Three Letter Tuesday: Volume 6

It's another happy Tuesday around here as I share with you another three letters from some wonderful kids. I sure do love these posts.

The first letter I share with you is from one of the tiniest kiddos in my family, Hassan. He is writing to me on the My Project Learning template. It's so nice to see how much they teach even the littlest kids in the project. 

Hassan is 5 years old, lives in Tanzania, and he wrote this letter on June 30th, 2018. 

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1. In my project, I am learning about: God's word and cleanliness 

2. About my emotions, I have learned: The five senses 

3. About taking care of my body, I have learned: To bathe my body and wash my clothes 

4. About being polite and kind, I have learned: To play fair with my fellow children 

5. About jobs people have, I have learned: Sweeping and washing clothes 

Shalom! I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Me and my family are in very fine health. I hope that you are well in health too. I love you so much. For now, I am in nursery school and I continue well with my studies. Thanks for your love and for nurturing me. Amen. 

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Today's next letter comes from another precious little boy, Bryan. This is just an overall chatty letter from a sweet boy. 

Bryan is 9 years old and lives in Nicaragua. His letter is dated May 24th, 2018. 

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Sponsor Kayla, 

It is a great joy for me to greet you today. I ask my Lord to keep my friend Kayla every day and take care of her with the great power that is in heaven. He answers all our requests. Thanks for the gift you sent me. Here in the project, I am happy to eat because there are many different types of food. Today we had fried chicken. Thank you for making all these blessings possible. I hope that Jesus blesses you a lot in your economy and your job and that everything goes well for you. Thanks for your letters. I read the story of Little Red Riding Hood and it's very nice. I liked the picture of Little Red Riding Hood too. I also read the story of the three goats and I liked when the troll wanted to eat the goats. 

With a lot of love for you,

Bryan

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Lastly, a letter from Agness. She's always been one of my more brief writers, but I can just tell that she is so sweet. 

Agness is 14 years old, from Tanzania, and her letter is dated May 19th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of Jesus. Today I want to thank you for the story and the good gift you sent. Thanks because I looked beautiful on my birthday and my friends attended. When will you celebrate your birthday? Thank you for the good story of the three goats named Gruff. This story teaches me to be brave. Greet Gage and Chloe. Tell them I love them so much. God bless you. 

Love,

Agness

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Five Letter Friday: Volume 6

I don't think we need an introduction to today's post. We all know the drill.

5 letters. 5 x the joy!

Our first letter comes from my little Thai guy Jaw-bu-keh. This letter is written on the My Typical Week template.

Jaw-bu-keh is 7 years old, from Thailand (as stated), and the letter is dated June 28th, 2018.

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1. I typically get up at: 6:00 a.m 

    And got to bed at: 8:00 p.m

2. In the morning, I typically: Wash my face

3. My favorite day of the week is: Sunday because of church

4. I go to the project on: Saturday

5. My favorite activity during my weekend is: Playing with friends 

6. In the afternoon, I typically: Take care of younger siblings 

Dear Kayla, 

My name is Norpue. I am a volunteer and I am writing on behalf of Jaw-bu-keh because he can't write by himself. He says thank you for your letter and another chance to talk to you. He is a cheerful boy. He said this is a special month because it includes Children's Day and Father's Day. On June 10th, there was a Children's Day activity. He and his friends sang songs and had a competition for memorizing Bible verses. He said it was fun and had the opportunity to eat a delicious meal. On June 17th, the church held a Father's Day activity. He sang a song to his father and everyone had a good time. He asks if you have Father's Day activities there. Please pray for him and his mother's work. He has his parents pray for you. May God bless you. 

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The next letter is another template letter; this time from my serious child Marilyn. She is writing to me on the My Community template. 

Marilyn is 8 years old, lives in El Salvador, and she wrote this letter on July 3rd, 2018.

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1. The name of my community is: El  Escalon

2. My community's population is: 2,500 

3. In my community, common transportation is: Bicycle and Car

4. In my community, most people work as: Farmers 

5. What I like best about my community is: The flowers and school 

Kayla, 

Marilyn greets you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. She hopes that God is blessing you greatly. She tells you that she celebrated Easter with her family. She also says she is happy with the family that God has given her. She asks you to not stop praying for her so that God will always accompany her. She does not say goodbye, but see you soon. 

