Attempt Catch Up #1 (Template Letters)

I have been such a slacker when it comes to my blog, lately! I've received so many letters that need to be blogged, but I just keep forgetting.

This post is attempt #1 of me trying to catch up. There will probably be several of these posts. I plan to post one a day until all of my recent letters are posted. March has been a record month for letters!

Without further ado, let's begin:

I received a letter from Tern, written on the My Family template. There is just something so special about this little guy and his family. I hope that his financial sponsor is in it for the long-term. I would love to get to know Tern as he grows.

Tern is 5 years old and lives in Thailand. His letter is dated February 2nd, 2018.

________________________________________________________________________________

1. My family lives in: Rural region 

2. In my family, I spend most of my time with: My grandparents 

3. My favorite activity with my family is: Watching television 

4. My favorite way to help my family is: Cleaning the house 

5. My family's faith background is: Buddhism 

Dear Kayla, 

Hello. My name is Chuanchom, his aunt. He can't write by himself. Thank you for the letter. The project celebrated Children's Day on January 13th. There were many toys, games, Q&A, and performances. Does your country have Children's Day? Please pray for his studies. May God bless you with happiness. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

The next letter is from Jonathan, written on the My Project Learning template. It sounds like he is learning quite a lot! 

Jonathan is 8 years old and from Burkina Faso. His letter is dated December 15th, 2017. 

______________________________________________________________________________

1. Explain what you are learning in the project: I learn to know the word of God. I learn activities such as football and speed races. 

2. What I have learned about hygiene and good manners: To sweep the house and keep it clean by cleaning it. I wash my clothes and I do the dishes for my mom. 

3. Two things I have learned in the project that I practice at home: I help mom do the cooking. I go and fetch water from the fountain for mom. 

4. What motivates me to attend the project activities: Bible stories 

Dear Kayla, 

Hi on behalf of Jonathan! He greets your whole family. He is taking exams right now and he finds them a little difficult. But he hopes to succeed by the grace of God. He thanks you for your letter, which comforted him so much. Goodbye! 

________________________________________________________________________________

Out next template letters is from Tamire. She wrote to me on the My Community template.

Tamire is 7 years old and from Ethiopia. This letter was written on November 15th, 2017.

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. My community/village is called: Srti Town 

2. My community is located in: Oromia Region 

3. The population of my community is: 3,00 people 

4. A common job is my community is: Farming and Trade

5. A common type of transportation in my community is: Cart & Mule/Horse

6. People in my community speak: Afan Oromo 

Please pray for my studies and my health. I am very happy and thankful for your letter. I would like to thank you a lot for your support. Here the weather is hot. 

________________________________________________________________________________

The next sweet letter is written on the My Dreams template. It is written by my cute jungle boy, Daniel. 

Daniel is 8 years old and lives in Ecuador. He wrote this letter on January 8th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. I would like to travel to: The United States 

2. I would like to meet you because: I want to meet you and give you a hug

3. Someday I would like to be like: My parents 

4. When I grow up, I would like to a: Teacher

5. I want to thank you for: Always writing to me 

6. Please pray for: My parents and siblings 

7. I also want to say: I am studying. I am doing well. I go to the CDC. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

This next letter is from Rodrigo and is written on the My Christian Learning template. He really shared a lot of greats details and filled up all the space. Go Rodrigo! 

Rodrigo is 7 years old and is from Bolivia. His letter is dated February 16th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. My favorite Bible story is: Adam & Eve

2. My favorite Bible person is: Jesus 

3. My favorite song to sing at my project is: We are Little Soldiers 

4. In my project I am learning: To sing and to paint Bible stories 

5. In my project I learned to pray: Before eating and before sleeping 

6. I learned about Jesus: He loves children and he died for us. 

Hello Dear Kayla, 

We greet you with the love of our great God. I am Jose, Rodrigo's tutor. We would like to thank you so much for your nice letters and photos. Answering some of your questions; Rodrigo is doing well and had a nice Christmas together with his family, exploding firecrackers and eating baked chicken. Cornucopia liked to listen to your letters about the cornucopia and about the big trees. Rodrigo is back to school and is glad to meet more friends. His prayer request is for his mom and dad to do well at their jobs. 

