Five Letter Friday: Volume 21

It was a crazy, but amazingly fun week with my preschoolers. I am so blessed to be a preschool teacher. I can truly say I love every minute of my job.

Then I get to come home and receive even more blessings from kids all over the world.

Even though some days can be difficult, I never have to look far to see how much God loves me. He puts so many great children in my life.

So, now that I'm sufficiently sappy, let's share five letters.

Even though I just shared a letter from him on Tuesday, I received another letter soon after from Hillary. This time, it is written on the How I Have Fun template.

Hillary is 8 years old, lives in Kenya, and he wrote this letter on September 6th, 2018.

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. During free time, I like to play: Football

2. My favorite activity is: English 

3. When I am outside, I like to: Play 

4. When I am inside, I like to: Watch television 

5. One sport I like to play is: Dance 

6. I usually play with: My friends 

7. When I am bored, I like to: Sleep 

8. One fun thing I like to do is: Listen to music 

Dear Kayla, 

I  am happy to receive your letter and learn more about you. I enjoy school and we will be doing our exams this month. Next year I will be in the next class. Be blessed. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Oh my sweet kiddos in Nicaragua. They truly all write such great letters. So full of details and love. 

This letter is from Bryan, who is 9 years old. His letter is dated September 29th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hello, 

God bless you, dear sponsor Kayla. I am the teacher of Bryan Alexander. The boy says he is very happy to be able to write this letter. He says you are very important for him because God put you in his way. He says he prays for you and your family every day, for God to bless you every day. He likes to go to the beach with his family. He likes to go to school because he can play with his classmates. He says he has good grades and he is happy for that, because he is going to pass the school year. He wants to tell you that in his country, they are going to celebrate Bible Day and he's very happy about that. He says goodbye with a big hug and kiss, wishing many blessings for you and your family. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Up next is a letter from Jhon. Lately, his letters haven't been extremely long, as they have in the past, which is understandable considering how busy he is nowadays. But, this letter was back to being chatty and long and I love it! 

Jhon is 19 years old and he lives in Bolivia. His letter is dated September 27th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Kayla, 

I greet you with the peace of the Lord! I give you thanks for the stories. They are interesting. I enjoyed the pictures that you sent me. I'm happy that you're taking care of children. Let me tell you that I am doing well, thank God. At the moment, I am studying graphic design at the institute. I am doing well there. In the Compassion project, all of us who are in GAP do activities, for instance, evangelism. I also learned how to make cunape (A traditional form of cheesy bread in Bolivia). My family enjoys good health, thank God. I hope your family is the same. In the mornings, from Monday to Friday, I go to my school classes. In the afternoon, I work with my dad. We work as car mechanics. I am doing my best to learn, although I can get by with the little that I already know, but I want to learn more. Let me tell you that there is going to be a camp organized by GAP. It will take place on October 28th. I say goodbye with the peace of the Lord. May God bless you and your entire family. Please pray for my health and my studies. 

With Affection, 

Jhon

________________________________________________________________________________

We move onto a letter from Marinelis. She seems to have Christmas on the brain. Sounds like my preschoolers. ;) 

Marinelis is 16 years old and she lives in the Dominican Republic. This letter is not dated. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

How are you and your family? I hope you are all doing well. How is the weather over there? Is it cold? Thank you for the letters and pictures you send me. They are all pretty. Here in my country, Christmas is coming near. I am very happy because it is my favorite holiday and the day Jesus was born. I share a lot with my family. I want to share about a movie I watched called The 48 Wishes of Christmas. It is about a girl who hated Christmas, who lived with her brother and parents. Her dad died and she started hating Christmas. Her mom told her to decorate with her brother, but she didn't want to do it. She ended up loving Christmas at the end, but I won't tell you the whole movie because it is very long. 

With Love,

Marinelis

_________________________________________________________________________________

Our last letter of today comes from Ayling, another one of my chatty kiddos. This whole blog post is full of long, chatty letters. 

Ayling is 12 years old, lives in Nicaragua, and she wrote her letter on September 25th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I hope you are in very good health, with your family. I thank you for the letter you sent me. May God continue to bless you. I want to tell you that I am doing very well in class. I soon will be given a certificate of discipleship. Soon it will the Day of the Bible. I am happy about that. I want to ask you some questions. Do you have a husband? What is your favorite pet? Are you praying for me? I hope you are. I am praying for you and your family. I share Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." I say goodbye. 

