Five Letter Friday: Volume 27

It's been an overwhelmingly beautiful, hopeful for the future kind of day. I have been feeling so grateful over the last 18 days. I am so excited to see how 2019 progresses!

On that note, let's read some letters from some wonderful kids!

We'll start with a form letter entitled My Hopes For the Future, which I find extremely fitting for how I feel about today. This letter is written by Tern.

Tern is 6 years old, lives in Thailand, and his letter is dated November 27th, 2018.

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1. Do I want to go to university when I grow up?: I do 

2. When I grow up, do I want to get married?: I do 

3. When I grow up, I want to be: A soldier/police officer 

4. In the future, I hope to visit: A foreign country 

5. In the future, I hope to meet: My sponsor 

Dear Kayla, 

Hello, this is my letter to you. During this time, I am practicing dancing to perform on Christmas day. Thank you for writing to me. I am glad to read each letter from you. When is the Christmas celebration in your place? We will have a Christmas celebration at the project on December 29th. It is on a Saturday. We will celebrate the new year too. Please pray for us. We wish you happiness. 

Tern

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This next letter was a bit of a surprise for me. I received a first letter from a cutie named Alejandro, who I had no idea was in my sponsorship family. It turns out that he was a hidden correspondent, due to a technical glitch on my account. It had been many months since hidden correspondents were a common thing. I was surprised to receive this cutie, but I'm so happy to get to write to him. 

Alejandro is 7 years old and is from Nicaragua. His letter is not dated, so it was most likely written when he was enrolled in the project and then sent of immediately when he was sponsored. 

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1. My weight: 24 kg (52 pounds) 

2. My height: 120 cm (3' 11") 

3. My eye color is: Brown 

4. My family is: Father, mother, siblings, grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins 

5. My favorites: 

Food: Rice soup 

Color: Orange 

Class: Literature and Spanish 

Pet: Dog 

Bible Character: Jesus 

Game: Soccer 

6. My home is located in: The city 

Dear Sponsor, 

Greetings from Alejandro! He says thank you for your sponsorship. He says he is happy because he is learning to read. He likes the project because he is learning to pray there. He wishes to know, do you have any siblings? My dream for the future is to be a professional soccer player. He wishes that you pray for his aunt Heydi who is sick. 

Love,

Your Child Alejandro 

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Our next letter comes from Semira. I'm glad to hear that she is progressing in school. Due to her age, it seems she likely got a late start in school. 

Semira is 9 years old, lives in Ethiopia, and wrote this letter on December 18th, 2018. 

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My Dear Sponsor, 

How are you doing? I am doing well with my family, by the grace of God. I hope all is great with you. I am 1st grade student now. Exam season is near. Please pray that I would do well. I want to thank you for everything that you're doing for me. May God bless you all the days of your life. I have received your letter. Thank you! Until next time, bye. 

With lots of love,

Semira

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This next letter also comes from Ethiopia, from Milkias now. I feel like this kiddo is holding back in his letters. I would love for him to open up and share more about his life. I pray that as I continue to write to him, he'll be comfortable sharing more with me. We'll see! 

Milkias is 14 years old and his letter is dated December 10th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I send greetings to you, my lovely sponsor. How are you doing? I and my family are doing well, thanks to God. I received the letter you sent to me. Please pray about me. I will pray for you too. More than just letters, I pray we will meet each other in person. I love you so much. Peace of God be with you! 

Milkias

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The last letter of today's post is from my name twin, Keyla. She wrote her letter on the Festivals and Holidays template. 

Keyla is 8 years old and lives in Ecuador. Her letter is dated November 26th, 2018. 

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1. My favorite national festival is: Children's Day

2. Why?: Because I receive gifts and spend time with my family. 

3. The food that I like the most during the festival is: Squid Ceviche 

4. I like to spend the holidays with: My family 

5. During the holidays, I like to go to: The cinema, the beach, and the mall 

6. Please pray for: My sister who is sick 

7. I want to thank you for: The letters you send me with love 

8. I also want to say: I feel so happy for the letters that you send me. I like every fairy tale you share with me. 

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Photo Updates: October 2018

I have received several photo updates over the last few weeks and I'm happy to share them with you today! I just love watching my kids grow up.

