Adsense

Monday, April 30, 2018

End of April Letter Clean Out

It's the final day of April and I have SO MANY letters that I received in April that I have yet to post on my blog and/or respond to. I will not be posting every letter I have in this post, but am hoping to type up at least five of those letters before I get sick of typing. :) Let's start, shall we?

The post will being with a letter from Acram, which he wrote on the My Friends template.

Acram is 6 years old, from Tanzania, and he wrote this letter on April 10th, 2018.

_______________________________________________________________________________


1. Some of my friends are: Aneth, Boaz, Stewart 

2. My friends who go to school with me are: Boaz & Stewart 

3. Activities I do with my friends are: Read, play soccer, run 

4. My best friend is: Stewart 

5. My best friend is special because: He studies at the same school and lives nearby. 

6. My best friend who goes to the same project as me: Boaz 

7. Message to sponsor: Acram is very happy to get your letter again. He and his family are doing well. He has good health. He draw for you on the back of this paper. He loves you very much. 



________________________________________________________________________________

Now a letter from Mulwa. He still has a tutor/project worker write for him and I can't help but wonder sometimes how much of the letter is actually his words. Sometimes the language seems so advanced that I doubt if an 11 year old boy is actually saying those things or not. Of course, he could just be super intelligent and everything on the paper actually came out of his mouth. Who am I to try to figure it out?

Mulwa is 11 years old, as I stated already, and he lives in Kenya. He wrote his letter on April 11th, 2018.

_______________________________________________________________________________


Mulwa greets you warmly in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. He hopes that you are fine as he is. He wishes to thank you so much for having you as his loving friend and sponsor. Mulwa informs you that he is doing well and is enjoying wonderful graces that God has showered on him. The story that he read in your letter was very interesting and relates closely to domains learnt in the project. The coloring pictures made him smile and engulfed him with unlimited joy. He shared the pictures with his best friends in the project. He wishes to be sent more and more photos. Mulwa attended the project over the Easter holiday and he learned lessons that are positively changing his life. During this season, his parents are actively involved in farming, since our land has received plenty of rain. He goes to church every Sunday and earnestly prays for you. He wishes to share with you a bible verse from 1 John 4:15. Be blessed, as well as your family and friends. Bye bye! 


________________________________________________________________________________

Next is a letter from the same country, but from another lovely child there. This letter is from Faith, who has been through so much in her young life, but seems to have emerged happy and healthy. Her confidence seems to build with each letter I receive from her. 

Faith is 12 years old and is from Kenya. Her letter is dated April 10th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________


Hello My Dear Sponsor, 

How are you? How are your family members? I am fine and getting on well. I thank God for his care and protection. I am so happy to have you as my sponsor. I appreciate every part of your sponsorship to me. May the Lord bless you so much and increase your wealth. At school I am working hard. I putting forth more effort in my studies so that I can get good grades which can lead me to a good school. In the future I am hoping to become an important person in my community. At my church I attend Sunday school and participate in many activities. I also recite memory verses on different occasions. Bye bye. 

Faith 


_______________________________________________________________________________

 Onto a letter on the Weather template from little Joshua. He is such a little guy and his tutor makes me sound like such a big boy. At the top of the page he was even listed as being in the "middle" of primary school. I'm pretty sure that isn't true, as my account says he's in preschool. He's only 4 years old, for Pete's sake! ;) 

4 year old Joshua lives in Uganda and this letter is dated March 30th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________


1. We have a rainy/dry season 2 times per year. 

2. Right now the weather is: Sunny 

3. My favorite kind of weather is: Rainy 

4. When the weather is sunny I like to: Play with Abel 

5. On my birthday the weather is usually: Sunny 

6. Thank you for: All the support and care you extend to him through the project 

7. My prayer requests are: For my friends, for good health, for God's knowledge, for all the sick people. 

8. Answers to sponsor letter: Hello Kayla. Lovely greetings from Joshua. He says he is happy to be communicating with you. He says back at home they are fine and healthy. He says he goes to school and is working hard over there. He says he loves you and is wishing you the best. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Now I will share a letter from Veronika. This time, she is writing to me about her Hobbies & Pets. 

