Five Letter Friday: Volume 26

Let's get the letter party started, shall we?!

Happy Friday!

Today's first letter comes to use from Thailand, from a sweet little boy named Jaw-bu-keh. It is written on the template entitled My Hopes For the Future.

Jaw-bu-keh is 8 years old. His letter is dated November 30th, 2018.

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

2. When I grow up, do I want to get married?: I'm not sure if I do

3. When I grow up, I want to be: A teacher 

4. In the future, I hope to visit: My sponsor's country 

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

Dear Kayla, 

First of all, may God bless you give you happiness in your life. I am Tawantochai and I am a volunteer at the project. I write the letter for Jaw-bu-keh because he is very young and can't write yet. He and his family are fine. He gets up in the morning, washes his face and brushes his teeth. Then he helps his mother carry water and then gets dressed for school. He eats rice for breakfast and then goes to school. He goes to school not very far from his house. He spends only a few minutes to walk to school. Now it is the cold season already. Soon it will be Christmas and he is getting very excited. He wants to know if you are excited about Christmas. At last, pray for him and his family; for their life, their work, and their health. May God bless you. 

Love in Christ, 

Jaw-bu-keh & volunteer 

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Now a letter from Jhonrex. It seems like the poor guy had a bit of a rough time, but I am glad to hear he is recovering now. I'm sure he's been in a lot of pain! 

Jhonrex is 18 years old, lives in the Philippines, and wrote this letter on November 13th, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello, my friend. How are you there? I'm doing okay, though I broke bones in my right leg. I am thankful to God that I am still alive and for never leaving me. In September, I was in an accident on my motorbike, but I will be okay. I thank for student center project for assisting me. I stopped schooling and attending the project because of my accident. I couldn't attend either place. Thank you for the letters I received. I hope Gage and Chloe are enjoying your treat. Thank you also for the pictures. I enjoy looking at them. I also like the stories because they come together well at the end. Please pray for my full recovery and future good health. This Christmas, what will you do? Until your next letter, thank you so much. 

Respectfully Yours, 

Jhonrex

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This next letter from Gary is especially special because it is his final letter to me. Gary recently turned 18 and has now officially graduated from his Compassion project. I wish he great success in the future! 

This letter appears to have been written and/or dictated by somebody else and written in the 3rd person. 

Gary is from Nicaragua and wrote this letter to me on November 14th, 2018.

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

The young man Gary appreciates your sponsorship. He wants you to be in good health. He tells you that his health is good, thanks to God. Gary is sad because this is his last letter. He says that he keeps all of your letters. He is grateful that you have taken all this time to write to him. Gary says he is happen to have met his friend who you sponsor in Mexico. Gary sends his greetings to this child and hopes he continues in the ways of the Lord. Gary is grateful to have learned about him. Gary is happy for the photographs of the children. He is happy to know that you still have communication with Gage and Chloe, even though you don't care for them anymore. Gary appreciates all of the support and love and effort you have invested in him. He appreciates all your gifts and you will never get away from his heart. Gary wants you to continue to support other children who also have needs. He hopes God blesses you in your work and may God give you good health. Gary will always keep you in his heart and prayers. He says goodbye to you lots of love and lots of hugs. 

Sincerely, 

Gary Jose 

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We move onto a letter from Maria Eduarda, whose name I have slowly changing to get used to it. I've always called her Maria, but recently found out she actually goes by her middle name, Eduarda. I'm using her first and middle name and will try to change it to just Eduarda in my brain. It's a process after so many years of calling her just Maria. 

Maria Eduarda is 14 years old, lives in Brazil, and her letter is dated November 21st, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

How are you? How is your family doing? My family and I are doing well. I am going into a new stage of my life and I will soon start my first year of high school. I will have my graduation from middle school. I am both happy and anxious. I want to say thanks for the letter that you have sent to me. Soon I hope to receive more news in another letter from you. I am always very happy to receive your letters. Please be praying for my family, my graduation, and my start at a new school. I share Psalm 23:1 with you, "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." I say goodbye, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Your Sponsored Child,

Maria Eduarda

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Our post today ends with a form letter, titled My Friends, from Shakilla, who lives in Rwanda. 

Her letter is dated December 4th, 2018. 

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1. Some of my friends are: Angelique, Joyeuse, & Odda

2. Activities I do with my friends are: Fetching water, collecting firewood, and playing 

3. My favorite activities to do with my friends are: Singing & praying 

4. My best friend is: Angelique 

5. My best friend is special because: She helps me to study 

Dear Kayla, 

Shakilla is greeting you in the name of Jesus Christ. Herself and her family are doing fine. We are glad for the letter you sent to us. We are very happy to hear of the story of the birds. We are happy that Gage and Chloe go to school. Shakilla got 77/100 marks at school. Happy new year 2019! 

Written by Nyiraahageniman (Shakilla's mother)

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Five Letter Friday: Volume 18

This week flew by!

Preschool was a flurry of fun activities and crazy kiddos.

