Project Letter: UG-256

It's been a while since I've shared a pastor letter! Here's a letter from Jowan's project in Uganda. 

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!

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.



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 here.

Project Letter: UG-305

Here's a letter from our Caleb's project in Uganda! 

Dear Jessi, 

I am Sarah W, the project director of (UG-305) attended by your sponsored child, located in the eastern region of Uganda. On behalf of (our project), I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation for the immeasurable contribution of this ministry of releasing children out of various forms of poverty. The support that is received from you has changed the life story of Caleb that you sponsor.

During the centre day, children in their different age groups are engaged in different activities. Children begin with cleaning the church and bathrooms. Thereafter children assemble for devotions. After prayers they take breakfast and move to their curriculum classes. There is evident spiritual development among the youth. A good number of them have shown interest in sharing the gospel of Christ with their peers, they are involved in church ministry, students from our centre take readings and sing in the church choir and are also involved in the youth ministry.

There is a student in senior four who received a special gift from her sponsor. With this gift she was able to top up her school fees for the whole year, and even join the boarding section. Because of this gift, she will be able to carry out her studies without any interruptions. She will also have access to all the school programs since she is now a resident at school. This gives her a better chance to perform much better in her exams. We are grateful for this support.

We received a Compassion grant and with these funds we installed a water tank of 10,000 liters which has greatly improved the hygiene and sanitation at the centre. The challenge of drinking unsafe water was solved for the children at the centre and the families in the neighboring community. We bless the Lord for this intervention.

One of the most exciting moments at the centre is when children receive letters from their sponsors. As their names are read at the assembly, the air literally fills with joy. Sponsor letters are so significant to the child's life as the child feels loved, cared for and so special, thought about and valued. It's true that sponsors communicate with a lot of love and letters are a source of encouragement. Some children who don't receive letters have this as a prayer request and those who are bold will ask why their sponsors do not write to them.

My greatest moment is seeing transformed lives, children who join the program so little, shy, reserved, unfriendly growing from one stage of development to another is amazing. The spiritual aspect has had the most impact because it's the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of all wisdom. 

We encourage that you continue to uphold the children's ministry at this centre, safety for children as they go to school and back home. We pray that the children in the program will be able to realize their potential and end the cycle of poverty.

We thank you so much for the love and caring you show to Caleb. We pray that the Lord will enlarge your territory, bless the work of your hands, look upon you with favor and bless you in every way.



If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Caleb's project, please consider little Claudius! He is so cute! Claudius is 6 years old and his birthday is November 6. He likes playing just about every game imaginable, and he enjoys reading stories! Read more about him here.

Sweet Greetings from Indonesia, Peru, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and the Philippines

Happy Mail Call Monday!

I was so glad to hear from some of our kids this week! Our first letter is from our sweetie Merlyn in the Philippines!  

Merlyn is such a cutie and I love her to pieces. She puts lots of smiley faces in there. Merlyn said she is glad that I'm sending her so many letters. She also said she was glad that we made Christmas cards for the kids who don't have sponsors! She asked about "friend sister Hannah," and wants to know how many kids she sponsors, and sent her regards to her and the rest of our family and friends! She asked that we pray for her mom to have strength and energy to do her job, and asked that we pray for her because her eyes hurt. I asked in my reply if she needs glasses! She also said that there was a typhoon that hit her country recently, but Jesus protected them! She closed with "please take care always, sister Jessi! I love you! Bye!" 

We also got a surprise letter from Carlos in Peru! 

We have been hearing from Carlos a lot lately! This was a special letter that I had not received before- there was a printed letter from the project saying that they were celebrating Sponsor Appreciation week, and there was supposed to be a photo attached in an envelope (the envelope was empty- hopefully we will be able to get another copy!) Carlos also wrote his own letter, saying that he was thankful for all the things that I was able to send in his little backpack over the summer (he called the candy "snacks" which I thought was really cute, for some reason.) Carlos also mentioned El Nino in his letter, making him the third or fourth kid of ours around the world to talk about it. Carlos also said that he just finished up his first semester of technical college!!!! I am ridiculously proud of him! 