Your Sponsored Friend,

Ayling

________________________________________________________________________________

Five Letter Friday: Volume 12

We survived the first week of preschool! We had some tough moments, as well as some brilliantly amazing moments. I'm looking forward to the year!

The blessings kept pouring in in letter form. So let's share five letters today!

Today's first letter comes from one of my newest guys, Dharshan Kumar. His letter came so fast after receiving him. Judging from what he said in this letter, it seems that he used to have a sponsor that wrote to him and thinks that I'm that I'm that person. I hope I can live up to his letter writing standards!

Dharshan Kumar is 10 years old, lives in Sri Lanka, and he wrote his letter on July 17th, 2018.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I am well. How are you? It is raining heavily here. How is the weather there? Why haven't you written to me in such a long time? My teacher told me that you celebrate the new year in June, so happy new year to you! I will have my 2nd term exams soon and next month I will be getting a holiday. I haven't planned where I will go yet because I was busy studying for my exams. 

Yours, 

Dharshan Kumar

________________________________________________________________________________

Letter numero dos comes from Nico. He's writing to me on the My Typical Week template.

Nico is 7 years old and lives in Indonesia. His letter is dated July 10th, 2018.

________________________________________________________________________________

1. I typically get up at: 6:00 a.m 

2. I go to the project on: Wednesday & Friday 

3. In the afternoon, I typically: Take a nap 

4. My favorite day of the week is: Sunday because there is no school and I can go to church with my family. 

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

Dear Sponsor, 

Greetings in love to you. I'm so happy to receive and read your letter. I hope you are always fine and may all your work go well. My family and I are healthy and fine here. I'm so happy because I was just on a long holiday. I love reading your letters. Thank you very much. I hope you won't be bored to keep sending me letters and keep telling me about your experiences. I'm back to school and I'm in Grade 2 now. Please pray for me. I always pray for you and hope the best for you and your family. Greetings in love. 

From, 

Nico

_________________________________________________________________________________

Next we read a letter from Anny. I recently acquired a large group of kids from a friend and Anny was one of those kids. This letter was technically written to my friend, but was passed along to me. It's full of good information, so I'm grateful to have it! 

Anny is 11 years old. She lives in Guatemala. Her letter is dated July 18th, 2018. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Sponsor, 

I hope you are healthy. Thank you for all the letters you have sent me. I feel very blessed for your support. The sport I like best is basketball. It is healthy to exercise. I would like to travel to Colombia, see the museums, and other tourist places and to know the culture. I would like to meet Ricardo Arjano and Gabi Moreno because they are great Guatemalan singers. I would like to play piano and guitar at my church. Thank God I passed my grade and I was promoted to 6th grade. My brother Cristian turned 4 in May. It was also my birthday and my family celebrated it. I am happy to read your letter. I am in the dance group at my church and we praise God through dances. Regarding your questions, thank God I am good and healthy. There are large, medium, and small furry mice where I live. People are not scared of them. They just kill them. I went to school to participate in a play and then I came back to my house. I do not receive English class at my school. Thank God my family is fine. We went to church to pray for others. I celebrated my birthday on Sunday and ate cake with my family. I play Chinese Checkers with my uncle Juan and my aunt Fidelina. What instrument do you like to play? What place in the world would you like to visit? Please pray for my cousins, uncles, grandparents, my mom, and my aunts Ana and Yolanda. My mom's name is Lidia. Thank you for everything. I say goodbye and wish you blessing and success in your life. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now we have a letter from Marinelis, who shared some quick details about herself and also asked me some questions to keep the conversation flowing. 

Marinelis is 16 years old, lives in the Dominican Republic, and wrote her letter on August 13th, 2018.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Friend Kayla, 

How are you and your family? I hope you are fine. How is the climate over there? I'm doing very good in school. I went out with my sister this summer. We went to the museum. I spent summer in the project. I'm going to have an interesting summer and I will look for approval right after I finish this letter. What is your favorite music genre? I'm doing well in the summer Bible school. Please pray for my family. 

With Love,

Marinelis

________________________________________________________________________________

We'll end with a general letter from my boy Mulwa. He continues to have a tutor write for him, even at his age. Unfortunately, I've stopped learning details about him. Each letter seems to be like the last one, just hearing basic information. Maybe it will change in the future. 

