my school, I am doing well, but the subjects which I fail are physics, geography, and entrepreneurship. I would like to request you to pray for me so that I work very hard and I pass them very well. 

Now our area is receiving both sunshine and rainfall. The weather is good now. I am requesting you to pray for me so that I have a good life. In January, we had a conference and some project pupils got saved. In that conference, I was acting as a singer for the Lord. 

Here, I have a verse from the book of John 3:16 says that "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." It teaches me to obey the Lord because he sent for us his only son, to save me and give me everlasting life. 

Let me wish you a nice Easter. May God bless you. 

From your lovely daughter, 

Brenda

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Lastly, a letter from Eric. In this letter, he shares with me that his best subject is English. When I first started writing to Eric in 2011, he could barely write simple words, in his language or in English. He was really struggling with writing in English and studying, in general. My, how far he has come. 

I also have to admit something. Eric was one of my first correspondent children and I got him when he was 16 years old. I panicked because I had no idea what I would write about to a teenage boy. Looks like we figured that out. :) 

Eric is 19 years old and lives in Uganda. He wrote his letter on April 14th, 2015. 

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Dear Kayla,

How are you, my friend? I hope you are in good health. How was Easter day? Mine was fine. I came home and had it with my mother and brother. I thank you for writing to me and giving me a lot of information about you. Thank you for the pictures of students in class, studying. I am now in grade 6 and I am learning hard. My best subjects are English and Math. Thank you for giving me gifts and paying my school fees. My mother is sick. She is suffering from her eyes and she is weak, therefore you cannot work for money. Pray for her to get healed. When are you coming to visit me? I wish one day you would come and pay me a visit. Today I have received many letters from you. Thank you for writing to me. How is the class you teach? I hope they are interesting children. My best song is Jesus Loves the Little Children. I like riding a bicycle but I don't have one. In response to to some of the questions you asked. I am proud of having you as my sponsor. I love you so much and I pray for you. You asked if I could have my own garden, what would you plant in it? I would play some good crops so that we get enough food to eat at home. Do you have a nickname that your friends or family call you? Yes, they call me Kapere. What is your favorite book to read? I like reading my bible and night bed story books. Do you have some you can send to me? 

Eric

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