Sweet Letters from Sweet Kids

This month really has been wonderful for letters! I have heard from a good majority of my kids this year, so the year is off to a great start.

I have three letters to share with you today.

I will start with a letter from Maria. I have known that Maria doesn't have any siblings, but she lives with one of her cousins. I have never known how old her cousin was, but it appears that she is old enough to be having a baby! Exciting news!

Maria is 12 years old and lives in Brazil. The date on the letter is unclear, but I think it says October 31st, 2016.

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

How are you? I am doing well and my family is great! Here in the project, everything is fine. We will have a ride to the swimming pool club. All of my friends will be there. It will be fun, God will. He is ahead of everything. I am very happy to get to hear that my cousin is expecting a baby. I am excited for the baby! Thank you for the kind words. I am always happy to get your letters. Thank you for writing to me. I love to hear your news. For your meditation: Psalm 125. 

From Your Sponsored Child, 

Maria Eduarda

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Next up, a letter that I was very surprised to receive. I mean, very surprised! It's from Kalpesh! You may know that things in India have not been going well, as far as Compassion is concerned. It has been a year and things have not been settled and projects are going to close down in India on March 15th. Most of the projects have closed down and children haven't been attending, due to lack of funding. I was so happy to hear from Kalpesh. It looks like his project has been able to stay open, at least for the time being! 

Basically, this whole letter is about Kalpesh's favorite game to play. I asked him to describe the game to me. I still don't understand it. Haha! 

Kalpesh is 14 years old. His letter is dated December 7th, 2016. 

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Dear Sister Kayla, 

How are you doing? I am very glad to get your letters. Thank you so much for your letters and your precious prayers for us. With me and my family, everything is going on fine. Here, I am trying to give you information about the game Kho-Kho.

Each team is given the opportunity to sit twice and run twice. In all, there are four rounds. Each round is 7 minutes long. A batch of three runners is sent to the ground for running. When the three players become out, a second batch of three runners should enter the ground before giving Kho. 

Skills of Kho-Kho

Skills of the runner: To run with stamina. To run a zig-zag way, dodging, chasing, to play near the pole. 

Skills of the chaser: To give Kho again and again, to run fast, to dive to touch the runner's feet by stretching their hand to catch the runner at the pole, and give Kho at the right time. 

Thanks a lot for giving me the information about Jewish culture in the Bible and about the disciples of Jesus. One thing I've learned from the letter is that Jesus chooses each of us to be his followers. Thank you so much for the Christmas wishes and the imaginary picture of the birth of Jesus. Right now, we are practicing some action songs for the Christmas program. Once again, thanks a lot for your love and prayers for us.  I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas and coming new year from me and my family. 

With Love,

Kalpesh 

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To end, a letter from Brenda. True to form, she always starts out her letters by telling me about the weather in her community. Gotta love consistency. 

Brenda is 17 years old and lives in Uganda. Her letter was written on January 31st, 2017. 

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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 life? Back to me, I am okay. In my area, we are receiving both rainfall and sunshine. What about in your area? I am thanking your for the letters you sent to me. They were so interesting, encouraging, and amazing. In this year, I am joining Senior 4. I request you to pray for me so that I can pass to A Level in the coming year. I have a memory verse in the Bible to share with you; Acts 17:28. It says that "For in him we move, we live, and have our being." It teaches me that I should live in Jesus Christ will all my heart. God bless you and you requested to hear how I celebrated my Christmas day. I celebrated Christmas with my father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and my brothers and sisters. We ate meat on Christmas, plus rice and banana. It was all very colorful and amazing. Really, we celebrated it successfully. Now in my country, we are in the season of winter, but even we are receiving sunshine. Otherwise, may God bless you you very much. 

Brenda

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Correspondent Kids Arriving By the Handful

This month alone, I have received three new correspondent kids. Two were requested and one was a complete surprise! 

First, I received 5 year old Joseph from Guatemala. How cute is he? 

Then, just a few days later, I was assigned Kamaldine from Burkina Faso. I love her dress! 

And this week, I saw a new sweet face on my account. I was not on the waitlist for another child from El Salvador, but I will always gladly accept any child in my family. Plus, she's super cute. 