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The middle letter for today's post is from another girl, but older this time. This letter is from Mariela. She is not using a template, but also seems to be writing to me to tell me a little bit about her community. 

Mariela is 13 years old, from El Salvador, and her letter is dated June 28th, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Kayla, 

Greetings and blessings. How are you? I hope this letter finds you doing well and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to tell you that I always pray for you, for God to bless you and keep you well. Today I want to tell you about my community. It is called La Paz and what I like the best about my community are the fields. People here work selling tortillas and tamales or they work as seamstresses. I want to know, what is your community like? I want to thank you for your support and for the letter you sent me. Thanks to God, I am doing well and so is my family. I want to ask you to pray for me and my family, for God to keep us well. I say goodbye to you with love and a hug. 

Mariela

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This next letter is a short note from my typically chatty Rebecca. She must not have had a lot of extra time to write this time around. Or just didn't have much to say. 

Rebecca is 10 years old and lives in the Philippines. Her letter is dated June 13th, 2018. 

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Dear Ate Kayla, 

Good day! How are you and your family? About us here, we are fine. We started classes on June 4th. I have new friends now. My verse for you is John 14:6. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." I am thankful for the school supplies, bag, and shoes. My fingernail is fine now. Yes, we do have breaks from school. During Easter, we go to church. I pray for you Ate to have a good job. God bless! 

Becca

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The last post for today is from Sunrei (this post has been dominated by girls!). She is still so young, but she really does write like a child much older than herself. Quite a wonderful personality, I think. 

Sunrei is 11 years old, from Peru, and her letter is dated July 4th, 2018. 

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the love of Christ. I hope when you receive my letter that you are in good health, along with your family. I thank you for what you sent me. I liked very much the story of the Ugly Duckling and how at the end, it turned in a beautiful swan. I want to tell you that every Tuesday, my class goes to the park with our tutor, but I don't go because I don't like it. My youngest sister has turned one year old. They grow up so fast! My favorite dish is Aji de Gallina, which is spicy creamed chicken. What is your favorite dish? I ask you to please read Psalm 93. I ask you to please pray for my family. Thank you. Many blessings. I say goodbye with love. 

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Three Letter Tuesday: Volume 5

Happy Tuesday. Three Happy Letters.

Today's first letter comes from sweet, little Sandra. She is writing to me about some of the things she has learned about at her project.

Amina is 6 years old, lives in Uganda, and she wrote her letter on June 27th, 2018.

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1. In my project, I am learning about: Serving God with all my heart by singing songs of praise. 

2. My favorite thing I have learned in my project is: Sweeping the compound 

3. About taking care of my body, I have learned: Washing clothes to look smart 

4. About being polite and kind, I have learned: Sharing with my friends 

5. About my emotions, I have learned: Skills of overcoming emotions through reading stories 

Kayla, 

Receive greetings from your child Sandra, who is telling you that is okay with all of her family members. She is also telling you that she liked the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The center teacher read it to her. Even her parents were very happy while reading the story. She also liked the pictures. 

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This next letter is from my boy Kwizera. He wrote both of these letters on the same day, so he clearly had a lot to say! He recently changed projects and this letter explains why. 

Hilariously enough, Kwizera seems to think that the story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears is about my own family members. 

Kwizera is 13 years old and lives in Rwanda. His letter is dated June 18th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I greet you and your family in the name of Jesus Christ. I'm glad to write you this letter. Here in Rwanda we are doing fine. We are in the dry season and our weather is very hot. We have planted sorghum and they are now ready to harvest. At school we are now in the 2nd term and we have one month until we start exams. Then we'll start 3rd term. With my family, we pray for you and love you so much. Concerning my project, I have transferred to a new project in a Baptist church. I am glad for your letter and the news that tells me about you. Telling me that you daughter went to go visit her grandmother, passing through the forest. I am glad you told me a really interesting story. 

Thank you! 

Kwizera

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We'll close out today's post with a letter from Mariza, who wrote to me on the My Project template. 