With Love and Affection, 

Rodrigo and Jose 

________________________________________________________________________________

If you can believe it, we still have three more template letters to go. I told you this was going to be a big attempt at catching up! Then I need to go respond to all these letters! 

This next letter is from Dedilhomme and is written on the About Me template. 

Dedilhomme is 6 years old and lives in Haiti. His letter was written on January 30th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. I was born in a locality called: Dupuy 

2. When I grow up, I would like to be a: Child Monitor 

3. The color of my hair is: Black 

4. The color of my eyes are: Black and white 

5. I am the 5th child out of 5 in my family. 

6. Currently I am living with: My father 

Dedilhomme is very happy to write to you. He says his school started in September and it is almost the same as last year. He goes to school from Monday to Friday. On Sunday he goes to the project. He is happy because he and Chloe have almost the same school schedule, except he gets to school at 8:00 and it ends at 12:50. He asks you to keep praying for him. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

This next letter is from Nico and it's actually my very first letter from him! Whoo hoo! 

He wrote on the My Favorites template and included a long personal message at the end! 

Nico is 6 years old and lives in Indonesia. His letter is dated February 5th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. My favorite sport is: Soccer 

2. My favorite activity is: Playing 

3. My favorite way to help my family is: Making my bed 

4. My favorite Bible story is: Daniel 

Dear Sister Kayla, 

Greetings in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am so happy that I could reply to your letter. How are you and your family doing? I hope that you and your family are healthy and happy. My family and I are healthy. We thank you for sharing your stories with us, through your letters that you have sent to us. We are so happy to read your letters. Thank you for the gift you have sent us. We have used it buy rice and cabinets. Once again, thank you for sharing your blessings with our family. I hope that God will return your kindness with blessings to you and your family. 

Sister Kayla, I am in the 1st grade in elementary school. I can read now. I love to learn to read and draw. I also love to watch TV at home and ride bicycles with my friends. My favorite foods are rice, friend chicken, and french fries. I live with my mom named Vitha, my dad named Merko, my sister Casey, my grandma Diana, and my grandpa Fery. They love me very much. 

I am glad to know that I have a new friend, Lenin. Please say my greetings to Lenin. I pray for Lenin and his family too. My God always bless Lenin and his family. I am glad to be his friend. 

I want to ask you some questions. Do you work until night? Do you have a day off to go out with your family? 

That's all for now. I am kindly waiting for your reply letter. I hope that you will always be blessed and guided by God. Please pray for me and my family to be healthy and successful. I hope to make my parents proud. Thank you. 

Love,

Nico

_________________________________________________________________________________

The last letter of this post is from Kamaldine. In this letter, she is telling me about the Festivals and Holidays in her country. 

Kamaldine is 6 years old and lives in Burkina Faso. Her letter is dated January 13th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. Our main National festivals and holidays are: Christmas, Tabaski, Easter, and Ramadan. 

2. My favorite holiday is Tabaski because we eat well. 

3. What do you enjoy doing on your favorite celebration day?: I wear nice clothes and shoes and play with my friends. 

4. The main events in my region are: Fair with exhibitions and games 

5. Tell how you celebrate Christmas in your project: We prepare some songs that we sing. 

Dear Kayla, 

I am very pleased to write you this letter. I received your letter and thank you for your wishes. I hope that you had a nice celebration. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Here, we resumed classes and I would like you to pray for me to have good success at school. Have a happy new year! 

_________________________________________________________________________________

From the Field Friday: KE-235

The end of March is upon us, so let's read another letter from the field! This letter is from the project in Kenya that my boy Baraka attends.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I am Pastor Gabriel Kioko of the Good News Church of Africa, which has partnered with Compassion International to serve Baraka in the Kikumini Child Development Center. 

I thank and worship God for your support of Baraka in my community. I lack supreme words to thank you, but I promise to mention that you are in our prayers and God to bless you. Your support to Baraka is a master key to a destiny filled with hope. I glorify God for your kind gesture. 

I minister in a church that is in a community composed of one major tribe called Kamba. The Kamba people are small-scale farmers and casual laborers. The weather is mainly hot, sunny, and dusty. Kikumini is located in the semi-arid part of eastern Kenya in Makueni County. The area experiences short rains which come in March through May. 

