Outgoing Mail: Red Pandas

I'm going to try to share a little more about the letters I send to my kids! Most of the time, I send online letters- it's easier on my hands and a lot faster since I have so many correspondents! Last week I put together a letter about red pandas. I have written to my kids about my favorite animal in the past, but I want to try to send more informational letters- and I like the fact that Hannah's letters about similar topics get such fun responses! The nice thing about sending an informational letter is that you can put one together without a whole lot of prep. I know that some sponsors stress about sending letters because they aren't sure what to write, and spend a lot of time just staring at the paper (or screen) trying to come up with something they think is interesting! But if you're putting together an informational article, you can do a lot of copy/pasting and add a little bit to it. ;)

For this letter, I decided to write about red pandas. I've been putting together a list of animals I like or find interesting, for future letters! I will also add to this list as my kids (hopefully) write to me and tell me which animals they'd like to learn about. I just love red pandas- they're so cute! I used my library's research database for children (grolier online) to look up encyclopedia articles on red pandas, and chose one that was written for level 2 or 3 readers (they have more information than level 1, but aren't as involved and wordy as level 4.) I basically copy/pasted the entire article, then read through it and edited it a bit. I changed the wording on maybe two different sentences, and added in my own thoughts on the animal. Then I used google to find a few cute pictures! At the end I added my standard paragraph about praying for my kids (and included a prayer request) and voila! A letter was ready to send!

Hello!

I want to tell you about one of my favorite animals. It is called the red panda. Many people have heard of the bear called the giant panda- it is black and white. But red pandas do not look much like giant pandas! It looks more like a fox. It has a beautiful red coat, a long fluffy tail, and a pointed snout. The Chinese call it "hyn-ho", which means "fox of fire." Red pandas confused European explorers when they first found them. But American explorers thought they were a kind of raccoon (an American animal with a striped tail.) Because of this, the giant panda, which is really a bear, was also once considered as a strange raccoon. Today it is known that the two "pandas" are not closely related.The red panda eats mostly plants, especially bamboo shoots. It is usually active at night or early in the morning. Days are for sleeping. Red pandas sleep in trees! They are good climbers and can jump more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) between branches. But they are clumsy on the ground and move slowly and walk a bit like a duck! Red pandas make small, sharp whistling sounds like those of birds. If they are attacked, they stand up, growl, and spit, like an angry cat. They are very peaceful and rather playful. But their very sharp claws and pointy teeth prevent them from being good pets. Red pandas live among bamboo forests near the Himalayan mountains in Asia. When female red pandas have babies, the babies stay with the mothers for about a year before going to live on their own. Red pandas live about 13 years, and they are an endangered species. This means that there are not many red pandas left in the wild. The main reason they are endangered is because the forests where they live are being cut down. 

I really like red pandas- I think they are so cute! We do not have red pandas at the zoo in my city, but I have visited another zoo that had red pandas. They are one of my very favorite animals, because they are so adorable. I have also seen videos of them on the computer. They enjoy playing in the snow, and they look very cute hopping around! I am sending you some pictures of red pandas so you can see what they look like. What are some animals you would like to learn about? I would be happy to send you a letter telling you about them! And I might learn something new, too! 

I am praying for you every day. Do you have any prayer requests for me? I would like to ask you to pray for my brother in law  Jonathan. This week he celebrated his 16th birthday! We are so thankful for his life. 

I hope to hear from you soon!

Love and hugs, 

Jessi

If you like red pandas, you are welcome to copy the text of my letter and tweak it to suit your needs! :) 

Sweet Greetings from Bolivia, Kenya, Rwanda, the Philippines, Ecuador, Ghana, Tanzania, India, and Honduras!

Happy Mail Call Monday- the first of November! Wow!

What a tremendous blessing to receive so many letters this week!!!

Steph and I got our first letter from Maribel in Bolivia!

