tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75956686499770897232024-02-20T04:08:58.528-05:00Me and Mr. JonesBrandon and Jessi got married January 2nd, 2010.
This is a blog about
their life together!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.comBlogger717125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-31472212246099438392017-03-02T11:09:00.001-05:002017-03-02T11:09:58.811-05:00Compassion Joys: January and FebruaryBecause I'm having a little trouble keeping up with my regularly recurring blog posts, I decided to space them out a little further. So I'm trying to share about my Compassion news every two months instead of every month. Let's see how it goes!<br />
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<b>Letters! </b><br />
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Between January and February, we received 53 letters!! The vast majority of those arrived in February, when we received between 2 and 5 letters most days. We also received some mistake letters, meaning some letters from kids that we lost as correspondents quite a long time ago were mistakenly given to us. It was nice to hear from Sithum, Elifagason, Jemal, and others, even though we weren't supposed to get those letters. :) There were also a few first letters mixed in there, including one from Anahi's brother Isai in Honduras!<br />
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<b>Photo Updates!</b><br />
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A couple of our kids had photo updates in the new year, too! We are expecting plenty more as the year goes on, since many of our kids last had a photo update in 2015.<br />
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Bauner</div>
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Anggi</div>
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Abdias</div>
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<b>Extra Photos! </b><br />
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This has been a good month for extra photos! We received a few gift photos from some of our kids, as well as a fun bonus photo or two. :)<br />
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Some kids at Milder's project celebrating Sponsor's Day</div>
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Gift photos of Carla in Boliva</div>
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Gift photo of William in Bolivia</div>
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<b>New Kids</b><br />
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It's been exciting to receive a few new correspondents so far in 2017! Here are the new faces who have joined our family recently.<br />
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Simon, Bangladesh</div>
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Amilcar, Guatemala</div>
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Shanta, Bangladesh</div>
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Kenia in Nicaragua</div>
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<b>Graduations</b><br />
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We had four graduations in the first two months of this year! Laura in the Dominican Republic actually graduated in November of last year, but because of some software updates going on, she sort of lingered on our account for a couple of months. We are now facebook friends and I'm happy that I get to see more of her life and get to know her better there! Yesenia in Peru also graduated in February. We had only received two letters from her in the time we had her as a correspondent, but I'm glad I was able to send her off with lots of letters! Austin in Kenya and Carlos in Peru also graduated early, which was a big surprise! I heard that Austin moved away to another city and has his own apartment, which is amazing, and he is working to open a garage with his mechanic skills! Carlos is currently working in Lima and is preparing to start some university classes this month! I am now also facebook friends with Carlos, and I am so ridiculously thankful for this opportunity to keep in touch with him. We have even chatted on Messenger a few times! It's awesome!<br />
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<b>Prayer Requests</b><br />
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This week, we received a response from an inquiry for Said in Tanzania. I had asked about an inquiry because his information recently updated to say that there was only one child living at home. Said lost one sister a few years ago, but he still had one. I'm glad to learn that Moshi is ok, but sad to hear that they had to send her to another city to live with a relative because it was a financial struggle to keep the family together. I am praying about ways to help reunite the family that would be a long term solution for the family. Please pray that something will come up and Moshi can return to her family soon.<br />
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I am also working on putting together some fundraising opportunities to purchase a wheelchair for our Jefferson Joel in Ecuador. Seeing his photo makes me hurt for him, because he is all squished up in the stroller so they can move him around more easily. I have been praying about this since he was added to our account last month, and while we can't get a solid number on what exactly it would cost for him to get this chair at the moment, I do believe that God has given me the figure that I need to try to raise. Please pray that my fundraising efforts will be successful and that we will be able to provide him with this much needed device as soon as possible. And if you have some good fundraising ideas, I'd love to hear them!<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-12918595187185460722017-02-28T09:58:00.000-05:002017-02-28T09:58:43.890-05:00A Million Reasons WhyIn my experience, people usually have one of two motives when they ask you why you do something. The first is genuine curiosity, usually because they're considering trying something out for themselves. "Why did you pick that particular vacuum cleaner?" "Why do you go to that church?" "Why did you upgrade your phone so soon after getting your last one?" The second reason is usually a questioning of motives. They might be trying to find out what makes you tick, or they might think you have some sort of secret plan in mind. But have you ever noticed that, if you're doing a "good" thing and someone asks you why, it's almost always the second reason?<br />
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We don't ask why people apply for promotions when they are happy with their jobs, but we ask why they'd pay for the car behind them in the drive thru lane. We don't ask why a family of three needs a four bedroom, 2,000 square foot house, but we ask why people give up their weekends for community service. We don't question our friends if they share their purchases on social media, like makeup that requires a carefully timed pre-order or a subscription box to have snacks delivered to your door each month; but they will ask you why you're loaning money to a stranger on Kiva or packing a bag with Christmas gifts for a child who "may not really need them."<br />
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People ask me why I sponsor so many kids, and why I write to even more. I think that when people ask me why, they're falling into that second category. Not maliciously, but they really don't understand why anyone would do that. They might think it's kind of weird. They remind me I could pay off my bills a lot sooner if I didn't commit so much of my income to sponsorship. They wonder aloud how I have time to take care of my responsibilities AND write a hundred letters every week or so. They ask why I can trust a large charity to use my money wisely when they've been burned by non-profits themselves in the past.<br />
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The answer to all of those questions is the same. Why? Because I've seen what Compassion is doing. I saw a glimpse of it in the letters I received prior to March 2014, when I took my first trip with Compassion to Tanzania. But I really, truly saw, with my own eyes, on that trip and the one that followed, in Honduras last October. Why do I give so much of my paycheck to Compassion? Because with my money, they're giving life. They're feeding hungry bellies and hungry souls. My money is buying food, providing medicine, keeping people safe.<br />
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Why do I spend so much time each week writing letters? Because the recipients of those letters are living, breathing human beings who deserve to be encouraged, prayed for, and dearly loved.<br />
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Why do I write to so many kids? Wouldn't just a few be enough? Because I've held the hands of kids who are living with unimaginable burdens, dealing with things no adult should live with, let alone children. And I've heard them talk about their friends and classmates receiving letters, while they receive none. I've heard the project staff share that some kids pray to God to receive letters, ask why their sponsor doesn't love them, confide that they worry God doesn't care, either, because he doesn't answer those prayers.<br />
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Why do I trust Compassion to be good stewards of my money? Because they've been doing this a long time- more than half a century, actually- and they do it well. Because I've seen the facilities and the offices and the homes of the beneficiaries and I know that smart people are using that money in smart ways. I've spent time with the office staff, the project facilitators, and the pastors who are dedicating their lives to eliminating extreme poverty by making life better for these children, making sacrifices of their time, their skill, and often their own money to lift them up.<br />
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Why do I do these things? After seeing what I've seen, how can I not? How can I ignore the teenager shoving half eaten pieces of chicken into her bag to take home to her hungry siblings? How can I ignore the little girl giving a tour of her neighborhood, casually pointing out who's been murdered at which home? How can I ignore the young lady who shares that she was used in local witchcraft practices and rituals- some that resulted in death- before the project rescued her and showed her Jesus? How can I ignore the boy who humbly opens his tiny home to visiting sponsors, admitting that he lives there by himself, in the dark, because his family moved on and didn't want him to join them? How can I ignore the family of seven living in the earthen house roughly the size of my kitchen? I can't. Knowing what I know, I can't NOT do anything. My heart, my conscience, my faith won't let me.<br />
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I hope that someday all my friends, family, and acquaintances will go from asking me "why" out of incredulity and start asking "why" because they want to get in on this themselves. Maybe it's time I start asking why not? Why don't you carve out a little space in your budget for an embarrassingly affordable commitment? Why don't you take a look at the children waiting for a sponsor sometime, praying over them and keeping your heart open to the possibility that God might want you to welcome one of them into your family? If you're already a sponsor, why not take the time today to write a letter or card, or even send an extra gift to your sponsor child- you'd be amazed at how far even $10 can go! These days you can't even get a fast food meal at some restaurants for that amount of money. Why not skip the carry out or the coffee run, just once, and provide your sponsor child with a new pair of shoes, school fees, or food for their family?<br />
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If you have your own "whys," know that you can always share them with me, and I'll do my best to answer them. If I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who will! And in the meantime, indulge me and take a look at these sweet, precious faces of kids who are waiting for their own sponsors. Maybe you're the answer to their own "whys."<br />
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<a href="https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?gid=06628304&source=">Patrick in Rwanda</a> has been waiting 416 days for a sponsor.</div>
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<a href="https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?gid=06738632&source=">Richard in Tanzania</a> has been waiting 365 days for a sponsor. </div>
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<a href="https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?gid=06871847&source=">Leidy in Colombia</a> has been waiting 307 days for a sponsor.</div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-57893860893904021002017-02-25T19:18:00.003-05:002017-02-25T19:18:53.061-05:00"What's-a goin' on." -Bret Michaels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello! I know I've posted a few project letters from Compassion recently, but not much else. I ran out of steam with my writing challenge- the prompts were getting weird, like "list ten things you want," as in a shopping list. I didn't like it so I didn't keep up with it or seek out something else to replace it. Sorry to disappoint. I had decided that I would check back in and share about my letters every other month, or maybe quarterly, since January was pretty slow for letters from our Compassion kids. It will be like an extended "Compassion Joys" post! :)<br />
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As for the rest of my life, things have been kind of a mess lately. I keep wanting to come back and blog, and then it doesn't happen. I think it's like when you're feeling down and really want to talk to someone but you don't want to burden them or put them in an awkward position. Or, conversely, if you're having a really good time and want to share it with someone but you don't want to sound like you're bragging. Sometimes it's just hard to share what I'm thinking and feeling.<br />
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Right now, life is weighing rather heavily on me. We are a bit stalled in the adoption process as we haven't yet been able to work out our schedules to take the parenting classes, which is our next step. I am really hoping we will be able to do this in April, but Brandon says he still doesn't know if he can make that work for his work schedule. I say he probably could, since he's the boss, but what do I know? It's also worth noting that when we do attend those parenting classes, it will be full steam ahead, so to speak, for pushing our paperwork through. That means we'd be looking at a matter of months until we received a referral and got to meet our kids, assuming the social workers found a match for us quickly. Since we stated in our paperwork that we are willing to take 2-3 kids, and up to age 9, we have broadened the field for who we might be matched with, meaning the odds are in our favor to be matched quickly. That is SO exciting but also a little intimidating! That means we have to be as ready as possible by the time we start those classes. And in our case, it means replacing my car. We both drive older cars (1996 and 1999!) that have their own issues, cosmetic and otherwise (pieces are literally falling off of Brandon's) and mine doesn't even have a back seat. I have to have a back seat in order to have kids. And buying a new (or new to us) car is a big financial commitment. We are just now getting used to frequently having enough money to both pay our bills and feed ourselves, and I for one experience quite a bit of anxiety thinking about adding a new bill to pay when we've been working so hard to eliminate bills (paying off student loans and medical bills.) You might be thinking "hey, just wait until you have kids! They're expensive!" And that's kind of the point. I just need to calm down about a lot of it and trust Brandon to take care of us and also be careful about my spending. I'm getting there, but it's still new and I feel shaky with it.<br />
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One thing I was really looking forward to this year was getting a new job. I really, really thought I was going to get a new job. A full time position opened up at my branch, and I applied for it and was so close. But another employee in the system who has been in the system longer than me also applied, and my boss gave the job to her. She met with me after she made the decision and told me she really wanted me to have it, but felt this was the most fair thing. I took the news better than I thought I would. I feel frustrated because the last time I was in this position, I had the experience and deserved the job over the person who got it, but I wasn't liked (for reasons beyond my control. Those reasons being that I worked for an incompetent loon and the other person who wanted the job is a she-demon. But I digress.) This time I was liked and appreciated and valued, and.....I lacked the experience? Twelve years in the same job, doing excellent work and being appreciated by my boss doesn't stack up well enough against a mystery person who interviewed well and has more experience. The person who got the job is so sweet and friendly and I really like her as a person. But I wrestle with this sometimes. I'm not mad at her at all. And not mad at my boss, either. Just frustrated that things at some other libraries are bad enough that my coworker felt she had to get out or she was going to die, so she moved over here, knocking me out of that place. I struggle, too, because I have wanted this for over a decade and it would be a life changing opportunity. I would have had all my debt, save my mortgage, paid off in about a year and a half. What would I have been able to do after that? What could I have accomplished? I could sponsor more kids, donate more to my preferred local charities, help family members in need, pursue more adoptions without hesitation. And it drives me a little crazy that this "dream" of mine is something so attainable, by many standards, and it still dangles just outside my reach. It might sound a little dramatic, but over and over in my head, for the past month or so, I just keep hearing "you can't win."<br />
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I've been struggling with my depression since I got the news that I am staying in my current position at work. But for whatever reason, it's not because of the job, really. I don't know why, but missing out on this has caused the burden in my heart about being childless to grow exponentially. It HURTS. It's so heavy. And I don't know what to do about it. I am hiding a lot of photos on Facebook right now because I have these moments, or days, when I cannot stand seeing anything about anyone's life. It's not always that way, but it's happening more than I want it to. It's not bitterness, I don't think, because I'm not mad about it, but I am sad about missing out. Like if you had a bunch of friends who were excellent chefs and bakers and they were always posting about what they were cooking and eating, and you had crazy weird food allergies that meant you couldn't have ANY of that right now, and you really loved them before and KNOW what you're missing out on. It's just too much sometimes, and I don't want to see it. "I really thought I'd be having cake for my birthday, and birthday cake has always been my favorite part of those celebrations. But I can't have cake anymore, and everyone around me is posting photos of their cake. It's making me sad so I don't want to see it right now." Only times a thousand, because family is more important than cake. If you have kids and we are friends and you feel bad reading this, please don't. I'm still liking photos (sometimes!) and caring about your life. But at the same time, I am growing really weary of my life not being the way I feel it is supposed to be. It's incredibly irritating that God has placed these desires on my heart and then continually holds the realizations of those desires out of reach.<br />
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So my depression is bad right now. Not "I'm not leaving the house" bad, but "I'm super emotional all the time and everything is either irrationally irritating or irrationally heartbreaking at the moment." I keep getting choked up when I think of sad things that have happened to a fandom character or the fact that my dog is getting old. Completely out of the blue. Or I want to tell people off for stupid little things. I'm definitely ready for this cloud hanging over my head to dissipate or move on or even shrink a little bit. I want to feel normal again, whatever normal is. And I want to be content. I worry sometimes that I sound discontent. I'm a little impatient, for sure, but it is really hard feeling stuck in one place when you know- KNOW- that God has something else planned for you. Bigger and better things. And you don't know WHEN they are coming and it feels like it's already been an awfully long time.<br />
