Daniel's Updated Photo: 2018

My boy seems to have really grown! And his face has really matured. They sure do change a lot in two years, don't they?

You can click on the photo to enlarge it, if you'd like to.

First Letters of 2018

I have already received 5 letters this year! I'd say that I'm off to a pretty great start. My kids are rockstars!

My first letter of 2018 came from Maria, who is now signing her name with her middle name, Eduarda. It's time to start the adjustment in my brain of calling her by a new name!

Eduarda (see, I'm adjusting already) is 13 years old and lives in Brazil. She wrote this letter on November 29th, 2017.

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

How are you and your family? Thank God, mine and I are fine. I'm on school vacation. I'm getting my grades next week. God willing, I'll pass. I love hearing from you. I loved the last letter and I colored all the pictures. How are the children you take care of? I love getting your news. I share 1 Chronicles 16:34, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." 

Love,

Eduarda 

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Now a letter from Erick. I thank God for this young man. My decision to sponsor him was a quick decision. One that I actually made at work, using the work computer for something besides work purposes. A friend of my was asking for some help finding sponsors for children. I asked if she had any older boys available. And the rest, as they say, is history. Erick is such a great guy. I love being his sponsor. 

Erick is 15 years old and lives in Honduras. His letter is dated November 30th, 2017. 

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I give thanks to God for being alive. I hope you in good health. I give thanks to God for your letters, drawings, and photos. They are very nice and I am very happy to have news from you. In my free time, I like reading your letters, which are of much blessing to me. I want to answer the questions you gave me. In Honduras, the new school year starts in the month of February. Thanks to God, I got good grades and I passed 7th grade. Next year, I will be going to 8th grade. I wish to be a builder. I very much like to watch the things the builders are building. It looks very interesting. To achieve that dream, I have to work hard in my studies. I like to wear pants, shirts, and tennis shoes. Today I ate fish fillet, rice, and lettuce salad. My house is pink and white. It has 3 rooms. My 3 sisters, my grandmother, and I live in it. The project is really big. There is a temple where we sing and receive advice from the word of God. There are four classrooms and a backyard to play. There is a kitchen where they make meals and there are bathrooms. There is also an office where all our papers are. Also, there are two trees in the front of the project. If I had a free hour, I would play soccer with my friends. The funniest thing that has ever happened to me is when a friend told me a joke. My friends make me laugh. The last time I went to a party was on November 22nd, when we had a farewell party. What do you do on Christmas? Please pray for me so that each day I can serve God and get ahead. 

With Love and Affection, 

Erick

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Now we venture a letter from a little guy, a template letter from Rodrigo, written on the My House template. 

Rodrigo is 7 years old and is from Bolivia. His letter is dated September 22nd, 2017. 

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1. The walls of my house are made of: Wood

2. The roof of my house is made of: Metal 

3. The floor of my house is made of: Brick 

4. In my house, there are: 4 people: my mom, dad, brother, and me

5. In my house we have: Water & Electricity 

Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you with the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is Paul writing, Rodrigo's tutor. Rodrigo wants to answer some of your questions. He enjoys wearing shorts and t-shirts. His house is made of wood and there is only one room in his house. Please pray for Rodrigo's entire family. 

Sincerely, 

Rodrigo and Paul 

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Onto a letter from Agness. This letter cracks me up because she mentions that I "ask many questions" and says she'll answer them, but then she doesn't actually answer any. Haha. Silly girl. 

Agness is 14 years old and lives in Tanzania. Her letter is dated December 14th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

I hope that you are doing well and are doing well. My family and I are doing well and are healthy. We thank God because he fights for us every day. In your letter, you ask many questions and I answer them. I am doing well with my studies and God is helping me. Thank you for the nice letter that you sent. I am happy with it. I am doing well with my home chores. My parents greet you so much. Thank you for your nice letter and I like it. Thank you for the nice Bible verse too. I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I don't have much else to say but God bless you. 

Yours,

Agness

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And we end this post with a letter from another one of my lovely teen guys. This letter from Gary also makes me laugh. Awhile back, I wrote a letter about the solar eclipse and how I viewed it. I sent photos of me wearing the special eclipse glasses. Gary responds and tells me about the last time his country had an eclipse. Then he asks me if I've ever seen one. Haha. Another silly kid. 