My community faces challenges that many a time as a church we can't minister to effectively, though government and other non-government organizations are trying to work in hand to bring development to the community. There is a high level of illiteracy and low-incomes lead to lack  of school fees. Many children drop out of school and many thereafter engage in drinking and drug abuse. There are health issues that affect the community and due to their financial status, the people somewhat struggle to access health facilities. We have a number of orphans and children from single parents and the church is trying to support those we can, though it is a challenge. 

We as a church have the great commission that we have committed to do. Our vision is to fulfill the attitude that was in Christ: a heart for little ones, as he said, "let the little children come to me." To be effective in it, we need to be empowered to be able to sufficiently meet the basic needs of our children, which is food, health, shelter, and education. Also, we need to capture their talents and enable them to be independent in the future and deliver themselves from the chains of poverty. It's our main objective to instill the Word of God in their hearts, so pray with us to accomplish our visionary dream of raising this generation that will bring justice, fairness, and be the voice of the weak in our community. Whenever I engage with these little children, I thank God and pray for the sponsors. 

In addition to the Compassion ministry, we have instituted a Bible school. We also conduct some awareness on HIV/AIDS and farming. We voluntarily give out services in guidance and counseling and we are actively involved in the community. We are planning and praying to start prison visitations, targeting rehabilitating the children who are serving their sentences in our correction institutions.

Having letters from sponsors is really building the children's communication skills. When the children and their families receive these letters, they are really excited and they always keep hoping to hear how their sponsor is doing. It is encouraging for them. 

I thank you for supporting Baraka and walking a journey together. You are most welcome to come to Kenya to visit us. Please pray for us that we may have more children receive a sponsor. 

Yours in Ministry, 

Pastor Gabriel Kioko

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

Letters, Letters, and More Letters

I don't have a witty introduction. My brain isn't working well. I just want to type letters. :)

The first letter of this post is from Joel. I hear from this young man super frequently. I love that. This boy has written to me about photography in every single one of his letters. I love seeing his passion!

Joel is 17 years old and lives in Mexico. His letter is dated January 5th, 2018.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

In this letter, I want to tell you what has happened to me so far. First, I want to wish you a happy new year. What has happened is that my dad gave me a photography book so that I can learn how to operate a camera and learn more about what I like. Now, I'm going to respond to your questions. My sister stayed with us until New Year's Eve. She stayed with us for about two weeks. She will graduate from college in about three and a half years. She is studying a very long major. I had a nice time with her because it had been a long time since I had last seen her. We had a lot of fun. I hope you and your family are healthy and you have a great new year with a lot of success. God bless you. Please pray for my family and for my dreams, that God will grant me the will to pursue them. I would like to ask you; how did you spend Christmas and New Year's Eve? What are your resolutions for 2018? I want to thank you for being my friend and for letting me have a great friendship with you. 

Joel Alberto

________________________________________________________________________________

Now a long letter from Jule. I'm still getting to know this guy, but with letters this detailed, I don't think it will take very long. 

Jule is 14 years old and lives in Rwanda. He wrote this letter on March 5th, 2018. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I first greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am thankful to you for the love, care, and support which you have gone ahead to give to me. My oldest sister Justine is 15 and my sister Judith is 12. My other sister is called Josiane and she is 3. My youngest brother, and last born, is Gilbert. He is 2. We have been experiencing sunshine, as well as receiving rain. In which season are you in? I have had a fever and I'm currently getting treatment. Please pray that I will be able to get and maintain better grades. May the Lord continue to bless and increase you in whatever you are doing. Thank you for the letter which you sent to me. I was excited to receive it and to hear from you. Thank you for letting me know about your news. I am glad you love, care, and think about me. Thank you for the wonderful words which you told me. We grew maize and it has been doing well. The beans have also given good yields. May God bless you! 

Jule

________________________________________________________________________________

Up next, a letter from Jhon. I think I've said it before, but I'm so glad his graduation date got extended so I can can keep writing to him and getting to know him. 

