Project Letter: KE-816

Here's a letter from Festus' pastor in Kenya! All the photos come from Compassion's website. 

I am Jackline O., pastor of (KE-816) in the western region of Kenya. We minister to Festus at the child development center. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the sacrifice you make to sponsor Festus! I serve in a rural community where most of the people in this community are Christians. Peasant farming is their major economic activity. The challenges the community and the church face include poverty, joblessness, low education levels, and negative cultural practices.

The church's vision is to preach Jesus' love and to get the community out of spiritual and economic poverty by developing relevant trainings and programs for caregivers. The children at the center are well-nurtured and have access to social services, education, and medical care, unlike other children within the community, and they are doing well spiritually. A number of them have made confession in Christ and they are in a position of leading devotions and participating in prayer and worship.

This is a story of a boy who is 7 years old. He was abandoned by his parents and taken in by his uncle, where his care was not well. At the time of recruitment at age 5, he had not learned to speak and had not joined school. He could neither associate nor play with other children as he had not done it before. He was malnourished and his health was generally poor. At the center, medical treatment was given to help him to get out of malnutrition and he was able to be tutored, join school, and attend programs at the center. Through his interaction with other children, he learned to speak and to interact. He can now freely play, express himself, and do well at school. He attends Sunday school services and spiritual programs, where he practices singing. This is just one story of how the center has greatly impacted the life of a child!

The church assists the community to grow spiritually. We sponsor and preach at schools within the community, follow up on the children's academic performance, and offer guidance and counseling services to teenagers. We ensure that learning facilities are available. We also visit families to encourage and comfort them, provide basic needs to those in need, and run a program for orphans not attending the center.

The relationship between sponsors and children is vital to the children's spiritual and emotional development. It really helps the children to know that there is someone caring for them, and they feel valued and loved. They always feel encouraged to put in their best in all they do. They love getting to know more about their sponsors and their lives, and they are always excited to receive letters and write some back. However, those who fail to receive letters from their sponsors keep on asking whether they really have sponsors or not. They feel discouraged.

Our vision is for the sponsored children to grow up into responsible and self-reliant Christian adults. We pray that those who were once neglected by their parents will be able to come up and build leadership positions. These children greatly appreciate Compassion's program and are proud to be a part of it. The community also appreciates the center and recommends it to children who are in need. We say bravo to Compassion International. I request you to pray for our community to grow holistically. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and encouragement for Festus. May God bless you abundantly.


If you are interested in sponsoring a young man in Kenya, please consider Joseph! Joseph is 18 years old and lives with his mom and one sibling. Read more about him here.

Project Letter: KE-792

Here's a letter from Mercy's project in Kenya! All the photos come from Compassion's website.

Greetings in the name of Jesus. My name is Rev. Penina M. I am the minister of Methodist Church of Kenya Ngusishi which runs (KE-792) attended by Mercy. I give my heartfelt appreciation for the good work you do in sponsoring and supporting Mercy. I thank you. Sponsors like you have enabled these children to have the opportunity to develop physically, spiritually, socially, and mentally. This would otherwise be unattainable for these children.

The Ngusishi area lies around a market on the slopes of Mt Kenya. The community here is made up of different ethnic groups who have come in search of casual employment opportunities created by horticulture farms. Overpopulation, unreliable rainfall, HIV/AIDS, scarce employment  opportunities and poorly developed human resources create economic marginalization for local population. Parents do not have enough resources or capacity to support their large families.

The children and youth of Ngusishi area are therefore in difficult circumstances. They need support to develop into responsible Christian adults, passionate to transform their community. They need to be inspired to believe they can have an impact.

Our center offers an opportunity for needy children to go through experiences that ignite and sustain their development leading towards belief in Christ. This reduces the vulnerability of children to challenges of alcohol, drug abuse, dangerous social behavior and poor life choices. By ensuring the children access proper health care, we have enhanced their positive hygiene habits, health and fitness. These efforts have reduced incidences of illness, nutritional deficiencies, and physical impediments.