Gary is 17 years old and lives in Nicaragua. He wrote this letter on November 27th, 2017. 

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Hello Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I thank you for your sponsorship. I hope you are healthy. I want to tell you that in my country, we last had a full eclipse in 1996. I had not been born yet. I want to tell you that on November 24th we had a spiritual retreat and we had a lot of fun. On November 27th it will be my birthday and I will have a great time with my family. I thank God for one more year of life God is giving to me. I am so grateful for all the blessings you have sent me. I got your gift and I bought a pair of shoes, pants, and six pairs of socks. I would like to know; When is the last time there was an eclipse in your country? Have you ever watched an eclipse? I always pray for you so that God will keep you and bless you in a great way. I ask you to pray for me and my family and the project, as well. May God bless you! I say goodbye with much love. 

Your sponsored child who loves you so much, 

Gary

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2017 Letter Stats

Whew! Alright, you guys. As you can probably tell, I don't normally put a lot of background work into my blog posts. As a huge majority of my blog posts are me just typing up letters I get from kids, it's basically just showing off my typing skills. ;)

But, this post, that I do every year, takes a lot of work! As the year passes, I get a tally document of each letter I receive from my kids. Then, when I do posts like this, I go through that document and count, sort, and calculate. Then I make photo collages to represent each set of data. It takes quite awhile, but it's totally worth it when it all comes together.

There is just something amazing about counting up how many letters I receive in a year. It's really a great way to see just how blessed I am.

If you remember from past years (or if you're a Compassion sponsor yourself), the magic number with Compassion is 6. Sponsors that write to their kids at least monthly, should receive 6 letters per year from their kids. With that being said, it very rarely works out that way. Kids are absent from letter writing day, projects still haven't updated to writing that often, mail gets delayed, etc, etc, etc. With that being said, my average number last year was 4. A majority of my kids wrote me 4 letters. This year, that average is up to 5 letters! Whoo hoo!

But, I have two champions this year! I received 8 letters each from Kwizera and Sunrei. You go, kiddos!

Another above average friend of mine is Daniel. He wrote me 7 letters!

I received that "magic number" 6 letters from Acram, Airin, Ayling, Jhon, and Jhoyra 

My largest group of kids all wrote me 5 letters each. That includes Celeste, Enmanuel, Bryan, Eric, Line, Carlos, Nicol, Rebecca, Brian, Marinelis, Ronaldo, Tern, Daniel, Prity, Faith, Carolin, and Rujikorn.

Moving on down to 4 letters. That's how many letters I received from Djimitri, Joel, Maria, Jhojaira, Nikko, Sevenson, Jhonrex, Jonatan, Gary, Rodrigo, Tamire, Agness, Dagim, Jule, and Mulwa. 

The next group of kiddos all wrote me 3 letters this year. That includes Mariela, Tumbu, Jonathan, Veronika, Joseph, Marilyn, Zenebu, Kamaldine, Muuo, Emanise, Lemayian, Baraka, and Hillary. 

The kiddos that wrote me just 2 letters in 2017 were mostly new kiddos. However a few of them are kids I've had more nearly a year or even for several years. I'm not sure what the hold up is on their letters. This group includes Dedilhomme, Ernest, Anju, Mor-Mi-Say, and Brisa.  

The kiddos that wrote me 1 letter each are brand new and I've only been writing to them for a few months. Some even less than that and their first letter came really fast. Those kids are Cedrick, Lenin, Milkias, Muzuro, and Yohannis. 

I have a handful of other brand new kids, who I have yet to hear from. I am looking forward to hearing from these kids in 2018. They are Shakilla, Joshua, Sandra, Nico, Keyla, Kelvin, and Samirul. 

There were 23 other letters that I received in 2017 that I will not include with the other kids. I am keeping these writers separately because I said goodbye to them in 2017. Some of the kids graduated, others moved, and others were dropped by their financial sponsors. I said goodbye to Derrick, Emanuel, Jose, Chokchai, Eric, Yahoska, Haji, and Brenda. 