She said she was so happy that we sponsored her, and that she likes to talk! :) She listed her best friends, said that she likes to eat watermelon and pique macho, which is like, ground beef, beans, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, and all this random stuff. Bolivians must like it because Juan has written about it, too! She also drew a really pretty picture of a house in the hills.

We got a letter from little Purity in Kenya!

Purity's letter was a form letter about her favorites. Her favorite food is pilau, her favorite sport is skipping, she likes playing, her favorite color is orange, Ann is her best friend, and she likes dogs. And she says her favorite toy is a doll, and her favorite hero is her mum! She filled in all these blanks herself! On the back her project helper wrote that she said “jambo, rafiki” which means hello, friend! She and her family are doing well and she is always praying for us!

We also got a letter from Emmanuel in Kenya!

Emmanuel sent the same letter, since he goes to the same project. He likes chips, football, dancing, white, cats, dolls, and his best friend is Joyce. And he said his mummy is his favorite hero, too! Emmanuel is praying that God always blesses us!

We also heard from Fatuma in Kenya!

Fatuma opened her letter with “hello, my dear dear friend!” She said her family is doing well and she would like to thank me warmly for her letters, and that they really make her feel good! She says “Jessi Jones, I really think of you every day and I do pray for you too.” She asked how my stomach is doing and said she is doing well in school and at the project, and her mom recently had a baby named Abdalla! She also said she enjoyed reading the story of Fanny Crosby and especially liked the song lyrics that were included. :)


Next was a letter from Celestine in Kenya!

She said that her family is fine and she hopes mine is, too. She is learning new skills in the project like bead making and tailoring! She wants to know if I know how to do these things, too. She also is very excited that they started their games. She likes football and volleyball, and wants to know which games I like. She also told me to ask my friends Brandon and Stephanie which games they enjoy, as well. :) Celestine shared a little about Independence Day in her country, and she asked that we pray for her grandma, who has high blood pressure.


Then there’s a letter from Motempa in Kenya.

Motempa said “first of all, receive much greeting from your child.” She says she is doing well in school and she hopes that we are praying for her, and her family members are very happy. She asked about the weather and said they were experiencing a drought. She said she was thankful for our letters and support and she wants me to read Jeremiah 29:11.


We also heard from Nkoyio, who attends the same center.

Nkoyio also talked about the drought and asked how we are doing. She said “thank you so much for your continuous support that you have been sending to me. I lack words to express my happiness to you. I thank God for giving me a wonderful friend like you. Have a good stay up there- we shall meet soon!” How sweet!


And then there was a letter from Gloria, also at the same center!

Gloria’s letter was written by a helper at the project, and she also talked about the drought. She asks that we pray for her to do well in school and that we pray her parents have a peaceful time when she is at school.


We also got our second letter from Jeannette in Rwanda in three weeks!

She says her whole family sends greetings and they are thankful that we care about them! She wished us the peace of Christ and said the story of Malala touched their hearts and they are praying for her!


And then there was a letter from Merlyn in the Philippines!

She addressed her letter to “sister Jessi”, which I love. She and her mom are doing well, and she asked if I like planting flowers. She said “There are lots of things you are busy with. That’s why you get sick. It’s good for you to be in farm to get your body and mind relaxed.” How cute! Merlyn asked about my favorite flower and asked what games I played with my cousins when I was growing up. Merlyn asked that we pray that her mom stays healthy so she can do her work, and she is praying to Jesus to make my tummy better so I can eat my favorite foods. :) She is so cute! She also said that she bought a blouse and groceries with her birthday gift!

We also had a letter from little Erick in Ecuador.

He wrote a form letter about his project, and said that he gets there in 2 minutes by walking. He goes there on Mondays and Sundays! He said his favorite parts of going to the project are singing and playing soccer.


There was also a letter from Angelina in Ghana.

She said that she is learning how to pray at the project, and she is happy about that! She wrote that she would like to learn more about my country, and she drew a very detailed picture of a flower with all the parts labeled- like the stamen and pistil and everything! It looks like something straight out of a biology textbook! I was very impressed!