Veronika is 7 years old and is from Haiti. Her letter is dated January 31st, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________


1. Some of my hobbies are: Dancing and playing with my friends 

2. One hobby I would like to begin someday is: Writing 

3. Do you have a pet? Yes 

4. My pet is a: Sheep 

5. Does my pet have a name? No 

6. My favorite thing to do with my pet is: Running 

She is happy to write this letter to you and to greet you in the name of our Savior. How are you? How are your activities? She and her family are very good by the grace of God. She keeps praying for you that God will bless you. Pray for her so that she will have intelligence in school. How did you spend the Christmas time? She wants to share Isaiah 41:40 with you. May God bless you! 


________________________________________________________________________________




Friday, April 27, 2018

From the Field Friday: KE-500

I can't believe it's already the last week of April! Time sure does fly. I just have a couple more week of preschool and then it's summer vacay!

To celebrate the end of the month, let's read another letter from Kenya. This time, it's from KE-500, which is the project that my boy Hillary attends.



________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

My name is Eric Yugi and I am pastor of the Changamwe Child Development Center, which is attend by your sponsored child. May the almighty God bless you abundantly for sponsoring Hillary. 

Currently 212 children are registered at the center and we are enjoying sponsorship. We have nine children to be supported in university taking various degrees. 110 children are taking their high school studies and 65 are in primary and nursery education. 37 of them are doing Diploma, certificates and grade examinations. There is great need of more support for students in post-secondary education as their financial demand of college fees and supplies are high. Children are able to achieve their scholastic goals because of support from sponsors, who help them buy textbooks, uniforms, and other necessities. 



This year in the month of March, we celebrated the silver jubilee of the center. During the celebrations we launched an education fund through church donations to subsidize university fees of children admitted in various professions. We thank God for support we received from Compassion International representative especially our partnership facilitator who mobilized her colleagues in joining together to celebrate the achievements and support the university children. We had one student from our center graduating from the Leadership Development Program with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Glory to God. The child's life has tremendously changed for the better. He is happy and blessed thanks to Compassion. 



We thank our government and local leaders who have always supported us. Our member of parliament and county representatives gave us moral support and donated finances during the launch of the center. The church has increased spiritually and numerically through this program. April this year 96 children confessed and accepted Christ as their personal Savior. The church is now expanding the sanctuary to seat 10,000 members. It is through your support that we have been able to minister to the children, caregivers and leading to the church expansion. 



Whenever children receive a letter they are always excited. The children enjoy letter writing sessions because this gives them time to interact with their beloved sponsor. It helps the children in building self-esteem and also in learning how to read and write English, since it is the language that they usually use. Letters also expose the child to what happens around the world as sponsors share personal information as well as the information about where you live. Receiving a letter is like receiving love from their sponsor, and children know that someone values them. For some children, this is the first time they know they are loved and valued, and it makes a big impact in their lives. I hope you will remember and write to Hillary often. 



In conclusion, thank you for the holistic child development program you are supporting in this church. It has been a blessing to the families supported to the church to the neighboring communities and the nation at large. God has used you as an ambassador of positive change and may He bless you abundantly. 

In Christ,
Pastor Eric Yugi

________________________________________________________________________________


Monday, April 23, 2018

Two Extra Photos!

Letters with extra photos attached are such a blessing! I was especially happy to see these two photos because both of these kids are nearing graduation age and chances are very slim that I will receive another official photo of them. I am so grateful that I get to know these young people.

I'll share Gary's letter first. He is set to graduate this year, in November, so him and I only have a few short months together. He's a great guy and I just know he will do wonderful things.

Gary is 17 years old and lives in Nicaragua. This letter is dated February 14th, 2018.