And outside of Compassion, I also received letters from my Manna boys! I received 18 letters in total. Most of my Manna boys are very new. I've only had two of them for a whole year, so I know that I will receive many more letters in 2018. My Manna family includes Carlos, Brayan, Angel, Ivan, Noel, Antony, Defer, Yesbin, Levi, and Jarlen. 

If I counted correctly (I probably didn't, but you don't have to double check), I received a total of 293 letters in 2017. 

Wow! 

What a great year it was! 

One Word: 2018

The "One Word" fad may be over...but for me, I have to continue it. Well...start it. Not start, I guess...but...do better.

In the past, I have had great success with my chosen "one words." However, for the last two years, I have not found that same success. I'm not exactly sure why that is.

But, I'm still here. Still alive. Still kicking.

However, there are several ways that I've been fighting against myself lately. Not in any harmful ways, so don't worry, but there are things about myself that I am just now (at the age of 28) deciding to be proud and unashamed of. I have been researching and talking to various mentors/life coaches, and I have dubbed this the year of:

Here's to a year of learning to love myself unconditionally! 

Have you chosen a word for 2018? I would love to hear about it, if you have! 

End of 2017 Letters: Part 4

So...like I said, like I knew would happen, after I decided on a three part series of letters to end out the year, several more letters came in.

Not a terrible problem to have. :)

So, instead of waiting to post them, I'm adding a 4th part of my series. Whoo hoo!

If you can believe it, I've received 7 letters since my last post. My kids are writing up a storm. :)

I'm going to overload this post will every, single one of those letters. Some of these letters arrived in just 1-2 weeks!

Let's start with a letter from little Djimitri, who is writing to me about some of his favorite things.

Djimitri is 6 years old and lives in Togo. He wrote this letter on December 18th, 2017 and it arrived in less than a week!

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1. My favorite food is: Rice soup 

2. My favorite sport is: Soccer

3. My favorite activity is: Dancing

4. My favorite color is: Yellow

5. My favorite friend is: Raoul
6. My favorite animal is: Elephant
7. My favorite Bible her is: Samson 

Thank you for being my sponsor. Please pray for my studies, my project, and my family. 

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This next letter is from Sunrei, which is quite a surprise, since I have recently heard from her. She sure is a little chatterbox!

Sunrei is 10 years old and lives in Peru. Her letter is dated December 12th, 2017.

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Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

I greet you in the name of Christ. I thank you for the cute letter you sent me. We celebrate Christmas on December 25th. I am very excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We will eat turkey, drink hot chocolate, exchange gifts, and pray. We will have a great time. I want to tell you that I'm on my school break. I'm very happy. I go to the beach with my tutor and companions. I also go to the beach with my family. The arcade games there are very beautiful. How many pets do you have? I always read Psalm 91 because there the Lord tells me he takes care of me and that He's my caregiver. What's your favorite verse? My favorite color is purple. What's your favorite color? On what day is Christmas celebrated in you country? I ask you to pray for my family so that God will touch their hearts and for the peace of God to be in my home. May you have a merry Christmas and unity in your family. I love you so much. I say goodbye. 

Sunrei

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Up next is a very first letter from Muzuro! He has quite a large family! I always appreciate when first letters list family members. Sometimes it can be like pulling teeth to get that information later on. I also love that in his large family, Muzuro is the baby. :) 

Muzuro is 14 years old and lives in Uganda. His letter is dated December 8th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Greetings to you in Jesus name. I would like to thank God for the protection that he has given unto us. May his name be praised! I want to tell about some of my favorite things. My favorite color is red, as you have also written. My favorite foods are beans and posho. As you have told me to mention my family members names. Firstly, we are nine members. My father's name is Isaac and my mother's name is Nema. Now I will write first born up to last born. Our first born is Joyce, then Samuel, Moses, Gloria, Beatrice, Godwill, and lastly, me, Muzuro Michael. I am the last born in the family. 

I want to thank God for the letter you sent me. You must tell Anju that I will pray for him. And he must not forget prayers. Prayer is the only way to heaven and he must love one another. He must return to Christ so that Christ can forgive him. 