Earlier in the week, we heard from Reine in Burkina Faso! 

I like the BF letter templates- there's a free writing space, and then some prompts on the back! One of the prompts is a "question for my sponsor" and Reine always asks which country I live in. :) I will tell her again that it's the United States! She said that she is enjoying wearing her glasses and she would try to send me a picture of her wearing them (I hope she's able to!) She also sent her congratulations to my friend Jess on her baby, and said that her favorite animal is a dog. She especially enjoyed reading the letter I wrote about the Kentucky Derby, and seeing pictures of the horses! 

This week, we also heard from Caleb in Uganda! 

I knew this letter was from Caleb before I opened it, because I saw the word "crops" written in there. :) Caleb told me that his family only grows enough to eat themselves, which is an answer to a question I'd asked him. It's always nice to get responses! With the small financial gift he received recently, Caleb purchased rice, a new shirt, a hen, a dress shirt, and a soda! He also told me, in response to a letter about Bibles, that his family shares a Bible! Caleb's letter was written in August, three months before my friend Amy traveled to Uganda and dropped off some gifts for him and Amelia! Hopefully in his next letter I will get to hear what Caleb thought of his gifts, which included a Bible of his own. :) 

We also heard from our Indonesian kiddos, Prayer and Tasya this week! 

Prayer wrote that his family is doing really well, and he's always happy to hear from us! He said "I am so thankful to have you who always pray for me and my family." Prayer said that his family celebrated Easter at church, and they took eggs to church and wrote Bible verses on them! He also got to watch an Easter concert on TV at the project! Prayer said that his favorite food is "jagur" porridge, and he's never had pizza. He said his favorite animals are dogs and chickens, because they are really funny! Prayer also shared that he likes playing guitar, and asked that we pray for rain for his region because they are having a water crisis. 

Tasya said that her family is also doing really well. She said "I don't know about your friend, but I do love that baby Lilly. That baby is sooo cute!" How sweet! Tasya said she enjoys babysitting and has even babysat for her neighbor's little kid before. She has also watched her cousin's little baby (who smiled a lot!) but she can't watch it right now because they are away at their grandfather's house! She said she is praying for Lilly and for me and my parents. 

Sweet Greetings from Kenya, Uganda, India, Ecuador, and Honduras

Happy Mail Call Monday! And Merry Christmas!

We got a few more letters this week! The first was our first letter from Sukumar in India!

Sukumar's letter was written in English! It's so exciting to know that this young man speaks and writes English- now I know more of what I can send him in the way of little paper presents! I'm very excited. Sukumar wrote that he and his family are fine, and he is studying well in school. His family does agricultural work and he enjoys reading my letters and greeting cards! He said he is praying for me in his devotion time and personal prayer- this sounds like he has a relationship with Jesus, which is such an encouragement! And he said that he is very happy because I am encouraging him and writing to him. What a sweetheart!

We also heard from Sandier in Honduras!

Sandier's letter was about his house. It's orange and pretty and has a sheet metal roof. We also learned a little more about his family situation in this letter- Sandier's grandmother lives with them, because she has health problems, and takes care of the kids. She has a bed of her own, and the other bed is shared by Sandier's mom, Sandier, and his sister Haki. This week I took some money out of my special savings account for my Honduras trip and sent it to Sandier's family so they can buy another bed. I can't wait to see pictures of him (and hopefully the rest of his family!) and I have faith that God will "reimburse" these funds in time.

And another lovely letter from Mary in Kenya came this week!

Mary's letters are always so special- this time she wrote two pages!! She responded directly to many of my stories and prayer requests, including saying that she loved the story of Fanny Crosby and found the lyrics to her hymn to be very inspirational! She always encourages me so much, and I love having her as a member of my family. Mary also shared that recently she was able to take a "police training course" but she is still planning on pursuing her dream of being a party planner and singer. She also shared that her grandfather was able to go to the doctor and they learned that he has fluid surrounding his heart, so we are definitely praying for his medical care and his doctors.

We also got a letter from Caleb in Uganda!