Jhon is 18 years old, from Bolivia, and he wrote this letter on February 15th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla,

I greet you with the peace of our Lord. I am doing well and healthy, thanks to God. I tell you that I took a trip on a bus. It took two days to arrive. Well, I am already part of the Young Leaders Program (GAP). I tell you that we are going to evangelize and do activities in a classroom. Yes, I had a nice Christmas with my family. I celebrated with my family with a barbecue, chocolate milk, and fritters. My best gift was a t-shirt and trousers given to me by my mom, which I liked a lot. I get along very well my family. I had a good trip the country of Chile. When I returned my brother was waiting for me at the bus station. When I saw him I felt happy. My trip was something unforgettable. I met my uncles and aunts that I had not met before. Thank you for the photographs that you sent me. They are nice. I say goodbye with the peace of our Lord. God bless you and your family. Please pray for me, my family, my friends, my health, and for all the people who do not have anything. 

With Love,

Jhon

_______________________________________________________________________________

I'll wrap up this post with a letter from one of my young ladies; Maria. She makes me chuckle because something her letters are quick and don't say much and other times, she includes some lovely details (like today). Typical teenager, I think. :) 

Maria is 13 years old and is from Brazil. Her letter is dated February 9th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

How are you? My family and I are doing well. We will have the carnival holiday and I will travel to Pacoti. It is a mountainous region, so it is a little cold. I loved receiving another letter from you. I like that you noticed that my name and the name of all my friends all end in the letter A. I had not realized this before. I received all of the photos you sent to me. I was very happy for them. You, your mother, and your sister look very similar and the children you take care of are very beautiful. For your meditation: "Give praise to the Lord, give honor to his name, talking of his doings among the people" Psalm 105:1. 

A hug from your sponsored child,

Maria

________________________________________________________________________________

From the Field Friday: ET-555

Today's letter from the field comes from the country of Ethiopia, from project #555, which is where my boy Milkias attends. It's a newer project, but it seems like great progress is being made!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

My name is Mengistu Wolde and I am the reverend of the Bedele Mekane Yesus Congregation where our child development center ministers to your sponsored child. It is located in the Oromia administrative state of Ethiopia, in the town of Bedele. We thank you for sponsoring Milkias. 

This center is serving as much as possible in the community in the spiritual and development aspects. The inhabitants of the town of Bedele live in good fellowship and support each other. They are about 40,000 and they are followers of various religions. The town community has good ties with the rural community. Our church serves both these communities. The challenge our church faces when it serves in town is the limited economic capacity. We know the church has to meet at least some of the practical needs of the community. The other challenge is the spiritual pressure that comes from contrary faiths doctrines. 

The future vision of the center and church is give ministry to the children of our center so that they can grow to become useful for their nation, the church, and their families. We also want to give shelter to children that have this great need and help them learn properly. We also want to open a Bible school run by the church to help these children grow in their spiritual lives. Please pray for us on all these subjects. 

Since the establishment of this center in the Bedele town, many changes have been seen in the lives of our children. They have developed spiritually, physically, and morally. Many of the children and their parents have accepted the Lord as their Savior and come to the church. From my personal observation children that had a bad history among the community have now become good examples among this same community after they joined the center and their parents have also got a good esteem. 

With the funds Compassion allots for our center, we help the weak, offer medical treatment, organize shelters for the widows giving them monthly food provisions, and according to our capacity, participate vividly in development areas. Since this center started operating 6 years ago, 26 parents of these children have been saved. 

When children receive letters from their sponsors they feel very happy and rejoice. On the contrary, the children that do not get any letters from their sponsors feel very depressed and get sad. It is so important to keep a communication between the sponsor and child through letters. If their sponsors would visit them here to know each other, the joy of the children would be immense. 

Pray for us. Pray that, if God wills, to help us organize shelters for the homeless in our compound. Pray that we can open a Bible school and open a school that can help in the economic growth of the church. Finally, please pray we are able to reach out with the Gospel as we have planned. 

I extend my deep gratitude to you for all you do for Milkias. 

May God's ample grace be with you! 

In Christ,

Mengistu Wolde

________________________________________________________________________________

Words and Drawings from Sweet Artists

On Thursday morning, I received some pretty heartbreaking news. Keeping my emotions at bay at work with my students on Thursday and Friday, but by Friday night, I was kind of in full meltdown mode. I cried and prayed, on and off. Saturday arrived and I spent all but a few hours in bed. Literally the whole day. I hardly ate and I didn't take a shower until 7:00 p.m, but then put my pajamas back on. 