Now let me introduce myself to my friend Anju. My name is Muzuro Michael. My country is Uganda. I am 14. My favorite subject is science. I like dancing, riding a bike, and soccer. 

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How about a letter from Mulwa now? This cutie just steals my heart. His letters and his drawings are too sweet. 

Mulwa is 10 years old and lives in Kenya. He wrote this letter, with help from his tutor, on November 29th, 2017. 

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Mulwa greets salutes you in Jesus' name. He wishes you are fine with your family members. He is writing this letter to inform you that in his country it is the rainy season. His parents are busy cultivating and planting crops. He is telling you that we have closed our schools for the December holiday. He was in position nine and had 327 points. He is also asking you to continue praying for his country and family members. He is happy for the gifts he received last time. He says thanks. He tells you that he is busy and happy waiting for Christmas day, when our Savior was born. He is telling you that day is really good because our Christ is born. He is continuing praying for you, for your support and sponsorship. May the Lord bless you. Happy Christmas and New Year. Bye bye. 

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Now a letter from Yohannis who is introducing me to some facts about his community. These things are so much fun to learn about! 

Yohannis is 8 years old and from Ethiopia. His letter is dated November 10th, 2017. 

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1. My community/village is called: Glema Aba Gedasefer 

2. My community is located in the: Oromiya Region

3. The population of my village is: 300

4. A common job is my community is: Farming 

5. A common type of transportation in my community is: Cart & Motorcycle

6. People in my community speak: Oromifa & Amharic 

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

I want to be an outstanding student. Please end me pictures and letters. Thank you for being my sponsor. 

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Two letters to go! 

This next one is from Kwizera Yves. He's never been a big chatterbox, but after all these years, he seems to be opening up about details more and more. I definitely appreciate that. 

Kwizera Yves is 12 years old and from Rwanda. This letter is dated December 2nd, 2017. 

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To My Parent Whom I Love A Lot, 

I greet you first in the name of Jesus Christ. We have rain in Rwanda. We had a bicycle competition in Rwanda and it's called The Tour du Rwanda. We are remaining with a few days before celebrating Christmas on the 25th. I was pleased by your good photos. I thank you for your good letter. It pleased me so much. I feel happy with my family. 

Kwizera Yves

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And we end this post (and this series, for real this time) with a letter from Rodrigo. It'd be over four months since I last heard from him, which is totally unusual for Compassion letters these days. He must have missed a letter writing day at his project. His letter is on the How I Have Fun template. 

Rodrigo is 7 years old, from Bolivia. His letter was written on November 18th, 2017. 

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1. I like to play with: Little cars

2. My favorite activity is: Jump rope 

3. I usually play with: My siblings 

4. At the park, I like to play: Up and down on the seesaw

Dear Sponsor, 

I greet you with the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the tutor. My name is Paul. Rodrigo wants to tell you that his dad gave him a bicycle recently. Pray for his whole family. 

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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.

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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 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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

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End of 2017 Letters: Part 2

Let's read some more letters! Whoo hoo!

We'll begin with a letter from Enmanuel from the Dominican Republic. He promises a photo in his next letter. I really hope he remembers!

Enmanuel is 9 years old and his letter is dated November 1st, 2017.

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Hello Dear Kayla, 

God bless you. I want to know how you are. How are you doing? I'd like to know how you celebrate Christmas. You asked me a question and yes, I can send you a photo and I will send you one after my birthday celebration. Until then, I will do my best to draw a picture of my family. I ask you to pray for me and my family. I'll be praying for you and your family. 

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Now a letter from my sweet, not-so-little guy, Daniel. His letters are always such a joy to read. I've had a mystery connection with Daniel since the very beginning. There is just something special about him, to me. 

