Three Letter Tuesday: Volume 19

I have two preschool classes, who meet on alternate days.

That means that I do everything twice. The same lesson plan twice, the same classroom activities twice, music class twice a week.

That also means that I have two holiday parties.

As if one isn't exhausting enough!

But of course, it's also fun.

The first party was today and the second one is tomorrow.

It's going on 11:00 p.m and I just remembered that I should probably blog some letters.

I know that I keep promising posts besides these letters posts, but I just haven't been able to find enough time in the week!

Hopefully soon.

But not today. Today you get three letters. :)

We first read a letter from Milkias, who I always says is not one of my most chatty kiddos.

Milkias is 14 years old, lives in Ethiopia, and his letter is dated September 20th, 2018.

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My Dear Sponsor, 

I wish you peace and grace from God. How are you, along with your family? My family and I are doing well. The project has been providing me with a lot of support and I would like to thank you for all your support too. I am a 6th grader. I am very happy and thankful for your letter. Please pray that I would be a good student. May God bless you! 

Yours,
Milkias

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The next letter is from Jule. It sounds like he and a friend of his has had a pretty big adventure recently! I'm glad everyone appears to be healing up fine!

Jule is 14 years old and is from Rwanda. His letter is dated October 6th, 2018.

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I, Jule, your child, greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank you and your family. It is raining here so we are growing maize and beans. School is going well. We are about to start the exams for the end of the academic year 2018. One of my friends broke a bone, but it is about to become healed. He broke it while we were playing soccer, but it is not too serious. He went to the hospital and now he has a small wound. Thank you for the letter you sent to me, telling me how you, Gage, and Chloe are doing. I was happy to hear from you and see their pictures. I will continue to pray for their studies, so that God may keep blessing them with success. Keep praying for me and my studies. God bless you. 

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We end today's post as we began it, with a letter from Ethiopia. This one is exciting, because it's actually my first letter from Semira. It seems to be a pretty typical first letter. Not too chatty, but a nice way to start the letter-writing relationship. 

Semira is 9 years old and she wrote her letter on October 10th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Peace and good health be to you! How are you, my dear sponsor? Me and my family are fine, thanks to God. I hope you are fine too. How is life and the weather there? I am doing well in school. My school friends are all fine. We started the new year nicely. Thank you for everything. God bless you you. Bye! 

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Three Letter Tuesday: Volume 10

Ahhh! It's Tuesday!!

Only two more days until preschool open house!

How will I get everything done?!

I have no idea.

So let's type up letters instead.

Letters always make me feel better.

Today's first letter comes from a cute Thai boy named Tern. He wrote to me on the My Typical Week template.

Tern is 6 years old, lives in Thailand, and wrote this letter on July 15th, 2018.

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1. I typically get up at: 6:00 a.m 
     and go to sleep at: 8:00 p.m

2. In the morning I usually: Brush my teeth and take a bath

3. My favorite day of the week is: Saturday & Sunday because there is no school 

4. I go to the project on: Saturday 

5. My favorite activity to do during the weekend is: Play with friends 

6. In the afternoon, I typically: Do my homework 


Dear Kayla, 

How have you been? It is time for Tern to write to you again. I am his aunt. I am writing on behalf of him because he can't write on his own yet. Thank you for your letter and fairytale story. The tale taught us not to lie. He likes to go cycling on the farm with his grandmother to feed their chickens. His grandfather caught a lot of fish while fishing because there are a lot of fish after it rains. He helps his grandparents do many things, especially housework. He likes to go cycling with his friends. Do you like cycling? There is a campaign in Thailand about cycling to save energy. It is also a good way to exercise. Last month, he had the chance to attend an anti-corruption event too. Please pray for his parents who work in the city and also for his studies. May God bless you. 

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Next is a letter from Carlos. At this point, every letter from him is just a blessing. I can't believe he's going to graduate from Compassion just about 5 months. I've been writing to him for so long!

Carlos is 17 years old, lives in Honduras, and his letter is not dated.

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Hello Dear Kayla! 