I not sharing this with you for sympathy. I am just telling it like it is. I, thankfully, don't suffer from depression, but in this situation, I am depressed. Every little thing sounds so hard and I'm just so upset. I am trying to remain hopeful and keep my eyes on God. I have done nothing besides listen to Christian music, to try to keep some hope and positivity flowing. 

Another thing that is keeping me going is friends. I have gathered a few prayer warriors and have other friends who are helping me look for solutions to my current situation. 

Finally, helping me stay positive is writing to my kids and reading their letters. I have such wonderful children writing to me from all over the world, how can I stay sad for too long? So, I am typing up some letters today, to remember the love that comes from all over the world, for encouragement, and, if I'm being honest, as a little distraction. It is currently 2 a.m on Sunday morning and I don't want to go to bed...

I'll share a letter from Ernest first. Every letter that I get from him comes with the hope that he would write his own letters. Whatever tutor he has writing to him must not encourage him to share any details about his life. Each one is basically the same. But, I get to see more of Ernest's personality in his drawings and I love that a lot. 

Ernest is 12 years old and lives in Ghana. His letter is dated January 23rd, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

Ernest says he is happy to be a part of your family. He says he and his friends played soccer at the project. He says he will send you a picture of his family with his next letter. He says pray to God to bless him and keep him always. He says may God almighty bless you. He shares Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

I love the good, impressive drawings from my kids, of course, but there will always be a special place in my heart for the art that is not-so-great, haha. For the art that is drawn by kids who aren't destined to be famous artists. It's probably because I have zero drawing talent. Whether a child is a future Van Gogh or he barely manages to draw a stick figure, any drawing a child makes for you is a gift. A true treasure. 

I move onto a letter from 9 year old Bryan, who lives in Nicaragua. He wrote this letter on January 13th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla! 

God bless you. I am Bryan's teacher. The child is very happy to write this letter to you. The child thanks you for the photos you sent to him. He says that you've been a great blessing for him and his family. He says he really liked your letter. The child says he'll start attending school again soon. He says he's happy because he'll be able to see his friends again. He says he spent December next to his family. They were thanking God for another new year of life. The child wants to know about the activities you did in December. He says he couldn't send you a photo of his family, but he drew you a picture of his family. The child says goodbye sending many blessings to you and your family. He wishes you the best. He sends you lots of hugs and kisses. May God bless you. 

Sincerely, 

Bryan and Teacher

________________________________________________________________________________

Moving onto a duo from Kenya; I received a letter from Baraka and then two letters from Muuo. 

Like I said, let's start with that letter from Baraka. The letter is written on the My Hopes for the Future template and I love it so much. 

Baraka is 9 years old and this letter is dated February 24th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. In the future I hope to learn about: Driving

2. In the future, I hope to do the follow activities: Driving, farming, and poetry. 

3. In the future, I hope to visit: My Sponsor

4. In the future, I would like to meet: My Sponsor 

5. When I grow up, I would like to go to: Kenyatta 

6. When I grow up I want to be: A driver 

7. In the future I would love to have: A big lorry (truck) 

8. When I grow up I would like to live in: Kisumu, Kenya

9. When I grow up, I would like to work in: Uganda 

Baraka greets you in Jesus's name. He also appreciates your letter and says his project has not yet formed a choir. He also says he loves reading books, for instance he has just read a story about Zacchaeus, Joseph and his brother, and Noah's ark. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Now we have the same letter from Muuo. Another sweet dreamer. :) 

Muuo is 7 years old and also from Kenya. His letter is dated March 7th, 2018 (dang it got here fast!). 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. In the future I hope to learn about: Teaching

2. In the future, I hope to do the follow activities: Teaching children, driving, and farming. 

3. In the future, I hope to visit: You, Kayla

4. In the future, I would like to meet: My President

5. When I grow up, I would like to go to: Nairobi 

6. When I grow up I want to be: A teacher

7. In the future I would love to have: My own school

8. When I grow up I would like to live in: Mombasa, Kenya

9. When I grow up, I would like to work in: A school

Muuo says Jambo! He hopes that you are doing good together with your family. He says his family is doing good in the Lord. He says he is enjoying school and is learning a lot from his teachers. He is happy to see the snow removal machines. He says they don't experience snow here in Kenya, but he would love to see it one day. He says, "I really appreciate your kindness and love towards me and my family." He says may God bless you. He sends you much love and prayers. He says bye. 