Daniel is 12 years old and lives in Colombia. His letter is dated October 24th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Hello dear sponsor. How have you been? I am glad to greet you again and to communicate with you nicely. I now answer your questions so you can know more about me. My favorite clothes are jeans and t-shirts so I can look young. My favorite foods are cooked plantains, steak with onions, and rice. God has blessed me with a beautiful place to live. I live with my dad and he is a tutor at the CDC. I also live with my mom, who works in a bakery. My siblings are Adrian, Ingrid, and Miguel. We all live together in a house that God has given us. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a big patio. Regarding my CDC, it has two floors. On the upper floor, there are 3 classrooms, toilets, an office, the file room, and the computer room for our homework. On the ground floor, there is a huge dining room, the TV room, the kitchen, and other toilets. What I like to do in my spare time is play soccer. What I most like to do is spend time with my siblings. I have spent many nice and funny moments with them. I do not remember the last time I attended a party, but I'm sure I had a good time. My best friend is God, however I spent the most time with my friend Julian. My advice for younger children is to not be rude. Thanks for keeping in mind my sister's 15th birthday. I will celebrate my birthday with my family and I will share snacks with them. I moved to another neighborhood and I started studying in a new school. There are 41 girls and 41 boys. Some of them are friendly and some others are complex. I see you had and saw an eclipse. How was that experience for you? I hope to watch a sun eclipse someday. I thank you so much for sharing with me. Pray for me so much. Read Psalm 23. I love you so much. 

Daniel 

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Next, a letter from Brian. The letter is lacking some detail, but the drawing he sent me is pretty great! 

Brian is 16 years old and lives in Kenya. His letter is dated November 18th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Receive warm greetings in Jesus' name. I'm hoping that you are fine together with your family. My family and I are doing well and God has been our protector. I love Jesus as my personal savior and I usually go to church every Sunday. I am working hard in school so that I can get good grades and attend a good university. Before I wind up, I have a memory verse to share. It comes from Proverbs 15:15, which says, "The days of the wicked are wretched, but the good have continual feast." I wish you a Merry Christmas and happy new year. Thank you for your support and God bless you. 

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How about a letter from Ronaldo now? :) 

Ronaldo is 20 years old and lives in Colombia. He wrote this letter on October 25th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

How are you? I love it when you write to me. I loved the eclipse photos. Here in my country, the sky hasn't darkened like it did there, but I have seen several eclipses. It is a unique experience. I would like to answer all of your questions, but I don't have much space. I want to tell you that my best friend is Josue. We like going to the countryside and playing our favorite sport, soccer. My favorite actor is Sylvester Stallone. I love eating seasoned rice with shredded chicken. I love the color blue in all its shades. What is your favorite color? My favorite activity is going to the movies. I am so grateful to you for helping me in the project. It is thanks to your support that I have so many friends and we have built a very good relationship. I have learnt a lot about the gospel of Christ. I ask you please to pray for my family. I say goodbye with this Bible verse from Ephesians 2:8-9, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. You can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things have done, so none of us can boast about it." 

Ronaldo

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We move onto our first template letter of this posting series. Acram wrote to me on the How I Have Fun template. 

Acram is 6 years old and lives in Tanzania. This letter was written on November 29th, 2017. 

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1. When I am outside I like to: Herd animals and play with friends

2. When I am inside I like to: Talk with my grandmother and learn how to draw

3. One sport I like is: Soccer

4. I play with: My friends and relatives 

5. When I am bored I like: To be quiet 

6. A fun thing I like to do is: Singing 

Acram and his family are very happy to get your letter. They say thank you. May God bless you. 

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I will close out today's post with a letter from Jhonrex, who is 17 years old and lives in the Philippines. Out of my many kids, I feel like Jhonrex really has had his share of struggles in life. I am so happy when I read positive letters from him! 

This letter is dated October 6th, 2017. 

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Dear Kayla, 

Hi! How are you this time? If you would ask about me, I am fine/good. Thanks for your letter. I really enjoyed reading it. Here are my answers to some of your questions. I enjoy eating pork and it is what we are eating here today. Our house is made of cement. Our center's atmosphere is beautiful and I enjoy playing basketball here. What makes me laugh are jokes or when I ride on my skates. Last year I attended a party in our center. The name of my best friend is Almaris. My advice for kids under my age is to obey their parents. I am learning so many things about the word of God in our center. I have joined also in a "cell group." Please pray for God to give me good health, for me to be able to continue schooling in the next year. Where will you celebrate Christmas? I have loved message in this verse here, in Psalm 139:14, "You are fearfully and wonderfully made." God bless you. 

Jhonrex

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