Later in the week, we got a letter from Said in Tanzania!

Said said that he and his family are doing well, and that his auntie was expecting a baby! The baby would have been born in August. She was going to name it after Said's dad, who passed away 10 years ago. This is the most Said has ever said about his father in his letters- even when I met with him in Tanzania, he just said that he was deceased. Said said that every year,  they have a memorial in honor of his father. He also said that he is praying for me every day, when he goes to sleep and when he wakes up!


We also heard from Kajal in India!

Kajal sent a form letter about her dental checkup! She went to the dentist six months ago, and both her parents were able to go with her! She learned that she should brush her teeth twice a day, and she has 30 teeth- meaning she is missing two! How cute! Kajal's helper at the project said that Kajal is doing really well. Her auntie got married recently and she went to the wedding and had fun dancing there. She also talked about her dolly named Munny! She said that it has been raining so there are lots of green plants and saplings growing, and she and her family were happy about my wedding anniversary! She also asked that we pray for her dad, who has tuberculosis. This recurring illness keeps him from working sometimes. 

We also had a much-awaited letter from Anahi!

Anahi's letter was a form letter about her house. She lives in a brick home with cement floors, and sleeps in a bed. They use a well to get their water and they wash their clothes in a basin. I am glad that she has a sturdy house, but I am praying that they get running water soon! Anahi's mom wrote that they were so glad to get the gifts I was able to send this summer! I was so thankful to hear that they arrived safely. I like imagining Anahi's face, opening the baggie with the dress, candies, and toys! And I hope her mama liked the necklace we picked out for her, too. Anahi's mom said "We also want to thank you for the beautiful dress, the chains and the toys, they are spectacular. May God almighty continue to spill blessings over you Jessi, blessing after blessing. God is wonderful and we ask God to keep you and send angels around your life, your house and all of your family. Anahi says she would like to give you many hugs." How very, very sweet! I just can't wait to meet Anahi next year!!

Our last letter of the week came from Elisha in Tanzania!

Elisha wrote a form letter about his friends! His best friends are Ezekia and John, and he knows them from the project! They read and play together, and go to the same school. Elisha said his closest friend is Ezekia, and when asked what makes him special, he said "I love him!" How sweet!

Compassion Joys: October

Here are the things we are thankful for from October!

Letters! 

We got quite a few letters this month! We heard from Anahi, Angelina, Austin, Brenda, Brian, Carlos, Celestine, Elifagason, Elisha, Emmanuel, Erick, Estha, Fatuma, Festus, Gloria, Jayid, Jeannette, Juan, Julian, Kajal, Laura, Maribel, Mary, Merlyn, Mercy, Mishel, Motempa, Nkoyio, Patricia, Pitchaya, Prayer, Purity, Said, Victor, Yekersew, and Zalifina! Our letters from Maribel, Zalifina and Jeannette were first letters!

New Kids! 

This month we got three new correspondents: William in Bolivia , Jeferson in El Salvador, and Edmundo in the Philippines! William actually graduated this month, so we won't have him for long, but I am glad we get to send him a few letters! We also added a new sponsor child  to our family- 13 year old Ruth in Honduras! Ruth is very precious to me, and I am looking forward to meeting her next year!

Photo Updates! 

Said got a photo update this month! He looks so handsome! It is good to see how he is doing since I saw him last year! We also got a new picture of Victor, almost two years after his last photo update! They are both growing into fine young men!

Extra Photos! 

We were very blessed to get some extra photos this month! We got some printed photos of Pitchaya at university with his friends, and a picture of Carlos with the gifts that my friend Kara carried to Peru!

Birthdays! 

This month, Brian in Kenya turned 13, Celestine in Kenya turned 16, Abdias in Haiti turned 19, Prayer in Indonesia turned 13, and Brenda in Mexico turned 8! I hope they all had wonderful birthdays!