Caleb is so sweet. His family must be farmers because he always writes about what they're planting or harvesting. He said he personally planted cassava and maize this time around, and his family is also planting soybeans. After finishing his school exams, they are now on holiday for three months (the letter was written in November, so I guess he will go back in January or so.) During his break, he helps his parents with domestic work and he plays football with his friends! He wished us a happy Christmas and a good new year.

We heard from Christine in Kenya this week, too!

Christine is so cute! I hadn't heard from her in several months, so it was good to get her letter. Christine said "I feel loved by you when I receive a letter. Thank you for loving me like your child. May God of Heaven always pay back in goodness all that you do for me. My family also thanks and prays for you all the time." She said she was glad that my stomach is feeling better and is very happy that I got a new job! :)

Lastly, we got a special letter from Erick in Ecuador!

Erick's letter didn't say much, other than he received the gift we were able to send him back in April! :) We got a super cute picture of Erick holding some of his gifts! I was especially excited to see that he was wearing the scarf that I made for him!!

Sweet Greetings from Ghana, Uganda, India, Honduras, Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Mexico

Happy Mail Call Monday, two days late!

It was a crazy weekend! We went out of town, and then there was the holiday, and then I started a new job this week! So here are the letters we received last week. :)

We heard from Angelina in Ghana!

Angelina shared that at the project, they've been learning about who to trust, and making wise friendships. She asked about my favorite game to play at home, and said that she prays God gives us good health! 

Next, we heard from Caleb in Uganda! 

This was the first letter I've received from Caleb that didn't mention his family's crops of maize and beans! Caleb said he's glad that we like to visit the zoo, and asked about my favorite animal there. He said that his favorite animal is the lion, as it has a big head and a small tail- and he said that this was good planning on God's part, because the lion uses its big head to slay people! Wow! He also said thank you for loving him and writing him letters, and his prayer is that God will give me the wisdom to always write to him, and that he will always write to me! 

Then we heard from Benji in Haiti!

Benji said that his family enjoys celebrating Easter because it is a time of grace! He thanked us for the letters and asked that we pray for his health, and then wished us "good night." :) 

Next, we got a letter from Jayid in India! 

As usual, Jayid's letter was written by a project worker! Jayid's helper at the project said that he's been learning lots of new action songs at the project, and he likes to listen to the guitar! They also said that the kids have been taking self defense classes! What a fun skill to develop. Jayid asked that we continue to pray for his dad's health (he has TB.) 

Then we got a letter from Anahi in Honduras!

I love the fact that Anahi's letters are always written by her mom! Anahi's letter was a form letter about her medical check-up (she's doing well and is quite tall!) and she also said that she is getting really good at reading and writing. Her mom, Celina, wrote that they were so happy to write to me "on this hot afternoon," and that their family prays for prosperity for my family! She said "I greet you on behalf of my daughter. We thank you for your sponsoring; those are the most sincerely wishes from our heart. I wish that you are well. We thank God for your life. I write you this letter, on this hot afternoon, with love and affection." I really hope that Anahi's mom can come along on our visit day when I go to Honduras next year!!! 

Next was a letter from Reine in Burkina Faso! 

Reine shared that she passed her exams, and she was happy to learn about the new babies in the lives of our friends and family! She asked if we want to be parents someday, too! She also shared that she liked seeing the pictures we've been sending, and said that her name means "princess," but she doesn't know the reason why her parents chose it for her! What a pretty meaning for her name! 

Then we got a letter from Tasya in Indonesia! 

Tasya said that her family is doing really well! She said that her group didn't win their singing competition, but they had fun. And she also watched the drama competition and enjoyed that as well! Tasya responded to some of my questions about animals, saying she has never seen a tapir before, and her favorite animal is the dog, because they are the cutest! She listed several specific family members and friends of ours that she is praying for, and asked that we pray for her exams!

Finally, we heard from Brendita in Mexico!

Brendita sent a form letter about her family! She said she spends most of her time with her parents and grandmother, and she helps her family by watching after her little sibling. She asked that we pray for her brother and thanked us again for the toys we were able to send her over a year ago! I'm so glad that she enjoys playing with them!! 

Sweet Greetings from Haiti, Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Uganda

It's the last Mail Call Monday of June!! The year is officially halfway over!!