Anny from Guatemala

Eduarda from Brazil 

Elvis from Kenya 

Jonathan from Burkina Faso 

Kevin from El Salvador

Milkias from Ethiopia 

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 14

When I first started doing these posts, I figured I would run out of letters and have to discontinue them. However, the opposite has happened. I have such a backlog of letters to blog that I could probably add another day of the week to this series and still have a backlog. I'm not going to add another day, but I have A LOT of letters. It's really such a blessing.

I will keep my letter posts to twice a week, so if these posts are your cup of tea, check back every Tuesday and Friday. :)

The first letter of today's post is from Milkias. It's not a super detailed letter, but I did get to find out how he spent his birthday money, which is always exciting.

Milkias is 13 years old, lives in Ethiopia, and his letter was written on July 10th, 2018.

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My Beloved Sponsor, 

How are you doing along with your family? My family and I are doing well. I am very happy and thankful for your letter. I would like to thank you a lot for your gift money. Shoes, trousers, a t-shirt, slippers, and a shirt were bought for me. May God bless you! I am very happy to be sponsored by you. I would like to thank you a lot for all your other support. See you with the next letter. I love you. Goodbye. 

Yours,

Milkias

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The next letter is from Faith. Her letters go back and forth between between detailed and chatty to just being more general letters. Pre-teens! 

Faith is 12 years old, is from Kenya, and her letter is dated August 13th, 2018. 

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Hello My Dear Kayla, 

I salute you in the name of Jesus Christ. How are you? I hope and trust all is fine. On my side, I am fine in the Lord. God has been faithful to me and I thank him for everything. My dear, I am happy for the letter you sent me. I read the good story of Jack and the Beanstalk. It was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it. Also the pictures were good. I really appreciated them. In the story I learned not to be greedy with everything; to hold onto what you have for it is enough. Otherwise, I wish you all the best and I thank you very much for all your support. May the Lord bless you very much. My family members are fine and good, but please keep praying for us, as I do to you. 

Bye, 

Faith

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The final letter of today is from my girl Mariela. She is writing to me about several of her favorite things. I love letters like this. Personality just shines through! 

Mariela is 13 year old and lives in El Salvador. Her letter is dated August 27th, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

How have you been? I greet you, wishing you to be well next to your family and the people around you. I want to tell you that you are always in my prayers, so that God will keep you and bless you always. Today I want to talk a little bit about the topic of my favorite things. My favorite food is chicken. My favorite animals are pandas, penguins, and dogs. My favorite Bible verse is Psalm 1 in the Old Testament. My favorite sports are soccer and softball. I like to come to the project to learn the word of God. I want to thank you for the letter you sent me. I really liked the story of Pinocchio. God bless you so much. I want to ask you to always include me in your prayers, so that God blesses me and my studies. Now I say goodbye with a lot of love. I send you a hug. 

Mariela

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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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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From the Field Friday: ET-555

Today's letter from the field comes from the country of Ethiopia, from project #555, which is where my boy Milkias attends. It's a newer project, but it seems like great progress is being made!

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Dear Kayla, 

My name is Mengistu Wolde and I am the reverend of the Bedele Mekane Yesus Congregation where our child development center ministers to your sponsored child. It is located in the Oromia administrative state of Ethiopia, in the town of Bedele. We thank you for sponsoring Milkias. 

This center is serving as much as possible in the community in the spiritual and development aspects. The inhabitants of the town of Bedele live in good fellowship and support each other. They are about 40,000 and they are followers of various religions. The town community has good ties with the rural community. Our church serves both these communities. The challenge our church faces when it serves in town is the limited economic capacity. We know the church has to meet at least some of the practical needs of the community. The other challenge is the spiritual pressure that comes from contrary faiths doctrines. 