I hope that you are very well in your health and also in your activities. I want to tell you that in my house I sleep in a bed. In my house we get tap water. My house is made of cement blocks, the floor is cement, and the roof is tile. I thank you for the letter you sent me. I want to tell you the story about The Ugly Duckling is very beautiful. It is a funny story and I enjoyed reading it at school. Everything was very nice because we presented our work in July. In this month, The Day of the Indian Lempira is celebrated with a lot of traditional food. What kind of celebrations do you do in your city in July? I want to ask you to pray for me so I can do well in my studies. Also pray for my family. I say goodbye to you with kisses and hugs. Until next time, May God bless you. 

Carlos 

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The last letter from today is from Jule. Poor guy really seems to struggle in school. I do hope that Compassion can help him learn other skills so that he may have a successful future. I seems that even with low grades, it's still considered a "pass." I do wish that teachers wouldn't simply pass students to the next grade if they aren't ready for it. Unfortunately, it seems there are quite a few students doing even worse. Sounds like his school needs some help...

Jule is 14 years old and is from Rwanda. His letter is dated August 7th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I, your child Jule, greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. I appreciate you and your family for your continued care unto me. My family and I are fine. Over the last term, I emerged 22nd in class with marks of 46%. The term before, I was 34th with a score of 42%. There are 49 students in my class. The rainy season is underway in our country. I have started learning how to carry things while riding a bicycle. While at school, I like reading stories whenever I can. I get involved in them to the extent that if you call me, I won't hear you. I thank you for the letter you sent to me, about the beanstalk. This story pleased me so much. From it, I learned to be satisfied with the things I have and not encroaching on others' property. I conclude, wishing you God's blessings. 

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Another Slew of Photo Updates!

Last month, I wrote a post of a ton of photo updates. I am completely shocked and extremely happy to be able to write another post like it this month. I've received so many photo updates lately! It's pretty wonderful.

Dagim from Ethiopia

Faith from Kenya

Joseph from Guatemala

Jhonrex from Philippines 

Jule from Rwanda

Kamaldine from Burkina Faso

Marilyn from El Salvador

Sandra from Uganda

Shakilla from Rwanda

Tern from Thailand

Tumbu from Kenya

Yeidys from Colombia 

Five Letter Friday: Volume 2

Another Friday, another five letters. Without further ado...

We start with a letter from Brian. This is an extra long letter from him, compared to his usual letters. In response to all of the stories I've been telling my kids, Brian responded with a story of his own.

Brian is 16 years old, from Kenya, and he wrote this letter on May 10th, 2018.

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Dear Kayla, 

Receive warm greetings in genius name, hoping that you are fine together with your family. My family and I are doing well and we give thanks to almighty God. I am happy to write a letter again. I received the letters that you wrote for me and I am happy to know new stories. I have one story I want to share with you. It is about three sons and their father. 

"There once were three boys and their father. Their father taught them goals and morals. So one day the father called them and gave each an egg. The father them each to hide it where nobody could see them. One of the boys hide an egg in a hole. Another hid it under the bed. The last hid the egg in a bush. When they finished, they went and told their father they had hidden the eggs. The father started asking, "who saw you when you were hiding them?" The boys said "no one was." The father said there was only one person who was looking at them. That person was God. From the day, the boys knew that God is everywhere and they were happy. 

Before I wind up I have a memory verse which gives me hope in my life and I want to share with you. It is Jeremiah 29:11. It says, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a better future." 

Thank you for your support and may God bless you. 

Goodbye, 

Brian

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The next letter is from my little Samuel. This letter is his very first letter to me and is written on the "My First Letter" template.

Samuel is 7 years old and lives in Honduras. He wrote his letter on May 8th, 2010.

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1. I want to tell you I live with: My dad Osman, my mom Lorena, my brother Abner

2. Near to my house, there is a: School, church, and police station. 

3. My favorite is: Chinese rice 

4. My house is located in: Francisco Morazan 

Hello, 

How are you, dear sponsor? This is Samuel's brother writing. I want to tell you that my brother is big and healthy. He really likes going to school because he has many friends. He likes to play soccer, eat fruit, and ride a bike. He helps a lot at home. We say goodbye with the blessings of God always in your life.