_______________________________________________________________________________


Hi Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I want to thank you for your sponsorship and I hope that you are healthy. In my home, due to the storms, our beds and mattresses got wet and our provisions were damaged. Everything is going well now, thanks to God. We celebrated Independence Day on September 15th and I had fun that day. All the people in Nicaragua celebrate it with their family. I went with my friends to see the parade. We put out flags in our houses. First of all, I hope in God to pass my school year. I will do my best to achieve my goals. I want to study and I will do my best to complete my studies and become a graduate. I would like to join the army. Thanks for your gift, letters, and photos. You have a beautiful family. Your children are precious. The weather is getting too cold. The temperature has been 24C. I am enclosing a photo of me with my family. Have you traveled to other countries? How is everything going in your work? I am praying for you that God blesses you and your family and keeps you healthy. I ask you to pray for me, my family, and my studies; my mom and siblings. I say goodbye to you with lots of love. 

Yours Faithfully, 
Gary


Gary is the oldest/tallest boy in the photo

________________________________________________________________________________

The other letter I received was from Lina. It appears that her financial sponsor sent her a money gift and I get to see the things she was able to buy! 

Lina is 18 years old and lives in Colombia. Her letter is dated February 12th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

Today I am glad to write to you again to wish you the best blessings from our Great Creator to you. You know, the situation at home is fine, although the relationship with my grandmother has worsened a little bit. For that reason, I ask you to support me by praying for that my relationship with my grandmother gets better. I inform you that my family and I live in a three floor home. It is made of brick and it is under construction. It has a cement floor. The utilities companies of the municipality provides us with water and electricity. The roof of our house is made of corrugated iron sheets. Can you tell me what your house is made out of? Do you build earthquake-resistant houses? Sponsor, I am very grateful to God and to you because you have blessed me greatly. Since I have arrived to this place, I have been blessed through your prayers, contributions, gifts, and beautiful letters, which express how important I am to you. By the way, I answer your questions about my nursing studies. Unfortunately, I had to drop them because I am going to enroll in SENA (A quick Google search informs me that it's some kind of educational program).  It is a public institution and it is more affordable for me to continue studying there because they will give me a subsidy for transportation. My wish is to work as a nurse for awhile. Sponsor, to finish my letter, I hope that God is blessing you greatly and giving you health in life. I give you a song called "Digno" by Marcos Brunet. Have you heard it? I also give you the passage Psalm 37:34. Sponsor, thank you very much for the passages you sent me and for the money gift, which I used to buy a bag, a pair of sneakers, a blouse, and underwear. Thank you very much for the gift. 

Lina


_______________________________________________________________________________




Saturday, April 21, 2018

Letters, Letters Everywhere

Just your typical run of the mill letter filled post. :)

We'll start with a letter from Marinelis, who is extra chatty in this letter. I have to admit, her dogs' names crack me up!

Marinelis is 15 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. Her letter is dated April 4th, 2018.

________________________________________________________________________________


Hello Dear Friend, 

How are you? How is your family doing? I hope you're doing well. I am doing very well at school. I try to do my best effort. I don't know how to describe my dogs, but they are cute and nice. Their names are Chiquita 1 and Chiquita 2. I also have a cat named Missouri Brandilyn. 

You looked very cute and happy in your photo. I like your dress. Thank you for the pages to color you sent me. I once watched the Moana cartoon. I like the songs in Moana a lot. 

It has been awhile since we got to observe a solar eclipse in my country, like last year. They announced in the news that in order to observe the solar eclipse, you had to wear special glasses, to not harm your eyes. 

I like to wear dresses, long denim pants, and dresses. My house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. The project I go to has 5 classrooms, 6 bathrooms, an office, a kitchen, a cafeteria, and a room where we hold special events. The church has two levels and it has a water plant. That's all I can describe. 

During my time off I like to talk to my friends. What makes me smile are the jokes of my friends. I liked the stories about when you were 15 years old. Especially the one about you attending camp. 