The future vision of the center and church is give ministry to the children of our center so that they can grow to become useful for their nation, the church, and their families. We also want to give shelter to children that have this great need and help them learn properly. We also want to open a Bible school run by the church to help these children grow in their spiritual lives. Please pray for us on all these subjects. 

Since the establishment of this center in the Bedele town, many changes have been seen in the lives of our children. They have developed spiritually, physically, and morally. Many of the children and their parents have accepted the Lord as their Savior and come to the church. From my personal observation children that had a bad history among the community have now become good examples among this same community after they joined the center and their parents have also got a good esteem. 

With the funds Compassion allots for our center, we help the weak, offer medical treatment, organize shelters for the widows giving them monthly food provisions, and according to our capacity, participate vividly in development areas. Since this center started operating 6 years ago, 26 parents of these children have been saved. 

When children receive letters from their sponsors they feel very happy and rejoice. On the contrary, the children that do not get any letters from their sponsors feel very depressed and get sad. It is so important to keep a communication between the sponsor and child through letters. If their sponsors would visit them here to know each other, the joy of the children would be immense. 

Pray for us. Pray that, if God wills, to help us organize shelters for the homeless in our compound. Pray that we can open a Bible school and open a school that can help in the economic growth of the church. Finally, please pray we are able to reach out with the Gospel as we have planned. 

I extend my deep gratitude to you for all you do for Milkias. 

May God's ample grace be with you! 

In Christ,

Mengistu Wolde

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Double the Love from some African Teens

Over the weekend, two letters arrived on my account. Double the love!

Let's begin with a letter from Agness, who lives in Tanzania. She is telling me the story of the prodigal son in her own words. It's fun to see our kids learn the same Bible stories that we learned growing up.

Agness is 14 years old. Her letter was written on January 13th, 2018.

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Dear Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of Jesus. I would like to greet you and tell you this Bible verse from Luke 15:1-32. In this Bible story I learn to pray for forgiveness at the moment we realize we do wrong. Like a boy who is with his father and he asked for his inheritance money. His father brought it to him and he went away to use the money for wrong things. When the money finished, hunger came to him and he decided to eat with the pigs. Later on, he thinks that it's better to get back to his father to ask for forgiveness. His father welcomed him with happiness. Do you like the story? What did you learn there? 

Greet Gage and Chloe. Tell them to read the verse from Ephesians 6:1-2. 

Yours,

Agness

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And just like that, it's time to end with a letter from Milkias. I am happy to hear about all the things his project is providing for him! 

Milkias is 13 years old and lives in Ethiopia. His letter is dated November 9th, 2017. 

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My Dear Sponsor, 

How are you? My family and I are doing well. I am very happy and thankful for your letter. My project has been providing me with clothes, shoes, exercise books, pens, and school uniforms. I would like to thank you for all your support. I am attending my studies in a good way and I will study harder to score a better result. See you with the next letter. May God bless you. I love you! 

Goodbye, 

Milkias

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Just Several Letters :)

Can't complain about having more letters to share. I love hearing from my kids! No rhyme or reason to the order of posting today.

First up, a quick letter from Jhonrex. He's not the most chatty guy, but I treasure him so.

Jhonrex is 16 years old and lives in the Philippines. His letter is dated June 25th, 2017.

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Dear Kayla, 

How are you now? I'm so happy and glad for the letter you have sent. Thanks for having me in your thoughts always. Thank you for all your prayers on my behalf. About summer, I attended VBS and had fun. I also attended summer skills training, though I was not able to attend all of the sessions. Please pray that God will continue to bless me with good health and for daily protection. What did you do during the summer? Thank you so much. 

Respectfully Yours,

Kayla

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Continuing with the "J" theme, a letter from Jhon. I feel absolutely terrible for this young man, as he is having to take a different direction in his life, than he originally planned. I will definitely be praying that things improve/go well for him on his new path. 