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Now I share a letter from Gary. I have been hearing in the news and getting notifications from Compassion that things are very hostile in Nicaragua right now, with many protests leading to injuries and deaths. It sounds very scary and my kids are starting to mention things like this in their letters. Breaks my heart. No child (or even older teen) should have to worry about things like that. 

Gary is 17 years old. His letter is dated April 27th, 2018. 

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Dear and Esteemed Sponsor Kayla, 

I hope you are in good health. Thanks for your sponsorship. I want to tell you that I am sick. I have the flu and I am coughing. I am already taking medicines. My family is fine, thank God. We are worried because there have been problems in my country. There have been many protests against the government. The social security policy has been reformed by the president. There are dead and injured people. There has been pillage. There have been protest marches searching for peace. We trust God to take control of the situation. I am still attending the project. There have been many activities. I want to tell you that I went to a lagoon and to a park. I have been playing soccer with my neighbors. I am so happy to know that you are working with children. I promise to pray for you and your students. You have a great job! Are the kids okay? I'm glad to know that you are a teacher. I want to tell you that it rained and my house was flooded, but we are okay now. What school class do you enjoy the most with your students? Are you still taking care of Gage and Chloe? I always pray for God to bless you. I ask you to pray for me and my family. I want you to pray for my country. We want peace. I say goodbye with so much love. God bless you! 

Gary

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I am so grateful for this next letter, from Celeste. It had been quite a long time since I heard from her. Long enough to have to put in an inquiry. This letter arrived just 5 days after I asked for the inquiry. Not sure what the hold up on her letters were, but I'm glad they answered so fast and had Celeste write a letter! 

Celeste is 16 years old, from Honduras, and wrote this letter on June 1st, 2018. 

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Hello Dear and Beautiful Sponsor Kayla, 

Thanks to God, my family and I are very well. I hope in God that you also find yourself very well in health. The story of Little Red Riding Hood is very cool and beautiful. I have already heard that story and have seen the movie Little Red Riding Hood. I have also heard about the Gruff goats. Even though I've heard them before they were still interesting. Thank you very much for these stories and I hope you continue to write me many more. I will be waiting for your story with much desire and I am eager to read them. I also thank you for the very nice pages to color. I want to tell you that I have doing very well in school and I am working hard since this is my last year. I plan to go on to study for a master's degree so that I can help others. I know it is a lot of work but I will try to do it and reach my goals, with the help of God. I ask for your prayers so that I can achieve it. Your prayers will be of great help. I say goodbye to you with lots of love, kisses, and hugs. I'll be waiting for your next letter. 

Celeste

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Today's last letter is from my young man Jule. He also seems to have some great goals. I hope he will be able to achieve them! 

Jule is 14 years old, from Rwanda, and his letter is dated June 6th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I am your child Jule. I greet you in the name of Jesus. I thank you for the way you care for me and pray for me. I am trying at school. I got 40% marks and was ranked 33rd in my class. Please pray for me to at least by among the top ten students. I like reading English books, which pleases my family. I thank you for the letter you sent to me, sharing your news. My family and I are good. It pleases me to hear that you pray for me. I am glad that your people who were sick got well. I share Romans 10:9-10 because is blesses me so much. God bless you! I conclude by thanking you. 

Jule

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From the Field Friday: RW-368

It's our last pastor letter for the year. We have reached the end. Though, I'm sure we'll meet this theme again next year. :)

Our last pastor letter comes from project RW-368, the project that my boy Jule attends. It sounds like Jule lives in an area with a lot of difficulties. I'm thankful to God that Compassion is available to help the children and their families.

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Dear Kayla, 

I am called Mugabe Laurent and I am the pastor of the church associated with the Cyegara Child Development Center where we minister to Jule. 

We thank you for your sponsorship and for supporting Jule. May God bless you. 