God sure brings some cute kids into my life! 

My Teen Boys Are So Great!

I just love my teen guys so much! They write such wonderful letters. They are just so open and honest and reactive to what I write. They aren't afraid to ask for prayers when they need it and I like that a lot. I thank God every day for the relationship I have grown with all of my kids.

I first share my letter from Derrick. This young man always comments on the letters that I write to him. Him and I really seem to have a good relationship through our letters.

Derrick is 14 years old and lives in Uganda. His letter is dated January 24th, 2017.

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Dear Kayla, 

I am always grateful to hear from you, my friend. I am fine and was excited about Ezekiel's story of the dry bones. It was nice to hear that you saw your favorite worship band in concert. I, too, was encouraged with their words in the worship songs. 

Thank you for the pictures of the children you take care of. Tell them that I said hello. I know you enjoy taking care of them. The birthday cake was so cute. I too love animals. I love rabbits and cows. I love seeing antelopes. I saw them in the park and zoo, when our project took a trip. 

Let me also wish you a happy new year 2017. You have been of great support. I pray God answers all your prayer requests, Kayla. Have a blessed time. 

Derrick

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My other letter for today is from Jhonrex, who got to have two fun Christmas parties! 

Jhonrex is 16 years old and lives in the Philippines. He wrote his letter December 26th, 2016. 

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Dear Kayla, 

How are you there, Kayla, together with your family? We had a Christmas party in my school. I enjoyed so much together with my classmates. We had a Christmas party in the center too. I enjoyed it. Thank you for the letter that I received and for keeping on sponsoring me and for continually praying for my family. What did you do last Christmas? Please pray that I will not get sick and that I will be able to finish my studies. Thank you so much. 

Respectfully Yours,

Jhonrex 

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First Letters from Two Little Girls

I received two precious first letters from two precious girls. I just love first letters. It's so nice to feel the relationship become two-way, after months of sending letters to the child. Being able to hear their words for the first time is always such a blessing.

First up, a first letter form from one of my newest girls, Prity. I love the new first letter from from this country. It's always such a pleasure to learn the names of my kids' family members. From this letter, I learned that Prity has three siblings and that all of their names start with P. I love that!

Prity is 7 years old and lives in Indonesia. This letter was written on December 4th, 2017.

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1. I live: In a town

2. My family: Christian (31) - Father, Jeanny (31) - Mother, Putri (13) - Older Sister, Prince (9) - Older Brother, and Praisy (3), Younger Sister. 

3. My age is: 7 years

4. Some of my favorite things: Studying

5. If I could visit anywhere, I would go to: America

Dear Sponsor, 

Thank you very much for sponsoring me. I'm doing well and in good health. Please pray for my studies and my family. I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2017. May God bless you and your family. 

Prity 

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The other letter I received is from my sunshiny Sunrei. :) She seems like a wonderful girl.

Sunrei is 9 years old and lives in Peru. Her letter is dated January 17th, 2017.

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Dear Sponsor, 

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the beautiful letter that you sent. I'm reading more about the word of God to be strengthened. I will practice the word of God. I also pray for my family, that they follow the way of God. I will pray for you that God strengthens you because I love you so much. Thank you for all and for your love. Please pray for my family. Goodbye with love. 

Sunrei

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Monday Morning Manna Mail: February 2017

Whoo hoo! I got mail from some of my Manna 4 Lempira boys! Having just sponsored them at the end of December and early February I was, in no way, expecting mail from them this early on. I am quite surprised!

Now, with that said, I only received letters from three of my five Manna boys, and none of the letters were actually written to me, because they didn't know me yet, but still, I got to read letters from my boys!

I'll go in age order, as usual.

Up first, is the baby of the family, Anthony. His mother wrote two separate letters and Anthony included his handprint in red and green paint. Both of these letters are addressed to a previous sponsor and are thanking that sponsor for everything she sent. Anthony's mother sounds like such a sweet woman. I look forward to getting to know her!

Anthony is 2 years old.