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So that's my update for now. If you are the praying type, I'd really appreciate your prayers. I feel like I ask for them a lot, and that I ask for the same things over and over again: peace, contentment, happy feelings if things don't work out the way I think they will. I know it's redundant, but I really do want and need that, and I hope you'll keep praying for me while I wait.Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-58799228901781610692017-02-25T18:37:00.001-05:002017-02-25T18:37:38.624-05:00Project Letter: GU-996<i>We recently received a letter from Bauner's project in Guatemala! All the photos are from Compassion's website.</i><br />
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My name is Javier C., pastor of Iglesia Bautista "Palestina," which partners with Compassion to (the project where your sponsored child attends. We are located in the region of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Cordial greetings! I wish you blessings in all that you do.<br />
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As a pastor, I thank you for your monthly support to Bauner. He receives it with smiles and even tears in his eyes. All our beneficiaries have their own Holy Bibles, uniforms, school supplies, and delicious food received in their classrooms. We thank God for what you send Bauner.<br />
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We live in a region of hot weather. Our population speaks Queqchi and their educational level is sixth grade; just some students reach ninth grade. The main sources of income are corn, achoite (annatto) and chili farming. We count on water, electricity, transportation, and general dwelling. There are asphalted roads where heavy transportation travels. However, we are mainly affected by thefts, family problems, and violence.<br />
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My vision for this church is to be a united church, with love to the neighbor, firm in their Christian faith, reaching all families everywhere through Gospel preaching. My vision for this center is to show the way of truth in Jesus, teaching registered boys and girls how to generate income for their families and good health practices.<br />
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Compassion's program has impacted our beneficiaries, since they are now responsible, know Jesus, love God, and are respectful wherever they go, different from those children who are not part of the program, who are irreverent, don't know Jesus, and misbehave everywhere. Last year 30 children came to Christ at the center.<br />
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Regarding the health area, 27 beneficiaries are recovering from a contagious disease and we are helping them through medical treatment and follow ups, thanks to your help. Another girl had a surgery due to a hernia, and thanks to God all of them are now stronger and healthier. Their parents are also very grateful to God and to sponsors.<br />
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We have 273 registered children, and 89 of them are attending regular services at church. 88 beneficiaries have sponsors, and 28 families belong to the Baptist church and are now active members.<br />
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Letters between children and sponsors are very useful, since they can be in direct communication with one another. Children are able to thank their sponsors for their monthly contribution, with their own words, and learn about their health, job, etc. Boys and girls become really excited when they receive a letter and are encourage to participate in activities in the center. However, those who don't receive any correspondence feel sad and ask why their sponsors don't write to them. Please make a time to write often to Bauner; just a few lines means so much to them.<br />
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I ask your prayers for the provision of the necessary funds to solve the problem of the church's land. Pray for the 27 beneficiaries who were affected by the virus to be strengthened and completely healed. Also pray for jobs to those parents who don't have a job. Thank you very much for your contribution to our children. Thank you also for reading this letter. May God bless your paths and your family.<br />
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If you're interested in sponsoring a child from Bauner's project, please consider sweet little Sonia! She has two siblings at home and helps her family take care of their animals! Read more about her <a href="https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?gid=06123765&source=">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-18150284979603800442017-01-24T13:42:00.001-05:002017-01-24T13:42:19.676-05:00Project Letter: HO-229<i>This letter came from our little Sofia's project in Honduras! Instead of pulling photos from Compassion's website, I'm sharing some from my visit to the center. :)</i><br />
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I am Benjamin H. M., pastor of the (church) and the project where we minister to Sofia. I thank you sincerely for sponsoring Sofia and for your noble generosity that supports all the little boys and girls in poverty. The economic, emotional, and spiritual support, and the love and affection for Sofia deserves noble attention.<br />
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One of the biggest problems that our community and church faces in insecurity, due to the expansion of groups of gangs, which intimidate the families. However, we trust in the promises from the Lord, which we are in His hands. The brothers and sisters in our church and the children from the center show their constant faith in this hostile environment.<br />
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The center has made a large impact on the lives of the children and we see that they improve in their student duties, are aiming to reach their professional goals, are in line with integrity and good harmony with the parents, and also have a firm desire to understand the scriptures and abide by the heavenly plan. The most important thing is that the values have been transformed. The youth also receive courses on crafts like fashion jewelry, music, cooking, beauty, and others, as a way to provide them with the tools to generate income and support themselves.<br />
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In addition to the holistic development program of Compassion that we use at the center for the children, as a church we evangelize and serve the community through "Libra de Amor" (A Pound of Love), which means food for the neediest. We put our church and volunteers from the center at the service of the families in need. Also, we organize activities from the community board, family and personal counseling as well as evangelization through groups at home. Currently as an achievement of the church and the center, there are 11 families, 45 sponsored children and youth who are now active members of the different ministries in our congregation.<br />
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I would like to encourage you to continue writing to Sofia. It is very important to send letters to the children, since this supports the sponsor-sponsored child coupling. In most cases, children are misunderstood at home and in the community. For them, this friendship developed through sponsorship and letters is necessary to make their hearts joyful. When they do not receive their letter there is a void and the child can lose interest in continuing attending the center that is part of the Compassion program. Once again, I am highly thankful for your help towards Sofia and this program.<br />
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If you're interested in sponsoring a little girl in Honduras, please consider sweet <a href="https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?gid=07018378&source=">Adeline</a>, who has been waiting more than six months for a sponsor! </div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-8477959448088573382017-01-16T09:54:00.000-05:002017-01-16T09:54:13.670-05:00Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Today I've been tasked to write about one of my struggles. Since today is a holiday and I sent a few extra hours in bed, I think the appropriate one to talk about would be procrastination.<br />
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Ironically, I almost wrote this entry yesterday. And then I decided to put it off.<br />
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I don't know why I struggle with it so much. I think part of it is genetic. I know that my parents procrastinate (sorry, mom and dad.) But most of it is on me. Sometimes it's just because I like being comfortable. Say I need to do the dishes. I might plan to do that after breakfast. So I settle into the living room with my coffee and my laptop, catching up on the news, and then the coffee is gone and the news has been read, and I'm not ready to do dishes. Because that's not fun and I'm comfy and I don't want to get up. And I keep finding things to do that do not involve the dishes. And then it's lunch time.<br />
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At least that sort of makes sense, though. It makes sense to not want to to do a chore, especially one that is time consuming and a little gross (looking at you, smushy food particles) and honestly, sometimes it hurts my back. But then there are other, stupid little things that I put off and put off and put off for no reason known to myself. Addressing an envelope to put out in the mail. Or filing my kids' letters. I have a HUGE pile of letters to put away. And I have been *thinking* about it for weeks. I even took my file box over to my mom's last week when I went over there for lunch, planning to do it then (or ask her to do it for me, because I have a mental block against it for some reason.) But then it was raining and I didn't want to bring them out of the car! Now here I am, writing a blog post that I put off for 24 hours, because......I was going to file those letters, and I'm putting it off. Again. Good grief.<br />
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Every year I hope to be a little more intentional, and I think in some ways it works out. I don't waste as much time as I used to, but I still waste a lot, or put my priorities in a weird order for stupid reasons. I'm not sure that this is one bad habit I'm ever going to completely break. It seems to be part of my DNA.<br />
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So PLEASE tell me that you have some weird habit that you struggle with. Something so embarrassingly simple. Like putting off simple tasks because you've developed an irrational aversion to them over time.Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-19548330096026596412017-01-14T18:18:00.001-05:002017-01-14T18:21:04.155-05:00Sing Out Loud, Sing Out StrongMy writing assignment for today is to share 10 songs I'm loving right now! I tend to listen to a lot of the same music over and over, and I don't listen to a lot of current stuff. So here are ten songs I really like. I could name a million.<br />
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1. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bQN0zl7gVc">14th Street</a>" by Rufus Wainwright. Rufus is one of my favorite artists. I used to give mix CDs of his music out like gospel tracts in high school, trying to make converts. I love Rufus. I haven't kept up with his music as much in recent years because I didn't enjoy some of his newer albums quite as much as I did the first four or five. He's been doing more live recordings and special events, and tribute work- and that doesn't work for me quite as much. "Poses" is my favorite album of his, and I recommend that everyone give it a listen at least once, but this is the first song that popped into my head when I sat down to write this post. "14th Street" is a fun, catchy song from Rufus' third studio album, Want One. And that's a really good album, too. It's a bit more theatrical than "Poses," which has a simpler sound. There are lots of layers in almost all the songs, with orchestras and banjos and multiple tracks of Rufus harmonizing with himself. It's cool.<br />
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2. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--IqqusnNQ">Life on Mars?</a>" by David Bowie. Oh, how I love David. My best friend and I went to see an orchestral tribute to his work last weekend, and it was so fun- and sentimental. We miss him a lot. "Life on Mars?" is, I think, my favorite Bowie song, though it is hard to choose because there are many that I love for many, many reasons. Some have emotional ties, some tell interesting stories, some are just fun to dance to. The concert closed with this tune, and it was so fitting. I don't know why, but it just worked. To me, this is the quintessential David Bowie tune.<br />
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3. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo">Total Eclipse of the Heart</a>" by Bonnie Tyler. This song is so ridiculous, and the video is even crazier. It's beyond over the top. Maybe that's why I like it. I don't go to karaoke bars, but if I did, this would be my go-to song every time. It just feels epic.<br />
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4. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UzkOrdKUII">Looks Like We Made It</a>" by Barry Manilow. I can't explain my love of Barry Manilow. I have no idea why I love him so much. I have all his albums, most of them on vinyl. I used to buy extra copies at yard sales and flea markets so I could cut up the covers for the artwork. He's just a happy, sparkly dweeb, who has a nice voice and sings cheesy songs that make me feel good. My best friend and I also got to go see him in concert in 2015, and it was AMAZING. He's so old but he puts on such a good show! I love many of his songs, but this one is my favorite. It's just a nice love song. And I love that I got to hear him see it live- I took a video of most of the song!<br />
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5. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE">Mr. Brightside</a>" by The Killers. Holy Crap, Hot Fuss was an incredible album. I've bought it three or four times because I kept losing copies in my car or accidentally scratching them up, carrying them around everywhere. There aren't a lot of albums that I enjoy listening to start to finish, since I have a short attention span and I like skipping tracks. I am so glad this song has become a meme now. Seeing them online makes me so happy! I love the whole album, but I picked this song because it's just quintessential Killers. I think "Somebody Told Me" was their first single from the album, but this is the song everyone remembers. The video helps.<br />
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6. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn2PNlhvy8E">Dance to the Music</a>" by Sly & the Family Stone. I love so many songs, artists, and albums from the 70s. If I had to choose a favorite decade for music, it'd be a really close tie between that and the 80s, just because I love a lot of that pop. This song always makes me feel good and want to dance.<br />
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7. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_T3XvzPaM">Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes</a>" by Paul Simon, featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo. "Graceland" is another album that I can listen to all the way through. It had such an innovative sound- Paul Simon almost always has. Well, I say it's innovative, but really it borrows a lot from other genres and cultures, like zydeco and, of course, South African superstars LBM. I love the spirit of the songs on this album, and I think this one is my favorite (though I also really like "Under African Skies.")<br />
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8. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8aZTnCT-PE">Kathy's Song</a>" by Simon & Garfunkel (live version.) Hey, there's Paul Simon again. I love, love, love Simon & Garfunkel. Their original Greatest Hits album is one of my favorites. But this one is at the top for me. It's so pure and sweet. The lyrics are perfect. I remember an assignment from high school where I had to bring in my favorite poem, and I brought the lyrics to this song. It's basically perfect.<br />
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9. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw">Iris</a>" by Goo Goo Dolls. I'm noticing I'm basically just choosing all the same songs I've claimed as my favorites for the last 10-15 years. Well, good stuff doesn't change, I guess. I'm not sure what originally drew me to this song, but it's the first one I learned to play on the guitar!<br />
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10. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkxj-FBEH1w">Your Song</a>" performed by Ewan McGregor, from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. I have always loved Elton John. And I've always loved this song. But seeing Moulin Rouge was such an experience for me! It is one of my all time favorite movies. It has everything that appeals to me: 80s music, singing, lots of glitter and sparkles, forbidden romance, and some tragedy. I loved the soundtrack, especially the tracks sung by Ewan (also known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Amazing.) I love this song so much, it's what I chose for walking down the aisle in my wedding!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-15781841950770225052017-01-13T10:15:00.000-05:002017-01-13T10:15:14.517-05:00Wandering.For this writing assignment, I'm supposed to share about five places I'd like to visit. If only there were <i>just</i> five places I'd like to go! I honestly couldn't narrow it down. I want to be able to visit all of the countries where Compassion works, and there are a couple dozen of those. I want to see several countries in Europe and tons of places in my own country. I want to go to Alaska, Seattle, northern California, Chicago, New York (More than just the airport), New Orleans, the Dakotas.....all over. So since I have to pick five, how about I pick five places I want to go <i>back</i> to?<div>
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5. Atlanta. It has been a while since I went to Atlanta- probably before I got married. I feel like we used to go all the time when I was a kid, because I have family there. My dad worked for Delta for a while and my uncle used to live there. My aunt still does. The last time that we were there, mom was working a conference and we were heading on to Disney World after that, so we worked a bit and we also did some fun stuff. There's a lot I like about Atlanta. I like the history and the Civil War museums, even though they were on the wrong side. I loved the zoo- I think I was 10 years old the last time I was there! The botanical gardens are absolutely gorgeous (that was the last trip) and there are lots of cool parks and museums, too. There are a lot of things I'm remembering that would be really fun to re-visit, and a lot that Brandon has never seen before that I want to share with him! </div>
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4. Washington, D.C. I think a lot of people visit Washington for 8th grade trips. My school did that. But I was in 8th grade in 2001. And a big thing happened then that made our school administration feel Washington might not be a safe place to visit just then. My family couldn't really afford the trip, anyway, so I probably wasn't going to go. But the summer after I finished 8th grade, my cousin went to a sports camp thing at a school in Washington, and my aunt and grandpa were going to make the trip up with her, and I got invited along. We went to a few of the museums and monuments, and it was cool- but I'd like to see more of it. And as a 14 year old, I didn't really appreciate what I was seeing at the time. My fascination with politics and the presidency didn't really set in until I was in college. I care a lot more about what I'd be seeing now than I did then. I hope that Brandon and I are able to make a trip over there sometime and see everything that I missed the first time, and give a better look to the places I've already visited. </div>