Our community is greatly touched by extreme poverty. Consequently, children constitute the most important part affected by poverty. The challenge our community faces is malnutrition in children and lack of means for going to school. Therefore, children need various things depending on their ages, but most need nutritious food and the ability and supplies to go to school. Both quality and quantity to help them acquire knowledge and skills. Our Center recognizes this and provides this. We develop the children holistically in the spiritual, physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional areas. 

The Center impacts more than just children, but all of the community. Some of the children and caregivers have been baptized after being received in the Center and being taught the Word of God. All the children have been given medical insurance and they get hygienic materials on a monthly basis. Caregivers have been taught to regroup themselves in cooperatives to start up income generating activities so that they can free themselves from poverty. Caregivers, children, and social workers visit each other. They are emphasized on training the care givers and children and various topics like how they can prevent themselves from being attacked by malaria and other poor sanitation diseases. 

The letters that the children receive from their sponsors are of great value. The relationship is greatly developed and the children feel so happy and loved to hear from their sponsors. The letters and words encourage them in their lives and help them to feel that they have hope and a purpose. The smiles on the faces of the children who receive letters and photos and Bible verses from their sponsors are like gold. They are delighted to write back with news about their lives and their progress. Please do provide this experience for Jule and write letters. 

We thank you and praise you for all that you do and sacrifice for Jule and our Center. 

We also keep you in our prayers so that God can bless you in all your activities. 

With a heart full of joy, may God bless you. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Pastor Mugabe Laurent

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Letter Love from Teens

Before I started my sponsorship journey, I never thought I'd make a connection with a teenager. God has given me the innate talent to take care of, relate to, and teach very young children. But I have never really considered myself good at understanding teenagers. Well, then when I started my sponsorship journey, God led me to sponsor boys, and then older boys, and then older girls. It's only just more recently that my family started to gain some younger kiddos. But, all of a sudden I was making these fabulous connections with kids that had the word "teen" in their age.

And I love it so much.

So today's post will include letters from several wonderful teenagers who send me loving letters from all over the world.


Let's start this post off with a letter from Jhojaira, who has always been great at responding to things I write to her. It really feels like a conversation when we write to each other.

Jhojaira is 14 years old and lives in Peru. Her letter is dated April 28th, 2018.

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the love of our Lord Jesus. I want to thank you for the beautiful letter you sent. I love reading the stories that you write to me. I also like to see the photos and analyze them. Goldilocks is also a popular story here in Peru. I heard it at different times in school when I was younger. We can learn from this story that we shouldn't take other people's things. Anyway, I like the story very much. Let me ask you, are you in good health these last few months? Before saying goodbye, I ask for you to pray for me and my family to draw closer to God's way. I send you many hugs. 

Jhojaira

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This next letter is from Jhonrex and it comes with good news! In his last letter, he asked me to pray that he would have enough time to join a cell-group (what we call a small group) at his church/project. It seems like that prayer was answered!

Jhonrex is 17 years old, lives in the Philippines, and he wrote this letter on April 21st, 2018.

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello. How are you? If you ask about me and my family, we are okay. Thank you for the letters you sent. You talked about last new year and Christmas and about how cold it is where you live. I also received the letter that had photos of bulldozers and the photo of you together with your family. I'm glad that you continue writing to me and praying for me. 

About our weather here, it is now hot because it is summer here, but in your place it is very cold, so please take care of yourself. I am now in a cell-group with only four other members. We study the Bible, learn about God, and pray for one another. About school, I am still pursuing ALC (Alternative Learning School) because I still desire to finish. I am also still assisting the teachers at the project, with the youngest children. 

Please pray that I will remain in good health always, along with my family. What activities do you have there in the winter? Do you enjoy it? 

I end this message now. Thanks for your unending support. God bless you. 

Respectfully Yours,

Jhonrex

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This next letter is more like a quick note from a young man. He must be a very busy guy, but it is still nice to get an update about him. I don't hear from him very often, so even these small updates are great. 

This letter is from Lemayian, who is 18 years old and lives in Kenya. He wrote this letter on May 4th, 2018. 

