Sweet Greetings from India, Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Tanzania, and Honduras!

Happy Mail Call Monday!

It was a huge blessing to receive 8 letters this week- including 6 in a single day! I've been struggling with some stuff lately (my pain has been really bad, which has a dumb habit of setting off depression) and these letters warmed my heart. : )

The first one we received was from Jayid in India!

Jayid's letters are a little sporadic, so it's usually a surprise to hear from him- they're hard to predict! Jayid's letter was actually a form letter, which is a little unusual- even though he's the right age for a form letter, he usually just dictates what he wants to say to a staff member, who writes it down (most of the staff at his center speak English!) I learned that Jayid goes to school by van, and his teacher is named Neetu. His favorite subject is math, and he's in school from 9 to 2. He also shared the name of his school, which is in Bina, and he said that for Children's Day, several of the projects had sports competitions, and he got to participate!

Next was the six letter day! The first letter I opened was from Reine in Burkina Faso!

Reine is a great correspondent so far! We got her late in the summer and have heard from her three times. Her letters are pretty short, but she fills them out completely- the free writing section, the questions section, a prayer request and a drawing! Reine said that she's gone back to school after a holiday, and she liked the photo I sent to her. She said it was very beautiful- I don't know which one it was, though! : ) She also said that she likes rabbits (I think I sent her a picture of Gimli) and she wanted to know what season we were in. She asked us to pray for her grandmother, who is sick.

Next up, Prayer in Indonesia!

Prayer is just the cutest. He is cute, and his letters are cute. He had a lot to say! He said he also received the pictures I sent, including a postcard of a jellyfish and my "beautiful picture!" I still have no idea what it was, but apparently I sent out a lot of them! Haha! Prayer shared that he's graduated primary school and has started junior high. He's already made lots of friends and likes his teachers! He told me that there is no special celebration for graduation at his school (I asked about that and told him about my brother-in-law's 8th grade graduation) and that he likes soccer and it's the most popular sport in his area. He told me that Indonesian Independence Day is on August 17, and his country has presidential elections every 5 years. He shared his mom's name (Neni) because I talked about moms in my Mother's Day letter- I'm trying to find out as many family member names as I can! He also said this: "I love praying for mother and the family there because every Tuesday our church has Prayer time together. I only hope that mother would pray for my school and my family." He is so sweet! I'm so touched that he's started calling me "Mother" in his letters now!

After that, I opened a long-awaited letter from Tasya in Indonesia!

I realized the day that these arrived that I hadn't heard from Tasya in almost six months- just two weeks shy of that, to be exact! So it was really awesome that this letter finally arrived! Tasya said that she's moved up to 7th grade, and there are 28 students in her class. She said that they had a flag ceremony for Independence Day, and she liked the books and letters I had been sending. She also described some competition between student centers for Children's Day- they were preparing for the competition, and she asked that we pray they would do a good job and be healthy! Tasya also I always pray for mama, mama's friends and mama's family that God always protect your family." I love her so much!

Then came our much-anticipated first letter from Michel in Colombia!

Michel's first letter arrived at Compassion in Colorado 6 months to the date that we received her as a correspondent (I had asked about an inquiry, and they found that the letter arrived the day I asked!) Then it took almost a month to get to me because of Christmas craziness at the post office! Michel's letter had a lot to say. It was a form letter about her friends- she listed her friends at the project and said they are her friends because they're "respectful to her." She also likes playing on the playground and playing with sand with them! Michel's letter was written by her tutor Marcela, as Michel doesn't know how to write much yet. So Marcela said "hi" at the beginning of the letter, too! She went on to say that my photos are "precious" and that she's showing them to her family. She really liked the stickers and coloring books we've been sending, and she's going to color them "with her mom's help!" Michel's family comes to church when there are special services organized at the project, and she shared the pastor's name. Michel said that holidays in Colombia are very special because families spend time together, and for Independence Day, people display the Colombian flag in the windows of their homes! She also shared Lamentations 3:25, and said that she has never been to Barranquilla, which is the city my friend Daniella is from. At the end was written "Michel and Marcela say bye for now!"

Next, we have an adorable letter from Sandier in Honduras!

Sandier is so cute. I love his letters. He has a new tutor now, named Iris. In the form letter portion, which was about having fun, Sandier said he likes spending time with his friends, and riding bicycles! In the free writing section, I learned that Sandier said the beaches in Honduras are very beautiful, and his favorite parts of the country are the "swimming places!" He also said "most of the people are very kind and generous." He said there are no libraries where he lives, and he really liked the card I sent with the "beautiful zebra" on it. For Independence Day, Sandier said they have parades in Honduras! Sandier said that he is doing well in kindergarten, and his favorite part of school is "to learn how to sum" and he wants to be either a firefighter or a teacher when he grows up. He also liked the books, stickers, and notebooks we have been sending to him. In another letter, Sandier told me he has a cat named Picho. I asked about Picho, and in this letter, Sandier said "Picho is black, but [I] would like for him to be red or orange." That made me crack up! Sandier asked we pray for his sick grandmother, whose name is Griselda, and his mom, that she would ask Jesus into her heart!

The last letter of that day was from my precious Said in Tanzania!

Said wrote to say that he was doing "fine and healthy," as was his family, and that exams were coming up soon. He said that when he has his school holiday, he will be at home to help with "chore activities!" He takes good care of his mom and sister. : )

The final letter of the week came from Eduardo in Honduras!

Eduardo is so sweet. He took inspiration from the form letter the little kids in Honduras sent out, and told me about how he likes to have fun. He said he plays soccer with his friends, hangs out with his family, and watches TV with his brother! Eduardo also shared his mom's name with me (Doris) and told me that there is a zoo near his home, and he likes to visit there and see the animals. Eduardo also drew a picture with flowers, plants, and happy clouds, and included a note on it which my friend Hannah translated for me! Part of it said "I say goodbye with kisses and hugs and love. With love and care for you. May God bless you greatly. I love you very much." How precious! In the photos I have of Eduardo, he always looks so stern- but his letters are full of warmth and love! I love this guy!

I'm looking forward to this week, to see if any other letters come my way! It would be neat to hear from the other kids in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, India and Honduras!