Mariza is 7 years old, from Nicaragua, and her letter is dated May 29th, 2018. 

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1. The name of my project is: King Josiah 

2. I attend my project on: Wednesday & Thursday 

3. The activities I do at my project are: Playing, singing, praying, eating 

4. The food I like to eat most at the project is: Chicken & Fries 

5. The benefits I receive at my project are: Feeding, Medical Checkup, Gifts 

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

Your child Mariza sends you lots of greetings. The child is glad to be writing to you again. She wants to tell you that she has behaved well in class and that she is doing exams. Where she lives, there is not forest nearby. She lives near an orchard and a river. The child wants to ask you, When is Mother's Day in your country? The child is in good health. She asks you to pray for her and her family. 

With Love,

Mariza

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Five Letter Friday: Volume 5

You know the drill. 5 letters. 5 wonderful kids. Happy Friday!

We'll start with a letter from one of the littlest in my current crew. Joshua was helped to fill out the My Project Learning template. He sounds like a fun little guy!

Joshua is 4 years old, from Uganda, and his letter is dated June 2nd, 2018.

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1. In my project, I am learning about: Good eating habits

2. My favorite thing I have learned at the project is: Watching the life of Jesus 

3. About taking care of my body, I have learned: To brush my teeth and put on clean clothes

4. About being polite and kind, I have learned: To respect others

5. About my emotions, I have learned: To say sorry 

Hello Kayla, 

Joshua sends you greetings and dear love in Jesus' name. He is fine, happy, and doing well, hoping that you are in the same way. Joshua is happy indeed that you have chose to sponsor him. He and his family members say they are very grateful for the support you offer to Joshua. Joshua says he loves playing soccer, playing with toy cars, playing in the mud, and chasing his friends. He prays that God may bless every work that your hand does and protect you and your family. 

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The next letter is from my boy Jonathan. This letter contains some basic, everyday information. His letters are improving in details, though, so I have a feeling that as he ages, we're really going to have some great letter conversations.

Jonathan is 9 years old an he lives in Burkina Faso. He wrote this letter on June 2nd, 2018.

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Good Morning Dear Kayla, 

I am happy to write to you. Thank you for the letters. May God bless you! You write to me and I am happy receiving your letters. I trust that you are fine. By God's grace, my parents and I are doing well. About my school, I thank God because I obtained average results in first and second term. I pray that God will help me to obtain average results in the third term, so I can pass to the next grade. We will be on holidays in a few months and that will allow us to travel and rest. I pray that God blesses you in all your plans. 

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This next letter is an exciting milestone that we all have with all of our kids; the very first letter! Whoo hoo! 

Today's first letter is brought to you by my boy in Bangladesh, Najimuddin, who I lovingly call Naji. The template he wrote on is entitled My Project. It was written on June 8th, 2017. 

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1. My project's name is: Birishiri Child Development Center, BD-402 

2. The number of children in my project is: 347 

3. How many days a week do I attend my project?: 5 days 

4. How many km away is my project from my home?: Half a km 

5. I get to my project by: Walking 

6. Typical activities I do at my project is: Studying, eating lunch, entertainment, cultural programs, and sports. 

7. When I am at my project, I typically eat: Rice, meat, fish, eggs, beans and vegetables 

8. My favorite activity to do at my project is: Play sports 

9. My favorite thing about the project workers is: Their nice behavior 

Dear Sponsor Kayla,

Please take cordial love and greetings from Najimuddin in Jesus' name. He is doing well with family. He hopes you are doing well. He thanks you so much for the letters and the financial support. It is now the rainy season in his country. It rains so much. Many fruits are available here, like mango, jackfruit, and lychee. What kinds of fruits are available there? Please pray that he can study attentively. May God bless you. 

Yours Lovingly, 

Najimuddin

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Next up, a letter from my precious girl Ayling. Her letters are always so sweet and loving. I just love hearing from her! 

Ayling is 11 year old and from Nicaragua. Her letter is dated June 1st, 2018. 