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Dear Sponsor, 

How are you? I hope you are well. We are very well. I am the mother of Anthony. I write you because he cannot write yet. He is very small. He loves you very much. All that you sent him makes him very happy. We would like to meet you. We would like for you to send us photos so we can see you and I will tell my son who it is that sends him the letters and other things. Thanks for the graciousness you have to my son. With these few words, I say goodbye. May God pour many blessings in your life. We love you very much. We await your letter. 

- - - - - - 

Thanks for the backpack and the supplies that you have sent to my son, Anthony. I am very grateful for you. I am a single mother and he needed all of this. God bless you. Merry Christmas!

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Up next, I received letters from my newest boys, whom I just sponsored at the end of December. Both of these letters were written to nobody in particular. All of the children received a backpack for Christmas and the children were directed to write thank you notes, essentially, to the person or organization that packed them a backpack. 

Noel left a short note and a red handprint to show his thanks. Noel is 6 years old. 

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Dear sponsors. Hello. With love and affection. Hugs! 

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And now onto Ivan's letter. I have to admit, I'm pretty amazed with Ivan's letter. I know from information that I got when I first sponsored him, that Ivan attends the local bilingual school. Due to that, I know that Ivan is learning English, but I didn't realize how well he was doing in this school. Ivan's letter is written solely in English! Wow! 

Ivan is 13 years old. 

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Dear person that sent me the materials, 

Thank you for the materials that you send to me. I am so happy because my father will not have to spend more money next year for my materials for high school. I am studying in a bilingual school that is named Abundant Life Christian School. It's a Christian school and we have a class of Christianity. The last two classes, we were looking at a movie of Moses. Right now, you are thinking that I have money, but no because my father works a lot for me. My father works in the mountains. He got the money so difficulty. Thanks for the materials. You have a big heart. 

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Long Time, No Hear. A.K.A It's About Time!. A.K.A Yay For Letters!

I have two letters to share with you today! As you may be able to tell from the title of this post, these letters have been long-awaited. It's so great to hear from these kids!

First up, I am sharing my very first letter from Jhojaira, who I received as a correspondent child in August. I am thinking that perhaps Jhojaira missed a letter writing day along the way, because she didn't write this letter until the end of the year.

Jhojaira is 13 years old and lives in Peru. Her letter is dated December 17th, 2016.

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Dear Sponsor, 

Greetings in the name of Jesus. Thank you for the beautiful letter you sent me. I liked it a lot. Now in our country we are celebrating Christmas. Also, for me, it is very important because I celebrate my birthday. I also want to tell you how I am doing in school. I am doing very well, getting good grades. The school closing is near and that is a little bit sad because we have to say goodbye to each other, and see each other next year, after the school break. I am thinking to travel to Lima, the capital of Peru, in my school break. It is a very beautiful city and especially big. I am going to visit my family. I say goodbye with a strong hug, hoping that you are doing well. I always pray for Marinelis, for her to be doing well too. Kisses and hugs. 

Jhojaira

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This next letter is from Sevenson. The last time I received a letter from this young man was a whole year ago, February 2016. After two inquiries, I received this letter. In this letter, Sevenson mentions that he last wrote to me in April 2016, but I have not seen that letter come through. It must have gotten lost. Even so, his last letter being in April is still a very long wait before writing again. 

Sevenson is 16 years old and lives in Haiti. This letter is dated February 7th, 2017. 

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Dear Sponsor, 

It is a real pleasure for me to greet you in the name of Jesus, the living one. How are you and your family? I hope everything is well with Jesus. I am happy that you think of me. That makes me feel like I mean a lot to you. My family and I are doing well. I looked in my notebook and saw that I last wrote to you on April 4th, 2016. I got your letter from time to time. I have your questions and information that you shared with me. I am still in the program. I like your pictures. They are important to me. It is necessary for a sponsor to write to his sponsored child because communication is valuable. I am in grade 2 in secondary school. I did well in the 2nd term exam. I enjoy taking part in youth activities. How is your country doing now? We have a new president here, while I am writing to you. I ask you to pray for my family and me to stay healthy. I will be praying for your progression in God. I love you. 

Sevenson

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Pre-Christmas Letters Come in Threes

Three always seems to be the magic number around here. I often get correspondent kids in threes and I almost always get letters in threes. Not three letters in the same day, but in a very short period of time. Last week, I received three letters. I will share those letters with you today.