Sponsor-versaries! 

In October, we celebrated one year of writing to Amisha, Marc, and Merlyn, and two years of writing to Elisha! I'm so thankful for these kids!

Gifts! 

This month I learned that a friend from church will be traveling to Uganda in a few weeks- and she is willing to take a pencil bag of gifts for Caleb and Amelia! We are sending Caleb a Bible, some candy, pencils, and a UK t-shirt. Amelia is getting a Bible, school supplies, lip balm, a little stuffed animal, a pretty compact, a bracelet and a necklace! I'm so thankful for this opportunity to send gifts to my kids! We also got a letter from Anahi saying she got the gifts we sent her this summer! I'm so glad they arrived safely!

Sweet Greetings from India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, Peru, and Brazil!

Happy Mail Call Monday- the last in October!!!

We got quite a few letters this week! The first was from Jayid in India! 

Jayid's letters are still written by a project staffer and pretty much say the same thing each time. He does say that he's doing well, and it's really hot where he lives! He was also looking forward to celebrating Teacher's Day, and he drew a pretty butterfly! 

Then we got a long-awaited letter from Prayer in Indonesia! 

At the beginning of the month, it had been six months since we last heard from Prayer, which is unusual. I asked about it, and a letter had been processed from him recently. It finally arrived! Prayer says "the time goes by so fast" and he's right! He started 8th grade and he says he is succeeding in school because of Jesus' love! He said he played football with friends on his summer break, and he shared that his mom recently had a baby! Prayer is a big brother again- his family now has four boys, just like Brandon's! Prayer said he is praying for our grandparents and for baby Lilly! 

Then we got our first letter from Zalifina in Tanzania! 

Zalifina's letter was a bit warmer than other Tanzanian letters I have received (it's a cultural thing) which was awesome since this was our first letter from her! She said she and her family are fine and she's enjoying school. She asked for prayer for her country because of the upcoming elections (which were actually this weekend) and said it's the windy season and the trees are dropping leaves! Just like here! Zalifina said "I thank you so much for keeping to sponsor me. My family loves you so much." She shared 1 Corinthians 15:10 and asked how she can pray for me! 

We also got a letter from Elifagason in Tanzania! 

Elifagason didn't have much to say, just that he and his family are fine, and he is keeping us in prayer. He asked that we pray for his studies and he is praying for mine. :) 

Then we got a letter from Mishel in Peru! 

This letter was written about two weeks before my friend Kara traveled to Peru and dropped off a present for Mishel, so hopefully I will hear about that soon! Mishel said that she was glad to get all the letters and cards, and her sister had a baby! She helps her by giving gifts to the baby and taking care of him. She also said her school celebrated its anniversary, and that her friend was chosen as "Miss Angelina 2015." Mishel asked if I had younger siblings and asked about my favorite sport, and sent a bug hug and many kisses! 

Next was a letter from Patricia in Brazil! 

Patricia's letters are so perky! I love them! She said school break was "so cool!" She's glad to be back in school with her friends again. She said cats are her favorite animals, and her sister recently had a baby, too! Wow, lots of new babies in our far away families! Patricia said lots of cool stuff is going on at the project, including parties and camping! She really liked camping and played a lot of games. She said "I am very thankful for the letters you sent me. I keep all of them with me with lots of love." Patricia said she liked baby Lilly's photo and asked that we pray for her family's health! 

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

Festus is a real sweetheart! He shared about his schoolwork and said that he is struggling some because he doesn't have the proper books, but "at home they are making me do better." :) He said they've been studying the solar system in science, and he enjoys that! Festus said at home he has three sisters and four brothers, and his family plants peanuts! He also said he goes to church every Sunday to worship my God. I like God because he is my saviour." He shared Psalms 136:1 with us!

Sweet Greetings from Thailand, Mexico, Ethiopia and Colombia

Happy Mail Call Monday!