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Hello Appreciated Sponsor Kayla, 

I hope in God that you and your family are in good health. I'm thankful to God for you and your sponsorship. I want you to know that I am happy because on May 30th, we celebrated Mother's Day at school. We celebrated it at church to, where I participated in choreography and other children sang a song about mothers. I got to spend time with my mom, my grandmother, and my entire family on that day. I want you to know that I pray for you and your family. I ask God to keep you and bless you. Pray for me and my family. I say goodbye with big kisses and hugs. 

Sincerely, 

Ayling

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This last letter is from sweet, sensitive Muzuro. Recently, the prayer partner I had paired Muzuro up with letter the Compassion project, so I paired him up with another child. It seems like I may have picked the perfect partner for him! 

Too bad Muzuro's favorite team didn't win the World Cup this year. Don't worry, Muzuro, my favorite team didn't win either! 

Muzuro is 15 years old, from Uganda, and he wrote this letter on June 23rd, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I would just like to say hi to you, for what you have written to me. I thank God for the stories you have written to me. When I read the other letter about Anju, I got worried for him and said thank God for what you have done unto him. I want to ask that when he traveled to the new country, did you talk to him? When I read of the new boy Vitor, I got happy. I said thank you to Jesus because I saw Vitor's photo. I want to say a brief thing about his country. His country is Brazil and that is my favorite team in the World Cup. I don't know why I like Brazil like that. Maybe Brazil is a blessed country. I pray to God that Brazil will succeed in their matches and get that trophy! I don't have much else to say and I will pray for Vitor; that everything he wants will be provided by our almighty God. I hope he's in pray also because God listens to our cries. May the almighty God bless you. 

Muzuro Michael

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Manna Backpacks: 2018

*Any photo in this post can be clicked on to viewer in a larger format*

**Check the end of this post for a list of books sent and links to buy that book (where possible)**



It's Manna 4 Lempira backpack season!

Over the last year, I've thrifted, I've garaged saled, I've looked for deals in children's sections, I've scoped out cheap toys, I've ordered in bulk from Amazon, and I've splurged entirely too much on children's books in Spanish because I believe every child should have quality literature around them.

I organized for hours!

Then I got to packing. It seems like just putting the actual items into individual backpacks wouldn't take very long, but I set up each backpack into a full blown photo shoot before packing it up, and would you believe it, it took me like four hours? It was time well spent, though, that's for sure! 

Now the backpacks are waiting safely in my closet waiting for August, so that I can ship them. Thanks to so many of my wonderful friends who donated funds, shipping costs have already been raised and are ready to use! 

All of the backpacks are very similar so I won't list every little thing every time but I'll give a little guide here. 

School Supplies: 20 Pencils, Pens (Older Kids), Pencil Sharpener, Erasers, Scissors, 2 Glue Sticks, 2 Boxes of Crayons (Older Kids get Colored Pencils), 1 Ruler. (Manna 4 Lempira will provide 8 notebooks per child)

Hygiene Items:  Washcloth, Bar of Soap, 2 Toothbrushes, Comb (Manna 4 Lempira will provide toothpaste and deodorant)

For each of my boys, I took two photos. The first, the items all spread out so every item can be viewed. The second, a photo of everything packed up into one 2.5 gallon ziploc bag. There is just something fun about seeing all of those items packed together, every item somehow fitting perfectly. 

About that photo shoot. Let's view them shall we? I think we'll go oldest to youngest. The school year in Honduras start in February, so I will list their grades as the grade they will be entering into February 2019. 

10th Grader Ivan will receive a black, gray, & blue backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, a book, 2 short sleeved shirts, 1 long sleeved shirt, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

8th Grader Jarlen receive a blue checkered backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, a book, 2 short sleeved shirts, 1 long sleeved shirt, soccer shorts, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

6th Grader Carlos will receive a tribal patterned backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, a book, 1 short sleeved shirt, 1 long sleeved shirt, soccer shorts, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

5th Grader Yesbin will receive a triangle patterned backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, a book, 1 sweatshirt, 1 short sleeved shirt, 1 long sleeved shirt, sandals, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

3rd Grader Brayan will receive a Mario backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 5 books, 2 short sleeved shirts, 2 long sleeved shirts, sandals, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

3rd Grader Levi will receive a Ninja Turtles backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 4 books, 2 short sleeved shirts, 1 long sleeved shirt, sandals, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