Tomorrow, I will spend the entire day at a high school marching band competition, which I will love.

It is 10:45 p.m on Friday and I am exhausted.

But before I go to bed, I have five letters from five wonderful children to share with you.

We start with a letter from Jonatan. I love when my kiddos get old enough to carry on a conversation through letters, including asking their own questions for me to answer.

Jonatan is 11 years old and lives in Colombia. His letter is dated September 7th, 2018.

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Dear Kayla, 

I am so grateful to greet you and to hear from you. Thank you for telling me stories about Pinocchio and about the hen with the golden eggs. Pinocchio's story is very interesting because it teaches us that we must not lie. One of God's commandments is that we must not lie. I want to tell you that I went with my parents and my siblings to a park called Los Fundadores and we had a great time. Are there many parks in your country? What are their names? I attend the church at my project. It is called World Missionary Movement. What is the name of the church you go to? I give you the beautiful biblical promise in Matthew 19:14. 

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Up next is a letter from my name-twin, Keyla. As seems to be pretty popular lately, she has written to me on the My Hobbies and Pets template. 

Keyla is 8 years old, lives in Ecuador, and she wrote her letter on September 12th, 2018. 

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1. My favorite hobby is: To play tag 

2. I enjoy my hobby with: My friends at church 

3. I practice my hobby on: Saturday and Sunday 

4. Do you have a pet? No, but I would like to have a cat someday. 

Please pray, dear sponsor Kayla, for my dad who is sick. I want to thank you for the letter you sent. I also say thank you for the story and the picture to color. I am fine and I send you all my love. 

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Next is a joyfully chatty letter from Ronaldo. It's been such a blessing getting to know this young man. I will certainly miss him when he graduates in just a few months. 

Ronaldo is 21 years old, lives in Colombia, and his letter was written on September 11th, 2018. 

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Hello Kayla, 

How are you? May God bless you. I'm very happy to write to you. It is so good to hear the story of Jack and the magic beans. I also love the picture of the sun and moon you sent me to color. You make me relive my childhood! Kayla, I am health tutor at the project, but I am not actually with the children. I am in charge of keeping track of their medical check-up records. By the way, in the month of May, I had a routine medical check-up in the project and my mom was there with me. We were concerned because I was having some neck pain. The doctor prescribed some pills. We really liked knowing that it was nothing serious. Now that I am working at the project, I have realized how good it is to help others. I owe that much to you. May God reward you. Next time, could you tell me about some popular, fun event in your country? I ask you to pray for my family. I say goodbye to you sharing this verse with you from Proverbs 24:3. I love you. 

Ronaldo

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We move onto a letter from Nicol, who I think it quite an amazing writer for such a young child. I can't wait to get to know her more and more over the years. 

Nicol is 9 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. Her letter is dated September 24th, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Friend Kayla, 

May the love of God be with you. My family and I are fine and healthy. Thank God I'm doing well at school. I've improved my reading. I'm working hard at it. I'm doing well spiritually. I'm learning that sin separates us from God. It doesn't reflect God's image on us. It's hurricane season in my country and the climate is unstable. We are under the storm Isaac's warning and it is raining a lot. It causes flooding the vulnerable zones, but where I live isn't affected, thank God. Thank you for your letter and the beautiful story and pictures. Is there a storm warning in you country this year? I ask you to please pray for the flooding in the vulnerable areas. I say goodbye with love. 

Nicol

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We'll end today's post with a letter from Shakilla. Her letter is written on the My Holidays/School Break template. 

Shakilla is 6 years old and lives in Rwanda. Her letter is dated September 25th, 2018. 

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1. My holiday/school breaks are in the months of: April, August, November, and December 

2. My school break last for: 2 weeks in the 1st and 2nd term and for 2 months during the 3rd term. 

3. My favorite thing to do during my holiday/school break is: Playing with others 

4. My favorite person to spend my holidays/school break with is: My older sister Uwase 

5. One thing I would like to during my holiday/school break is: Revising notes 

6. One person I would like to visit during my holidays/school break is: My grandmother 

Dear Kayla, 

Your sponsored child greets you in the name of Jesus. She and her family are fine. She thanks you for your letter, which was full of thoughtful words. She is in the 3rd term at school. She got 82% marks in the 1st term and 80% marks in the 2nd term. Pray for her to improve. Her family sends you greetings. 

Love, 

Shakilla

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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 

Attempt Catch Up #2

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

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

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

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Dear Kayla, 

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

Your Beloved, 

Agness

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

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

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Dear My Parent, Whom I Love So Much, 

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

From,

Kwizera

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

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

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1. I typically get up at: 6:00 a.m 

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

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

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

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

Dear Kayla, 

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

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

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

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

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

3. My favorite hobby is: Soccer 

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

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

6. My pet's name is/would be: Buchi 

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

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

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

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

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

3. My school break normally lasts: One month 

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

5. I love to: Stay at home and play 

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

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

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

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

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

Hello Kayla,

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

Yours,

Hillary

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Let's do two more letters, okay? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. I want to be: A doctor 

Hello Friend Kayla, 

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

Sincerely, 

Brisa Daniela

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

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

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1. My community is called: Cristo Rey 

2. My community is located in: Santo Domingo 

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

4. A common job in my community is: Housekeeping 

5. In my community, the weather is: Hot 

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

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Olympic Watching Letter Purge!