With Love,
Marinelis

________________________________________________________________________________

Onto a sweet letter from Kamaldine. In this letter, I get to learn more about some of the things she learns at her project. 

Kamaldine is 6 years old and lives in Burkina Faso. Her letter was written on October 7th, 2017 (I have NO idea what took it so long to arrive). 

_________________________________________________________________________________


1. Explain what you are learning at the project: Songs like "God, God, may your name be praised." 

2. What I have learned about hygiene and good manners: Brushing teeth everyday, always wearing clean clothes, washing everyday. 

3. Two things that I have learned in the project that I practice at home: Singing and washing hands with soap before every meal. 

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

Dear Kayla, 

Hello! It is great for me to write to you. How are you doing? Everyone is well here and my family says hello. How is Zenebu in Ethiopia? I think of her. Thank you for the coloring pages that helped me improve myself. About the play, there were the roles of mother who is cooking, the father who went to the field, and the one who is selling in the market. I have never seen a solar eclipse. I hope to see one someday. See you soon! 

________________________________________________________________________________

Next is a letter from Emanise. I don't hear from this young woman very often, but it's always a treat when I do. 

Emanise is 18 years old, from Haiti, and she wrote this letter on January 30th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

I don't have enough words to tell you how happy I am to write to you. First of all, I want to greet you. How are you, your family, and friends? As for me, everything is going well. I now answer your questions. 1. I like wearing blue pants, white t-shirts, and black sneakers. 2. Today I have eaten spaghetti. 3. My house is made with bricks and a thin roof. It has 2 rooms. 4. My project is very beautiful. It has a school and a church. 5. If I have extra time today, I will continue to read a book that I started. 6. The most enjoyable thing for me is to spend time with friends. 7. The last party I went to was on January 19th. 8. My best friend's name is Charles. 9. My advice for young people is to go to school and church. Thank you for your pictures, letters, and gift. I used it to buy clothes. I am glad to hear from you about Nikko, Gage, Chloe, and your family. Please pray that God gives me more intelligence. I will always pray for you and your family. 

Your Friend,
Kayla

_________________________________________________________________________________

It's onto another form letter, this time from Kelvin. He is telling me a few things about his house. It's fun to picture him inside of his house, living his day to day life. 

Kelvin is 7 years old and he is from Indonesia. His letter is dated April 3rd, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________


1. I get water from: The well 

2. The walls of my house are made of: Bricks 

3. In my house I Do have electricity. 

4. I wash my clothes in: My bathroom 

5. My house has a ceramic tile floor 

6. My house has a iron sheet roof 

Hi Kayla, 

I was so happy to get your letter. I believe that God loves me more than anything. When I miss my mother's hug, I pray to God. Kayla, thank you for being a friend in my life. I go to the project every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday on a Sunday I join in the worship service. In my village, we have our annual party in May. All the people celebrate it and gather our harvest. All are happy and thankful to God. Kayla, thank you and I hope God blesses you always. 

Love, 
Kelvin

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now I share a very short letter from Enmanuel. Honestly, it's kind of funny how much he seems to dislike writing. Funny guy, for sure. He definitely has things he would rather be doing. 

Enmanuel is 10 years old and is from the Dominican Republic. He wrote this letter on April 4th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________


Hello Dear Kayla, 

May God bless you. How are you? I am well, thank God. How are you spending your time? Here we are having a weather change that is causing many viruses and sicknesses. I ask you to pray for me and my family. 

Enmanuel

________________________________________________________________________________


Friday, April 20, 2018

From the Field Friday: ID-202

Another Friday, another pastor letter. It amazes me a bit how many of these I've typed up already. And I still have many to go!

Today's letters is from East Indonesia, project ID-202. This is the project my boy Nico attends.


_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I am pastor Hengly Mantak of the Filadefia Tondangow Church. I am also the advisor of the Filadelfa Child Development Center where your sponsored child attends. The center is located in Tomohon, North Sulawesi province in Eastern Indonesia. Through this letter, I want to thank you for sponsoring Nico. Currently, we have 445 children and 33 of them are waiting to be sponsored. 