2nd Grader Defer will receive a Transformers backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 4 books, 1 short sleeved shirts, 2 long sleeved shirts, soccer cleats, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

2nd Grader Angel will receive a Ninja Turtles backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 4 books, 2 short sleeved shirts, 2 long sleeved shirts, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

1st Grader Noel will receive a Lego Batman backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 5 books, 3 short sleeved shirts, 1 long sleeved shirt, 1 pair of shorts, tennis shoes, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

Preschool Antony will receive a Miles backpack full of school supplies, hygiene items, a solar lamp, 4 books, 4 short sleeved shirts, 1 pair of track pants, sandals, toy cars, and a micro-mini Lego set. 

The following books are books I've included in my backpacks, if you'd also like to buy them for some of the Spanish speaking kiddos in your life. Each title is a link to the page on Amazon. Some of the books pictured were bought in my city and do not appear to be on Amazon. 

- Charlotte's Web

- Fly Guy Meets a Fly Girl

- Ride, Fly Guy! 

- Carlos and the Cornfield

- Splat the Cat

- Rabbit and Turtle Go To School

- A Bad Case of Stripes 

- Tito Puente, The Mambo King

- There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow

- Alexander Used To Be Rich Last Sunday

- Curious George at the Aquarium 

- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

- The Carrot Seed

- Biscuit Goes for a Walk

- I Am Water

- Big Brown Bear

Three Letter Tuesday: Volume 4

Today's three letters just all happen to be from three of my Spanish speaking kiddos. Let's see what's been going on in Central/South America lately. :)

This first letter comes from sweet Brisa and she is writing to me on the My School template, telling me all about some the things she does and enjoys at school.

Brisa is 7 years old and lives in Nicaragua. This letter is dated May 8th, 2018.

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1. I am in: 2nd Grade

2. My school is 2 km away from my house

3. I get to school by: Walking 

4. My favorite thing about school is: Dancing and playing the marimba 

5. My favorite subjects at school are: Math & Spanish 

Hello Dear Kayla, 

I'm very glad you write to me. I am very happy every time I receive your letters. Thanks for remembering me. I always remember you as well. You are very pretty. I will answer your questions in my next letter. I would love to learn more about you. Have your received the Lord Jesus in your heart? Thanks to God, my family and I are doing well. My older sister's name is Cristal and my baby brother's name is Josue. I love him very much. Yes, I have accepted Jesus into my heart. My teacher asked in class who want to accept Jesus and I raised my hand and then the teacher prayed for me and the other children at the project. It was a big joy for me and I was very happy. My mom is a Christian too. My mom says the roast chicken recipe is that she prepares the chicken with lime and achiote. Then she puts it on the grill until it is cooked. It is very delicious. I hope you write to me soon. I love you so much, Kayla. 

Brisa Daniela

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The next letter is a chatty letter from Jhoyra. It's fun to see so many of my kids responding to the children's stories that I've been sharing with them. 

Jhoyra is 11 years old, lives in Peru, and she wrote this letter on June 12th, 2018. 

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am glad to write to you again. I thank you for what you sent to me. It is good to know that you sponsor other children in other countries and that we all share the same Jesus. The story of The Ugly Duckling taught me to not judge people on their race or other physical features. We celebrate Father's Day on the 3rd Sunday of June. I am going to give a present to my dad. Are you married? Do you like animals? I say goodbye with a big hug and a kiss. I ask you to pray for me and my family. 

Jhoyra

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We'll switch gears (and genders) with the last letter for today. This letter is from Carlos. This young man and I are nearing our last six months together, before his graduation day. He's such a kind young man. I've so enjoyed getting to know him over all these years. 

Carlos is 17 years old and he is from Honduras. His letter is dated June 11th, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Kayla,

I hope you are in good health with your family. I want to tell you about some of my dreams. I would like to go to Japan. I would like to meet your sister. I would like to help you in your house. One day, I would like to meet you, my sponsor, to hug you and eat together and go to the beach. When I grow up I want to be a teacher. I want to tell you that I received your letters. I thank you because you remembered me and you shared a story. I read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. My favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." What country would you like to visit? I would like you to pray for my family and for me. 

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