This week we received four letters! The first was from Caleb in Uganda.

It was nice to hear from Caleb because we hadn't heard from him since January. Caleb's letters are usually about farming. This one was also about farming. He said he's growing maize, cassava, mangoes and oranges. He asked if I like to eat mangoes and oranges. He also said that at the time of his letter (April) he had finished exams and all the school kids were at home helping their parents- with the farming, of course. He also shared that he likes social studies and math best. Lastly, Caleb shared a memory verse John 14:6.

Then we heard from Barry in Burkina Faso!

Barry had a little form letter about Festivals and Holidays. His favorite local festival is called "SNC/National Cultural Week." He likes it because of all the performances of dances and plays. His favorite holiday is Christmas because it celebrates Jesus' birth. Barry also shared some happy news- his mom just gave birth to a baby girl! He asks that we pray for his new baby sister. I can't wait to learn more about her!

Then we heard from Kevenel in Haiti!

Kevenel had a form letter about his hope for the future. He says that his family is small, and when he is grown up he wants to have 2 kids. He wants to be a doctor. His helper at the project also wrote a whole lot- they filled up an extra sheet of paper! He says that his family is doing well and it's really hot in Haiti. Kevenel said that he has been to a wedding in Haiti, and described it for me- the "presenter" asks the assembly to sing, someone reads a Bible passage, the pastor gives the groom some "advices" and "makes them do a vow", and then they put rings on each other. They end with a prayer and a blessing. Kevenel says he is very healthy and he really enjoys geography. He also said his parents grow fruit and sell some in the market. He asks that we pray that he becomes "more intelligent" and does well in school, and he has never heard of a banjo before. He also said he likes to sing, and his favorite song is "I do have confidence in Your kindness." Finally, he said he loves us very much and he shared John 3:16 with us.

Lastly, we got our first letter from Austin in Kenya!

We got Austin as a correspondent in March. He is one of our oldest kids! He said "receive much greetings from me" and he was happy to get letters. He said that he likes to go to church to praise God with his friends and family, and "we learn many things about the death and resurrection of Jesus." He also says that he's thankful that God carried his family into the new year. Austin says that the weather is rainy, and his family is weeding their crops. He aso says he's praying for us, specifically for me, for Brandon, for my dad and my grandfathers. He asks that we pray for him to have success while he works to have a career as a mechanic. He also shared John 3:16 with us!

Getting to Know You: Caleb

Here's the next installment in my series introducing my kiddos! :)

Name: Caleb
Age: 13
Birthday: August 21
Country: Uganda
Sponsored since: January 2014

How we got him: I like to think of Caleb as my anniversary gift. :) Brandon and I generally don't do anything for our anniversary, and sometimes that can leave me feeling a little down. But Caleb showed up on our account on our anniversary, and that was a pretty neat surprise gift!!

About his family: Caleb  lives with his parents, who are farmers. I think he has talked about whatever they are planting in just about every letter he has sent to me! He has an older sister and a little brother- his sister is 18 and his brother should be about five!

Hobbies and interests: I am pretty confident that Caleb's family life revolves around farming, and he is proud of that and interested in sharing about it with me. He is a really sweet guy- his first letter was so warm! I am always pleasantly surprised when my teen boys send such sweet letters. I guess I'm expecting to have a hard time connecting with him! Caleb wants to work at an airport when he grows up.

Here are some excerpts from Caleb's letters!

"I greet you in the  mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Caleb's previous photo, from before we got him

"In Uganda I am very fine, and all my family members, too."

"It is rainy season and people are busy planting crops like beans, maize, and cassava. My mother plants them, too." 

Our first photo of Caleb!

"I love you so much and will continue praying for you and your family." 

"May the Lord bless you in whatever you do. Thank you so much for the letter you sent. I enjoy reading it daily."

"I am so happy that you chose me to be a part of your family." 

"I enjoy Sunday school services so much." 

"Praise the Lord! How are you my friend?"

"How I wish God gives me wisdom."

"I am praying for you and your family to have a long life and bless time. In the project we are enjoying life."