First up, a short, but sweet letter from Enmanuel. In his letter he talks a bit about what Christmas means to him.

Enmanuel is 9 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. His letter is dated December 6th, 2016.

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Dear Kayla, 

God bless you. How are you and your family? How do you plan to celebrate Christmas? This is a season for peace and being around family. I like this season because I can play with my cousins and friends. Please pray for my family and me. Merry Christmas and happy new year. 

With Love,

Enmanuel

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Up next, a letter from Mulwa, written by his tutor. Seems to just be an ordinary, everyday letter this time. There must not have been anything exciting to share. I can relate. 

Mulwa is 9 years old and lives in Kenya. His letter is dated December 13th, 2016. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Mulwa says hello Kayla. He says he loves you for your support towards his life. He thanks you for the gifts and letters you have been sending him. He says he is working hard at school to achieve his objective goals. He wishes one day God grants you an opportunity to meet him, so he can express his grateful feelings to you. He says he always prays for you to live long. He requests you to continue praying for him to excel well in his life. He wishes you all the best in your life. 

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Last up, a super long letter from Becca! I haven't known her long, but this girl is a gem! She is responding to my questions from several letters. 

Becca is 9 years old and lives in the Philippines. Her letter was written December 16th, 2016. 

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Dear Ate Kayla, 

How are you and your family? We're doing good here. I am so happy to receive many letters from you and knowing that you and Ate Brandilyn are friends. Please send my regards to Ate Brandilyn whenever you meet her. 

My family members are my father, mother, and my half-brother, Kuya Ydreian. Kuya Ydreian and I are both registered in the Compassion project. That's why my family and I are so blessed. My Kuya Ydreian goes home sometimes because he lives in my grandparents' house. I like toys and story books. We live in a small house that's fit for us, in a slope, and it is a bit muddy. We don't own the lot. The owner of it is my maternal aunt. Our home is made of bamboo weave, nipa, and the flooring is bamboo wood. We sleep in a foam bed. We have electricity and we fetch our water in our neighborhood. The common jobs in my community are carpentry and farming. My mom's job is a daycare worker, where she has 40 pupils aged 3-4. My father is the one who is at home and doesn't have a job since he is old and can't get hired whenever he applies for a job. He is the one who accompanies me whenever I go to school and back home. 

The Compassion project is a big help to us. It helps us in our studies, medical treatment, spiritual life, and many more. Whenever we go to the market, we ride in tricycles or multicabs. There is also a bus when you go to far places. There are 230 kids here in our project. 

I am now in the 4th grade and my favorite subject is English. I find math as my difficult subject. I wear my school uniform every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We spend 8 hours at school. Boys and girls don't sit together. In our classroom, there are 31 students. My teacher's name is Mrs. Ena Benocilla and she is so kind. My best friend is Dianne. I have many friends, but they are not like Dianne's attitude. Recess time is the time we spend playing during school days. We have a computer subject, but there are few computers at school. I also do art sometimes but I don't have enough materials. There are many beautiful spots here in our country. 

Ate, thank you for the time in reading this letter and I hope I answered all of your questions. God bless you more, and to your family. I'm waiting for your next letter. Merry Christmas! 

Love, 

Rebecca

Becca's Artwork

A typical "Nipa Hut" like Rebecca mentioned in her letter

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Three First Letters from Some Littles!

I love first letters. There is always something so wonderful about hearing from my kids for the very first time. To receive three of them in the same week is so exciting!

First up, I will share the letter I received from Jhayra. I am determined to make a chatty girl out of her. :)

Jhayra is 10 years old and lives in Peru. Her letter is dated December 15th, 2016.

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

Greetings in the name of Jesus I thank you for the letter you sent me I'm fine and my family is fine too. I want to tell you that I am in exams and I went out with all of my classmates. I have also celebrated the Day of Youth. Do you have children? What is your mom's name? I ask you to pray for me and my family. I send you a big hug and kiss. 

With Love,
Jhayra

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I will next share the first letter from my little girl, Airin. This is the typical first letter format, which I love! I love learning the names of my kids' family members.

Airin is 7 years old and is from Indonesia. The date on the letter is January 19th, 2017.