Most of the people in our community are farm laborers and do odd jobs. Therefore, their family's income is low while the cost of daily needs increase each day. They have a hard time to get what they need daily. The education cost is higher too. That is why some of their children can't go to school or continue to a higher level of education. The parents really need someone to help their children to get education and fulfill their needs. With the present of the center in our community, people are more aware about the importance of holistic development for children. 



The children have a close relationship with Jesus. They are active at church, know how to pray and some teenagers have become Sunday school teachers, singers, and worship leaders at their local church. Not only the community and the children, the staffs are impacted, too. By becoming staffs, they get to learn about administration and finance. Some of the staffs' last education is only until elementary school but their willingness to help the children and work for God enables them to maximize their potential. 



Within this year, we have been visited three times. The sponsors who came don't have any sponsored children here but they would like to see how we run the center. Nevertheless, this visit has given encouragement for the children when they interacted with them and visited some of their homes. There is one visitor who decided to sponsor a child who home was visited. These visits have encouraged the children and the families to do the best and love their family more for there are other people from other place who love their children as much as they do. 



There are many sponsor letters that we have received at the center this year. These letters play an important part in the relationship between the sponsors and children and even with the children's family. The sponsors and the children have motivated one another through encouragement, advice, prayers, Bible verses, and photos that make them to know you more. The children want to study harder at school and at the center because of their sponsors. Please continue to make the time to write to Nico. It means a lot for them and your investment have caused the parents to commit and support the work of our church. 



We hope that the children will be people who obey the Lord Jesus, independent and responsible towards their duties. We hope that the work that we are doing will encourage other community about the importance of holistic development in the children which centers on Jesus Christ. Please pray for all the children that are part of the center so that they can grow healthy, strong, and have a great Christian personality and reach their dreams. We also hope that you keep praying for the staff and tutors to keep committed to their work. Thank you for reading this letter. We hope and pray that Jesus' love and blessings will be poured onto you. May Jesus bless you. 



Pastor Hengly Mantak 

________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Introducing a New Trio

I have three more new correspondent kids to share with you today! I love seeing my sponsorship family grow little by little.


Amina from Uganda


Samuel from Honduras



Jaw-bu-keh from Thailand 



Saturday, April 14, 2018

Manna Boys Get Bibles!

I am just amazed every step of the way as a Manna sponsor. It's such a wonderful organization.

Very recently, every Manna child, sponsored and unsponsored, was provided with a brand new Bible. They were each presented with the bible when they were given the latest round of mail from their sponsors.

There is just something special about seeing each of my boys holding a Bible. I love them each so much!


Ivan


Jarlen 


Carlos (Look how happy he looks!) 


Yesbin (Such a serious guy)


Angel


Defer 



Brayan 


Levi 


Noel (I hope he never loses that sweet smile)


Antony (Looks scared to death!) 






Friday, April 13, 2018

From the Field Friday: KE-384

I am loving the month of April, so far. It's so great to enjoy the nice weather and get some time to just be outside. My preschool students are certainly loving it too!

Let's start our day with another letter from the field. This time, from the pastor at project KE-384, which is the project that my boy Tumbu attends.



_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I am Hermann Katutu, pastor of Deliverance Church Nzalae. We minister to Tumbu at the Child Development center in the Mwingi region of Kenya. Thank you for partnering with us by sponsor Tumbu. 

Our community is known as an agricultural area. The rainfall patterns are erratic, so most times is does not support successful crop farming, which is the community's main source of food and income. This is the greatest challenge faced by the community. The population increase has created pressure on natural resources and the cost of living has been on the rise. Many households face shortages of basic items like food, clothing, water, and money to send their children to school. In many instances, they blame drought on some evil omen and end of consulting witch-doctors. This is another challenge we face at the church as it conflicts with the teachings we give to them. 