We *almost* went another week without letters, but the mailman came around late on Saturday and dropped off four envelopes!

The first letter was from Yekersew in Ethiopia!

Little Yekersew filled out a form letter about his family. He has two sisters, and spends most of his time with them and his mom. He lives in a town, and his favorite family activity is playing together! He said that his favorite way of helping his family is by obeying them! He also shared that his family is Protestant, and he asked that we pray for his schooling. He drew a donkey for us!

Next was a letter from Julian in Colombia!

Julian shared that his last medical checkup was August 2014, and he learned that he should take vitamins, shower, eat healthy, and brush his teeth after every meal. He said that he likes running and playing soccer at the project, and he was very happy to get our letters and read more about us! Julian wrote that he does like pizza, and he enjoys drinking Coke! He said that he went on a vacation to Bogota with his dad, and they played soccer and practiced target shooting. He shared Psalm 46:7 and sent lots of hugs and kisses! :)

We also got a letter from Brenda in Mexico!

Brenda sent a letter about her favorites! Her favorite activity is watching TV, her favorite animal is a dog, she likes soccer and Superman! She asked that we pray for her siblings, asked about our pets, and said thank you for all the gifts! She told me that she went to the park near her house and her whole family played together and had a lot of fun. She also likes to eat quesadillas! Me too! She drew a happy picture of a park with butterflies!

Lastly, we heard from Pitchaya in Thailand!

I love getting letters from Thai kids- they write such great responses! Pitchaya listed the number of letters and all the gifts and extras he has received since the last time he wrote to us. He said he enjoyed the letter about Malala and he also liked all the pictures we've sent. He especially liked the letter and pictures of the farm, and said he thinks the farm must have a lot of interesting things to do. :) He was also happy that Stephen graduated high school! Pitchaya said he has started university and they had an orientation day to welcome new students, and it was a lot of fun (and he liked the food.) He asked us to pray for his health and his family,and he sent these pictures! The group photo is him with his friends from university!

Outgoing Mail: October

Hey folks! It's been a while since I've done a post like this- things have been bananas lately, even with sending out mail to our Far Away Family, but I thought I'd check in and share about what I'm sending out this month!

I think this is the latest that I've ever sent out Christmas stuff!! I actually was ahead of the game for a while, since I bought so many things on clearance last year, but then we ended up losing most of the correspondents I had stuff ready for, and I was left with the kiddos I still needed to shop for! :) This year I am sending out the most I've ever sent for Christmas for our kids. As of this writing, we have 67 kiddos, plus "half" a kid that I sponsor with my friend Steph! I've filled up two flat rate boxes full of goodies for the kids!!

For each child, I wanted to send three basic things- a Christmas card, a Christmas themed letter, and a gift. I made myself a chart so I could check off what I'd already prepared for each kiddo! Shopping the clearance sales after the last holiday season really helped me out by saving both time and money! I was able to purchase a few dozen little Christmas activity books on clearance from Lifeway. They are geared toward younger kids, but they were super cute. And the original price on them was $0.49, so when they went on clearance, I got them for pennies!! Some other items that we sent our kids for Christmas gifts included the following:

• Mini wall calendars (Michael's and the Dollar Tree)
• Student planners (Dollar Tree) 
• Pocket calendars (Michael's) 
• Sticker books (Michael's and Dollar Tree) 
• Notepads and diaries (Target) 
• Christmas-themed licensed character coloring books (Walgreen's) 
• Dover activity books (Amazon) 
• Christmas-themed advent devotionals (Lifeway) 
• Mini "sampler" books from Priscilla Shirer (these are also at Lifeway, and are super cool! They're like little condensed versions of popular books and Bible studies!) 

I got this year's Christmas cards two places- I had a few boxes I purchased from Half Price books, and they were super cute! But then I started running low on funds, so I got the rest from Lifeway's selection of boxed Christmas cards (16 for $3.99.) They were also very cute, and I just put them in bigger envelopes so some extra stuff would fit in there! 