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1. I live in: A Village

2. My family: Hgumus (44) - My Father. Kristina (40) - My Mother. Daniel (24) - My Older Brother. Tomas (11) - My Older Brother, Yumiyati (15) - My Cousin. 

3. My age is: 7 Years Old

4. Some of my favorite things are: Playing jump rope and helping my mother to draw drinking water. 

5. If I could visit anywhere, I would go to: A big city, like Bali. 

My Dearest Sponsor, 

Thanks to Lord Jesus Christ and also thanks to you for your letter. Now I am in the 1st grade of primary school. Everyday I go to school for studying and playing with friends. I thank God so much because I have many friends. Please pray for both of my parents so they will be blessed and given a long life by God. Lord Jesus bless you. 

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The last letter I share today is from a little boy that I have known as Tle. However, in this letter, I found out that this particular kiddo's name is actually Tern. That'll take some time to get used to. Though, I admit, Tern is a lot easier to say that Tle! 

This letter is written on the Festivals and Holidays template, with a wonderful message added onto the end, written by Tern's aunt. 

Tern is 4 years old and lives in Thailand. The letter was written December 20th, 2016. 

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1. My favorite festival/holiday is: The New Year

2. My family celebrates this festival/holidays by: Feasting 

3. At the project, we celebrate Christmas by: Putting up a Christmas tree 

4. My family celebrates the New Year by: Having a special meal

5. My favorite food to eat during celebrations is: Grilled Meat 

Dear Kayla, 

Hello, sponsor. How are you? My name is Chuanchom. I am Thanathip's aunt. His nickname is Tern. He is practicing to write and color a picture as his abilities. There are 9 people in his family. There are his grandparents who work in the field, his older sister and his brother-in-law, an older sister of his mother, and Tern's parents. His parents work provincial (government) jobs. There is another aunt who studies in high school. Another family member is Nam Kao, this is in his aunt's daughter. Tern and Nam Kao play together everyday. The last family member is Tern. There are 4 men and 4 women. He likes to go to the paddy field. He likes to ride a bicycle. His family will hold a Christmas celebration on December 25th. His village is in the countryside, which is 20 km from town. If it is winter here, there is a lot of dust. The summer is hot. Have you ever been to Thailand? When will your family hold a Christmas celebration? When Tern is good at writing, I'll tell him to write to you by himself. Lastly, please pray for Tern's family and Tern's studying. May God bless you forever. 

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Carlos Received His Gift!

In October, I was able to send some gifts to Honduras through a couple of friends who were going on a sponsor tour. It's always so much fun to be able to choose gifts and send them to our kiddos! It's even better when you not only get a letter about the gift, but you receive photos of your child with the gift. I hit the sponsor jackpot!

If you would like to see what items I was able to send to Carlos, you can visit that blog post here: Gifts To Honduras . 


Here is the letter I received from Carlos, following the gift. It's a pretty great one! Carlos is 16 years old. His letter is dated January 25th, 2017 (it got here SUPER fast!)

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Hello Dear Kayla, 

I hope you are in very good health, along with your family. Let me tell you that my family and I are in very good health, thanks to God. Let me tell you that I am doing very well in school. I have a little probably with Technology, but soon I will have the book to understand it and I will learn it. I go to the project on time to learn about the word of God from the bible. About the question you made in your letter, my favorite thing to do ride my bike because I like it and it takes me everywhere. Sometimes I play with my brother with the bike and it is a moment that I enjoy a lot. Do you like riding a bike? The neighborhood where I live is called March 2 and it is in the Department of Yoro, in the city of Progreso. We all speak Spanish and we do many things, like play soccer and ride bikes. Some children play marbles. In my town, the common transportation is the bus, taxi, motorcycle, or bike. The weather here is very hot. There are many people who work at the factories. I ask you to pray for me and my family. I ask you to always pray for me. I say goodbye with love and affection. God bless you. 

Carlos 

P.S: I also want to thank you for the pencil case, pencils, socks, washcloths, pencil sharpener, erasers, and everything else. Until soon! 

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Happy Birthday, Jordy! You Are You So Loved!