"It is so nice to see how God has cared for us. How nice it is to read Genesis 12: 3. It says, I will bless those who bless you. But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless your nation. 
May God bless you and your family and wish you a happy Christmas."

Caleb's photo just got updated this week, as I was writing this post! :) He's so handsome!

Guest Post: Sherinah talks about kids with disabilities

I recently asked my friend Sherinah if she would like to do a guest post for my blog. For those of you who also follow Hannah at Because of Shamim, Sherinah is Hannah's formerly sponsored child! Now that she's grown up and graduated the program, Sherinah has started her own ministry to assist children with disabilities and impairments in Uganda. For more information, check out Sherinah's New Hope's website! 

There are so many positive thoughts and hopes on my mind about children with disabilities in Uganda. This thought is about what we can do to create, develop and change life of children with disability in Uganda, as well to arrange a better education system for them, sensitize the community about violence related factors and respect those children’s dignity, and make the world a better place for them and to transform disability into ability. 

Our friend Sherinah!

Well, speaking about disabled children in Uganda, I should love to share my experience as person with hearing impairments, challenges those children meet and how the Compassion sponsorship program has helped the few who are lucky to enroll in Compassion and how their lives have been changed as a result of Compassion sponsorship program!!! 

Finally, any encouragement to Compassion sponsors to consider sponsoring children with disabilities because they are NOT a burden and of course instead they are capable and have special abilities just as I myself.

Some of the children in Sherinah's ministry

Back to myself, I was born hearing and grew up as a normal person until the age of 9  I attended hearing schools and later enrolled to deaf schools as a result of hearing loss. Despite the lack of hearing, (instead of) doing bad at school, I was always among the best.

Compassion staff was always supportive and did not mind my hearing loss, always encouraged me in what so ever and was behind my success.

I am now a finalist at the university in Uganda pursuing Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance. But the loss of hearing has not limited my ambitions- that is why I am proudly speaking that disability is not inability.

HOWEVER this journey is not as smooth for a person or child with disability to reach this level of learning and become as a person I am today.

There are so many challenges children with disabilities face in Uganda, and according to national housing and population census of Uganda 2002, the number of children with disabilities stood at 137,278,  3% (of the population) are either orphans or disabled, [UBOS census report 2005.] Those vulnerable groups of group people encounter a multitude of challenges right from home and throughout the entire society.

Another photo from Sherinah's ministry

Some of those challenges MAY rise as a result of 

a) Lack of parental care.

b) Poverty

c) Lack of education 

d) Communication barriers (especially the deaf) 

e) Inadequate government support  

f) Ignorance of their parents.

g) Lack of public sensitization about the need to help those children.

h) Lack of trained personnel, in most cases on how to handle those 

children and among

Despite the above challenges children with disability face in Uganda, Compassion child sponsorship has played a tremendous role in helping children with special needs that are being enrolled in Compassion's program.Compassion has...

a.) provided education to the children

b) encouraged them to understand that disability is not inability 

c) encouraged those children to be close to God by teaching them bible studies and worship

d) encouraged spirit of sociality to these children these they are not left alone.

Therefore I encourage sponsors worldwide to consider sponsoring children with disabilities through Compassion because they are able and can reach their God given potential.

Many people may be unaware that you can sponsor a child with disabilities through Compassion's program! Below you will see some sweet faces of these precious children in need of a sponsor. Would you consider changing their lives today? Who knows- they may grow up to start their own ministry helping children in their community, just like Sherinah did!!!

Nanthini is 7 years old and lives in India. She lives with her parents and a sibling, and she likes telling stories. Nanthini is crippled in both legs. 

Nayomi is 7 years old and lives in Sri Lanka. She lives with her parents and two siblings, and she likes playing house. Nayomi is visually impaired. 

Sindi is 8 years old and lives in Ecuador. She lives with her grandparents and she likes playing with dolls- and she's doing really well in school! Sindi has partial hearing loss. 

Mueteenue is 8 years old and lives in Thailand. She lives with her parents and two siblings and she likes reading. Mueteenue has epilepsy.

Akwasi is 6 years old and lives in Ghana. He lives with his mom and a sibling and he likes art. Akwasi is visually impaired.