One new thing I sent out this year were personalized ornaments for the kids! My mom found these super cute angel ornaments at Hobby Lobby. They're blank, to be colored in, and each angel (boys and girls) is holding a little banner. So we colored them all and wrote the kids' names on there. I had my friends and family color some at my Compassion Christmas party back in August, and we've been working on the others ever since! After each angel was colored, I'd label the back with the child's number and include a message like "my mom colored this angel for you!" Then I had them laminated and punched a hole in the top. The string that came with the ornaments was really flimsy and not pre-tied, so I didn't include it, but a small of thread at the top should go through mail processing just fine- especially if the ornaments are tucked in an envelope, which mine were! Honestly, I think the ornaments are what kept us tied up so long- there were a lot of them to color, and then after I got them laminated I still had to cut them out and match them up with each child's card! It's worth it, though. I think they'll like them. :)

Sorry the pic is so blurry, but here's Patricia's card, gift, and angel (colored by Steph!) 

For my Christmas letters this year (which I am still finishing and will send a little later) I had what I think is a pretty cool idea. Sometimes I like to imagine how I would spend time with my sponsor kids if they came to visit me, instead of the other way around! So for my Christmas letters, I am going to write out what it would be like if they came to visit my family for the holidays! I'm telling them about the weather, my family's traditions, and all the places we would visit. I think it will be fun. Hopefully I will get some response letters telling me about holiday celebrations with my kids! :) 

Also in this package, I am sending out Thanksgiving cards, which I got for a good price at Lifeway (they have some bargain cards from Dayspring that are super cute!) In each card I just wrote a quick message like "Happy Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for you!" Thanksgiving letters will be sent out separately. I am also sending out some random gifts to some of the kids, because I need to downsize my stash a little bit. I've been thinking about literacy a lot lately, since we have so many programs at the library where kids can win free books- we have stacks of them sitting around, and millions more available for checkout. I think it's really important to send books to our kids, because low reading levels hold them back at school, it opens up new worlds for them, and they may not have many books accessible to them! So I am always shopping clearance sections and yard sales for paperbacks to send out to my kids (mostly the English speakers, but occasionally I'll find some in another language!) So I am also sending out books to almost all my Kenyans in this mailing. Some examples of the books I'm sending out are: an easy reader book about elephants; a counting picture book; a book about the human heart and how it functions; a book about space; an atlas; a book about service dogs; a book about plants of the rain forest. I hope that they're well received. Now I need to go stock up on some more! 

What sorts of Christmas goodies are you sending out to your sponsor kids? I'd love to hear about them! 

Sweet Greetings from Kenya, Bolivia, Togo, Peru, Rwanda, and the Dominican Republic!

Happy Mail Call Monday- sick day edition! : /

It was nice that more letters started coming in last week! The first was our first letter from Jeannette in Rwanda! 

We had been calling Jeannette by her family name, Iratuzi, because that's what's listed on the website- so it's nice to know that she actually goes by Jeannette! :) She just wrote a short letter, but it was sweet and loving. Jeannette says that she and her family send warm greetings, and she is so happy to get letters from us! She was finishing her summer break from school when the letter was written (late August) and that her term will begin in October. I think her school is year round. She says that she is praying that peace is with me in everything I do! What a sweetie! 

Next was a short letter from Carlos in Peru! 

Carlos said that he was very thankful for the gift we sent via Kara and her mom when Kara went to Peru this summer! He said that it’s really cold where he lives and it’s been rainy. He asked about our weather and asked that we pray for his studies and his family. He said goodbye with a big hug, saying he hoped we’d write again soon! 

Next up, a letter from little Estha in Togo! 

Estha’s letter was about what she learns at the project. She says they’re learning dancing and how to help people with disabilities! She also likes singing and she learned about why washing clothes is important. She said they also learn about the community, and she found that her school was founded in 1966. She said thank you for the stories we send and asked that we pray for the prosperity of her family. She also drew a little picture of a tree! 