Our vision as both the center and the church is to support the education of children and economically empower their guardians and parents through entrepreneurship training and information access. As part of implementing the children through mentorship and training on appropriate technology. 

The children in the center have more courage and self-esteem as their academic grades have improved and their participation in extracurricular activities is high. 



Our children are able to recite Bible verses and some also share the word of God during Saturday program devotions. We thank God for helping these children and we are really praying for them. Currently we have about 80 children who have professed their faith and able to tell what God has done in their lives. 



The church ministers to the community through teaching the Gospel, carrying mentorship programs in public schools, tree planting in public spaces, and giving training and information on public health, appropriate agriculture practices, and advocating for children's rights. I thank God because about 90% of our sponsored families go to a local church where they are spiritually nurtured. 



Writing letters helps in building the relationship between the children and sponsors. Through correspondence, the children and their sponsors are able to share about their families, prayer requests, favorites, and experiences. Children are so excited when sponsors write to them, since this keeps their relationship growing. They are grateful for their sponsors and it helps them to know that someone cares about them even though they have not met. 



The most interesting thing is that the area has been endowed with natural resources they only need to be exploited for utilization. Opportunity exists for harvesting surface runoff and underground water and this is what the church is working toward so that opportunities for the youth can be increased. 

Please pray that God blesses the children in the center to grow in the love of the Lord so that they become what God intended them to be. Pray also that the skills, resources, and appropriate technology be granted to us to utilize the available resources to advance God's kingdom and minister to people in the community. Lastly, pray that God will help us to keep the faith and commitment in serving Him and His people in integrity and honor of the Lord. 



Once again, thank you for your generous sponsorship of Tumbu. I pray that God blesses you. 

Sincerely, 
Hermann Katutu

_______________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Attempt Catch Up #2

Well, it's been nearly two weeks since I last did a major post like this. That time, it was just with template letters. I originally intended for this post to be just non-template letters. However, I seem to have many more little kids in my family these days, and just don't have enough non-template letters to share. So this post will be a mixture of everything.

Well, we'll start with a letter from Agness. She wasn't feeling extremely chatty in this letter. ;)

Agness is 14 years old and lives in Tanzania. Her letter is dated March 10th, 2018.

_______________________________________________________________________________


Dear Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of Jesus. I would like to inform you that in the near future, we are going to sit for our midterm exams, before the Easter holiday. I request your prayers that I do well. I hope all is well with you. I do not have much to say. Please extend my regards to Gage and Chloe. 

Your Beloved, 
Agness

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, a letter from Kwizera. It has taken me literal years to get this guy to open up in his letters. I'm now starting to see more and more details and I LOVE it. 

Kwizera is 13 years old, from Rwanda, and he wrote this letter on March 10th, 2018. 

_______________________________________________________________________________


Dear My Parent, Whom I Love So Much, 

I first greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. In school, we are going to do exams. About Rwanda, now it is raining heavily. I am very glad for the letter you sent to me, wishing me a merry Christmas. It really made me glad for you sent me beautiful photos of the birth of Jesus and gave me a gift. I am happy that you read my letter and it made you happy. May God bless you and your family. I was glad for the photos you sent me of the birth of Jesus Christ and of you with your mother and sister. I was very glad to hear of the tree that gives light of green color. I am glad that you will celebrate Easter in your country. 

From,
Kwizera

_________________________________________________________________________________

Onto a letter from little Shakilla. I am going to say this is the first letter I've received from her, because I'm pretty sure it is. However, I'm not going to look back into my records right now and find out if that is actually true. So, if you have seen another letter from Shakilla on this blog, then disregard what I said. ;)

Shakilla is 6 years old and from Rwanda. Her letter is dated March 19th, 2018. This letter is about her Typical Week.

