Sweet Greetings

On Mondays, blogging Compassion sponsors often post the letters they may have received during the week. I am linking up with Blogging from the Boonies- please check out Michelle's lovely blog and the wonderful Compassion-related resources she posts there.

This week we received our first letter from Mary Mbari (her info on Compassion's website says that she goes by Mbari, but in her letter she calls herself Mary. That's going to take some getting used to!) I was very happy to get this letter so we can get to know Mary better. I always feel a little weird writing letters to our new sponsor kids (or correspondence kids) before we hear from them. When I get that first letter, it really helps me feel connected to them!

Most of Mary's letter was the usual "getting to know you" form. She shared that she lives in a town. Her parents' names are Rahab and Eliud. She has a 12 year old sister named Elizabeth and an 8 year old brother named George. She has three best friends: Evalyne, Ann and Sharon. Her "best game" is basketball. Her "best song" is "Everyone Needs Compassion" (I wonder if that's actually the hit song "Mighty to Save"? I did some hunting online and was unable to find any other lyrics that could be for this song.) Her "best foods" are chicken and Black Forest cakes. Reading that made me smile- I love Black Forest cake, and I was happy to read that Mary at least has some access to sweet treats! Her best school subjects are history, languages and biology. Her "best Bible story" is 1 Timothy 1:12. Her "best colors" are pink and light blue. 

Here is Mary's actual letter: 

How are you? I hope you are fine. I feel good for having you as my sponsor. I hope even your family is also doing well. I am Mary. I live in a place called Waithaka. I go to a school called Mwenda-Andu Secondary School but we like calling it Mass Complex. I am in Form Two. I am a born again Christian and I am in the age of 16. As for me, I like socializing and making new friends. I love singing and I love my country Kenya. It is an amazing country and as for now the weather is sunny. I would request you to pray for my family, country, and I for God to open the doors for my dream of singing. 

Wow! So much information in Mary's first letter! It made me so happy to read that she is a Christian, and I enjoyed learning the name of her school. I tried to find pictures online- I haven't found any pictures, but I did find their phone number! That was pretty neat. I think it's great that she wants to be a singer! 

Today I was also extremely blessed to receive a rather gigantic letter from Joane! This is so exciting, since we very seldom hear from her, and we just received a letter from her a few weeks ago! Joane had so much to say that she had to continue her letter on a piece of copy paper. Sadly, we received word that the goat Joane purchased with her birthday money last year has passed away. Since she has a birthday next month, hopefully she will be able to get another goat!

Dear Jessi, 

I am delighted to be writing to you in God's name the Almighty. I take advantage of this opportunity to greet you in Jesus' name. How are you doing and activities? As for me, I am doing very well thanks to God. My family are doing well too. Generally I get together with my family each Sunday from 3 to 5 pm. The church I attend is named Bethlehem Baptist Church of Ennery. Our pastor's name is Ludner Cardichon. My goat looked like a sheep, but it died. Yes, it is important to go to school and I like that. My favorite subjects are English, Spanish, Algebra and Social Science. My favorite Bible verse is Romans 12:1. Thank you for the letter and prayers. Glad to hear from you and family. I'm praying that God protects your life and that we can continue to communicate in the Lord's name. Thank you for the stickers. I take advantage of this opportunity to let you know that the Project will organize a big Christmas Party for the children on December 24. So I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2013 in God's name the Almighty. I want to tell you about my school. I am in grade 8 now. I took the first control exam, but I don't get the result yet, but I know that I will do good in God's name. May God bless you in all you do. 

Joane

I just love it when letters provide more information about where my kids live. I did some searches for Joane's church and her pastor, to see if I could find any pictures. I was sad to see a blog entry with an obituary for Pastor Cardichon's wife, who passed away last April. The blog entry had many pictures. I also saw a picture of him and his family on a facebook page. 

Did you receive any letters from your sponsor kids this week? I love reading blog posts detailing the letters everyone receives. It's so much fun to learn about the different kids' personalities and cultures!