Jhon is 18 years old and lives in Bolivia. His letter is dated July 18th, 2017. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you and your family with the peace of the Lord. I am doing good in health and so is my family. Let me tell you that I took my test at the university and it didn't go well. The bad thing is that my score was not good enough to enroll in the university. I feel so bad because I wasn't able to join the university. I started to work and it is going well. I decided to work with my dad. We both work in mechanics and electricity. I am learning to fix cars. It is difficult, but I know I will make it. Let me tell you that I am thinking about going to Chile with my older brother to visit my uncles, aunts, and cousins. May God bless you and your family, dear sponsor. I say goodbye with the peace of the Lord. My prayer request is for my family. 

Sincerely, 

Jhon

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Up next, a first letter from Milkias! First letters are always so exciting! 

Milkias is 13 years old and lives in Ethiopia. His letter is dated June 30th, 2017. 

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Dear My Sponsor Kayla, 

How are you? I'm very fine. I have received your letters. I have taken the final examination. I hope I get good results. During the winter vacation, I want to spend my time playing with my friends and attending tutorial classes. What did you plan during your vacation? Pray for me. 

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Now, a letter from my sweet boy Derrick. He is so young, by my first world standards, but this guy has stopped attending school, has enrolled in and now, almost finished a vocational training course. It seems his life may change yet again and I may be losing him. Fortunately, this all seems to still be in the planning phase, so I won't be losing him yet. If I do end up losing Derrick, that would mean I have lost all three of my kids from this country, all in the same year. 

I love seeing the responses by my children about the prince and princess letter I wrote. Derrick's reaction is exactly what I was hoping for! 

Derrick is 14 years old and lives in Uganda. His letter is dated July 7th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I am happy to hear from you. Thank you so much for the letter. I am indeed blessed to be a child of God and yes, I am a prince and it is great. A prince has to work hard. He also has to behave as a child of a King. A prince has to respect others, as well. I am glad that God is always ready to forgive us when we act not like princes and princesses. I am almost finishing my mechanics course and I hope to find work and to be able to maintain myself. I am also now going to be living with my father in a place called Kizirefumbe. This place is about 7 km from my project and my mother's home. I may not be able to attend project activities due to distance. I will let you know in my next letter about my family and plans. But what my father has told me, as of know, is that I will be living near his home, under the care of my aunt. Pray for me and my family. One thing I know is that God has good plans for me. Kayla, greet all of your family. 

Derrick

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Onto a letter from Mulwa. With how long I have been writing to him, I am so looking forward to the day when he is able to write his own letters. I think once that happens, I will be able to learn many more details about him. 

Mulwa is 10 years old and lives in Kenya. The letter was written on July 6th, 2017. 

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Mulwa salutes you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. He wishes to know how you are doing. He hopes that you are fine in the Lord. He says that together with his family, they are well, as God has given them the gift of life. Mulwa appreciates you so much for the pictures of your children that you sent to him. He says he wishes to meet your family one day in his life time. He also acknowledges your gratitude to him and says that God will bless you so much. Mulwa adds to say that they are experiencing a cold winter season and he is always wearing heavy clothes to keep warm. Mulwa says that he is still attending the church project, which has caused much change in his life. He wishes that you continue praying for him, as he prays for you too. Bye bye Kayla! 

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Now it is time to end the post with a letter from a girl, after a whole slew of letters from boys. :) 

Maria writes to me about how she hopes to spend her vacation from school. Sounds like a pretty typical teenager to me. 

Maria is 13 years old and lives in Brazil. Her letter is dated June 30th, 2017. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla! 

How are you? My family and I are doing well, thank God. I am now in school vacation. My grades were good, I only need have to get better in English. I will try to enjoy the most I can on my vacation; watching movies and riding with my friends. I want to thank you for the letter you sent. Here where I live, the weather is always hot. Some months ago we had rain. It was very good to cool off and the rivers were filled again. The weather was very dry so it was very good. For your meditation: 1 Peter 5:7. I say goodbye wishing you peace and health. 

Love,

Maria

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