A few more letters have come in this week, which is great! Some of them were written recently (less than a month ago!) and a few were five or six months old. Still, progress is progress! First we heard from Zalifina in Tanzania.
Zalifina said her family is "very fine and healthy" and asked about us. She also said that they were in the "very cold season," which makes me smile because it's nothing like we will have here in a few months. :) She shared that she was on school holiday and she was helping her mom take care of their home. She then shared Psalm 35:1 with us and closed her letter "God bless you so much!"
Reine said her family is doing well and that they are having warm weather where she lives. She said that Easter was nice and many of her classmates were baptized! And that she herself was baptized in 2014! So far she is the first of my kids to tell me that they have been baptized- many others have said they are too young, or they want to be someday. With her birthday gift, Reine got a new pair of shoes and a mat. She also said she had never heard of an alpaca before, and was glad that I told her about them. She also made this lovely drawing!
The same day, we got a letter from Fatuma in Kenya!
Fatuma is so precious. She always says really sweet things in her letters. She opened with "it is always lovely to hear from you" and said that she and her family were doing very well. She also said that her project has been doing community work, such as helping the elderly with their chores and volunteering at a local hospital! "I love these moments." I'm so proud of her for having a servant's heart! She also asked if kids in our country have August holidays, and she would be having hers soon, and that she would be staying home with her parents. She also made this wonderful drawing of her house!
Next up, a letter from our lovely Rubby in Ghana!
Rubby shared that she is always grateful to receive our letters. She also said that she is learning to prepare food for her family and how to properly clean cooking equipment. She asked that we pray for her upcoming exams, and she shared Psalm 136 with us. Rubby also drew a lovely flower on her letter!
We also got our first letter from Isac in Mexico this week!
Isac is one of our newer correspondents- we were just matched with him back in June! I'm so glad we got our first letter from him so quickly. His letter was really cute. It was a form letter about holidays and such. He loves Christmas and his birthday, and for Christmas his family goes to church and eats tamales and drinks coffee. He also said "thank you for the food" as he apparently really loves eating at the project. The vegetables are his favorite! For his prayer request, he asked that we pray for his dad because his dad plays guitar and he wants to play guitar someday, too. :) And he made a colorful little drawing for us!
On the first day of the new month, I was very excited to see that I had a new letter from my dear Mary in Kenya!
It had been almost five months since we heard from her, which is the longest without letters we have gone since we started writing to her almost four years ago. This letter was probably in the bottom of a stack somewhere, because it was written in the spring! I always adore reading Mary's letters, though. She shared that she is continuing her training to become a caterer and is learning some exciting new ideas about cooking. She also shared what she's learned about kitchen cleanliness, including pulling back your hair and keeping your nails trimmed and clean. As for her recent spiritual developments, here's what she had to say: "There are many ways of worshiping God by praising him, giving to the needy, and also by Thanksgiving. The recent thing I have learned about the Bible is that we should give thanks in all circumstances, for it is the will of God." Then she shared about some of her favorites. Her favorite fruits are apple, mango, and watermelon, and her favorite activities are watching movies and spending time with her friends. She also like taking nature walks! Mary then asked me to send her more information about some things I have mentioned in my letters, specifically more information about freezing rain, and a description of how and MRI machine works. She also specifically asked how the Lord provides for our family, because he is faithful in providing for hers, and she asked that we continue praying for her grandmother who is still recovering from heart surgery.
Finally, we got another letter from Edmundo in the Philippines!
We just heard from Edmundo last week, so it was a big surprise to get another letter from him. I was also very impressed to see that he wrote this letter in English. He said his family is fine and that he's thankful for the four letters he received since the last time he wrote. He said "I read that your parents were married on Valentine's Day, and I am so happy to know that." He said he's praying that God will guide me every day and protect me from any danger. What a sweetheart!
That was neat to hear that Reine had been baptized in 2014. And I love how Fatuma and Rubby shared what they had been learning! Fatuma's project has some great activities. Edmundo and Isac are both so cute...I love that Isac's dad plays guitar and he wants to learn too!! And what an incredible letter from Mary!! I love that she's becoming a caterer. And I think a huge bonus to the new system is that now you share your kids' artwork. I love it!
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