Mulwa is 11 years old, he lives in Kenya, and he wrote this letter on August 13th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Mulwa salutes you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. He says he is getting on well with his family members. He hopes that you and your family members are also getting on well. He says he is still putting in a lot of efforts in his studies. He says they have done the end of term exam and have closed school for the holiday. He says he likes attending the project because it allows him to grow spiritually, physically, and mentally. He says he is very happy and grateful for the letters which you have been sending to him. He also appreciates the support you have been giving to him. He says he likes going to Sunday school to learn more about God. He says that he is praying for you and is requesting from you, to continue doing well in school. He says may the Lord bless you. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Five Letter Friday: Volume 7

Happy Friday. Let's get the ball rolling with our first letter...

It comes from Cedrick, who is writing to me on the My School template. The portion of the letter that he wrote cracks me up because awhile back, I wrote to all of my kids and shared with the them the story of the Ugly Duckling. Cedrick refers to the story about the "evil ducks" and you know, I can't think of a better way to describe that story. ;) 

Cedrick is 8 years old, from Rwanda, and he wrote this letter on June 18th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. I am in: Primary 2 

2. My school is: 1 km from my home

3. I get to school: On foot

4. My school uniform is: Green & Blue

5. My favorite school subject is: Mathematics 

6. After school, I like to: Fetch water & feed livestock 

Dear Kayla, 

Your sponsored child Cedrick and his family greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How are you? Here we are doing well and we thank you for the letter you wrote to him, telling him the story of the troll and the goats, as well as the story about the evil ducks. He learned moral lessons from them. He was very pleased with the singing drawing that you sent him. We thank you so much for loving him. We wish you the peace of God and blessings. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now we head to the Northeast for a little while, while we leave Rwanda and head to Ethiopia. That brings us to a letter from Milkias. I just love when my kids show interest in the child that I paired them up with. It really warms my heart. 

Milkias is 13 years old. His letter is dated April 12th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

My greeting reaches you, my supporter. How are you? Is your family fine? Thanks to God, I am fine. I spent Easter holiday in good condition. I have received the letter you sent to me. Is my friend Jule fine? How much did he score in first semester? You asked me to send you my photo, so I have sent it. (Unfortunately, this letter did not come with a photo). Until we see each other again, I say goodbye. I send you regards. 

Your Son,

Milkias

________________________________________________________________________________

We jet over to a new continent now and we read a letter from Marinelis. She's such a precious young lady. It sounds like she was in the middle of her final exams as she wrote this letter. Sounds like she was doing well. Go Marinelis! 

Marinelis is 15 years old, is from the Dominican Republic, and her letter is dated June 9th, 2018. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

How are you and your family? How is the weather there? The weather here is very hot. What is your favorite fruit? My favorite fruit is green apple. Do you like to go to the beach? I love to, but I don't have much time to go. I like to sing. I really like to watch TV. I also really like to eat, which I must do for the medicine that I'm taking. I passed all of my subject tests. I have my English test left. I will take it on June 12th. 

With Love,

Marinelis

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now I will share a letter from Ronaldo, who is currently my oldest correspondent child. He's such a joy to share letters with. Just an old around great young man. 

Ronaldo is 21 years old, he lives in Colombia, and he wrote this letter on June 26th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

How are you? May God bless you. I am glad to write to you. I have in my hands four letters from you, which include the stories of Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, and an update of my friend Lemayian. Thank you for the photos and pictures to color. I tell you that someday I would like to visit Kenya and meet Lemayian. I would like to do a charity gesture for him and his family and to teach him about what I have studied. Also I wish you were there too so the three of us could have fun together. Currently I am studying Health Management and soon I will be a professional. I would like to be one of those people who help in rescue brigades. One of my plans for the future is to help my brother financially, so he can attend university. I also hope to help my family in other ways. I would like to know if you send Lemayian the same stories that you send me. Please, could you tell him the story of The Lying Shepherd? You do know that story, right? I ask you to please keep my project in your prayers. I want you to know that both you and Lemayian are in my prayers. 

Ronaldo Jose

________________________________________________________________________________

That brings us to our last letter of today. This one is from my name twin. :) She is writing to me on the template titled My Favorites. 