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Kayla, 

I greet you in Jesus's name. I am doing well and my family members are also fine. How is your family? I hope and pray that you are all doing well. I normally go to church every week and I am doing well in the project. I than God very much because last year was good, but this year is better because we got a lot of rain and everything is green all over. Thank you for the letters you have sent me. I am very happy to see them. May the Lord bless you. 

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Onto another letter, this time from Lina. This letter seems to focus on things about herself, which I love. It's nice to learn more about her interests and things I can pray for her about. 

Lina is 19 years old, is from Colombia, and wrote this letter on April 24th, 2018. 

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Dear Sponsor, 

I greet you. May God bless you. How are you? My family and I are fine, thank God. I want to tell you that for the past two months, I have been attending a new church with my mom and sister. We feel fine and hope everything will be well there. I tell you that my name means "the person who anoints." I am the oldest of my siblings. My hair is brown and my eyes are brown. One thing that I do well is comb and style my hair. I also like reading. How is your family? What activities do you do in your free time? Sponsor, I will answer your questions. I don't suffer from any disease but my period is hard and I have bad cramps. I have these symptoms for 1 week each month. I have a medical appointment soon, on April 27th,  and I will tell the doctor this. I like to listening to music and playing with my mom and sister. I spend time with other children from the CDC and we like to go to the mall, park, and ice cream shop. I tell you that on Christmas I was not doing well because a relative passed away. I felt sad, but I feel better now. Thank you for your support during this time. Please pray for me to start a professional career after university. I also would like a family someday. I give you a Bible verse to think about; Psalm 119:17. 

Hugs,

Lina

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The next letter from today is from Jule, who I haven't known long, but he has been a great writer since his very first letter. Unfortunately, it seems like he is struggling in school. I will keep praying for him and encouraging him through letters. 

Jule is 14 years old, from Rwanda, and wrote this letter on May 12th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I, your child Jule, greet you in the name of Jesus. I thank you for the way you care for me and pray for me. I am trying at school. I got a 49% marks and was ranked in 33rd position. Please pray for me to at least be among the top ten students in position. I like reading English books and it please me because my family is also doing well. I thank you for the letter you sent to me, sharing with me your news. I and my family are doing well. It pleased me so much to know that you pray for me. I am glad that your people who were sick got well. Romans 10:9-10 blesses me so much. May God bless you. I conclude by thanking you and wishing you God's blessing. 

Your Child,

Jule

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The last letter for today's post is from Milkias. I am not sure where this letter has been, but is seems to have been lost in cyberspace somewhere, because it just made its way to me this month, after traveling around somewhere for 6 months.

Milkias is 13 years old and lives in Ethipia. His letter is dated January 16th, 2018.

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Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you, my beloved supporter! How are you and your family doing? I and my family are very fine, thanks to God. Happy new year 2018! I received a letter you wrote to me, along with all the gifts. I had a dog, but now she has died and I was very sad. I received the gift you sent me for the Christmas holiday celebration. I am very grateful for it. Thank you for sending me a gift and God bless you. I am attending my education well and I am studying hard to have good results. Please pray for me. Goodbye until we meet in another letter. 

From Your Child,

Milkias

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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.

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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

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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

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Olympic Watching Letter Purge: Part 2

Like I said yesterday, today I will finish my letter purge. Also like yesterday, this post will include several letters. I'm trying to get them all posted and answered by the end of this week. So without further ado...

Let's start with a letter from Jonathan, from Burkina Faso. I get to hear about some fun eclipse related customs from his country.

Jonathan is 9 years old and his letter is dated November 25th, 2017.

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Dear Kayla, 

I am very happy to write this letter to let you hear from me. I am fine, as well are my parents. How are you doing? I received your letter and I am very happy. Here in Burkina Faso, we have eclipses sometimes. I have never seen one, but my mom told me that people play drums or use boxes to make noise during them. They sing and they say, "The cat has caught me. Please let him go." I like the color yellow. My favorite food is pasta. My best friend is Obed. Thank you for your letter. May God bless you! 

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Now a letter from Zenebu, who is telling me about some of the things in her community. Some of these countries are really getting some wonderful template letters. They include more pictures and open ended questions, that give children opportunity to match pictures to words to help them out, or answer questions in their own way. 

