Sweet Greetings from India, Kenya, Togo, Rwanda, Honduras, Bolivia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and the Philippines!

Happy Mail Call Monday!

We were very blessed to receive quite a few letters this week! The first was our second letter of the year from Bijay in India!

Bijay is such a nice young man! I must say I'm really impressed with his project- it took a long time to get his first letter, but we have heard from him once a month for the past three months! And on top of that, he fills every bit of writing space, and always draws a lovely picture. Bijay told us about his activities at the project this time, mentioning the classes and training that he takes, and that he likes learning new worship songs. He also told us that he wants to be a pastor when he is older!! That's so wonderful! I appreciate that Bijay always takes time to mention the things we have sent to him, including letters, photos, and cards, and he always encourages me, too! This time, he told me he is "so proud" of me! How sweet!

Next was a letter from Eduardo in Honduras!

As Eduardo's time in the program comes to an end, I've noticed his letters are a bit shorter- he must be very busy! But they are still very loving and sweet. In this letter, Eduardo shared that he enjoys going to church on Sundays, and swims with his family in the afternoon! He asked that we pray for his mom and his brother, and included an extra piece of paper with a large drawing of a pretty flower!

Next up was a letter from Jeannette in Rwanda!

We are still getting to know Jeannette. I've gathered from her letters that she has a strong faith in Jesus, which is so wonderful! She asked how we are doing and said she was enjoying her school holidays. She and her family were already praising God about 2016 even though it was still a few weeks away when she wrote her letter! She was happy to get all of our letters and said that she loves us "so much!"

We also got a letter from Maribel in Bolivia, whom I sponsor with my friend Stephanie!

Maribel is so cute! She responds to a lot of what we write in our letters, and she always has extra to share, too. Maribel took a trip with her family recently, and she shared that she had a lot of fun and ate some yummy food! She also told us that her favorite story is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is so cute! I'm going to have fun finding some Snow White coloring pages and things to send to her!

We also got a big, lovely letter from Mary in Kenya!

I always love reading Mary's letters! This time she shared that she has been having fun borrowing her friend's pet cat, since hers passed away, and she hopes she can get another cat soon. She responded to my card about her name being written on my wall (a reference to a story my pastor told in one of his sermons) and said that she carries the photo album I sent to her in her handbag, so she always has it with her! She said she wants to learn more about penguins, as she thinks they are beautiful and interesting, and she loves all birds because they are loving and friendly! She talked about my job and that she is happy that I am still happy, and said that Lilly is growing up to be so beautiful, and she liked seeing her in her tiger costume! Mary also mentioned that she is going for "training" soon and she knows that our time together is drawing to a close (her projected graduation date is still more than a year away, but sometimes the kids leave a little early.) She said "I hope that one day we will meet, when I am grown up, and maybe I can come to the US to look for you. You are such a lovely friend and the one who cares about my closeness to God...how I pray that God will bound you into prosperity for what you are. I am lucky to have someone like you who is loving, encouraging, and God-fearing. YOur name is written in my heart, though I have never met you, but I believe that what God's plan is putting people together because God is love. I may have never met you but what God puts together no man can separate it and there is a reason that you are my distance friend." I love her to pieces! I so hope that Mary and I are able to keep in touch after her graduation. I do check on facebook sometimes to see if she has an account, for future reference, but I haven't found her yet. I hope that I do someday!

This week, we also got another letter from Rachelle in Togo!

I think this is our second letter from Rachelle, so of course we are still getting to know her. She said that she and her family pray for us every day, and she hopes we are praying for her to beome a "responsible person tomorrow." How cute! She also mentioned that she is praying for my great great aunt Dolly, for God to "fortify the legs." :) On the back of her letter, she drew a ball, a bicycle, and a satchel! She is a good artist!

We were also happy to hear from Mjay in the Philippines this week!

Mjay's letter was short, but it was good to hear from him! He said that he is praying for us, and he was really glad to get our letters. He said he is happy to read that we have a library and that I enjoy working at the child care center, and he liked the pictures of the animals that I send to him. He asked what they were, but honestly, I have sent so many animal pictures that they really could be anything! :)

Then we got a letter from Pitchaya in Thailand!

Pitchaya shared that things are going well at the university and he really enjoys our letters! He is so sweet! He always mentions things from our letters, like saying that he enjoys seeing the pictures of our little cousins, and that he thinks our zoo sounds like fun!

We were very happy to get our first "real" letter from Sithum in Sri Lanka this week!

It had been six months since our last letter from little Sithum, and it was a pre-written form letter for his new sponsor. It is good to finally get to know him better! He said he really liked our pictures and the cards that he received. He said we are all looking beautiful! He shared that it's raining in his place, and his father is a fisherman. They make their living by selling fish, but it's not quite enough to support their everyday life. I will be praying for success in his work, and that he can find a job that will provide for his family! Sithum asked that we give his greetings to all of our friends! He drew a pretty picture of a tree-lined river. The river was purple!

Finally, we got a very special letter from Yekersew in Ethiopia!

I say the letter was special, but it didn't really say much. It was a form letter (Yekersew is only six!) He said his favorite food is injera and wat, and he likes the color green and loves playing soccer. He also likes cats! He drew some doodles for us, and said that he is happy to get our letters. The letter was so special because it came with an extra photo of Yekersew, his brother and his sisters!! Wow!! What an unexpected gift!! Yekersew's family is so cute- his sisters are beautiful and his brother is handsome!! Yekersew is the one with the biggest smile. :)