________________________________________________________________________________

On the same day as I received that last letter from Muuo, I also received another one from him. I did not hear from him in January, as I did from most of my other Kenyan kids, so it looks like this is "make-up work" of sorts for Muuo. It looks like he had to write it on the same day as his Dreams letter. Double the letter writing. Guess that's what he gets for missing the last letter writing day. ;) 

This letter is also dated March 6th, 2018. It's written on the My Hobbies and Pets template. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. Some of my hobbies are: Swimming, bike riding, and playing 

2. My favorite hobby is: Riding a bike 

3. One hobby I would like to try someday is: Driving 

4. I would like to have: A car 

5. The name of my pet is/will be: Dog (not much of a name) 

6. My favorite thing to do with my dog is/will be: Hunting 

7. My friend's favorite hobby is: Bike riding and his pet is a: dog 

Muuo says hello hoping that you are fine with your family. He says his family is doing great in the Lord. He is glad and happy to inform you that they had a good harvest from the last harvest. He says thank you for the photos of camp and also the coloring pages. He says may God bless you. He sends you much love and hugs. He says he hopes to hear from you soon. He says bye for now. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

I had just one more letter to share with you. If you've made it this for, go you! This letter is from Keyla. It's actually my very first letter from her. It's written, like others in this post, on the My Dreams template. Learning about your child's dreams is a pretty great first letter to get. I can write back encouragingly! 

Keyla is 8 years old and lives in Ecuador. Her letter was written on February 26th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. I would like to travel to: Spain because my dad is there

2. I would love to meet you because: I'd like to see you in person and hang out in my city with you. 

3. Someday I would like to be: Like my mom because she is hard-working. 

4. When I grow up, I would like to be: A veterinarian to help animals that are sick. 

5. I want to thank you for: The letter you sent me and for your friendship. I am glad you sent the letter. 

Please pray for my family, especially my grandmother who has headaches and is vomiting. I also want to say that I'm on school break and I passed last school year. I am in 3rd grade now. I will participate in a camp in March. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

From the Field Friday: NI-207

Let's travel to a new county today: Nicaragua! We visit the project that my girl Ayling attends.

______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla,

My name is Santiago Medrano. I am the pastor of the Peniel Church and I also oversee the "Hogar Ismaelito" Child Development Center where we minister to over 350 children, including Ayling. 

I am very grateful for the support you provide to Ayling. 

Let me tell you that the neighborhood where we are working is economically disadvantaged. The community faces a high rate of unemployment, there is much violence and delinquency and the children suffer from lack of guidance and opportunity. The challenge we have is to transform to this new generation with the message of Jesus Christ and sow values in them. 

The vision that I have as a pastor is to have a mature and trained church and performing the evangelistic ministry throughout our community and to be a model center where children and young people give their lives to Christ and to be economically self-sustaining. The impact we have made in the lives of children who are served is significant because the context of our community is that children at an early age are involved in gangs, alcohol, and drugs. Now, our children have become aware and many of them have decided to give their lives to Jesus and make appropriate use of their bodies and minds. 

In our center, we have many children who come from dysfunctional families and needs lots of support. We serve them in the areas of spiritual, cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical growth. This gives them a holistic and well-balanced development, in accordance with the Compassion International curriculum. 

For our children, the communication with their sponsors has a very large value. Through the letters the children feel encouraged and loved. They feel special knowing that someone far away cares for them and loves them. They are excited and happy to receive the letters and just the same in writing the sponsors back. The children that do not receive letters feel very sad and discouraged. Thus, we thank you and ask that you write to Ayling and keep a very good communication. 

I ask your prayers for God to help us and we can reach our goal. We trust in God that with His help and with the sponsorship program, soon we will be serving more children and more people of the community. 

Thank you for loving Ayling and our ministry. 

Best Regards,

Pastor Santiago Medrano Carballo 

________________________________________________________________________________