Keyla is 8 years old, from Ecuador, and she wrote this letter on June 12th, 2018. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. My favorite sport is: Soccer 

2. My favorite food is: Shrimp Ceviche

3. My best friend's name is: Alison

4. I want to thank you for: The money you sent to me. I bought shoes with it. 

5. Please pray for: My brother David who moved to another country and for my father, so that God may bless him. 

I also want to say thank you for the letters; for the details that you sent me. We had a beautiful part on Children's Day. We went swimming in a swimming pool at a camp. It was so fun. My favorite animal is cats. 

________________________________________________________________________________

From the Field Friday: DR-437

I know that some people aren't huge fans of these letters from pastors or project workers because the information from letter to letter is often repeated. For me, I think that shows how consistent Compassion is across the world, with their core set of standards.

With that being said, I love the individualized details in each letter. It really helps me to picture what each of my children sees, does, experiences on a daily basis. I think these letters are a huge asset to sponsors. I hope Compassion continues to send them each year.

Today's letters is from the Dominican Republic, project #437, which is where my young lady Marinelis attends.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

I am Antonio Gomez, pastor of the evangelical church, Templo Biblico Bellas Colinas, where we minister to Marinelis in the Child Development Center "Beautiful Hills." 

I want to thank you for the sponsorship and help you have given to Marinelis. 

This community is comprised of people who have moved from other areas in search of inexpensive living, but also includes facilities for professional technical studies and technical vocational centers, where young people can prepare for their future. Some of the greatest challenges that we have here are the proliferation of centers for the sale of alcoholic drinks, youth pregnancy, and the lack of opportunities for personal growth and development. 

It has been almost seven years since our center started, in partnership with Compassion International, with our mission to "Form lives for God for a better world." One of the greatest impacts that we have noted among our young people at the center, compared to youngsters who have not had the opportunity to be blessed with this great advantage is the significant improvement not only in school grades, but also in their physical and spiritual health. Last year, about 25 children professed their faith, and more than half remain firm in the Lord. 

In addition, our center has a water purification plant, which enables us to satisfy a great need in the community by providing drinking water at a low cost. Next month, we will be starting a Bible school for adults during which we hope to have a great impact on the 140 mothers and fathers of the children at our center. Apart from this, on the last Sunday of each month, we have special evangelizing meetings and talks for the parents. We are expecting an attendance of about 160 parents. 

We believe fervently in the relationship that is established through the exchange of letters between you and your sponsored child, which creates a strong bond and which has a very positive impact on the socio-emotional development of the child. These letters make the child feel very special. It is incredible to see the joy on the faces of the children, when the teacher gives them letters from their sponsors. At the same time, however, there can be feelings of sadness among the children who do not receive letters from their sponsors, causing them to think that their sponsors don't love them. 

We are currently working and praying that we will be able to complete the construction of a school and technical vocational center in a space that the Lord God has provided us, thereby enabling us to put our grain of sand in the preparation and formation of our young people. We earnestly beseech you, in the name of the Lord Jesus that you pray fervently with us for the speedy completion of this project, for the benefit of our children and parents, and for the reduction of the evils in our community. 

Thank you for your support of Marinelis. 

May God richly bless you. 

In Christ,

Pastor Antonio Gomez

_____________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________

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.

_________________________________________________________________________________

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! 

_______________________________________________________________________________

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). 

_________________________________________________________________________________

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. 

________________________________________________________________________________

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 

_______________________________________________________________________________

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 

________________________________________________________________________________

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. 

________________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________

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. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________

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. 

________________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________

End of 2017 Letters: Part 3

I just realized, on the third and what I thought would be the final post of my letters for the year, and then I remembered that 2017 actually does not end after Christmas, haha, but December still has a week until it ends. I very well could get letters before the end of the year. Oh well...I tried, haha.

But, if I don't receive more letters before the end of the year, this will be my final letter post of 2017. It'll be a mystery, haha.

Let's start today's post with a letter from Marinelis. She is another child that I had an instant connection with. It's hard to explain because I love all of my Compassion kids so much, but there are those few that I just feel a special connection to. If you're a Compassion sponsor, I think you understand.

Marinelis is 15 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. Her letter is dated October 30th, 2017.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

How are you and your family? I hope you're fine. How is the weather over there? I started a beauty course and I'm doing really well, thanks to God. At the project, they help me to pay for it, and at school, I'm doing well. I hope that you pray for me as I pray for you. My mom is going to start a business where I live, if it's God's will. How is Brandilyn? Brandilyn got married? How are the kids you take care of? Thank you for all the letters you have sent me. 