________________________________________________________________________________



1. I typically get up at: 6:00 a.m 

2. In the morning, I typically: Take a bath and go to school 

3. In the evening, I typically: Fetch water and sing 

4. I typically go to sleep at: 8:00 p.m 

5. My favorite day of the week is: Saturday because I go to the project 

Dear Kayla, 

Shakilla and her family are thanking you a lot for the letter and photos you sent her. It pleased her a lot. On Easter, we will eat rice, beans, and meat. She likes Luke 2:52. She covers herself from rainfall while going to the project. Her mother and father are fine. They live in a village in a cold place. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Next up is a letter from Yohannis. This time, he is writing to me about his Hobbies & Pets. I have seen this template from other kids too and to me, it seems like such an odd combination. How do pets and hobbies relate to each other? It's still great information to know, though.

Yohannis is 8 years old and is from Ethiopia. He wrote his letter on March 20th, 2018.

________________________________________________________________________________


1. Some of my hobbies are: Going to the shops to buy things for my family

2. I like to do my hobbies with: My friends 

3. My favorite hobby is: Soccer 

4. One hobby I would like to begin someday is: Jumping 

5. As a pet, I would like to have a: Dog 

6. My pet's name is/would be: Buchi 

Please pray for my education. I like that you celebrate Thanksgiving once a year. It is nice. Thank you for everything. I received the money you sent me. I bought clothes. Thank you so much. There is nothing else new here. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Now I'll share a letter from Hillary, who is writing to me about his Holiday/School Break. I think the template letters from this country are my favorite. They are always long and leave the questions very open ended, for the kids to write what they want. The multiple choice templates are good enough, but they don't give the kids much chance to think of their own answers. 

Hillary is 7 years old and lives in Kenya. His letter is dated March 24th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________


1. There are 10 days school breaks in a year. 

2. They are in the months of: December 25th, December 26th, January 1st, May 1st, October 20th, June 1st. 

3. My school break normally lasts: One month 

4. During my school break, I normally:  Visit family members 

5. I love to: Stay at home and play 

6. My favorite activity during my school breaks is: Playing football

7. My favorite person to spend time with during my school break is: My brother 

8. One thing I would like to do during school break in the future is: Travel around the country 

9. One person I would like to visit on my school break in the future is: My grandparents

10. In the future, I would like to visit: Nairobi 

Hello Kayla,

Thank you for writing to me. I am well with my family. I love your story about the goats. They were very brave to cross the bridge. It is a funny story. I have a memory verse from Genesis 1:1. 

Yours,
Hillary

________________________________________________________________________________

Let's do two more letters, okay? 

This one is from Brisa. She is writing to me about her Hopes for the Future. 

Brisa is 7 years old and lives in Nicaragua. Her letter is dated February 6th, 2018. 

_______________________________________________________________________________


1. In the future I hope to learn about: Singing and playing the piano in church 

2. In the future I hope to do the following activity: Learn to do folk dance and preach the word of God to children. 

3. In the future I hope to meet: You, my dear sponsor 

4. When I grow up, do I want to go to university?: Yes 

5. I want to be: A doctor 

Hello Friend Kayla, 

Many greetings to you. I am praying for you, for God to bless you and your kids. I am already in class and I feel happy. I am doing well. My favorite color is the same as yours, red. I would like to know more about you, my friend, and meet you in person some day. You are special to me. I love you very much. 

Sincerely, 
Brisa Daniela

________________________________________________________________________________

We'll end this particular post with a letter from Carolin, who is writing on the My Community template. This little girl is just so sweet and cute. I hope I get to watch her grow for a long time. 

Carolin is 6 years old and from the Dominican Republic. Her letter is dated April 2nd, 2018. 

_______________________________________________________________________________


1. My community is called: Cristo Rey 

2. My community is located in: Santo Domingo 

3. A common type of transportation in my community is: Buses 

4. A common job in my community is: Housekeeping 

5. In my community, the weather is: Hot 

This child wishes for God to bless you greatly. She is happy and she thanks you for the letter you sent her. She is very happy because she enjoyed her vacations with her family. Please pray for her family. She says goodbye with love.

________________________________________________________________________________