Can you believe March is already over?? Good grief. We just put 25% of 2016 behind us, and it feels like it just got here. Here are the letters we received this week!
Our first letter was from Amisha in India!
It was surprising to get a letter from Amisha, since we just heard from her a few weeks ago! She sent a form letter about her favorites. She likes basketball, the color pink, and her favorite animal is a horse. She also said her favorite place is the USA, and her favorite holiday is her birthday. :) On the back of the letter, she drew what might be a television (it's a black box on a little stand) and said she had never heard of alpacas before, but her teacher told her that it was the "sheep of Peru" and nice things are made from its wool. :) She said "it's looking very beautiful!" Amisha is also the first one of our kids to say she has been baptized by immersion, which is really neat. She shared that she likes singing, dance, and acting, and says to please "convey her love regards" to our uncles, pappaw, mammaw, and everyone else. She also said she really liked the picture of the red panda, and that she and her family are praying for us every day!
We got a bonus letter from Benji in Haiti this week, too!
Benji's letter was automatically generated because he got a new sponsor- my friend April and her husband Doug picked up his sponsorship a month or so ago when Benji's financial sponsor ended his sponsorship! He only has a little over a year to go in the program, and I'm glad that we are going to be able to stick with him until the end. It was nice to get a form intro letter from Benji, since we didn't get one when we first received him as a correspondent. We learned that he lives in the mountains, his dad's name is Penord and his mom is named Rosita. His best friend from school i named Frantely, and he has an 18 year old sister named Christelat. He likes eating rice and his favorite color is red, and his favorite song is "I lift my Hands!" And his favorite activity is studying, according to his letter. :)
We were also excited to get a letter from Kaue in Brazil!
It had been over six months since we got our first and only letter from Kaue. He's still a little guy, so his letters don't say much, but they're still cute- especially since it looks like he filled it out himself!! He sent a form letter about his friends. His closest friends are named Oseias, Dayane, and Jamille. He knows them from school and his neighborhood. He likes to learn things with hi friends, and they like to play outside! He also said "with my friends, I've learned to respect people." He also said he loved our letters and sent us hugs!
Next was a letter from Laura in the Dominican Republic!
We hadn't heard from Laura since last October- she is coming to the end of her time with the project, and I'm sure she is very busy! She said that she loves having Christmas eve dinner with her family, and asked about our celebrations. She also shared that she's going to go to college to study pharmacy, and her mom works in a lab! That is so cool! She's actually the second one of our kids who has a mom working in a lab!
Also coming from a kiddo we haven't heard from in a little while, we got a letter from Marc in Haiti!
Marc says that he appreciates the letters and photos we've been sending, and he said "I am so glad to hear about how everything is going with you." He asked that we pray that God will allow him to move forward in life and do well in his studies! He also responded to my letter about alpacas ands aid he had never heard of them before, but "you are the one who allows me to see it! He also said "I always think of you as you also think of me. I always look at your photos. Thanks for your prayers and the Christmas gift. He asked how my family was doing, and checked in on "Brando"- I can see from his handwriting that it's not just a translation error. Brandon gets all the cool nicknames- Said used to call him Blandin!!
Next was a letter from Patricia in Brazil!
Patricia's letters are short but sweet. In this one she shared that she really enjoyed Christmas, and told us that her parents are not currently employed. We will definitely be praying for them in that area! We also got two extra pictures of Patricia, which I will add here once they've been scanned. She sent another copy of the photo we received last year of her posing with her letters, and then a similar letter from another angle. She just has the prettiest smile and the cheeriest face!
We also got another letter from Sithum in Sri Lanka!
Sithum shared that his country recently celebrated their Independence Day, and everyone hung the Sri Lankan flag in their homes. They also received cookies and nutritious cereal from the project as a celebratory gift! Sithum also asked why I am working two jobs, and advised me that my back might hurt because I am overly tired from working. :) I thought it was cute that he was giving me advice on how to better take care of myself!
We also received a lovely letter from our Sukumar in India!
Sukumar is such a good letter writer!! He said he is studying well and since he last wrote, he received three letters from us. He said they were very interesting and useful! Sukumar shared that the farmers in his area are harvesting their crops, and he asked about our weather. He also said that during school holidays he would go with his parents to the village and meet with their friends. He was also going to sing and dance on Christmas Day! And he signed his letter 'Yours lovingly.' :)
Lastly, we got a surprise letter from Vandana!!
Since we just heard from her a few weeks ago, it was so neat to get another letter from her! She said that she received our "beautiful greetings," cards, and letters. She really enjoyed Christmas at the project and received a dress, a blanket, and a cake!! She also said that her studies are going well and her finals are at the end of March- right about now! And Vandana answered my question about whether she goes to church by sharing that she goes every day. And she likes to eat potato curry!
It's so great that you received so many surprise letters from kids you'd just heard from or those who you hadn't heard from in forever!! I loved reading Amisha's comments about alpacas. Did you write to all your kids about them? If not, one of us should and share it with all the kids!!
ReplyDeleteI did! Well, I wrote about the market, explained that I sold cookies and things to raise money for a mission trip, and mentioned that there were other handmade items like baskets and soaps for sale. Then I talked about the alpacas in their own little paragraph. Of course, I know that we have received more new kids since then, so not all of them heard about it. :)
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