With Love,

Marinelis 

________________________________________________________________________________

Now a letter from a little guy; Joseph. He is telling me a little bit more about what he does at school. 

Joseph is 6 years old and lives in Guatemala. His letter is dated November 29th, 2017. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. Do I got to school? Yes 

2. At school I learn how to: Sing

3. At recess time I like to: Play 

4. At break time I like to eat: Juice 

Dear Sponsor,

Joseph greets you with much love. He thanks you for the letters. He enjoyed the pictures very much and he now gives answers to your questions. Yes, he has seen a sun eclipse. Weather here is warm and most of the year we have hot days. He likes to place he lives because there are some ruins and some lakes. His mother's name is Yesenia. His grandfather's name is Jose and his father's name is Edgar. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Next, a letter from Nikko, who I've just watched grow and change immensely over the years. I'm so proud of all he's accomplished! 

Nikko is 18 years old and from the Philippines. His letter is dated October 10th, 2017. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kayla, 

Hello my friend! I'm glad to receive a letter from you again. I hope you are having a wonderful day. By the way, about your questions. First, I like to wear my favorite shoes and shirt. This morning, I ate bread and coffee for breakfast. We have a small house with only one room. Our project is a wide lot with trees all around it. It has three rooms made of wood and a small office for staff, made of concrete. It has a basketball court that is beside our church. Our church is made of wood. If I were given a free hour today, I would like to play with my friends. My family makes me laugh. My siblings and friends too. There are too many funny things that happen to me, I can't choose just one. I last attended a recognition party from the project. It was held at a local hotel here in the city. My best friend is also a student in our project. We are also neighbors. We grow together. The advice I give to younger children is to be a good person. Thank you for all your questions. What are your plans for this coming Christmas? Please continue to pray for me and my family to have good health. God bless! 

Love, 

Nikko 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now we get to hear from Jonathan and learn about some of his favorite things. :) 

Jonathan is 8 years old and lives in Burkina Faso. He wrote this letter on November 25th, 2017. 

________________________________________________________________________________

1. My favorite food is: Salad 

2. The color I like best is: Green

3. My favorite sport is: Soccer 

4. My best friend is: Donald 

5. My favorite Bible hero is: Abraham 

Dear Kayla, 

It is on behalf of Jonathan that I'm writing this letter to you. He is very happy because he received letters and a gift too. Please pray for his little sister who is sick. She has wounds in her mouth. He wishes you a merry Christmas 2017. Goodbye. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Two more letters to go! Whew! 

This next letter is from Mariela. Her and I are coming up on our one-year anniversary together. :) I'm so grateful to know her. 

Mariela is 12 years old and lives in El Salvador. Her letter was written on November 28th, 2017. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

Greetings and blessings to you. How have you been? I hope with all my heart that when you read this letter, you will be enjoying many blessings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want to tell you that you are always in each of my prayers, for God to keep you safe and bless you always. I want to tell you a bit about my learning at the project. At the project, I am in a math reinforcement class and I have also learned courtesy habits, such as greeting others on sight. They have also taught me to believe in Jesus , to go to church, and to love my family. I want to thank you for what you do for me and for the letter you sent me. I ask you to always pray for God to keep me safe and to bless me. Good bye with much love. 

With Much Love,

Mariela

_________________________________________________________________________________

And we have reached the end of the letter blogging marathon. We end this series of posts with a letter from Jhon. The two of us go way back and I just recently found out that his graduation from the project has been extended, so we get to keep writing to each other. Whoo hoo! 

Jhon is 18 years old and is from Bolivia. His letter is dated November 17th, 2017. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you with the peace of our Lord. My family and I are in good health. I have just arrived home from my trip to Chile. I visited my aunts and cousins. I also worked. I did well in my work. I was living with my aunt. Every Saturday, I helped my aunt sell things at the fair. I enjoyed Chile's climate. It is very hot here in Santa Cruz. It is not very hot there in Pica. The weather is cool. I met my father's sister. It was a lovely reunion. I met my cousins that I did not know. I had a great time with my cousins. I am going to apply for the GAP program at the project. I will celebrate Christmas and New Year's Day here with my family. I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Blessings. My prayer request is for my family, for me, and for those that don't have anything to eat or drink. I say goodbye for now with the peace of our Lord. 

Love,

Jhon

________________________________________________________________________________