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3. Gatlinburg. My family used to visit Gatlinburg a <i>lot.</i> I think it was every year for the first few years of my life. And then every other year (we'd alternate between Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg for a while.) I feel really sentimental about that place, and it makes me sad that I haven't been there in so long! Brandon and I have never taken a vacation together (not since our honeymoon, anyway) and since Gatlinburg is only a few hours away, I'm really hoping we can go there sometime in the next two or three years. So much of it is kitschy and touristy, but I still love it. I love the mountains and the little shops, and all the candy stores (a large part of the town smells like sugar.) I like driving through the woods and I like eating at the Pancake Pantry. It just makes me feel happy. </div>
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2. Honduras. I liked being there and the people were really nice, but mostly I just want to hug my kids again. Honduras is really pretty and the people are lovely, but I didn't quite connect with the culture as deeply as I did with the next place. </div>
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1. Tanzania. For over two years, I thought about Tanzania every day. I ached to go back there. I miss the red dirt and the clay homes and the big pots of food that I got really sick of eating. I miss hearing Swahili and sweetly accented English. I miss the radiant joy and open hearts. Since I went to Honduras last October, that ache has subsided just a little. I deeply miss being with my kids in Honduras, and feel like I have to get back there as soon as I can to squeeze them and play with them and hold hands and talk with them. But Honduras is a lot closer and more accessible than Tanzania is. If I got a ticket right now to go anywhere I wanted, it would be Tanzania. If I had to move to another country for some inexplicable reason, it would be Tanzania. If I could recommend a place for someone to visit, for a week or a month, it would be Tanzania. It gets under your skin and sets up permanent residence in your heart. You can't shake it. And I so hope that I get to go back someday. </div>
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Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-40321539462197666872017-01-11T09:13:00.001-05:002017-01-11T09:13:24.478-05:00Good Friends Who Influence PeopleThis is day four of my thirty day writing challenge! I think I'm making pretty good time!<br />
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Today I'm supposed to write about someone who inspires me. When I first read that, I felt a little stuck. I know that there are a lot of people I really like and enjoy, people I want to emulate or just love reading about. Jane Goodall, Jim Henson, David Bowie, and Malala Yousafzai all come to mind. But I don't think "inspire" means that you really like someone. Or even that you hope some aspects of their life look like your own. I hope I'm as brave as Malala and Jane (who were brave in different ways.) I hope I'm as creative as Jim and as innovative as David. None of those people have ever stirred me to action, though. I double-checked the dictionary today, to see what the word inspire really means, rather than just working off of what I <i>feel </i>like it means. To inspire is to fill someone with the urge or ability to do something. Synonyms include motivate, encourage, influence, and affect. So let me tell you about someone who really and truly inspires me.<br />
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My friend Hannah has had a really big impact on my life, in ways that she probably doesn't understand. I've grown a lot as a person and as a Christian in the past several years, and I owe part of that to Hannah. We have never met in person- our friendship exists because of the internet, and our meeting through the Compassion sponsor community. But that friendship means as much to me as if she'd lived next door to me for ten years. Hannah is a patient, gentle, kind, loving person who has inspired and encouraged me in many ways.<br />
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Her patience and gentleness when dealing with difficult people has inspired me to try to extend those same qualities when I am frustrated with someone. She may be angered or irritated by some current event, but instead of voicing those opinions publicly, like I might, she shares them quietly with individuals- which avoids a lot of arguments and maddening discussions with people who feel differently, I'm sure. If someone writes something mean or stupid on one of her posts, she deletes the post instead of contradicting them. She shares a lot of joy with the people around her, working hard to encourage them and lift them up if she's surrounded by people who are feeling down. She's inspired me to think before I post, to reconsider my words and my tone, and to be a better representative of my faith (which is all about love and not about arguing.) The person I was on the internet even three or four years ago is so different than the person I am today, and so much of that is due to Hannah's influence. She <i>inspires</i> me to do better in my interactions with people.<br />
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Hannah is a great friend to me and is always available to chat, to be a sounding board, to listen to my problems and offer me encouragement. She's very available to her friends and is thoughtful and loving in her responses. If I ask her to pray, I know she will. If I am feeling burdened by something and tell her about it, I know she shares those burdens, too. Yesterday I was so anxious waiting for something to come to pass, and she messaged me throughout the day, telling me that she was waiting <i>with</i> me. She lives hundreds of miles away and we have never been in each other's presence physically, but her heart was with me as she went about her busy day. She inspires me to be a better friend, both to the people in my every day life and the people that I only know through digital interaction.<br />
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And Hannah has inspired me to be a better sponsor! Long ago, I "met" her through the Compassion Bloggers network and an old social network the sponsors used to have. I loved her enthusiasm for her kids and the way she cared about each of them as individuals. I loved her blog posts and her ideas for things to send her sponsor kids. Hannah's enthusiasm for Compassion and for ministering to children through letters had a huge influence on me, and inspired me to pray for and write to our kids faithfully. Her passion for the ministry helped awaken a similar passion in me. I really believe part of the reason God placed her in my life was to inspire me to be the best sponsor I can be, which has led to accepting more financial commitments, more correspondence kids, and saying "yes" to God's prompting to go on TWO overseas trips in less than three years. And because of those things, I've had these amazing experiences, met some beautiful people, and now write to over 100 kids all around the world.<br />
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Thank you, Hannah, for being so awesome! I'm grateful for your friendship and for the impact you've had on my life!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-54231542073335868272017-01-10T09:42:00.001-05:002017-01-10T09:42:19.213-05:00How Rude. Well, skipping one day of my writing challenge isn't too bad. I've got plenty of time to kill today so I figured I'd stop by and write something.<br />
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Today I've been tasked with sharing my top three pet peeves. I feel like I have a lot of "peeves." There are a lot of things that bother me, some of them irrational. I can't stand seeing certain actors in movies (I will boo or throw things in the direction of the television. Or claim to be dying.) I have a weird beef with celery and honeydew melon. Overreacting to things like this is done partly in the name of comedy, but gosh, I really, <i>really</i> do not like some things.<br />
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This post feels like complaining. Remember that I was asked to do it.<br />
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My biggest pet peeve, I guess, would be when something is happening that's not fair or right. I really can't stand it. When I was a kid, I'd get incredibly stressed if I read a chapter book that had someone being mistreated in it. The same thing would happen with television shows. My brother and I were just talking about this the other day- I got the entire series of Full House on DVD for Christmas, and we were texting about all the crazy things that happened on that goofy show. One episode that always infuriated the both of us was when Michelle, the youngest daughter (do I really have to explain that?) kept getting a free pass for her bad behavior from dad Danny. The older two girls, Stephanie and DJ, would get in trouble for the smallest infractions. Near the end of the episode, spoiled Michelle brings her kiddie pool into the kitchen and fills it with water. Stephanie and DJ call their father into the room, so he can see that Michelle has a problem with feeling entitled and privileged. Danny comes in and immediately blames his older daughters. I don't know why that enrages me so much. It's a TV show! But it's not right.<br />
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My moral compass is more like an overbearingly loud weather alert radio. It cannot be ignored. And it's incredibly obnoxious at times, particularly when it's going off because of something inane and not particularly pressing (like when my phone alert goes off just to tell me that there was lightning somewhere seven miles away.) I don't talk about my moral compass to be self righteous or make me sound like I think I'm perfect. I make mistakes <i>all the time.</i> And sometimes those mistakes include reacting when I'm trying to stifle my moral compass! This past year I really struggled with some issues floating around the election. I know that my posts upset some people because they thought I was criticizing them, or because they didn't agree with me. My tone wasn't always as gentle as I hoped it would be (that happens sometimes and I try to self-censor by deleting more combative posts later on.) I'm not going to say that people of one religious persuasion are incapable of voting for a particular party. That's ridiculous. But I could not tolerate some particular statements that those around me made regarding the morality and ethics of their votes. The hypocrisy and, well, <i>unfairness</i> of it all brought me literal, physical pain. I started having high blood pressure around the times of the debates because there were things that were said that were not true (which is something that is wrong, which bothers my moral compass) and there was <b>no</b> accountability for it. Which also bothered my moral compass. I think telling the truth is something that is objectively always "right" and it bugs me that we now live in a world where truth is questioned, or bastardized on the regular. It will be interesting to see what the next few years are like. No matter who had won the election, we'd be in the same place we are now, because of the way our minds have been shaped over the past few years. So I'm not blaming the person who won. I'm blaming everyone. I hope that someday soon we can get back to the point where we don't think a myth-busting website has a dishonest agenda just because they're reporting something that upsets us. If someone debunks a viral news story that was making you feel better about your viewpoint or your personal stance on something, they're not lying. They're telling you a truth you don't want to hear. I didn't want to hear that the viral video about a big hawk picking up a small child was faked, because I thought that was really funny and interesting. But when I found out that it wasn't, I didn't say "oh, no, that's a lie. I know what those birds are capable of. I know they really do that. The pro-bird people just want us to think that they're nicer than that, and that they wouldn't want to do something like that." That's silly. But that's where we are now.<br />
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I think I'm going to decline to follow the assignment to the letter today, because listing more pet peeves would just stress me out. My emotions are already running pretty high, and I've got some anxiety issues going on because of something I have to do this afternoon (a skippy heart and butterflies in the tummy. Manageable but not enjoyable.) You can just take my word for it that there are plenty more things out there that annoy me, though none of them are directly linked to the craziness that's going on across the country right now.Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-47248675623240111042017-01-08T14:51:00.000-05:002017-01-08T14:51:06.081-05:00Origami ButterfliesI made it! I'm back for the second day of my writing challenge- on time! Woohoo! It helps that it's freezing cold here and I have no motivation to do anything besides sit with my blankets and my laptop, avoiding my responsibilities.<br />
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Today I've been tasked with writing about something somebody has told me about myself that I've never forgotten. That opens up some doors to pretty hurtful things. I won't forget the camp counselor who told me I had anxiety because I didn't pray enough. Or the Bible study member who told me that, after talking it over with everyone else in our group, she didn't feel that I was a good enough Christian (and she linked that to my anxiety, too.) I won't forget the time a relative told me I'd have better friends if I dressed differently, or the time another one told me that I should choose a different career path than the one I was interested in at the time, because I "probably wouldn't be that good at it, anyway." But those things aren't really fun to dwell on. Or write about. Since we're at it, though, if you're reading this- your words matter. Some things are hard to forget. And if you think it's ok to gossip in Bible study group, you should spend less time gossiping and more time reading your Bible. But I digress.<br />
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There is one thing someone told me once that is positive (shocker!) that I don't think I'll ever forget. It happened a couple of years ago when I was in Tanzania. I had volunteered before the trip to help put together a craft for the VBS day we'd be hosting. I never meant to be put in charge, especially since I didn't have any spare room in my luggage, but I thought my experience helping to plan programs at the library would be helpful. Our theme was butterflies and how coming to know Jesus is a transformative experience. I thought it would be fun to do thumbprint caterpillars and coffee filter butterflies. The samples we put together after dinner one evening were so cute! It was fun seeing adults of all ages inking their thumbs and making these little caterpillars on construction paper, or getting creative with their coffee filter designs. We were doing the VBS day at a project between Singida, where we spent most of the week, and Arusha, where we started and ended the trip. We loaded up our luggage and checked out of the Singida hotel to head out to the project, which was a few hours away from where we had been staying. As we pulled into the muddy road leading to the project, our trip leader turned to ask me if we had remembered to get the luggage containing the craft supplies from the hotel office. No, we had not. Because we (meaning I) didn't know that it was in the office. I thought that our hosts had it and it had already been on the bus! My mind started racing, thinking of something else we could do with the craft and school supplies we were bringing as part of a project gift. Handprint butterflies were easy enough and could be done with crayons and paper. And, miraculously, one of our travelers was a big fan of origami and had brought a bunch of paper "just in case." And he knew how to make butterflies. When we set up the small classroom for our craft area, he taught a few people how to do the butterflies while I explained the handprints. It was chaotic and passed by way too quickly, but everything turned out fine. All the kids had fun- and some of the grandmotherly lunch ladies and project staff sat in and learned some origami, too!<br />
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Two mornings later, when we had finished our game drive (aka safari) and made it to our final hotel, I was joined by our trip leader at breakfast. We made small talk and I told him a little bit about my life back home, and he mentioned how glad he was that everything worked out for our VBS day. I was thrilled at this fun example of God's provision for the trip; "provision" was a word I used over and over to describe my journey and the events leading up to it! And then Sean, the leader, said "I was so impressed with how you handled everything! It was a crazy situation and you brought everything together so well. You must be a really calm, cool headed person." And I nearly spit out my hot chocolate. I burst into laughter, which really confused Sean. I thanked him and explained that those words have never, ever been used to describe me in my life. For all my years leading up to that point, everyone has seen me as an anxious, neurotic, overly emotional mess. I told him about my anxiety disorder and what a miracle it was that I was sitting there in that hotel, in Africa, getting ready to meet my sponsor children. I told him about how God had provided (provision! There's that word again) a calm spirit and a joyful heart, and the encouragement of so many family and friends. I bragged on God, sharing how I had fully expected to have a panic attack every day during the trip, and had made all these plans for how to cope with them and pull myself out of them as quickly as I could- but I really only had issues once! And even then, I was more sick than panicky. If I had felt that way back home, I would have had a full blown anxiety attack and probably had to miss work the next day. But everything worked out fine.<br />
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The fact that Sean was under the impression that I was a chill person, and shared that with me, still amuses me to this day. And it means a lot to me. It reminds me of God's faithfulness in a situation I never would have been able to dream of, let alone handle, without Him. It reminds me of the things I can do and have done- now when I'm feeling anxious about something, I tell myself, "girl, you have been to Africa, you can drive two exits down on the freeway. Seriously." And it reminds me of how far I've come! My anxiety isn't "cured"- the structure of my brain is not such that I will ever just "get over" this condition. But I cope with it so well now. It's not perfect, but it works for me. I lean less heavily on others when I'm experiencing anxiety, and I've learned several tricks for helping me cope with an attack- or warding one off completely. My life looks so much different than it did just a few years ago because I have learned to remind my brain that I'm in charge, and I'm not letting it ruin my fun. And for that, I am so grateful!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-65578836193097517682017-01-07T15:05:00.000-05:002017-01-07T15:09:26.332-05:00A Room Without A Roof<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the new year, I'd like to work on my writing more. It's something I enjoy, and sometimes I think that other people enjoy it, too. I mentioned on my blog about a month ago that I may not be posting much in the future. I'd like to amend that; I think that I'm going to try to keep writing, but I might not be keeping up with some of the same types of posts that I used to. I will definitely keep advocating for children in poverty, and will definitely keep sharing about my own kids, but I think I need a break from my "regularly scheduled" type posts!<br />
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While wasting some time on Pinterest yesterday, I came across some interesting posts about writing challenges. I know that I won't be able to keep up if I promise to write something every day. I have never been successful at those kinds of things. I'm making a "temperature blanket right now, crocheting one row in a different color each day to correspond with the weather. At the end of the year, I'll have a big, beautiful blanket! But we're only one week into the new year and I'm already two days behind! :)<br />
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The first assignment in this little challenge was to list ten things that make me really happy! So here they are:<br />
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<li>Laughing with my husband! Whether it's watching a funny movie (or making fun of a really bad one) or playfully picking on each other, Brandon is really good at making me laugh. And I love making him laugh. I feel a little proud of myself when I get him cracking up hard enough that he sounds like he can't breathe!</li>