Zenebu is 6 years old and lives in Ethiopia. Her letter is dated October 26th, 2017 (quite a long delay on this one). 

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1. My community is called: Abiyot Fire Sefer

2. My community is located in the: Fitche region

3. The population of my community is: 5,000

4. A common job in my community is: Trade 

5. Common transportation in my community is: Carts & motorcycles 

6. People in my community speak: Amharic and Afan Oromo 

7.  In my community, the weather is typically: Sunny

Please pray about my education, health, and family. Thank you for teaching me about amazing nature and the creation of God. My beloved sponsor, I will celebrate my next birthday on December 12th, 2017. 

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Next up, a lovely letter from Carlos. He always has wonderful things to say. 

Carlos is 17 years old and lives in Honduras. His letter is dated January 25th, 2018 

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Hello Dear Kayla, 

How are you? I am very well, thanks to God. My project is named My Hope CDC and I attend my project one day a week. My project is located three blocks away from my house. The regular activities that we do in my project are: learn the Bible and songs about God. The thing I like the most about the staff at my project is that they are patient and that each day I attend class, they talk to me about God. I have received your letter and I am glad that you have traditions. It is good to share them with your family. Your family is very pretty. Until this day, I had not heard the word "cornucopia." Thank you for sending a photo of it. Do you have more sisters besides Jordan? I ask you to please always care my family and me in your prayers. Thank you for the Christmas gift. I say goodbye with hugs and kisses. 

Carlos 

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Next up, a letter from Jule. He really has a lot to say in this letter! It was great to read! 

Jule is 14 years old and lives in Rwanda. He wrote this letter on December 12th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I, your supported son Jule, greet you in the name of Jesus. We are in the rainy season and we are busy planting sorghum. My brother Gilbert is fine and he is now 2 years old. I have now finished grade one of secondary school and I will start grade two of secondary school soon. My three hens are doing well. I have one mother and two chicks. I like to play soccer. I wish you and your family a happy new year. Thank you very much for the nice letter you sent to me. My favorite clothes to wear are pants and shirt with black shoes. Our house is built of bricks and logs. It has 4 bedrooms and a sitting room. Our project supports 262 children and it has 4 staffs. I like to read the Bible. All the children support by the project attended the Christmas celebration. 

Jule

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Onto a letter from Marinelis, representing the teen girls in this post! Just some everyday, lovely details in this letter. I love when our kids get conversational in their letters. 

Marinelis is 15 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. His letter is dated January 23rd, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

How are you? I hope you are well. How is your family? Is it very cold over there? In my school they changed the uniform. It is now a shirt with a tie and pants. Please pray for me and my family. We always pray for you. How is Brandilyn? I hope you are good. Did you get married? How are the children you care for? What do you study? What animals do you like? I like puppies. In my home, there are two beautiful puppies. I like the photos you sent me. I love you. Take care. 

With Love,

Marinelis

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The final letter in this post is from Nikko. I have so many wonderful teenagers. I'm just so grateful for them all. 

Nikko is 19 years old and lives in the Philippines. His letter is dated December 20th, 2017. 

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Dear Ms. Kayla, 

Good day! I'm glad to receive a letter from you! Thank you for sharing about the achievement of your other sponsored child, Jhon, your other sponsored child Emanise, the solar eclipse, and your greeting for my birthday. Thank you so much for sharing those things with me. Please do extend my congratulations to Jhon and pass my greetings onto Emanise. I'm glad to also know about the solar eclipse. Yes, we do experience those here, as well. In fact, we just had one this year, but sad to say, I didn't see it, maybe because it was in the southern part of the country. And also thank you for your birthday greetings! I appreciate it! I'm glad also that you are enjoying taking care of Gage and Chloe. They are surely growing to be good and smart kids. I would be glad to send you a photo of my family, but I can't do it now. Maybe in my next letter I will have it for you. By the way, how are you going to celebrate Christmas? About me here, I am doing fine with my family. I want to request that you continue praying for our daily needs and protection. Merry Christmas to you and your family. God bless you! 

Nikko

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