We also heard from Austin in Kenya! 

He says that they are doing well and he is thankful for our letters and photos. He said that he is praying for blessings for us, and he and his family attend an ACK church. He shared Romans 8:1-2 and said that he is doing well in a mechanic course! He is able to do small repairs on vehicles and engines, and he is very proud of his work. He also said he hopes to get a driving license soon, and he asked that we pray for his studies. He also wanted to know if I know about mechanics! 

Then there was a letter from lovely Mary in Kenya! 

Mary says she is doing really well and trusts that we are, too. She said she is always delighted to get letters from us, and she is encouraged by them! She also said that the “supreme” president Barack Obama visited her country and it was very special when he was visiting- she described it as a dream! I know that they had a lot of cultural celebrations and national pride during his visit. That’s so neat. Mary also shared Psalm 145: 18-21  and said she learned about that passage from her teacher Martin at the project, and that he is an inspiration to her. Mary also really liked the letter I sent about Malala Yousafzai. I basically gave a brief description of her life and told the kids how she is working to make sure all children can receive an education, and how she is very brave. Mary said “I loved the story about Malala. She is so encouraging just like you because you usually believe that I am a strong girl who is capable of great things. You usually love your job and that’s great because you have a passion for it and I hope you go and work there though the library is busy.” :) Mary said she was going to pray for Malala! She asked that we pray for her grandfather whose health is declining. 

Later in the week, we heard from Laura in the Dominican Republic! 

Laura is so sweet! She said that it has been rainy where she lives lately, and she likes grey days the best! Me too! She also said her family likes to visit the countryside when they have holidays, and she really likes going there, even though it takes a long time to get there. Laura also said she is starting university in January, and she will be studying pharmacy! She also said she enjoyed reading about Malala, and liked the fact that she works hard so all children can get an education! She said thank you for all the letters and asked that I keep writing! 

We also heard from Victor in Kenya on the same day his photo got updated! 

Victor said that Kenyans were really excited about President Obama’s visit, and “most significant is that we even shared our grievances with him.” I could tell that Victor had learned some new words because he used that one a few times and also said he was “presumptuous” that their grievances would come to an end. :) He asked that we pray for Kenya because of the increased terror threat there, and he thanked us for the encouragement of our letters and said that his school performance has improved since we have been writing to him! 

Next was a letter from Juan in Bolivia! 

Juan said he went camping in Molinos with other kids from the project, and they had fun and learned about God. And he was on the yellow team. He also said that his dad came in from La Paz and they went to Mariscal park and had a walk, and they ate Pique Macho. I looked it up and it’s kind of like chili with hardboiled eggs? It’s meat and hot dogs and potato things and....hardboiled eggs. It looks really hearty. He also asked about my favorite food and about my trip to Japan (there was apparently a translation error- I did write about my friend Amanda, who lives in Japan!) And he asked us to please send more cards and pictures! 

Then there was another letter from Kenya- this time from Mercy! 

Mercy said she and her grandmother are doing really well and they have had enough rain for their crops, and now they are waiting for things to dry out so they can be harvested (they plant beans.) She said that she liked seeing the pictures of the hippos at the zoo, and wants Dia to take more people to see the animals there!! Or maybe she meant she wants Dia to take me to see more animals. Either way, it was cute! She asked us to pray for her education and shared Isaiah 50:12. 

Lastly, we got a letter from Brian in Kenya! 

This was our first letter from Brian since taking over his correspondence in June. Brian said his family sent their greetings and he was really happy to get all our letters, especially the ones with pictures. He said he’s doing well in school and they had a football competition at the project during August break, and his team was moving on to regionals. Brian said that it’s cold in Kenya and his family was planting beans, too. He also said he’s learning a lot at the project, including how to obey God and our parents. He shared John 14:1 with us! 

Today is a holiday, so there is no mail (sadly) but I am looking forward to what this week has in store!