We still haven't received any letters in the mail, and I'll be checking on that again this week. But we did get several in email form, which is good- at least the emails are keeping me going on tough days! The first email was a first letter from Geison in Colombia.
We just got Geison as a correspondent less than two months ago, and it only took about three weeks for his letter to be translated and get to us. That's awesome! Geison shared the name of his school, and that he's in 5th grade. Geison said that when he's done with school, he wants to be a military chaplain! That's amazing! He said he appreciates my "nice stories" and wants to know what I do in my free time. He said that recently he stayed with his grandparents and learned how to milk cows and ride horses!! That's awesome. I'm looking forward to telling him about my uncle's horses. He closed with "may the divine grace of God fill you with blessings."
Next, we heard from Michel in Colombia!
Michel actually goes to the same center as Geison, but she's a few years younger. When asked what she likes about school, Michel says she likes "the castle." I'm sure that's some sort of playground equipment! Her favorite class is computers, and her uniform is a red skirt and white sweater. She also takes a school bus to school each day. I'm glad that she has transportation! In response to a previous letter, Michel said she has heard about snowstorms on TV. She shared Psalm 105:8 with us, and included this cute drawing!
Next was a letter from Brian in Kenya!
Brian said he hopes we are well, and that his family is doing great. He said thank you for all the letters we sent, and said his favorite was when he heard that my mom had located her biological half brother and half sister, and then got to meet her brother! He said "I'm really happy for you guys. The story touched me so much." I actually thought it was pretty awesome that this happened and was interested to see what the kids thought- Brian's was our first response to that letter! He also said that he is always praying for us, and asked specifically about my brother Jonathan.
The same day, we got a letter from Nkoyio in Kenya!
Recently, Nkoyio has been opening her letters with "receive calvary greetings," and I like that. :) She shared that her area has been blessed with rain recently, which is great for the crops and the cattle they raise. She said she receives my letters with joy, and that she is praying that I will have good health to "work many hours." She asked that we pray for her studies and said she looks forward to hearing from us again soon!
Later in the afternoon, another Kenya letter came through- this time, from Gloria, who also attends Nkoyio's center!
I love looking at Gloria's new picture. Her sweet smile is so cute. She was so grumpy looking in her last picture (probably just not used to having her photo taken!) and I love seeing this change in her countenance! Gloria's letter was ADORABLE. She wrote it all herself and started with "hello Jessi I think you are fine." :) Gloria wrote a lot. She said she's praying for Brandon to be a good leader for his employees. She said her mother was sick recently, but she's doing better now, and wants us to continue praying for her. She also shared that she started going to a new school, and that she was third in her class recently! She responded to a letter I wrote about breakfast, saying her family does not drink coffee, but she likes eating fruit, especially pineapple. She also said she loves our family, just in the middle of another paragraph, and that she hoped we had a nice Valentine's Day. Gloria also drew a cute little picture for us, which she usually doesn't do!
The next day, we heard from our third Colombian kiddo- Julian!
Like Michel, Julian sent a form letter about school. His favorite subject is Math, and he likes being in the classroom! He said his uniform is black and white, and his school is a four minute walk from his home. Julian said he and his family are doing well, and he's never seen a snowstorm. He shared Philemon 1:4 with us.
On Saturday, we got a letter from little Fatuma in Kenya!
Fatuma's letters are always chatty and friendly. She always has a lot to say! This time she didn't write quite as much, but we still learned that her aunt had a baby recently, and they named it Mary. Fatuma apparently thinks that Mary is very funny- but I noticed she didn't see the same about her new little brother! :) We also heard that Fatuma's grandmother was sick recently, and while she did go to the hospital and receive treatment, she still needs prayer. Fatuma's handwriting is very thin and spidery, and she has a light touch with the pencil- I am still working on deciphering the rest of her letter, but in the meantime, here is a super cute picture she drew (the first we've received from her!)
And lastly, a letter from Laura in the Dominican Republic showed up at 2 am Sunday morning!! :)
We don't hear from Laura very often, and she is graduating at the end of the year, so I treasure each letter we get from her. Laura's letters are basically very sweet thank you notes for writing to her. I know she went a long time without letters, and she's just really grateful to be getting some now. :) She shared that she is doing well, and ask that we pray for her as she is starting to grow up- she said that the idea of moving out and going to college is "complicated," but I think she's a hard worker and she can accomplish a lot with her life. She's just at an awkward stage where she's not a kid but not a grown-up, either. :)
Wow!!!! So many letters! I love it!! So glad your kids are cheering you up. And I love that you're including your kids artwork now!!! They're such great artists (and please tell them I said so).
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