As I sit here watching as many Olympic events as I can in one day (which is a lot), I am going to type up a ton of letters that I've received. I will probably break my most recently received letters into two posts, for today and tomorrow, but each post will be quite long. 

We'll start with a template letter from little Carolin, who is telling me about her Hopes for the Future. 

Carolin is 6 years old, from the Dominican Republic. Her letter is dated January 17th, 2018. 

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1. In the future, I hope to learn about: Art 

2. In the future, I hope to do the following activities: Go to university 

3. In the future, I want to be: A doctor 

4. In the future, I hope to visit: A baseball stadium 

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

Dear Kayla,

May God bless you and your family a lot. Carolin asks, "How are you?". She is very grateful for the letter you sent and she also says she was able to see the last eclipse. She says she hopes you had seen it as well in your country. She also says that God created the eclipse. Please pray for the children at the center. With love, she says goodbye. 

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Up next, a first letter from Shakilla. In this letter, she is telling me how what things are like at her project. 

Shakilla is 6 years old and lives in Rwanda. Her letter was written on January 22nd, 2018. 

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1. I go to my project: 1 day per week 

2. My project is 2 km away from my home

3. I get to my project: On foot 

4. Typical activities I do at my project are: Playing, studying, and eating 

5. My favorite activity to do at my project is: Playing 

6. When I am at my project, I typically eat: Rice, beans, and greens 

Dear Parent, 

First and foremost, your child greets you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shakilla would like to know how you are doing and how your family is doing. At school she is doing fine and she will be joining primary class one. Previously, she managed to attain good grades. Pray for her to continuing excelling academically. She would like to know how you are doing and please send family photos to her. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly. 

(Written by her mother) 

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Now we have a letter from Anju, who does not seem to be a very confident artist, but I think his drawings are great. He's too hard on himself. 

Anju is 13 years old, from Indonesia. His letter is dated December 19th, 2017. 

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Shalom Dear Kayla, 

Thank you for your letter. I was happy to receive it. I want to ask, can you draw your family? I am not very good at drawing, but I am trying to draw my family, even though it is not good enough. I have to practice more in drawing. I hope that you like my picture. I will try to send a family photo to you. I have finished the first semester exam. I will get the report soon. I will have a school holiday soon. Please pray for me always. Merry Christmas. 

Love, 

Anju

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Up next, a short letter from Agness. To be fair, she may be running out of things to say, as it's only February and this is the 3rd letter I've received from her so far this year. ;) 

Agness is 14 years old and lives in Tanzania. Her letter is dated January 23rd, 2018. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I would like to know your state and I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. My family is doing well. In my studies, my favorite subject is English. I am praying for you. Do you pray for me? I wish you all the best. God bless you wherever you go and wherever you come from. Amen. 

Agness

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I think I'll post two more letters in this blog entry, and will move onto a letter from Enmanuel. I actually just received a photo update of him, so you'll see his new face shot, but I'll share his full photo with you in a few days. 

Enmanuel is 10 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. His letter is dated January 17th, 2018. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

May God bless you so much! How are you? How was your Christmas? Do you celebrate the wise men holiday like we do in our country? I'm fine, thanks be to God. I had a good Christmas with my family and friends. On wise men day, I had a good time and played so much. I ask you to pray for me and my family. May God bless you! 

Enmanuel

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We close out this post with a letter from Acram. Just like we started with future dreams, we will end with them as well. 

Acram is 6 years old and from Tanzania. His letter is dated January 25th, 2018. 

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1. Someday I would like to visit: Your country 

2. Someday I would like to see: You and your appearance 

3. Someday I would like to help: My family

4. Someday I would like to be like: My father

5. Someday I would like to meet my sponsor because: I love her

6. When I grow up I would like to be: A doctor 

Acram is happy to receive your letter. He says thank you. He is doing well in his studies. Now he is in grade one. His family is doing well. Acram loves Jesus and he accepts Him to be his savior. His favorite Bible story is David & Goliath. 

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Another Four Correspondent Kids!

Over the last couple of weeks, alone, I have added four new kids to my family. If I am being honest, only two of them were expected. I was on the wait list for a boy from Asia and any girl from any country. And I got them:

7 Year Old Samirul from Bangladesh

6 Year Old Shakilla from Rwanda

Then, another two children just appeared on my account! I never know how or why these surprise kids show up on my account, but they do. As I've said in the past, I think every child I'm assigned to, either expected or not, is a total blessing and ordained by God. God doesn't abide by wait lists. :) 

So I also welcome: 

4 Year Old Joshua from Uganda

6 Year Sandra from Uganda 

Happy. Happy. Happy.