<li>Music! I have always loved music! I like to listen to it when I work and when I sleep. I attach memories and feelings to songs and albums. .I love singing in the car and I love when I have someone to sing with me. If I were to look back on a time, searching for a memory of vague happiness, music is always involved. I felt happy going on field trips, sneaking headphones and a splitter to share with my friend. I felt happy catching a ride with classmates after play practices (or even detention....oops) singing along to musical soundtracks. I felt happy as a little kid, making my Barbies "lip sync" a concert or seven. And I'm happy I'm going to a concert tonight! My best friend and I are going to see an orchestral tribute to our favorite artist, and I'm really looking forward to it! </li>
<li>Dogs! I really love all animals- Brandon and I love visiting the zoo and learning about animals through documentaries and books. But dogs make me <i>so happy. </i>Meeting a new dog is always the best part of visiting someone's house. I follow dozens of dog-related facebook pages and instagram accounts related to dogs, whether they're cute puppies, senior dogs living out their golden years at a rescue farm, or videos of pups just being their sweet, innocent selves (like the one I saw last night of the lab who danced and pranced waiting for a machine to throw a ball for him. God bless.) Even if you are more of a cat person (.........) or don't really care about animals all that much, sometimes seeing a dog being its regular, goofy self can cheer you up. </li>
<li>Books! Reading books is fun, of course, but even being around them makes me happy! Growing up, just walking into a library or bookstore could relieve my tension and lift my spirits, even if I knew I wasn't coming home with any of the books! There's just something about them that's relaxing and cheerful. Of course, walking into a library or bookstore now also makes me feel like I should be working. I tidy the shelves sometimes without being asked. I can't help it. </li>
<li>My job! Work actually makes me happy. Now, of course, there are times (or situations or people) that do NOT make me happy. But in general, I'm happy to be at work. Driving over there I have a sense that I could be doing more interesting things with my day, but when I get there, it's all good. My coworkers are the best. I have so much fun at work sometimes, I feel a little guilty. I even come in early at least once a week to have dinner with those coworkers who are working longer days than I am. And it's not just my coworkers, either! I like greeting my favorite patrons and handing out stickers and seeing kids excited about books. I like making recommendations and asking patrons to come back and tell me if something's good. </li>
<li>Nostalgia! I think a little bit of nostalgia makes everyone feel good sometimes, but it usually makes me feel really warm and fuzzy inside. I get really excited when I remember the name of a forgotten favorite toy or TV show from my childhood. I like watching the same movies and shows over and over (as I'm typing this, I'm listening to the DVD set of Full House I got myself for Christmas!!) I hope that when I'm a mom, my kids will like the things I've saved for them that made me so happy when I was little! It's nice that something that made you feel good when you were 8 can still make you smile 20 years later. </li>
<li>Feeding people! Playing hostess is fun, but I like feeding people even if they aren't coming to my house. I like to bake and bring stuff to work, or to family gatherings, just to make people happy. There's something sacred about sharing food. I honestly wanted to make something and take it with me last October to Honduras- I figured fudge or cookies would make it safely and would still taste good on the second day, when I'd be visiting the child I sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira. Sadly, there just wasn't enough room in my bags! </li>
<li>Culture! Well, experiencing other cultures. And meeting people from other countries! I sometimes feel a little awkward because I get excited when I meet someone from another country. I love accents and trying to guess where people are from. I've hung around the pharmacy to talk to the Senegalese pharmacy tech before, or spent extra time helping my Bengali patrons. I like borrowing our "world" music CDs from the library, and trying new food at one of my city's numerous immigrant-owned restaurants. I never minded doing reports on different countries in school because I got to learn about all the customs, costumes, and cuisine! </li>
<li>Comedy! I know I already said I love to laugh with my husband, but I like laughing by myself and with other people, too. I will pick comedy over other genres almost any time. I save books and articles that make me laugh. I will listen to the same comedy specials over and over because they make me laugh and that's invaluable. I even save funny photos and share them in albums on facebook, because I love laughing and sometimes I need a place to go where I can find one when I'm down. It brings me a lot of joy to know that my friends like these albums, too, and get excited when they see that I've posted in them. Laughing myself sick is something I do on an embarrassingly regular basis. But I think it's good for me. </li>
<li>Kids! Kids make me happy. I work a few hours a week in a childcare center watching three and four year olds, and it is so much fun. I don't get the opportunity to babysit very often, but I love it. Family gatherings are extra fun when our little cousins are there. Kids are hilarious and fun. We have a lot in common. We love dinosaurs (and dogs!), playing dress up, coloring, arts and crafts, reading storybooks, the works. I can't wait to be a mom and I hope someday I get to be an aunt, too. And I'm thankful that my friends let me love on their kids and send them fun mail and surprises. </li>
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Now that I've spent this time sharing things that make me happy, I'd love to know something that makes you happy! </div>
Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-58958132470554771552017-01-01T03:20:00.001-05:002017-01-01T03:20:56.317-05:00Project Letter: BO-361<i>Here's a letter from Carla's project in Bolivia! All the photos came from Compassion's website. </i><br />
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Fraternal greetings in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, hoping that the grace and peace of the Highest One overwhelms you.<br />
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My name is Roberto R. I am the Pastor in the (church) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. We work with the Child Development Center where you sponsor Carla.<br />
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We are deeply thankful for the work and social help you give to Carla. Sponsorship is a great blessing for us and this is a great tool to teach the Gospel to the families that are receiving this benefit. We know that this is the great commission for the church; to preach the good news. The letters that the sponsored children receive are an encouragement where their worries are transformed into strength.<br />
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The church is located in a neighborhood that is growing in population because a lot of people from the center of Santa Cruz are starting to move here. Many people are moving to the suburbs of the city so we, as a church, have the need to preach the gospel to families that don't know the way to salvation. A really good way to reach them is to get to the families with food and education based on Biblical principles and Christian values. During these times we have been struggling with social insecurity, alcoholism, and drug addictions. Sadly our neighborhood is involved in these same social misbehaviors, but we firmly stand with the conviction that only God can change men from their sins.<br />
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The church is accomplishing the work in the measure of our possibilities, knowing that the center is a social tool of the church for this community. We have enthusiasm but we struggle with problems like family disintegration, very low family commitment, social dangers, etc.<br />
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We see big differences in sponsored children. They are healthy and have Christian values. The student center is an oasis inside their world where their reality is another one. Some of them do not have food, they don't have affection compensation, nor any advice, despite that all, they try to overcome their reality making a difference. We have former sponsored children that already graduated from different professions and they are also spiritual leaders in their churches.<br />
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This last year we have been putting an emphasis on missions, we are forming missionary teams, and we are also doing recess with the children from the suburbs and going to schools. The reception of letters and gifts are priceless for our sponsored children, we can see the great joy in their faces when they know that somebody remembers them. This has even more value because they don't physically know their sponsor, they feel that someone cares for them unconditionally, and that feeds their self-esteem. One can see the difference with the other children who don't receive anything, they feel sad. We know that sponsors have little time, but we encourage sponsors to please continue writing letters if they can. We know that this is a great encouragement for the boys and girls.<br />
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We ask you to please pray for the students and the people responsible of the student center, because it is a really delicate work. I say goodbye with a fraternal hug, wishing many blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ for your support of Carla.<br />
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<i>I also found a video filmed at Carla's project! It was shared by Compassion Canada's facebook page, and I recognized the uniform shirts. :) I asked them just to be sure that it was her project, and I was right! </i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCompassionCA%2Fvideos%2F10154411063432701%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe><br />
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If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Carla's project, precious Dulce has been waiting over six months for a sponsor! She's 9 years old and her birthday is July 11. You can read more about her here!<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-90856817446564106542016-12-31T11:09:00.000-05:002016-12-31T11:09:16.618-05:00Seek and you will find.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm pretty confident that 2017 is going to be interesting. In some ways, we have high expectations (I've lost count of how many times this year was referred to as a "dumpster fire." How much worse can it get?) And at the same time, I know there's a lot of anxiety and apprehension about the year to come.<br />
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Last year, I was challenged to think of a word to define my 2016. I chose "love." I hoped to love intentionally and fiercely. In the interest of full disclosure, I completely forgot about the challenge and that particular goal for the year, but I still tried to love. It's less a product of new year goals and more a product of my growing faith. The more I read the Bible and the better I get to know Jesus, I know that that's what He does best and what He wants most from me. And that goes a long way in guiding my choices and actions, from how I treat people to how I cast my ballots.<br />
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Once again, I've been challenged to choose a word for 2017. This is honestly something I've been thinking about since before the challenge was extended. I've been thinking about what's happened this year and what's to come in the next one. I've been thinking about where I stand and what I want to stand for. Whether you're aware of it or not, the world is changing. So is my country. There's some scary stuff on the horizon. How much of it is idle threats and how much is legit, I'm not sure. But I want to do something about it.<br />
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The things that are unfair in this world have always bothered me, maybe a little more than they do other people. I'm bothered by the fact that there are so many people in this world who are being taken advantage of and who need someone to stand up for them. I'm infuriated by political threats of action, which, recently, have sometimes been unconstitutional and illegal. I'm disgusted by the silence of people who are in a position to do something. Recently my city made national news when some nasty woman publicly berated and cursed two ladies who were doing their Christmas shopping, screaming at them to go back "where they came from," accusing them of being leeches on society, and a number of other horrible comments. I was angry at her statements, of course, but I think we can all admit that we've heard things like that before. Maybe not in public. Maybe just at the Thanksgiving table or in an internet comments section. But I was horrified that NO ONE in that line said anything. Not a single person. The sales clerk eventually told her to watch her language when she got really profane, rather than calling a manager or security. There were at least a dozen people in that line, and no one offered a simple "stop." Or "no." No one. It was embarrassing and infuriating. My heart broke for the women in line. My brain hurt that someone would say such stupid and nonsensical things. Somebody should have said something. And stuff happens EVERY DAY that we have a chance to speak up about, to do something about.<br />
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In all this pondering how I am going to stand up, speak up, fight back in the face of so much wrongness, I've decided that my word for 2017 is this: justice. It's not a verb, but a goal. In the coming year, I hope to stand up for others. I want to do what I can to make the world a better place. I want to consider how my actions impact others and choose the path that's best for everybody. I want to be more intentional in my advocacy for children in poverty. My husband and I are already pursuing a path of justice for orphans by moving forward with our adoption paperwork. I want to speak truth and seek what is right in every situation, even if it's not what is easy or popular.<br />
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Why should we care about justice? I think we are inclined to put ourselves and our interests first. Maybe you don't think it's important to care about what's happening to other people. I don't want to live in a world like that. Right now I'm seeing a more passive attitude about these issues from my Christian friends, who have plenty of Biblical prompting to seek justice, rather than my non-Christian friends; I'm ashamed to say that plenty of my acquaintances are of the belief that non-Christians have no moral compass or motivation to "do the right thing," yet in my personal circle, my friends who <i>don't</i> go to church have seemed more motivated and enthusiastic recently about seeking justice and recognizing these moral absolutes. This year I want to do a better job reaching my fellow believers on this issue, so I will be studying scripture and delving deeper into God's word so I can do the best job at sharing what He thinks (as indicated in the Bible) about what's going on these days. This isn't a fad, or a modern idea, or a political trend. Micah tell us that this is what is <b>required</b> of God's people. To seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If you love God, you'll want justice for his children. That means everyone.<br />
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I hope that we are able to take the failures and heartbreaks of 2016 and turn them into something beautiful. That hate will be traded in for love; closed minds for open hearts; harshness for gentleness; violence for peace.Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-61500561666121128242016-12-19T07:40:00.000-05:002016-12-19T07:40:07.813-05:00Outgoing Mail: Gifts of the MagiI've been sending a lot of letter replies recently, still catching up from letters received a few weeks ago. One "new" letter I've sent this month is about Christmas!<br />
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A few weeks ago, maybe during Thanksgiving week, my pastor was talking about gifts and the things for which we are thankful. He told a cute story about his grandson that I immediately knew I wanted to share with our kids! The short version is that they were playing a "treasure hunt" game, and the treasure that the grandson chose to hide was very unexpected- but it was still precious to him. Our pastor then asked the parents of the church to talk to their kids about what kind of gift they would give Jesus if they could. They are then supposed to bring those to our Christmas Day service, and they'll be placed at the altar. I know he's asked the parents to include a note explaining why the kids chose that gift, and he'll use that in a later message. So I, in turn, asked *my* kids what kind of gift they would give baby Jesus! I also told them about a treasure that is important to me. I really hope that I hear back from several of the kids on this. I tried numbering the questions so the translators or tutors will know to pay special attention to them, as has been recommended on Compassion's website before. We'll see if it works!<br />
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I'm sharing the text of the letter here, so you can tweak it if you like. It might be fun to talk to your own sponsor kids about the gifts of the wisemen, and ask them what they would give! I also sent a nativity coloring page (which I found using Google) which you can download and send. And Compassion has two different nativity-themed pieces of stationery on their website!<br />
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<i>Hello! Greetings from my family to yours. I can't believe that Christmas is just two weeks away. My pastor shared an interesting story in church last week, and I wanted to pass it along to you. It really had me thinking! Many of his sermons have been about Christmas recently, since the holiday is almost here. He was speaking about gifts. I think we all have gifts on our mind during Christmas, because of the gifts we give each other, and the gifts we receive. We even read about gifts in the Bible, when we read about the wise men who traveled to see baby Jesus and present him with gifts of gold and precious perfumes. My pastor (his name is Bill) had a question for us that had me thinking quite a bit- if we could give a gift to God, what would it be? We usually think about the gifts God gives us, but what would we give him if we had the chance? Bill then told us about an afternoon he spent with his grandson (I think he is 6 years old.) Bill and his wife were visiting their daughter and her family for Thanksgiving. The grandson likes to play a game called "treasure hunt," where he hides a treasure in a box and then they make a map to go find it. And he said "it has to be a treasure!" A treasure is something very special and valuable- even if it is not worth a lot of money, it may have a special emotional value. So the grandson hid the treasure, and Bill followed the map to find it. When he opened the box, he was surprised to see that the treasure was a bread roll from Thanksgiving dinner the day before! At first, it didn't seem like a treasure- but then Bill remembered that his grandson had eaten four or five of those rolls during dinner! He loved them so much and they were his favorite part of the meal- and he would have eaten more if he could! So this was a treasure to him. Something very special that he wanted to share with his grandfather. Bill asked us what gift we could give to Jesus if we had the chance, and asked the parents in our church to ask their children the same question. On Christmas, the children can bring their gifts and leave them at the altar as a symbol of their gift to God. I can't wait to see what they bring. I wanted to ask you two questions. 1. What is something that you treasure? 2. What would you give to baby Jesus if you had been there when he was born? For me, something I treasure is the Bible that belonged to my friend and mentor Betty, who passed away a few years ago. And I think I would make a soft blanket of the finest yarn for baby Jesus, so he wouldn't have to sleep wrapped in rags and dirty cloths in the manger. </i><br />
<i>I hope to hear from you soon! I love you so much and I am praying for you every day. I can't wait to learn about your replies to my questions! </i><br />
<i>Love, Jessi</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-15207087352128539102016-12-09T12:47:00.001-05:002016-12-09T12:47:31.166-05:00Project Letter: DR-385<i>Here's a letter from Yarianny's project in the Dominican Republic! All the photos came from Compassion's website.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn19EezahsyaJ3MBXLbDDtzVg0jdQs1CAywFEIA8AIAXianF4f5wUVC05ecqVu9tf7igfreM2ooFLCMP38nDqyGBd7jymvYy0jIkkrjTpzLFWBtenap4-THHYcPSuuAkCl1qbnFByWa-R/s1600/Yarianny.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn19EezahsyaJ3MBXLbDDtzVg0jdQs1CAywFEIA8AIAXianF4f5wUVC05ecqVu9tf7igfreM2ooFLCMP38nDqyGBd7jymvYy0jIkkrjTpzLFWBtenap4-THHYcPSuuAkCl1qbnFByWa-R/s1600/Yarianny.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Hello! I hope you are doing well. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus reign in your home. My name is Ramon P., and I am a pastor of (the church) in the northern region of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Here we minister to Yarianny, your sponsored child, in (the project.)<br />
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I want to thank you for your great effort and determination you have shown in seeing to Yarianny's well-being. Thanks to that, we have been able to provide for several needs. Through you, we have been able to reach our children in a more complete way, with all the benefits of a Dominican childhood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZPlQ-O9ZJmmxUdwjDwzfGNAWQyKCInQ1Hc1XmNCyQLXQzXPDvoKoaJRRSHzS7K4vmjc5f2NKTnyE3a5UWA9OMW50nW0foYSH_aj0AGHYjOCT1GlDwYiE8TkDaZtm_i86EjBy-2OQwzQM/s1600/d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZPlQ-O9ZJmmxUdwjDwzfGNAWQyKCInQ1Hc1XmNCyQLXQzXPDvoKoaJRRSHzS7K4vmjc5f2NKTnyE3a5UWA9OMW50nW0foYSH_aj0AGHYjOCT1GlDwYiE8TkDaZtm_i86EjBy-2OQwzQM/s320/d2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We belong to a community whose growth and development is a little scarce. Due to that, we see ourselves as having the responsibility to contribute to such growth. It is a challenge for us to work for the growth of this community, since we see so much delinquency and corruption in it, and the youths are oftentimes involved in such acts.But in Jesus' name, we will take our children away from the enemy!<br />
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Our vision for our church and center is to reach both children and their parents and closest family members, and therefore, create healthy families. Where there are healthy families and communities, as well as a growing and healthy church, God is glorified.<br />
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Currently 11 of the center's children's families attend our church. We also have 7 youths who have completed the program, and some of them are part of our youth ministry.<br />
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I want to highlight that it is really important for children to receive their letters, since they get really happy when they receive them. They also get very sad when they see other children get letters and they don't. I want to motivate you to write to your child. If you already do, I encourage you to continue in this good action.<br />
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Without further ado, hoping the Lord provides for your needs and compensates you for your good actions, I say farewell.<br />
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If you're interested in sponsoring a child from Yarianny's project, check out sweet <a href="http://www.compassion.com/compassion/child-biography-with-reviews.htm?needKey=DR3851174">Juan</a>! He's so happy! Juan is 5 years old and has been waiting over 9 months for a sponsor.<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-470287380631139442016-12-05T10:29:00.002-05:002016-12-05T10:29:35.017-05:00Sweet Greetings from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Haiti, Brazil, and BoliviaHappy Mail Call Monday!<br />
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<b>Mary A.</b><br />
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This year our Ghana girls have been writing pretty short letters. I was excited that Mary not only responded to each prompt on her stationery, but that she wrote a whole extra page! Mary said they've been learning about decision making and consequences at the project. and her family is doing really well. She said she really enjoyed the animal letters I sent this fall. She said she's been learning bead making, sewing, and cooking at the project. She also wrote about the Odwira festival, which you can read about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odwira_festival">here</a>. I always love it when the kids tell me about local festivals. I get to learn a little about their culture, and I get a better idea about where they live!<br />
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<b>Francisco</b><br />
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We hadn't heard from Francisco for 7 or 8 months, so it was great to get his letter! He didn't say too much, but he did mention his visit with the Canadian sponsor tour group and getting to meet Jennifer and Katrina! He said he was so happy to meet my friends and he was really grateful that they spent time with him. The form portion of his letter was about holidays and special events. His favorite holiday is Carnival and he likes throwing fireworks! He also said that when they have school holidays, he goes fishing with his dad. And he said he was sending lots of kisses and hugs! He also drew this picture.<br />
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<b>Carla</b></div>
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We also got our first letter from little Carla in Bolivia this week! We've had Carla since the spring and hadn't heard from her. I'm so thankful that Bolivia letters are on the move again. Carla's letter was also about her holidays. Her favorite is Christmas, and when she's on holiday she likes to play and watch movies. And at Christmas, when she's with her family, she plays and talks to everybody! Carla wrote that she greets me with the peace of the Lord, which is lovely. Carla said she got to go to the zoo recently! That's so fun! She said she hoped that we would send more letters, and drew this lovely picture! </div>
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<b>Patricia</b> </div>
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Patricia shared that recently there was some flooding in her town, when "the river got full." She said that the project then opened the door to everyone and handed out clothes and food! She also shared that she's started taking drawing classes at the project, and she loves it. She also said her church is called Church of Peace and she's involved in the youth group there, and she likes to go with her sisters! </div>
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<b>Zalifina</b></div>
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Zalifina's letter arrived just five days after she wrote it! She lives in the Manyara region, named for the big lake there (which I have seen, from a distance!) It's just a couple hours away from where the field office is. How neat that her letter came so fast! Zalifina said she'd taken the national exam and she was confident she had passed because of what she had read in the Bible. She said she keeps rejoicing when she gets letters, and she prays that I keep writing with the same heart. She shared that the mangoes on the trees were ripe, and she really likes mangoes (me too!) She asked how many trees I've planted! </div>
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<b>Teresia</b></div>
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Teresia's letter arrived the same day as Zalifina's, but it was written a bit earlier. Teresia's family isn't planting mangoes, they're planting maize and millet! She said she prays every day for me to have a long life, which is so sweet. And she invited me to come spend Christmas with her! If only I could! I think Tanzania would be a wonderful place to spend the holidays. Joy and praise are overflowing there. It would be hard not to be in the Christmas spirit. </div>
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<b>Said</b></div>
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It was a good week for Tanzania letters! Said said his family is doing fine. I am going to do an inquiry for him when I can, though, because his family description online has changed a bit in a way that concerns me. Said said that he liked learning that it was hot where we live this summer. I'm glad someone enjoyed it! :) And he liked hearing about the summer reading program at the library! Said wants to know if our church has a project like his church does! And he enjoyed reading about the "animal garden" (the zoo) and told me he's visited a national park before and seen animals there! </div>
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<b>Benji</b></div>
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This was our first letter from Haiti since the Hurricane. Benji didn't have a lot to say, but he did say that the hurricane didn't really affect his family, and asked us to pray for the families that lost their homes and crops. </div>
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Fatuma shared that every day, her family goes to the mosque. I'm thankful that her family is open to her attending the project and based on what she has described to me in her letters, they aren't really in opposition to Christian teaching. I like knowing when my kids live in places where people get along. :) Fatuma said that they have been discussing business plans at the project, which is pretty impressive since she's so young! She said she wants to open her own business selling mangoes and oranges. She said that her favorite thing to eat at the project is pilau, and they also get a fruit with their meals. </div>
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<b>Gloria</b></div>
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Two letters from Gloria arrived this week, which was great since we hadn't heard from her in over six months! Gloria asked how I am doing and said "I think you are fine." Gloria has been away at school- she wrote to me a while back that she was starting a new school, but I didn't realize it was a boarding school! Her teacher is named Edith and there are 35 students in her class. She also shared the names of her family members- her mom's name is Charity and her dad's name is Leonard! She also said "my teachers love me because I am well behaved." She is such a sweet little girl- I don't doubt that! </div>
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Also, just as a general sort of announcement, I am thinking of taking a break from this after the holidays. I've been struggling with blogging lately for a couple of reasons. Most of the time I just feel like I'm talking to myself. When this started there was a nice little community of sponsors who were blogging for Compassion and we were all communicating with each other. Now, most of the women who got me interested in both Compassion and blogging have sort of dropped out. And I don't think blogs are as much of a "thing" as they used to be anyway. I'm not sure what people are doing now instead. Maybe live facebook videos. I don't know. But it's been a few weeks since anyone commented on here and I don't think there's much of a "readership" anymore. Plus the advocacy part doesn't seem as effective- in two years only one person has sponsored from this blog, and I'm at the point now where I feel like if my friends and family were going to sponsor, they would have done it. I might still share waiting kids or pastor letters on my personal facebook page, but with no interaction from people reading this (if anyone is) and no known fruits of my labor, I guess you'd call it, motivation is kind of tough to come by. I love telling people about my kids, but on Sunday nights or Monday mornings, when I think of how I "have to" come here and post, I feel a little frustrated and like I want to procrastinate. And I don't like that feeling. I might change my mind, and I hope to have some updates to share on my other blog about our adoption, but I just wanted to share what's on my mind and why you might see a lack of posts in the new year. </div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-56710365114339248542016-12-02T10:30:00.000-05:002016-12-02T10:30:07.124-05:00Project Letter: UG-256<i>It's been a while since I've shared a pastor letter! Here's a letter from Jowan's project in Uganda. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQfKj7aAOF26-f74oPyyj9GG3PEtKTEQ9nDECz7suTCEvs_lwjmZozmFa0YYhbYyHr2IToSlv8NhHFCQbexH3EjFLsAPWesDJQhc2FDXrdI7KWvO5n_R4JPhGInfTRV29Yt67iS1itW4h/s1600/Jowan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQfKj7aAOF26-f74oPyyj9GG3PEtKTEQ9nDECz7suTCEvs_lwjmZozmFa0YYhbYyHr2IToSlv8NhHFCQbexH3EjFLsAPWesDJQhc2FDXrdI7KWvO5n_R4JPhGInfTRV29Yt67iS1itW4h/s1600/Jowan.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I am Leonard N., pastor of (UG256) in Uganda, located in the western region of Uganda. We minister to Jowan at the project. I thank you so much for your generous support of Jowan!<br />
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(The town) is a rather hilly area and cocoa is grown, which leaves little land for food crop production. Most people survive on working in other people's cocoa gardens as laborers to get a wage to buy food. Some of the people in this community have already accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JII01cHxTafiHTxOAu_OlJDcB4zI5uwsTHeLdISx0naxeBxz_151MdO73J1pUuJ_KPRx4HYG8eDxnYhG5sxFNLDLhiz3eCLP-CVIeFYn9S68LQL2i5AOLK-NykZ2Z9cXNCe74lban0_t/s1600/u4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JII01cHxTafiHTxOAu_OlJDcB4zI5uwsTHeLdISx0naxeBxz_151MdO73J1pUuJ_KPRx4HYG8eDxnYhG5sxFNLDLhiz3eCLP-CVIeFYn9S68LQL2i5AOLK-NykZ2Z9cXNCe74lban0_t/s320/u4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our community faces a number of challenges as our area is hard to reach. Usually, one has to pay a fee to a motorcycle rider to travel from place to place. The health facilities in our area are not in good conditions so people have to travel a long distance for medical services.<br />
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In ministering to the community, as a church we have faced the challenge of long distance when doing pastoral visits to the people of God. Another challenge is that the church still has an incomplete structure for fellowships and conferences. We are praying to God for its completion. Education is still a challenge to the community since most of the parents are not able to pay tuition for their children to go beyond secondary level of school.<br />
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Our vision is to reach out to the community and transform them to live Christ-like lives. We endeavor to serve the community and ensure that people can participate in all activities of the church. At the center, we aim at bringing up healthy, educated, and mature children who will transform the community for the glory of God.<br />
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The center has had a great impact on the children who attend. Before, many of them suffered from skin diseases, but now they are doing much better as they have access to good medical treatment at the center. These children are now able to go to school as we pay their tuition and provide them with scholastic materials. Approximately 80 children have made their first profession of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I'm also glad to see that over 100 registered children's families now attend church regularly.<br />
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The workers of the center encourage these children to practice good hygiene both at the center and at home. As a result, we have seen fewer cases of illness. Apart from the implementation of this program, the church arranges prayer meetings, conferences, and trainings to benefit all members in the community. We also educate the people about good health practices and how to prevent diseases.<br />
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When children get letters from their sponsors, they feel loved, cared for, and excited. We have seen children's self-esteem improve as a result of receiving letters from sponsors! These letters really strengthen the relationship between children and sponsors, and makes a huge difference in their lives. Children who do not receive letters from their sponsors get concerned whether their sponsors are okay. So, we encourage all sponsors to please write to these children. Every word of love and encouragement motivates the children to do their best in all things!<br />
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Please keep our ministry in your prayers and pray also for God's provision to the families of the sponsored children and their entire community. Pray for all the church leaders to always serve the children faithfully.<br />
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If you are interested in sponsoring a child in Uganda, please consider little Stephen! He just turned 6 in October and he lives in an area that has a high rate of HIV/AIDS and child exploitation. Read more about Stephen <a href="http://www.compassion.com/compassion/child-biography-with-reviews.htm?needKey=UG8040617&referer=130694">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-52128782277718520932016-11-30T21:44:00.001-05:002016-11-30T21:44:26.693-05:00Compassion Joys: NovemberI can't believe November is over already! That means it's time to recount our <a href="http://compassionfamily.blogspot.com/">Compassion joys</a> for the month!<br />
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<b>Letters! </b><br />
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More and more letters are making their way through the backlogs, which is great! We had some first letters, some long-awaited letters, and some letters that arrived within two weeks of being written! All in all, here's who we heard from: Tamirat, Benji, Sandier, Herlan, Maribel, Pitchaya, Amisha, Angelina, Zalifina, Julian, Geison, Michel, Milton, Thanakan, Kevin, Said, Fatuma, Desire, Isabela, Nehemiah, William, Enal, Merlyn, Carlos, Anggi, Yesenia, Bonifas, Elisha, Kaue, Anahi, Isac, Yisleidi, and Mary A.! That covers almost every Compassion country!<br />
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<b>New Kids!</b><br />
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Several new faces joined our far away family this month. I took over writing responsibilities for the last three of my mom's correspondents, so I now officially have Hassan (Kenya) and Swati and Mathumitha (India) on my account.<br />
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Three other correspondents were added to my account this month, so we now have Imakulata (Tanzania), Imasha (Sri Lanka) and Bauner (Guatemala) as well!<br />
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I also had found out right after my trip that Isai, Anahi's little brother, was available for sponsorship. It took several weeks, but he now has a sponsor and I get to write to him! I'm so excited about that. Yay for Isai!<br />
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<b>Birthdays!</b><br />
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Many of our kids who had birthdays this month are kids we have had for a long time! This month, Jayid turned 11, Carlos turned 20, Yarianny turned 6, Vandana turned 16, Laura turned 20, Isac turned 7, Kaue turned 8, Mary turned 21, Geison turned 11, and today is Said's 18th birthday! I hope they all had wonderful birthdays and I can't wait to hear what they got with their gift money!<br />
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<b>Sponsor-versaries!</b><br />
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We also had several anniversaries this month! We celebrated four years of sponsoring Jayid after taking over for his financial sponsor, four years of writing to Victor, three years of writing to Bonifas, and one year of writing to Francisco, Milder, Amitie, and Herlan!<br />
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<b>Blog Posts!</b><br />
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This month I wrote up my Honduras trip in a series of posts. I will eventually add the links to the "mission trips" tab at the top of the page, but haven't had time to update that yet! In the meantime they can be found just by scrolling backwards through these posts. :)<br />
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<b>Photo Updates!</b><br />
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We did have a few photo updates this month! We only have one kid that is officially due for one, so we might not see any new photos for a while. I can always hope, though! Here are this month's updates.<br />
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Benji</div>
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Elisha</div>
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<b>Extra Photos!<br /></b></div>
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We got two fun extra pictures this month! We received a gift photo from Anggi in Indonesia, who was able to get some new clothes with her birthday gift, and we got a photo of Maribel with the gifts we were able to send this summer! A sponsor in Canada and I did a bag swap- I took a mini backpack to Honduras for her, and she took a mini backpack to Bolivia for me. So I picked Maribel. She looks really excited about her gifts! I'm so glad they made it ok and that we got this extra picture. </div>
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<b><br /></b>Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-27406647346875295522016-11-29T12:26:00.004-05:002016-11-29T12:26:33.486-05:00MadiThe holidays often inspire us to give a little above and beyond our usual commitments (if we have any), and there are many, many giving opportunities out there- local and international. If you have donated to a charity before, or follow a non-profit on social media, you have surely received some sort of notice about Giving Tuesday this year.<br />
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To understand Giving Tuesday, I guess you have to understand the weekend that comes before it. While the media may claim that Thanksgiving week is the biggest spending period of the year, statistics show that it isn't. It is, however, probably the only time of year where people purchase personalized t-shirts and write out complicated battle plans for shopping. It's the only time of year that shops and malls are going to pay their employees to hang out and work in the middle of the night. For an entire weekend, we are encouraged to spend, spend spend. Discounts, coupons, flyers, special offers, rewards programs.....Thanksgiving weekend has changed, for many people, into a day off to plan your shopping. There just happens to be a turkey dinner served beforehand. Black Friday leads to Small Business Saturday leading to Cyber Monday (after a break for Sunday brunch, I guess.)<br />
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A long-standing tradition for Thanksgiving is to take some time to share what we're thankful for. One of my friends wrote these blessings out on a table centerpiece. Many of us have challenged each other to share each day on social media about something for which we are thankful. These expressions of gratitude cover a vast range of things, from the obvious (family and friends) to the things we take for granted (clean water, indoor plumbing.)<br />
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Two months after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, I spent some time this weekend hanging my Haitian Christmas ornaments on my tree. Created from trash- colorful paper and reclaimed oil barrels- these ornaments are a reminder to me of two things. The first is a reminder of all the Haitian people I love very dearly, from my friend's son who was born there to my sweet Compassion kids. The second is a reminder that God can take bad things and make them good again. And that he provides for his people when they are faced with difficult circumstances. People who live in impoverished situations can sometimes find themselves surrounded by literal garbage- from the trash I saw on the roads in Honduras to the dumps in India, to these oil barrels in Haiti. In this case, that trash has been turned into an income generating opportunity for Haitian moms and dads who struggle to keep their families together. Their circumstances were challenging before the 2010 earthquake, before the devastating hurricane. Can you imagine how they must be now? It's tough enough to try to care for your family, surviving on income generated by your small fruit orchard or family farm, sleeping in a home made of cinderblocks and discarded wood. What about when torrential rains and 100 mile an hour winds flood your garden, uproot your trees, destroy your home?<br />
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Two months later, the people of Haiti still need help. Their problems were not solved with the brief spurt of financial support that came a few days after the hurricane- particularly since the storm then headed for Florida and Georgia, where it lessened in intensity and destructive force, distracting us from the fact that Haiti was crushed as severely as it was.<br />
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Haiti needs help. Compassion is helping to rebuild. Today, as your inbox is flooded with pitches from various organizations, please consider contributing any amount- even $10- to their relief efforts. The wonderful thing about Compassion is that unlike other groups, their relief efforts are headed by lead by locals. There isn't a team of outsiders coming in to sweep up a bit and then leave again. They know the people because they ARE the people. And they aren't going anywhere. They won't stop until the work is done- hopefully better than before. They provide love and encouragement in addition to food, water, and shelter. You can follow <a href="http://www.compassion.com/giving-tuesday.htm?referer=519502&utm_source=compassion&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=haiti_2016">this link </a> to learn more.<br />
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And if you are interested in sponsoring a child from Haiti, please consider sweet Keth My Love. I adore her name. This beautiful girl has been waiting over almost 9 months for a sponsor. You can <a href="http://www.compassion.com/compassion/child-biography-with-reviews.htm?needKey=HA2772099&referer=130694">read more about her here</a>.<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-29590725607320495562016-11-28T08:07:00.000-05:002016-11-28T08:07:15.634-05:00Sweet Greetings from PH, PE, TZ, IO, BR, HO, GH, ID and ME. It's the final Mail Call post of November!<br />
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<b>Merlyn</b></div>
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I was really surprised that Merlyn wrote her letter in English! It's her handwriting though, so I don't think someone else wrote it for her. She must feel more confident in her communication skills now. That's really neat! I will be sure to ask her about being bilingual in my next letter. Merlyn said she was "amazed" at my stories, and said that even though she hasn't been there, she can tell that Cincinnati is a beautiful place! I'm so glad that she enjoyed my letter about our day trip there back in August! She also described a local festival, but I'm having a bit of trouble making out the name. There was a parade, drums, competitions, and colorful activities! She also asked if Brandon likes festivals! Merlyn also said something really sweet- "I am telling Jesus that you may be healed from back injury. I know Jesus loves you and he will hear our prayer." It's always really neat to receive encouragement from the kids, when really we are the ones meant to be encouraging them! Merlyn added as a side note that she wants me to know her favorite colors, which are yellow, pink, and blue, and she asked that we pray she and her mom stay safe from typhoons. </div>
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<b>Carlos</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCAaMH3eDLJnpH9Rg04fcl3eO55jej5Rn_A4SlWWvx1WmX9kFrXnh_tZFFe8PVkVMlxfOqHn1LhQT_XLwbthMtfaIATEw7k5nAoF_MOyB9GKoRlNc-BboShnQsOUPTz2o3gIjcGAUPugq/s1600/Carlos.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCAaMH3eDLJnpH9Rg04fcl3eO55jej5Rn_A4SlWWvx1WmX9kFrXnh_tZFFe8PVkVMlxfOqHn1LhQT_XLwbthMtfaIATEw7k5nAoF_MOyB9GKoRlNc-BboShnQsOUPTz2o3gIjcGAUPugq/s1600/Carlos.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Carlos really liked the zoo letters I sent this summer, too! Not only did I send a letter about the Cincinnati trip, which included five hours at the zoo, but I also made a "walk-through" letter about our own zoo here in Louisville. I included lots of photos and a map, and wrote out what they would experience if they ever got to visit! Carlos was really intrigued by the gorillas, since he's never seen them before and they don't live in Peru. :) He shared that there aren't many animals in Peru, but they do have a lake with monkeys in the middle! There is also a cave there, and it was a bit scary when he visited it! He also said that he visited a zoo when he was a little kid, and he hopes to go again someday. He asked that we pray for his mom, who celebrated her 44th birthday this summer! </div>
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<b>Anggi</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuV6Xoh37ayN7l_gv8pMsiRwBpiLR7FoDRvJGrNNroSz9WKsGCfPP_eN-gFi_KNzz8myBTVhwrIsRy3w1G-AD6SH-R5b39xVfNJvKSmBXRlmgfN0Ok_m0uDUUIv8Bdovb3QLuo16ockW5/s1600/Anggi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuV6Xoh37ayN7l_gv8pMsiRwBpiLR7FoDRvJGrNNroSz9WKsGCfPP_eN-gFi_KNzz8myBTVhwrIsRy3w1G-AD6SH-R5b39xVfNJvKSmBXRlmgfN0Ok_m0uDUUIv8Bdovb3QLuo16ockW5/s1600/Anggi.jpeg" /></a></div>
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We got to learn about some of Anggi's favorite things in this letter! She enjoys fried rice (me too), badminton, mathematics, the colors blue and green, and her best friends are named Diara and Tata! The narrative portion of Anggi's letter was all about chickens! They are her favorite animal (though she does like all animals) and at home, she has two chickens, a rooster and a hen. The rooster crows each morning, and the hen laid lots of eggs once! They allowed them to hatch, and now they have cute baby chicks! She said "and that's all my story about chickens." :) She made a cute drawing for us! </div>
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<b>Yesenia</b></div>
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We got our first letter from lovely Yesenia in Peru this week! Unfortunately we recently learned that Yesenia's graduation date was moved from February 2019 to February 2017, so we probably won't hear from her much longer. She said that she was praying for my back pain, and she also enjoyed my zoo letter- and her favorite part was the gorillas, too! I guess there's something about them that's universally appealing. :) She said she didn't have any prayer requests for herself but she really did hope that I was feeling better soon - "leave it in the hands of God and everything will be all right." </div>
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<b>Bonifas</b></div>
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This letter was actually written a bit before Bonifas' last letter! He said he liked the gorilla stories, because he hasn't seen them before but he's heard about them. He also enjoyed a letter I wrote about peace! I also gathered that his new house is finished, as he has moved from the Meru community to another which has a very long name, and it's a bit hard to read. I plan on doing more research. :) He told me that it's a Maasai community, but different people are moving in there now, and it's 2 km from his old home! And he shared Psalm 100: 1-5.</div>
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<b>Elisha</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPrHJ0eEaRYpavwXJkCjmbjsPlIsZK_411tKeDcFgAMXsnxPVqxI-V9Gmp7mlIMne1inNklRQ6UYNGhtNnntJGhwtnkTMPW9Hm2Ozqq2n4EQWsh33q0XEDHDIJS9tY4dLWR9qRAFMdlIO/s1600/Elisha.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPrHJ0eEaRYpavwXJkCjmbjsPlIsZK_411tKeDcFgAMXsnxPVqxI-V9Gmp7mlIMne1inNklRQ6UYNGhtNnntJGhwtnkTMPW9Hm2Ozqq2n4EQWsh33q0XEDHDIJS9tY4dLWR9qRAFMdlIO/s1600/Elisha.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Our letter from Elisha was just two sentences long, but I was impressed that it was written just 15 days before it arrived! Elisha lives about nine hours from the field office, so that's pretty impressive! He said he was doing well, his studies are improving, and he enjoyed the letters. He asked that we pray that God protects his family. </div>
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<b>Kaue</b></div>
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We learned that Kaue's community is called Condado, and common jobs are cleaning and farming. It's usually sunny, and most people get around by using cars! Kaue's tutor said that he treasures our letters and sends a big hug and a kiss! He made a drawing for us, too! </div>
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<b>Anahi</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4TGmeZSucc7VPkpIkLaqYWxYjzybzUcVu8nv-8ZE2YD6vrlkOHW_B-n54na-TzlTJvarV2XpXHR0D7x3PeowRCAItUdha_Hct5WOis9RE81VIR9pgQhIkBaAvlxckG6SkphRx9-U3sVU/s1600/Anahi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4TGmeZSucc7VPkpIkLaqYWxYjzybzUcVu8nv-8ZE2YD6vrlkOHW_B-n54na-TzlTJvarV2XpXHR0D7x3PeowRCAItUdha_Hct5WOis9RE81VIR9pgQhIkBaAvlxckG6SkphRx9-U3sVU/s1600/Anahi.jpeg" /></a></div>
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This was my first letter from any of my Honduran kids since my visit- and when I opened the letter, I saw that Anahi wrote this the DAY BEFORE she found out that I was coming to see her! Oh, man! I can't wait to hear from the kids again and find out their perspectives on our visit together!! :) Anahi actually sent two letters. One was a form letter about her community, which is the New Providence neighborhood in Tegucigalpa. People use cars and buses to get around, and a common job is cleaning. The other was about her plans for the future. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. And she wants to visit France and Italy (but not New York!) She also wrote over and over again how much she loves me and that she was sending me lots of hugs and kisses! A frequent prayer request of Anahi's over the past few years is that her dad will come to church with them. I learned on my trip that he has started doing that (it must have been the weekend after the letter was written!) and now we are working on her grandparents. :) She drew some really cute pictures, too! </div>
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<b>Angelina</b></div>
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It was good to hear from Angelina again! We haven't heard from her much this year. She said she is thankful for our stories and that she reads them every day. Her community recently elected some new assemblymen, so we will be praying for them and their duties. Angelina apparently wants to learn more about animals, including elephants, monkeys, and mosquitoes. The mosquito one surprised me because most of the time, the kids say they want to learn about animals they like! I will have to get started on that soon. She asked that we pray God will bless her family, and she is praying that God will protect us. The verse Angelina shared is a sad one: "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble. My eyes are tired from so much crying and I am worn out." I will definitely be praying for Angelina in case something is going on in her life that she isn't sharing about. </div>
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<b>Enal</b></div>
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It was great to get another letter from Enal this week- the Indonesia offices seem to be making their way through the backlog of letters! Enal said his family is fine. He shared that it's always sunny where he lives, but it's cold when he wakes up and starts his day, so he uses a coat and a thick blanket! He also said his family loves to drink coffee, especially his dad, and that the best coffee is found in Indonesia! He specifically recommends the coffee from Taraja. :) Enal shared that his dad is older and his having some health problems, including problems with his memory. How sad. We will definitely be praying for them! </div>
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<b>Isac</b></div>
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It was fun to hear from Isac this week because I'm preparing a gift for him that will be delivered in January! :) I'm excited about it. Isac's letter was information about himself. He said his name means "prophet," he's the only child in his family, He enjoys singing praise songs, and one thing he does well is running errands! He wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He is excited to color the pictures we sent with letters, and he asked that we pray for his dad, who went to Mexico City for work. And here is his drawing! </div>
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-49053749256656872172016-11-23T10:30:00.000-05:002016-11-23T10:33:07.657-05:00Honduras Day 7And now we've come to the end of my adventure in Honduras! It's time to share about the "fun day," the day we all met with our sponsor kids.<br />
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Our plans changed right before we officially started the trip. We were supposed to have our fun day at the hotel, with the swimming pool and ice cream and bouncy houses and all that. But we found out the pool was being renovated, so we were going to a water park instead. I do not like water parks. I don't swim and I don't get in the water, so I was worried that it would be an awkward day. We were told that there were "grassy areas" to spend time with the kids. My concerns weren't justified, though. The park was enormous. Like everything in Tegucigalpa, it was settled on a hill. There was a common building at the front of the park with a restaurant and arcade games. Behind that were long, steep, winding staircases that led to the main part of the park, which was a HUGE wading pool with dozens of slides, fountains, and other water play areas. At the back of that area there were slides that could have easily been 30 feet tall. There were also slides that came with boogie board type things you could ride to the bottom. And beyond all that, there was still more! We could look beyond the picnic area (several covered concrete areas with 30 or more picnic tables) to see another pool further down the hill. I didn't even get to look at everything while I was there!<br />
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Our bus pulled up to the park parking lot, and we were told that we would be introduced to the kids one at a time. The sponsors would be called alphabetically and taken to the opposite side of the parking lot, around the other side of the bus. If we were meeting more than one child, they would be brought to us one by one after the first meeting with the first kid. Our bus was pulled up alongside the main building, which had a sidewalk out front, and there were dozens of Honduran kids and their families waiting on the sidewalk, chatting with each other. And right outside our window I saw a familiar face- Anahi, and her mom, and her little brother Isai. I had to stop myself from screaming. It was magical seeing them there, not able to see me yet. And then I heard Marissa say "Jessi, I see Ruth!" She was standing a few feet down the sidewalk! It was thrilling. I was ecstatic. And it was so hard to wait my turn!<br />
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I got off the bus when my name was called, walked around the front, and Ruth was the first one I was being introduced to. Oh, she looked so pretty. I mentioned my fascination with hair in an earlier post. Ruth's hair is SO pretty. She was gorgeous. And I went right up to her and hugged her and she started crying a little. She was so happy! I should take a moment to note that I was a little nervous about my meeting with Ruth. We had just sponsored her about a year before, and had only received two letters from her. They were nice and friendly, but I didn't feel like we had much of a relationship yet. So I worried all during the trip that Ruth would feel left out because I already have this relationship with Anahi and Sandier, since we've known each other longer and have exchanged more letters. Apparently Ruth had no such concerns and was just so happy to see me. That was a really good start to the day. Next they brought out Anahi and her family, and I hugged her and her mom, and said hi to Isai (whom I recognized from peeking at mom's facebook page!) And then out came Sandier, his sister Hayki, and his mom, along with some other boy that I never really figured out the relationship (maybe a cousin?) When everyone had been introduced, we made our way into the park. Nohemy, one of the translators who had been with us all week, was my translator for the day. I also had another translator, the wife of one of the guys from our group! Plus tutors from all three of the kids' projects, who spoke some English. We put our stuff down on some of the picnic tables and I asked the kids if they wanted to get in the water. Sandier and Anahi said yes, and Ruth said she was too cold (it was just shy of 80 degrees that day.) I left the bulk of their gifts in our vehicle but had kept the swimsuits and their photo albums out so we would have something to do, and they could get in the water. I distributed the suits, and the littles went to get changed and went off to had fun! And I was so happy that they all fit perfectly- it is a little stressful wanting to shop for the kids and not knowing their exact sizes. Plus Anahi is so tiny! Their going to play ended up working out pretty perfectly because I got to have some one on one time with Ruth.<br />
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Ruth was just so happy to be there that day. She was radiant. I showed her the pictures in the photo album I made for her, captioning them in Spanish whenever I could, and told her that I would send her more photos and she could add them to the album. I learned that she is one of 14 siblings (wow!) and maybe 7 or 8 live at home. Her family chaperone was her older sister, who was very quiet (but that's fine.) I'm actually glad there were so many tutors and family members there because they got to chat with each other and I didn't feel like I was ignoring them, although I probably was a little bit. And then I had an idea, to facetime my mom. I had a little bit of data in my travel phone plan, and figured since this was the last day, I might as well use it. So I asked Ruth if she wanted to call and say hi to my mom, and we made the call. It took a couple tries to get connected, but it went through and she was really excited! So Ruth got to wave at my mom and mom carried the phone out onto the sales floor so other Lifeway employees could wave at her. I said we'd try to call back when the other kids returned from the water. I'm really glad that I was able to do that! Our joy for the day was infectious and I really wanted to share it, if only for a moment.<br />
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It was around this time that Anahi returned from the water, wrapped in a big towel from home, and shivering uncontrollably. She was so cold!! Oh my goodness. Ruth then decided she was going to go get in the water, so I got to have some time with Anahi, too! I sat down with her and her mom (Isai spent most of the day in the water) and we looked through her photo album and her mom brought up photos on her phone. I had already seen some of them because of her mom's facebook settings. :) But it was fun to see photos from their home, pictures of her dog (now that they have a dog, her favorite animal is no longer turtles. And the dog's name is Engima.) A photo of baby Anahi and her grandfather was in there, and she started crying. Anahi's grandpa died not long after I started writing to her two years ago, and she took it really hard. It was tough to see that it's still affecting her so much. I gave her a hug and a kiss and told her that her grandpa must have been a great man and I knew she'd see him in heaven someday. I got to hear about her birthday, and she had a vanilla cake and some ice cream. I asked her if she liked cupcakes, too, since they are my favorite. She said "yes, cakes, cupcakes, really I like all the breads." Good girl! And her mom shared that she has started college classes! So now her schedule includes that. She also works, takes care of the kids, leads a small group, goes to church two or three days a week, and volunteers. She is such a strong, wonderful woman! I just love Celina. She is the best. Oh, and she also said writing letters is one of Anahi's favorite activities. Anahi even writes letters to her mom during the day while she's at work! It's so cute! And we were able to put in a quick call to my mom again, so that was fun.<br />
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Anahi's brother Isai</div>
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Somewhere during this time, Sandier came back wrapped in a towel, sat down at the table across from me (with his back turned) and said something. Apparently he said for the tutor to tell me that he is very shy but he was happy to see me. That made me laugh. He had SO much fun playing that day, and really that's what the day was about. He would come over a couple times an hour and kind of tackle me in a hug. It was precious.<br />
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The kids got dressed again and we hiked up the stairs to go to lunch. We had to put a couple of tables together because I had so many people with me, and we sat to wait for lunch to be served. I gave Sandier his photo album then and he flipped through it three times! Meanwhile, Anahi and I played a little game. I had gotten my notebook out to have Ruth write down the names of her siblings so I could pray for them, and when she gave it back I started doodling pictures again, like I did in Tanzania. So I drew a cow and said "vaca." And then a bee. "Abeja." And then Anahi got to guess what I was drawing after that. It was so fun to hear her little voice peeping out "estrella! Luna!" as she hadn't spoken a whole lot yet that day. We got our lunches (boxed lunches from the park cafe) and then we were going to do gifts. The kids went back to the tables while Nohemy and I went to get the bags.<br />
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I had planned to give the kids their blankets first, which I had packed in a separate bag, and then have them go through their backpacks. I asked if it was ok if we went youngest to oldest, meaning Sandier would go first. And then I said "I have a bag of gifts for each of you, but I also have a very special present. Brandon's mom and I made you each something, and it might seem like a present that's not very exciting, they are made with a lot of love, and I hope you like them." And I brought out Sandier's blanket. He put his hands on it and then just sort of face-planted on to the table. And he started crying! He hid his face in his mom's shoulder and she was smiling and laughing at his super intense reaction, and then he turned around and crashed into me. None of that was what I expected, but I am so happy that he liked it and thought it was special. Anahi loved hers and kept petting it and hugging it. And Ruth's actually matched her outfit! I kept catching her smelling it and holding it to her face.<br />
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When the blankets were distributed, it was backpack time. Sandier went first. He pulled everything out of his backpack really quickly, and while he didn't have a very obvious reaction to the contents, you could tell he was excited because he was jumping around a bit and getting really bouncy and hyper as he went along. Among the things I brought were some new clothes (shirts, shorts, and a pair of jeans, all of varying sizes), a big pack of toothbrushes and soap, a plush puppy, a Spanish sticker book and Bible, art and school supplies (including a really awesome Avengers set I found at Toys R Us!) and a little baggie filled with Matchbox cars! I had also brought him a UK t-shirt, and he took off his other shirt and put that one on right away. His tutor was telling me that recently they had taken a field trip, and on the way they passed a KFC. He recognized its association with me, and said "that's where Jessi lives! My sponsor is from there!" That made me really proud and excited. I felt kind of bad because Sandier's sister was there and I didn't have anything for her. I had actually bought her a little baby doll, but was unable to pack it because of the disaster that was my baggie fundraiser. I even had to leave behind some of the stuff for my own kids, like devotional books and a few other heavy items. But she ended up snuggling up with the blanket, so I felt like she was happy to be able to share that! I am going to try to send her a note and some stickers soon.<br />
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Up next, it was Anahi's turn to go through her backpack. She had this funny look on her face like she was a bit overwhelmed and kept taking things out and looking at her mom. I brought some of the same things for Anahi, like the hygiene items and school supplies (only girly, of course) plus sparkly hair things, glitter flip flops (Sandier got plain ones) and a doll. I worked really hard to find a Latina doll for her, and got so lucky that I found one for a discount on Walmart's website. My grandmother even sewed some extra outfits for the doll, which I packed into the tiniest pocket on the backpack! The women of our group (tutors and family members) absolutely loved the doll and kept talking about how pretty it was, which made me happy. The lack of cultural representation in toys is something that really bugs me. For many people, the fact that so many "pretty" things like Barbies and other dolls are Caucasian kind of subliminally sends the message that this is the standard of beauty. Or that this is the only "normal." When in fact, there are WAY more Asian, African, and Latin American people in the world than there are white people. And representation in things like toys, books, and movies says "hey! You are pretty, too! And not abnormal!" Isai wasn't really around for me to feel bad about not bringing him anything- he was back in the water!<br />
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And then it was Ruth's turn. I didn't feel like I brought as much for Ruth because I wasn't as confident about her size, and quite frankly, it's harder shopping for a teenager. But I did bring her a toy (a little pink cat) and some dresses, tops, and skirts, plus her own glitter flip flops, hair things, a sparkly bracelet, a prayer journal and a Bible. I had a special story about the Bible. On our first night in Tegucigalpa, I very strongly felt that I needed to share a little extra love with Ruth. Like she needed a reminder of God's immense love for her. So I started going through her Bible and underlining some verses that I hold dear. Most of them came from my little notebook of anxiety verses, and some others I have posted throughout my home. It was a little tough because, of course, her Bible was in Spanish. But twice I underlined the wrong verses because I wasn't paying attention, and I had a terrible time finding the book of James (which is "Santiago" in Spanish. Who knew?) I wrote a note in the front cover telling her what I had done and why, and reminded her to never ever doubt God's love or my love for her, and that reading through those verses would remind her of both. But that still didn't seem like enough. A Kari Jobe song had been playing on a loop in my head throughout the week, and I had the lyrics in my phone. I really wanted to share it with her, so I sent a message to Hannah asking her if she might be able to track down a translation and possibly a Spanish version I could copy or play for her. She came through! Yay, Hannah! So I wrote out the lyrics to the song, and called it a night. When Ruth retrieved her Bible from the bag, I told her about the song and the verses, but didn't really say anything about the note. I figured if she wanted to know what it said, she could ask someone to translate it for her later. When they told her about the verses, she sat the Bible down and hugged me. And then hugged me again after she was done going through everything, with tears in her eyes. She has the most tender heart of anyone I've ever met, and I love her for it.<br />
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This happened when Ruth started opening her gifts. </div>
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We knew our time together was drawing to a close, so we had a question and answer period. I asked the kids some questions about their lives, and they asked me about mine. I found out Ruth had waited over a year for a sponsor before I found her. And that Sandier wanted to be sure I knew his birthday was in December. They wanted to know about my birthday, and Brandon's, and hear more about our town. I also had the opportunity to pray over the kids- we all held hands and they crowded around me on our picnic table bench, and then they just kind of piled on me for hugs. There wasn't much time left for our visit so we sat there quietly while the families talked and packed up the gifts. Anahi and Sandier eventually left to go help, but Ruth stayed close to me. She had started crying at this point and really didn't stop until about 45 minutes later when we left. It was at this time that I decided to go ahead and ask our translator to tell her about the note in her Bible and what it said. I told her that I wasn't always sure through most of my life that I was loved and I didn't ever want her to feel that way. And that made her cry even harder.<br />
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Soon it was time to make our way up the winding stairs and say our goodbyes. We took a final group photo on one of the staircases, and went to wait for the buses. Sandier kept coming over to tackle-hug me every once in a while, but for the most part he was happy talking about his new toys with his sister. Anahi brought me the necklace her mom had been wearing all day, and said in English that it was for me (Celina can write some in English but I think like most people, she is a little less sure about speaking it out loud. But a few times during the day she had told Anahi to say things in English, like "I love you, Jessi!") And Ruth cried. You can see us in the background of other people's photos. She was taking it really hard. Anahi was sad, too, but she was doing ok. And we gave out final hugs and kisses and the kids went off to board the bus. I went to stand with another group of sponsors in the parking lot, who were watching and waving. The bus's windows were mostly tinted, but the top part was completely clear, so we saw all these little brown hands pressed up against the glass, waving at us. You couldn't tell who was who. I had been waving but paused to hold up my hands in the shape of a heart....and there came Ruth, back off the bus again, running across the parking lot, crying her eyes out. We hugged and I told her that everything would be ok and I loved her. I dug all of my Kleenex packets out of my purse and handed them over to her, and then I pulled my ring off my finger and put it on hers. I bought a ring made of interlinking crosses and ichthuses about eight or nine years ago, when I was having some severe anxiety issues. I'm talking full blown agoraphobia. I have worn it every day since, even on my wedding day. And now Ruth has it. I just felt like she needed it more than me. I took her back to the bus and walked her up the steps. Anahi was in the front seat so she was just like, oh, hey! Jessi came back! I told all three of them one more time that I loved them and went back to the waving sponsor group. Marissa asked if I needed a hug (I did) and I fought really hard not to just burst into tears, because I was worried that if I started crying as hard as I really wanted to, someone might come running back off the bus again.<br />
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And that was the end of my day with the kids. The farewell dinner that night was a bit of a blur. I remember Yvonne wrote a poem about our cultural differences and everything was spicy so I didn't eat much. It felt strange, packing up so little when I'd come to Honduras with so much. Really all I had were my clothes (which were in space bags) and souvenirs. We met in the lobby at 8:30 the next morning, made the quick trip to the airport, went through customs and immigration, and waited for our flight. There was a souvenir shop right next to our gate, so I picked up a couple small things with the $8 or so that I had left in my wallet, and we left Honduras. I had a window seat on the flight to Miami, and I normally don't like looking out plane windows, but I did for a little while. The mountains were so pretty from the air. There were plenty of movie choices on the seatback screens, but I went with Slumdog Millionaire. It's one of my favorites. It made me cry a little more than it usually does, but I'm sure my crying wasn't totally tied to the movie I was watching. Making my way through the Miami airport (which is enormous) was exhausting. It was literally a couple of miles from our gate to immigration, then I got "randomly selected" for an interview, which was much shorter than the line I had to stand in to get to it. Then another long hike to baggage, find my bags, rent another luggage cart, and several more miles to the Delta counter to get home (literally on the opposite end of the airport.) I ended up getting selected for more screening at the security checkpoint, and just barely made it to my gate in time. I was exhausted, grumpy and hungry (there wasn't a meal on the plane because it was a short flight, so we skipped lunch.) I was standing there trying not to cry as I waited for my section to be called, and I looked down and noticed that the mother-son duo in front of me had the same kind of Compassion luggage tags (from a couple of years ago) that I did. Well, what are the odds of that happening? How many people go on those trips every year? How many go through Miami airport? How many would have been there on the same day as me? At the same gate? So I said "excuse me, but I just noticed your luggage tags and I am freaking out a little. Are you returning from a Compassion trip?" They said no, but they had been to Haiti last year and maybe Bolivia a few years before that. We were able to talk for a few minutes while we boarded, and I told them about the kids I had just left behind. It was the perfect distraction and was definitely a God moment. The flight to Atlanta was smooth, and the first thing I did upon arrival was locate a sit down restaurant where I could get a cheeseburger. TGI Fridays was the first one I came upon. I asked for a booth so I could sit down and rest, and ordered myself a Shirley Temple and a salad to start. It was so nice to be able to eat lettuce again! The food in Honduras wasn't bad (though I didn't enjoy any of the meals at the second hotel, and ate mostly rice) but it's always nice to have something familiar and tasty, especially if you haven't had it for a while. Then I hopped on the people mover, found my next gate, and settled in for a wait while I talked to Brandon on the phone. The flight home was quick and easy, and I ended up back at my house around 1 in the morning!<br />
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Thanks for following along with my trip posts, and for praying for me before and during the journey. I have to say that I didn't become quite as smitten with Honduras as I did with Tanzania, but I have now lost track of how many times I have checked booking websites to see how much it would cost to fly down and spend a day with Ruth. I really feel like I have to get back and see her. It wouldn't be too bad, about a third of what I spent to go for the whole week. And I feel like the look on her face would be worth it.Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-29248373969667276202016-11-21T08:41:00.002-05:002016-11-21T08:41:31.271-05:00Sweet Greetings from Thailand, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Indonesia, and BoliviaIt's time for another mail call post!<br />
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<b>Thanakan</b><br />
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We got another lovely letter from Thanakan in Thailand this week! Thanakan said I must know a lot about animals since she learns many new facts about them from my letters! :) She liked the letter about raccoons I sent in September, and said she would color her coloring page beautifully! She also really enjoyed the letter I sent about our city's multicultural celebration, WorldFest. She said she was sure the city was filled with smiles and laughter! Thanakan said in November her town would have a festival celebrating the rice harvest, and she will get some time off from school. She reminded me to take care of myself, and asked that we pray for her family's farm! And here is her drawing.<br />
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<b>Fatuma</b><br />
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I feel like it had been forever since we got a letter from Fatuma in Kenya! It was great to hear from her. Fatuma said her baby brother John is doing very well, and she also enjoyed the letter about the raccoons. I wonder if some of the kids missed the notes I made about their size, because first Bonifas, and now Fatuma, have told me "we have those, too, but we call them mice." :) I will have to send them a photo of someone holding an adult raccoon so they know how big they are! Fatuma told me all about the mice and rats in her neighborhood- she does not think very highly of rats at all. Uh oh. I guess it's good that I don't have pet rats anymore- she would be a little disturbed by them! She specifically asked me to tell her more about the birds of our country, and shared about her country's Independence Day celebrations! Here is her drawing.<br />
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<b>Desire</b><br />
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This week we got our first letter from Desire in Burkina Faso! Desire's letter arrived about seven months after we got him as a correspondent, so it was wonderful to hear from him. And it was worth the wait! He was so sweet, repeating over and over how much he loves us and he's excited to hear from us! I don't think he had ever gotten a letter before we became his correspondents. He liked the letter I sent about peace, saying "thank you for teaching me many things about peace. I can share peace with others by loving them without insulting them." He also said that he was on school holiday and he got to attend a Bible camp! He learned many things about Jesus there, including "Jesus is a great friend to the children." And here is his drawing.<br />
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<b>Isabela</b><br />
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It was a good week for first letters, as we also heard from Isabela in Colombia for the first time! Isabela is tiny, so she sent a form letter about her project learning. She's learning to respect others, to be a good friend, and the importance of not littering in her neighborhood! Her favorite part about visiting the project is hearing Bible stories! Her tutor said that Isabela is very happy that we can write each other letters, and hopes we can continue doing it! She also made a drawing for us.<br />
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<b>Maribel</b><br />
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We also got a very exciting letter from Maribel this week- a gift thank you letter! Back in the summer, I did a bag exchange with Katrina, a sponsor in Canada who would be attending a Compassion sponsor tour. Katrina and I agreed to carry gifts for each other on our respective trips this year! So I took a little backpack to Honduras for Katrina's kiddo, and she took a little backpack to Maribel for me! We got a letter about that gift this week, and I was so happy! She said she loved everything we sent, and listed the items out (a toothbrush and toothpaste; hair clips; a bracelet; a necklace; a little pin; some fun pens and pencils; a sparkly shirt and glittery leggings; a warm hat with a rhinestone bow; and a Bible!) I think the Bible was her favorite, as she said she was going to read it twice a day, every day, from Genesis to Revelation. I'm so thankful we were able to send a gift to her! We also got this lovely photo of her with her presents! Thanks again, Katrina!<br />
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<b>Enal</b><br />
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Lastly, we got a new letter from Enal in Indonesia! Enal is one of our newer correspondents, and he doesn't have much time left in the program. We had to do an inquiry to get his first letter (he is just really busy with school!) but I hope we hear from him a few more times before graduation! He had a lot to say and filled up the whole page that was sent to us. Enal said he's never been to a zoo, but there are so many wild animals near his home that he doesn't think he ever has to go to one! I will have to ask about what kind of animals live near him in my next letter. He did enjoy reading about the animals near our home, and he loved reading about the snow we experienced last winter. He said it never snows in Indonesia, but he hopes to travel somewhere snowy someday. He said his favorite activities are running and swimming, and he really enjoys fruits and vegetables. He likes to eat bananas and rambutan. I remember Tasya telling me about rambutan a few years ago, but I finally got to try some when I was in Honduras! Its texture was like a peeled grape, but it was mild and sweet like a pear. It was pretty good! He shared a verse from Galatians five, and asked that we pray for his family to stay healthy- and he also offered to pray for us! He closed with a promise to write again soon, saying he was sorry it took him this long to send a letter (no apology needed!) but that he read everything we sent and he loved all of it!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-23275580698740055742016-11-17T11:48:00.000-05:002016-11-17T11:48:53.631-05:00Honduras Day 6Here's another post about my Honduras trip!<br />
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On Thursday, we were splitting our day between the field office and another project. I was interested to see how this would work since our field office visit in Tanzania was rather lengthy (I think they were excited about our visit and overprepared) therefore cutting short our time with the LDP students. But we had a strict schedule at the field office! We loaded up the bus and drove to the little office building in Tegucigalpa, where the field office is located. It's a shared space, with some rented rooms, like many of the other Compassion field offices. We started in a big room with mailboxes and cubicles. I took photos of each of the mailboxes representing my kids' projects, but I didn't see anything in there from me. :) We split into two groups and traveled around the room, visiting each station and meeting various members of the field office staff. We saw the new scanners that process the letters (packed in bundles of about 200-300.) They are capable of processing a letter a second! When they are in the computer, they are translated (always to English; if the letters are traveling to another country besides the UK, Canada, or the US, they are sent to those partner country offices and re-translated there.) And then sent on to where they need to go. We visited with the lady who is in charge of updating child info, and the lady who does intake for newly registered kids. The cubicle housing the staff member who handles exits from the program (graduations or leaving early) was interesting because there was a pile of graduation booklets there. I had just received one of those from Eduardo's project the week before! He graduated back in May, and they asked him some questions about his testimony and his time at the project. There was a little note about how his time in the program had impacted his family, and they included a couple of photos from when he was younger, taken at project special events! It was neat to see that they try to do these for most of the Honduran kids who graduate from the program. We talked a lot about the new letter system and asked how we can pray for the staff, and the challenges they face. The new method of processing letters is going over really well with the centers that are fully hooked up, but the biggest problem seemed to be connectivity at the projects. So that took longer to get off the ground than they expected. However, apparently the project directors and pastors at those centers that are fully online absolutely love the new system and have said they don't want to go back! After finishing up in that room, we traveled down the hall to another section of the office where finances are handled. Several people were out of the office for meetings that day, so there were just a few folks there. We met the lady who facilitates the LDP program and heard about what they are doing to expand that and move to a more inclusive program, where more kids can stay at the project for a longer time even if they don't qualify for the LDP program (which is harder to fund because the monthly cost for sponsors is higher.) It was nice to meet everyone and hear about all the aspects of the program! This is also where we dropped off our gifts that we brought for other sponsors. There were six little plastic bags on the table and then my giant duffel, which felt very conspicuous to me.<br />
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<i>An "intake" form for a newly registered sponsor child</i></div>
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<i>Sandier's mailbox!</i></div>
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After our trip to the field office, we went to Power Chicken for lunch! It's a fast food place with a really great reputation. I thought it was pretty tasty. They put us in a party room away from the rest of the restaurant. Apparently we had ordered ahead, and got several platters of food, intended for 20 people. There were ribs, chicken pieces, fried plantains, yucca fries, and "Chinese chicken" which was really tasty fried rice with chicken pieces. We had more than the recommended number of people for those platters, but we still had TONS of leftovers and filled up several bags of food. I don't know what they did with it, though. They might have taken it to the project!<br />
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And after lunch, it was time to head to HO-229. This project was more urban, situated in the hills. We arrived and made our way into the church, which was a big concrete building. There was a bit of a winding hallway leading to the sanctuary area. In the first portion of the hallway, the kids threw rice at us. In the next part, they were waving flags. And I don't remember what happened in the third part, but they were so welcoming and excited! It was adorable. I wish I had video. There might have been balloons. We sat around the edge of the sanctuary and the pastor was introduced to us. Many of the kids were dressed in martial arts uniforms. A large part of our introduction to this project included a tae kwon do demonstration! They had kids of all ages come up and show off their form, and even did a bit of sparring. Apparently a young man from the project went on to become a great tae kwon do fighter and even competed on the international level. He came back to teach it at the project and invest in the lives of the kids. It's really neat! After that, the kids disappeared and came back with snacks for us- banana splits! It was so adorable! And really tasty. We also had a bit of free time with the kids. Many of us just sat on the floor with them while they asked us questions about our lives and our home countries. They also wanted to take photos with us. They were so smiley and adorable. I was having a really good feeling about this project- I really wanted to be involved with it somehow, but I wasn't sure how just yet. It was just so full of love and hope- the feeling was vastly different inside the church compared to just standing on the road right outside the building.<br />
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<i>These cuties kept appearing in my photos for some reason...</i></div>
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<i>Sabina the puppet made another appearance</i></div>
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We were going to do quick home visits for this project, and we split into two groups again. We were told to leave absolutely everything on the bus- we could carry a phone in our pockets or hands, but no cameras, no backpacks or purses, no nothing. They were very serious. We went around the back of the building and hiked down a hill, then back up a hill. It was very daunting. In my head I had already nicknamed it murder hill because it kind of felt like it was trying to kill us. I was really struggling with my allergies and a cough during the end of the trip, and ended up staying with the other group at the first house (halfway up the hill) instead of going all the way up with my group. I'm not kidding- this hill was intense. Like, a 55 degree angle. Or steeper. So we stopped at a little house that held a mom and 12 year old son. The mom makes party decorations for a living and some of them were strung up from the ceiling. We squeezed into the little living room area and listened to the mom's testimony. It was sad because she had two sons, and one died three years ago. He had kidney troubles and was unable to secure a transplant in time. This was her older son. He was 12 when he died. Now her younger son was 12. The younger son received a sponsor around the time that his brother passed away, which the mom feels (and I agree) was timing orchestrated by God. This sponsor is really great, frequently writing letters and encouraging this boy (and in turn, his mother.) While she was talking, a married couple that was on the trip with us realized that they had a special connection with this family. They have a niece who also had kidney trouble and other organ failures, and who would be the same age as the older boy. And three years ago, she got her transplant. I think that that sort of situation is something that you really only get if your family has been through it, and it was just perfect that this was the house that they ended up visiting, and they could have this special connection with this mom. Meanwhile, one member of our little group (who was having some serious breathing issues) was resting on a chair outside the home. Some little girls from the project had followed us up the hill, and had stopped to chat with our friend as she sat outside. She understood a little bit of Spanish, but asked for translation help for clarity when we left the home. The little girl had been casually chatting about the violence in her neighborhood. Part of that story involved sharing that a neighbor had either killed someone or himself recently. Little kids, no matter where they live, should not have stories like that to share when they're describing their neighborhoods. And then I decided not to call that hill "murder hill." And I got sad.<br />
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While we were visiting this house, the other team was hiking ever onward with their bag of gifts (food and essentials, the same stuff we delivered to the other home visits.) They apparently hiked a little too far and had to turn around and come back down in order to visit the right home. One of my friends from the group later described feeling frustrated and tired from the hike, especially since he was carrying the bag of gifts. At the end of their home visit, they presented the bag of gifts to the mom. She cried. When they asked why, she said she hadn't eaten that day. They had run out of food and had nothing in their home. The kids would have food at the project, but she didn't have anything. Our team came at just the right time. Our whole trip was filled with little moments like that. I wondered for a while what my purpose for this trip was. Seeing my kids was amazing (and you will hear more about that later) but God brought something extra out of my trip to Tanzania. It gave me tools I needed to conquer a lot of the anxiety I experience, and it showed me that my mission, at least for now, is to write to as many kids as possible so that fewer kids go without letters. I think that our purpose for this trip was to witness these interpersonal moments and be a part of them. Identifying with the mom who had lost a son. Bringing food on the first day of hunger. Praying for the young mother at 409 and sharing with her that I understand her anxiety about her son.<br />
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While all this was going on, wheels were turning and things were being put in motion. Before we left the project to do our home visits, I noticed Marissa spending some one on one time with a really adorable, smiley little girl. She stayed behind during the visits because she was going to sponsor this kiddo (named Andrea.) When we got back, they were coloring and having fun together. Andrea's mom was there, I think, as was her cousin, who is the same age. They were like sisters! I sat with Marissa as we ate our second snack of the day, watching these cute kids and hearing about her new sponsorship. Now, I had been asking every kid I personally interacted with if they had a sponsor. I really felt like I was meant to be connected to 229 in some way, and felt confused every time I connected with a kid and heard "yes, I have a sponsor!" That's great news, but what am I supposed to be doing?? I had been praying throughout the day and trying to keep an eye out for opportunities. And then I asked about Andrea's cousin. What's her name? How old is she? Does she come to the project, too? I wasn't sure since they were family. Maybe she was just visiting. And then...does she have a sponsor? Of course not. Boom. There it was. We had like, 15 minutes left at the project. I asked if we had her information- her packet had been one we'd carried around since the beginning of the trip. I had kind of skimmed over them but no one jumped out at me. Little Sofia, running around the project in her Sunday dress and curly hair, had caught my eye when we first came in because I have a thing about hair. I love curly, fluffy, big hair. I even asked our translators how to say "I love your hair, it's so pretty" because one of the teen girls who did the tae kwon do demonstration had GORGEOUS hair and I really wanted to touch it (I didn't because that's weird and you should only do that with friends.) And I loved Sofia's curly hair, too. But in her packet photo, she had it pulled back in a pony tail! So I skipped right over her! I don't know why, but I think this is very funny. While we were running around trying to round up her info, Sofia's dad came in- he had been outside! I got to meet him and he sat with the rest of the family while I got Sofia's packet. .And then I got to tell her in person, with her dad there, that I was going to sponsor her. She was very giggly and a little shy, like "this is really cool and all but what am I supposed to be doing." She's only six, after all. Andrea, on the other hand, was like "best day ever!" and joined right in the hug at the end. She must have thought it was a pretty fun day- she was just coming to meet these random visitors, got a sponsor, spent some time playing and coloring with her, and then her cousin got a sponsor, too! It was so much fun to be a part of all that happiness. I loved it. We just had a few more minutes at the project, and we hugged the kids and took lots of photos, then started heading toward the bus. We got another project gift- they had mugs made with a photo of the kids on there! It was so sweet! And they put some Honduran candy in there, too. I love my mug and am currently using it to hold some sparkly pens and pencils on my desk. I like looking at it and thinking of Sofia and this amazing project in the hills, that's bringing love and hope to a neighborhood that desperately needs it.<br />
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My next post will be about the end of our trip, which means our fun day with the sponsor kids! I hope to get it posted soon, and I can't wait to share it with you!<br />
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<br />Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595668649977089723.post-62448750982180206102016-11-14T08:22:00.001-05:002016-11-14T08:22:18.284-05:00Sweet Greetings from El Salvador, Colombia, and TanzaniaIt's time for another Mail Call post!<br />
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Just a few letters rolled in this week! We heard from three of our Colombian kids, who were approaching the six month mark for letters, and that was great! Hopefully more will be coming in next week. :)<br />
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<b>Milton</b><br />
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Our second letter from Milton in El Salvador came in this week! It's great to hear from him and get to know him better. Milton wrote his letter about his Christian learning, and said he learns about God from his pastor and his tutor at the project. He's been learning about who wrote which books of the Bible, and about when they were written. And he shared that his favorite song is "I listen to the rain" by Joel Ruano. I will have to look that up! His favorite Bible story is Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery, and he asked that we pray for his friends.<br />
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<b>Julian</b><br />
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Julian just sent a short letter this time, but he did write it himself! He said they are learning about manners and respect at the project, and it's important to always say "hello" and "thank you." He shared that his family rents an apartment and he would like to have a house, and asked that we pray for his mom.<br />
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<b>Zalifina</b><br />
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Zalifina shared that she is enjoying attending the project every Saturday, where she learns about physical and social studies, and the word of God. She said her favorite verse is Psalm 35:1.<br />
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We also got letters from Geison and Michel in Colombia, but I am unable to open them. I will add their letters to this post when I get the PDF copies or the link is repaired!Jessihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06476329539093288552noreply@blogger.com1