For those of you observant ones, you may have noticed a new face on my page. You may not have noticed it at all, for that matter, because you have to scroll for so long now just to see all of my kids. My family is always growing. :)

But, I have added a new sponsored child, another boy with Manna 4 Lempira and I could not be happier!

The way things work with Manna 4 Lempira is as follows. The leader of the company posts newly registered children on the Facebook page and asks sponsors to wait a week before committing to a new child. I had no intentions of sponsor another child, but decided to look at the photos anyway. When I saw this one particular boy's face, I fell in love with his curly hair and his toothless grin. I had no doubts that he was meant to be my child. No doubts whatsoever.

His name is Jordy and today, on February 8th, he is 9 years old.

Welcome to the family, little one!

Chintada Graduates!

Usually, graduations are a cause for great celebration with me! This particular graduation fills me with a bit of fear, however. Though, still joy!

I say that because my boy Chintada is from East India. In this particular area of India, things have always been rocky between the Hindus and the Christians. However, in the last year, things have accelerated out of control. All of India has been affected, as all Compassion sponsors know at this point. I know that things in East India are twice as bad as in the rest of the country. Children in East India have basically not been attending their projects at all, according to a few sources I have. Churches are being destroyed and Christians are being harmed physically. I would hope that nobody is harming children, of course, but I can't be sure.

I can only hope that Chintada was able to complete all of the goals that he wanted to complete. The last I heard from him, Chintada was enrolled in a vocational training program for sewing and tailoring. He has dreams of opening his own tailor and dress-making shop. I heard that he was pretty talented. I sure hope that he can accomplish his dream!

I also pray that, even though things are extremely difficult where he lives, that Chintada remembers what he was taught about Jesus and that he continues to have faith in Christ into his young adult years.

I wish you all the best, Chintada!

First Sunday Advocate: February 2017 (Older Boy Edition)

A fun twist on an old classic.

Like every month, I am posting children that attend projects that my kids also attend. These children are also waiting for a loving sponsor; somebody to write to them, encourage them, and pray for them. Are you that person?

This month, I am also doing something fun. Due to Compassion's latest update, there is now one global site, instead of several little sites (one for each sponsoring country). With this new global site, each project has A TON of children listed. Like, pages and pages of kids, for most of them. Because there are so many kids, I had to think of a fun way to choose which children would be featured on this page. I decided to choose what would be considered "older boys" to most. These are boy 8 years old or older. These are the children that are typically not chosen first. More often than not, new sponsors are drawn to girls, all ages. Then, they are drawn to the tiny boys, the toddlers and preschoolers that are super cute. The older boys often wait longer and longer for a sponsor.

This will be fun. The name in the parentheses is the child of mine that attends the same project.

8 Year Old Helver from BO-370 (Jhon)

Francisco has been sponsored! 

Euris is sponsored! 

Handsome Hans has found a sponsor! 

9 Year Old Carlos from HO-348 (Celeste)

Haezer has found a sponsor! 

12 Year Old Javier from NI-207 (Ayling) 

12 Year Old Jean Carlos from PE-356 (Jhayra) 

12 Year Old Alexandre from TG-661 (Djimitri)

This wonderful young man, Gift, has been sponsored! 

Letters to My Kids: January 2017

The new year got off to bit of a slow start for me. I found myself feeling a bit sluggish and didn't even take my Christmas tree down until January 29th. It's down now, don't worry! 

But, my sluggish behavior led me to only writing on letter to my kids in January, when I typically write two or three letters each month. However, I have already written this month, so my track record should be much better for February. 

Instead of a whole letter, I used Compassion's option to send a greeting card. I chose one of the cards and wrote a short paragraph about the winter weather we have been experiencing. I basically just talked about cold temperatures, snow, and ice. I then included a page of photos of a recent snowfall, so my kids can visualize what I am talking about. 

Here is the card I sent: 

As far as the page of photos go, I am having some difficulties viewing that page on my Compassion account. As I write this post, it is Thursday. I am scheduling this post to post on Saturday. If I can get the photo page to work by then, you'll see the photos here. If not, you'll have to use your imagination of what snow looks like. ;) 

Jonathan's Updated Photo: 2016

My sweet boy from Burkina Faso is just as cute as ever!