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.
_______________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment