Project Letter: BF-259

Here's a letter from Eyo's project in Burkina Faso! All photos come from Compassion's website.

I am Jean Baptiste B., team leader of the child development center attended by your sponsored child and run by the Baptist Church in Koudougou town, Burkina Faso. Great is my joy to say thank you for your different supports on behalf of Eyo in order to contribute to her success, well-being, and blooming. Thanks to your assistance, there is regular participation at the center on Thursdays to take part in the different activities such as singing in the choir with friends. That has brought a positive change in life with good behaviors toward friends in the center and at school. Church is also attended regularly. May God bless you richly for your support.

Recently we received the Complementary Intervention funds which are used for teaching the children and their parents on malaria, hygiene, and sanitation. We also received water filters which enable them to drink pure water.

The meetings of information that we organized have had some positive changes on people. We see them practicing hygiene in order to avoid diseases such as malaria. The use of the water filters has also contributed to the reduction of some diseases linked with dirty waters like stomach-ache. Parents can now save money because they no longer spend their money on medicines to always treat the children.

The letters that the children receive from their sponsors always bring them great joy and mainly when they find photos or drawings inside. It is easy to feel a member of your family because your name becomes familiar and the names of your family members as well. I know many children here who have memorized the Bible verses found in their letters, and some children even use those Bible verses in their own songs they like to sing with their friends. A child testified one day that he was happy because he has found that his sponsor and himself have the same last name.

I am so moved when I see the love, commitment, and determination of the sponsors always manifested toward their children in this center. That encourages me to work with more discipline and diligence in this ministry among the children.

The extra-curricular activities such as music, hairdressing, football, handball held in the center on Saturdays have a positive impact on the children. Many children really excel in hairdressing, and we see a girl dressing the hair of one another all the time. We are also happy to inform you that the children registered in our center have received a medical visit, and those who have health problems have been well treated. They are healed now. Their school results this year are satisfactory, too, because of the extra classes they have in the center on Thursdays. Additionally, the families who got gifts from their children's sponsors are now involved in income-generating activities which help them to have money to take care of their families properly.

We didn't get a dangerous disease this year in our midst thanks to your prayers and that of the center. Now we would like you to pray for the child who suffers from sickle cell anemia, and the child who is epileptic, the mother of one of our children who is sick too, and the area where the center is located so that we can have a medical center, and a secondary school. My sincere greetings once more to you. Thank you for contributing to the success and blooming of Eyo. On behalf of all the center, receive my sincere gratitude in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Project Letter: BF-508

Here's a letter from our Desire's project in Burkina Faso! All the photos come from Compassion's website. 

My name is Timothee O., the pastor of the church (in Lan.) Our church houses (BF-508), the child development center attended by Desire. The center is located in the midwest region of the country in the village of Lan.

We feel happy and joyful that you support Desire in our center. Nowadays, it is rare to see good people of goodwill like you, who consider others who are unknown to them and support them sincerely. May God grant you his blessings! At the center, the children are given courses that will help them develop in a holistic way. Entertainment activities are also organized for them, and a lunch and breakfast are given to the children.

During the year, educational sessions are organized for parents and their children. A Christmas celebration is also organized that gathers children and their parents to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The day before the ceremony, each child receives clothes and a pair of shoes for Christmas. This celebration gives the children a chance to sing, dance, and do other things which allow them to socialize with people. Medical examinations also help to follow the health of the children registered at the center. All these activities are highly appreciated by the whole community.

In addition, I can say that most of the sponsored children were living in an extreme poverty. Their way of dressing showed it. But today, there is a huge difference, because these children are freed from extreme poverty and are the pride of their parents because of sponsors like you who have intervened. Through the center's lessons, many children have given their lives to Jesus, and we are very pleased. The impact of the center is significant for the community.

Once the children are sponsored at the center, they begin to develop in many ways. They play with children of their age, express feelings and emotions easily, have much confidence and do not hesitate to ask questions. Because of sponsors' letters, the children feel encouraged and happy to know that there are people who love them and pray for them. When replying, children always do a drawing of their choice to express their joy.

All this convinces us that your decision to sponsor Desire in our center is creditable and essential. The children at the center feel freed from extreme poverty through the sponsors' actions, and the parents feel relieved. They always testify their gratitude to us for all that the sponsors are doing for their children. In the village, the children attending the center are distinguished positively in all aspects. Therefore, the church also enjoys a good reputation within the community through your support.

In conclusion, I rely on your prayers for all the children of the center to receive Christ in their lives and to become responsible adults and good leaders to communicate the grace of God. I reiterate my deepest gratitude, and may God fill you with his blessings in Jesus Christ.


If you are interested in sponsoring a child at Desire's center, please consider little Dorcace! This little cutie is just two years old, but she'll be having her birthday next week! Getting her very first sponsor would be such a wonderful birthday gift. Read more about Dorcace here.

Project Letter: BF-351

Here's a letter from Reine's center in Burkina Faso! All the photos come from Compassion's website. 

Dear Jessi,

I am Elie G., the team leader of the child development center (BF-351) in which is your sponsored child. It is located in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We thank you for your choice to sponsor and support Reine in the holistic development. May the Almighty God bless you!

Sponsorship has a great impact on a child's life. I would like to tell you the story of one boy. At first he wept for hours when his mother dropped him at the center. It took a lot of prayers, patience, and love toward him so he could feel at ease at the center. We thank God for his center worker, who never tires to comfort the new children and share his experience with them. Today this boy is 11 years old. He joyfully attends primary school, and he has well grown physically. He has accepted Jesus as his Savior and leads the praise and worship in the class.

At first, another boy was very turbulent and hit other children in his class. He was disrespectful and rude toward teachers to the point that no one wanted to admit him in his class. But today we thank God for the radical change in the life of this young man, who is now 19. He is friendly, attends school, and does not miss to attend church.

We recently received complementary interventions, and we purchased novels to enhance our library to the benefit of the children at the center. The impact of these funds on the children of the center was to strengthen their knowledge in French and English. We can therefore say that their families and the community benefit, since the children's school results have been better.

The children of the center rejoice when they receive letters from their sponsors. Some even make collections of received photos and gadgets and they keep them jealously. Parents are also happy and come to the center to thank the workers, because it is through the letters that children and their parents get news from their sponsors, and that establishes a communication link.

It is a grace to work in this ministry, to see how kids are growing up, to educate them, and help them to become responsible and independent Christian adults. It needs a great responsibility and spiritual maturity.

The relation we have with the children is very strong because we have been transformed to accept others and see life differently. To achieve this goal we must be full of love and patience as the book of Galatians 5:22 says. We already see the fruits in some children's lives for education or health. This encourages us to move forward and have love for our work within the center. The spiritual aspect is not neglected in the children. We recognize the hand of God in all aspects of their lives. Sometimes we had to pray to settle certain situations or diseases, and we have seen the hand of God.

We thank you and encourage you for your choice focused on your child. We would like you to know that you made the right choice to provide support. All the sponsorship of our center's children affects positively their lives and their families and community. Thank you for your help in supporting Reine, and we wish the Lord to bless you, give you long life and success. Please keep on praying that God will always protect the children of our center and bless them.



If you are interested in sponsoring a young lady in Burkina Faso, please consider Zourata. She is so sweet! And I love that shirt. :) Zourata is 9 years old, and her birthday is July 2. She loves reading and has four brothers and sisters! Read more about Zourata here.

Project Letter: BF-502

Here's a letter from Barry's project in Burkina Faso!

Receive our fraternal and cordial greetings in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior from Bobo-Dioulasso. I am Mrs. Findalo R., project director of the center at (BF-502) where your sponsored child attends. I want to express our deep appreciation and gratitude for your spiritual, financial, material and moral accompaniment through the sponsorship of Barry. Through me the whole team of the center and the whole church express our gratitude by saying thank you very much from our hearts for your very important help.

Like other communities, ours is experiencing many difficulties such as malnutrition, diseases related to poverty such as malaria, typhoid fever, bronchitis, and a few cases of HIV/AIDS. Living conditions are not enviable; tiny houses, lack of clean water, poor sanitation, etc. Today, thanks to sponsors' donations more children go to school, they are cared for; receive a balanced diet and experiencing a positive change in behavior. We can cite the example of a child who had two fractures in the arm after an accident. His parents testified that they could not afford the expenses of his cares because of lack of means. With the help of the center for the cares, the child is now healed.

Also, we can take the example of another child, who after being admitted to secondary school still could not afford to go. The support of the center enabled her to go to school and now she is in fourth grade. She said that she has received teachings in the center, which helped her to understand the Christian life and to get committed. She gave her life to Jesus, is baptized and is in the choir of teenagers at church.

Thanks to the center program the children learn to knit, to style, to plant trees, etc. And today they get to style their hairs themselves. This is the case of a child who comes to style his mates in the center without any assistance and is glad to have learned this activity that would benefit him in the future. It should be noted that through the center, the whole community has a new consideration of our church. It is more open and receptive to our message than before.

The children really welcome letters from their sponsors and are glad to know that they are loved and that sponsors care about their future. At any time we receive letters in the center, everyone is expecting to receive one that they may hear from their sponsors. They also welcome birthday gifts they had never had before and also Christmas holidays they celebrate together in the center.

Also we are in satisfaction in this program because it not only helps the registered children but the whole family; the evidence is that many families in need receive support leading them to better flourish. For this purpose we can list the case of 23 families who have benefitted from Complementary Intervention funds for improving their living conditions.

Seeing these children develop, rediscover the joy of living, big smile on their faces, encourages us daily to move forward in this work. Moreover the participation of the children to different Bible camps positively impacts their behavior, because it not only enhances their knowledge of Christ, but brings a visible change in their way of life. But the gap remains high, and in this regard, Compassion serves us a very solid bridge to get there.

So, we ask you to pray for us tirelessly so that this vision we have to make these children disciples and witnesses of Jesus in their environment be achieved for the glory of our Lord. Let me conclude by reiterating to you our cordial thanks and pray that the grace of the Almighty God may abound in your lives.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Barry's center, please consider beautiful Sanata!! I adore her pretty pink outfit! Sanata lives with her mom and dad, and in her neighborhood, there are high instances of HIV/AIDS and child abuse and exploitation. Read more about Sanata here.

Sweet Greetings from Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Tanzania

Happy Mail Call Monday. How is it already February???

We got a few letters this week, which was lovely! The first one is another letter from Austin in Kenya!

Austin is just so sweet. He wrote a short letter, but it was very kind. He said he is "very fine" with his family, and that he reads our letters every day! He asked that we pray for his mechanics course, and he is praying for my great-great-aunt Dolly, whom I wrote about several months ago when we visited my grandfather's hometown. He also shared that he likes to go to church with his family and friends, and they encourage each other. He also said that he got to visit his great-grandmother recently, who is 82 years old! I'm so glad that Austin has one of these older family members in his life- I always thought it was really neat growing up that I still had two of my great-grandparents, and I am thankful that some of my kiddos can have that experience, too. 

Next, a letter from Barry in Burkina Faso!

Barry is so cute! He said "I wish you good healing for your tooth" because I had written to the kids asking them to pray for some dental issues I was having last summer. He also said that he was going to pray for the children who don't have sponsors, which is so awesome! He said that he liked the pictures we've been sending, and his favorite was a picture of a big butterfly I saw at my parents' house. Hew as very excited to tell me about the things he drew on the back of his letter (including a tricycle) and he wished us a happy Christmas. On the back of his letter, he asked if I knew how to dance with a djembe, which is a kind of west African drum (the answer to that is "no", but I have seen them before!) and he wanted to know if I can play the piano. He also asked us to pray for the kids in his neighborhood who can't go to school because their parents can't bring them. 

Next, a letter from our lovely Christine in Kenya! 

Christine called me "my friend" about a hundred times in her letter, which is so cute! She asked about our family and asked how my dad recovered from his surgery (it was just a quick procedure for carpal tunnel.) She also asked about my new job and the weather. Like so many of our other kids, she shared her frustration with her grades and said that she is trying harder to do better for the end of the year. She asked that we pray for her schoolwork and shared Exodus 20:4 with us. 

The next letter we received was from Motempa in Kenya! 

Motempa is lovely. She refers to herself as our child, and shared that she is working hard at school and thanks us for praying for her. She talked a bit about the weather and asked how the weather is in our country, and shared Psalm 118:24 with us. 

We also got a letter from Nkoyio, our other teen at the same center. 

Nkoyio shared her thankfulness that her region had received some rain ending a drought, and said that they are digging something for their animals (her handwriting is really tiny!) Nkoyio also said that she is praying for Dolly and asked that we pray for her mom, who is sick. She also enjoyed she liked seeing a new picture of baby Lilly, and she's praying for the kids who don't have sponsors. She then said "thank you very much for your continued support that you are giving me. I lack words to express my happiness. May God bless you so much. I thank God for giving me a wonderful friend like you. I wish to see you, Jessi Jones!" How very sweet! 

We also received a short letter from little Gloria, who attends the same center as Motempa and Nkoyio!

Gloria said that she is very fine and she hopes we are, too. She said her family sends their greetings and it is raining quite a bit where she lives. She also wished us a merry Christmas and said she is praying God will bless us. Gloria also said that she has not been baptized yet but she would like to be! 

Finally, we heard from Christina in Tanzania!

Christina was one of the kids that I recently took over for my mom. We got an intro letter from her center sharing a bit about her favorites. She has three brothers and one sister, and her best friends are named Agie, Justina and Neema. She lives in a town and she likes writing. Her favorite Bible story is the story of Adam and Eve, and she likes eating rice and beans. Her favorite holiday is children's day at her church, and she is really good at running! She wants to be a doctor when she grows up, and she asked about my favorite color. 

Sweet Greetings from India, Honduras, Ghana, Kenya, and Burkina Faso

Happy Mail Call Monday!

We received quite a few letters this week, which was very exciting! The first was from my little Anahi in Honduras!

Anahi sent a form letter about herself. Her eyes are brown, her hair is black, she is the first of two children, she is really good at making up stories, and she loves to play! As usual, her mom Celina wrote the letter. Celina says that Anahi is about to finish the second grade, and she is very excited about it! She also said "she says thank you for the letters that you've sent her where she hears many funny things about your life and also your family." I'm glad she thinks we are funny! Anahi also recently went to the dentist and will have to have surgery to take out one of her baby teeth. Celina says that she was scared at first until they explained that a grown up tooth would grow in its place! We were sent long distance hugs and kisses and they said "we love you a lot and wish you the biggest and most delicious blesings for you and your family. God keeps you and covers you with his precious blood." I love this family so much!

Next, we heard from Angelina in Ghana!

Angelina said that her family is doing well, and she has been learning about how to help people at the project! She asked that we pray for her family to become Christians, and she shared one of my favorite Bible verses, 1 John 4:19. Angelina also drew a really impressive diagram of a human heart, labeling all the atria and ventricles and everything! She's so talented!

We also received another letter from Bijay this week, which was very surprising!

Bijay seems like such a sweet young man! He said that he and his aunty are doing well and he is so happy and proud that I am in his life! How very kind! He recently had a health checkup at his project, and everything was fine with that. His project also had some kind of Bible school event in October, and he learned new songs and verses and received good teaching! He asked that we pray for his studies, and he signed the letter "yours lovely!"

Later in the week, we also heard from little Emmanuel in Kenya!

Emmanuel's letter was written on big kid paper by a project worker. He greeted us with "jambo" and responded to some of my questions. He told us that he has been baptized when he was a baby, and the "pastor poured some water on his head!" He has never heard of an alpaca but he liked seeing the picture, and he is happy that I am writing to lots of kids! He asked that we pray for his family and friends.

We also got our first letter from Eyo in Burkina Faso this week!

I recently took over letter writing responsibilities for some of my mom's kids, and Eyo was one of them. I got a "getting to know you" letter, since she was transferred to my account. Eyo is so cute and sweet. We learned from her letter that she is now living with her aunt, and she lives close enough to the project that she can walk there very easily! Her favorite color is green, her favorite subject is handwriting, and her favorite animal is the donkey!

One of the other letters we received this week was from Fatuma in Kenya!

I can tell that Fatuma has been practicing her handwriting, because she was trying to make it look fancy (making it a little bit harder to read! How cute!) Fatuma is really good about responding to my letters. She said she has not been baptized but wants to be someday. And she had heard of alpacas before and liked seeing the picture of me with one! She also said that her mom recently gave birth to a new baby named John. She was looking forward to the Christmas holidays and told me to "stay blessed!"

A letter from our Festus in Kenya arrived the same day that we got a photo update of him!

Festus shared that he placed in the top half of his class, and is studying hard to do better next time. He and his family plan ground nuts and maize, and he goes to church every Sunday to worship God! He also told us that he has three sisters and five brothers, and they all live at home! Wow!


Next up was a letter from Purity in Kenya!

Purity shared that she was very happy that I am interested in the Swahili language, she also liked seeing the alpaca picture that I sent, and she was really excited about Christmas!


We also heard from Rose in Kenya this week!

It was good to hear from Rose because we hadn't received a letter from her since this summer! Rose is so sweet and I really like her letters. She loves to learn, so I have been sending her some paperback nonfiction books. She really likes reading them! Rose said that her schools didn't open on time in August because there was a teacher's strike, and she asked us to pray about that. She also took the time to say hello to my friend Hannah and she is happy that Hannah prays for her- and she is praying for Hannah! Rose finished her letter by writing down lots o fher favorites. She likes to eat rice with beans, she loves playing legball, she likes cooking for her family, and she interacts with lots of friends, but her favorite friend is Mary Karisa! Cows are her favorite animal because they give milk, and she likes green because "it is the best color." She also likes the story of David in the Bible because he showed a lot of courage by fighting Goliath!

Lastly, we got our second letter from Rubby in Ghana!

Rubby said her family is doing great, and she is very thankful for my letters! She also said that she recently started sharing Bible stories with other kids at the project! She said that she would really like to hear about the weather in my country, and under her prayer requests, she wrote "It is my dearest prayer that Elohim will empower me to be a partaker of his glorious kingdom!" Wow! She also drew a picture of a dog! :)