The center strives to provide learning experiences for the children that will ensure development spiritually, physically, economically, and socio-emotionally. The center also seeks to provide educational materials and supplement school fees.

In the last year, over one hundred and eighty children have received letters from their sponsors. All children have written to their sponsors at least three times in the same period. This means the children and the sponsors enjoy frequent communication. They express themselves to each other and get to know all developments. The sponsors also receive updated images of the children. Through sponsor-child relationships, children's self esteem is greatly improved. They also share prayer requests about situations in their lives. They understand each other and share experiences making these relationships meaningful and interesting. Please write to Mercy as much as you can.

All these beautiful things are possible through your sponsorship, your support and your love for Mercy. I request you to pray earnestly for God to guard and protect our children as they grow into fulfilled servants in his ministry. Once again, I thank you for your love and support.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child from Mercy's project, please consider Muriuki! He is only 4 years old and has been waiting over six months for a sponsor. Since kids are usually only registered for sponsorship when they are about 3, this means that for most if not all of his time in the program, he has not had the love and care of a sponsor. You can read more about Muriuki here.

Project Letter: KE-370

Here's a letter from the director of Mary's project in Kenya! All the photos came from Compassion's website.

My name is Maryam G. I am the project director of the child development center attended by your sponsored child at (KE-370) located in the outskirts of Nairobi City, Kenya. Thank you for sponsoring Mary.

Sponsorship has positively impacted our children and their families. Various activities help in nourishing their spiritual lives. The activities include vacation Bible school and camps, morning devotions, spiritual lessons, and reading the age graded Bible received from the center. The children are encouraged to be active in their respective churches.

Children have received medical support, nutritional support, health lessons, seminars and counseling. Some children, who are the most vulnerable, receive nutritional support monthly for them and their family. Most of the children, when they join the center, have very low self esteem. As they continue to learn Biblical truths about who they are in God and interact with other children, their self esteem improves. They can freely interact with others at the center, school, and the community.

At the center, there is a 12 year old boy who, two years ago, dropped out of school and ran away from home to collect scrap metal to sell. His mother reported this matter to us. We went searching for him. After counseling him, he agreed to go back to school. He is now reformed.

Through sponsorship, some children have been able to learn an income-generating skill at the center. One such is a youth that has been receiving gifts from his sponsor over time and his mother used this money to start rearing chickens in a small cage. From the returns, she educates her three children. His is one of many success stories we have.

The center also received Complementary Intervention funds last year. The funds were  used to pay college tuition for sponsored youths who are in colleges and the rest was used to start an income generating activity for a few center parents. The criteria used to select the parents were based on space in their homestead and the beneficiaries were required to build a pig pen. Nine parents were provided two pigs each and the rearing commenced. Some of the pigs have since delivered piglets and the beneficiaries earned profit from the same. It was agreed that the beneficiaries should give back the first two piglets to the center in order to benefit another parent.

Some children have been impressed by the way their sponsors keep writing them letters tirelessly to encourage them to work hard in school. One girl receives letters regularly that harbor messages of encouragement. This girl admits that the letters have been of great impact to her.

The ministry of working for and with children is a call from God and calls for passion, commitment, and sufficient grace. Since Jesus used to associate himself with the simple in society, I get inspired to serve children and the community where such people are, in order to give them hope.

We request you to pray for our children to grow responsibly and that God grant them the spirit of discernment of what is right. Pray that they will live holy lives and that they will excel in academics and in life. Pray for the leadership of the church, those that are charged with the responsibility of managing the child ministry, and all child development workers, for God to grand us grace, zeal, and the ability to serve. Thanks again for sponsoring Mary. May God bless you abundantly.


If you are interested in sponsoring a young lady from Kenya, please consider Joymolline! She is 18 years old and lives with her parents, who are farmers. Read more about Joymolline here. 

Project Letter: KE-313

Here's a letter from the director of the project our Victor attends in Kenya!

My name is Erick A., and I am the project director at (KE-313) attended by your sponsor child. We are located in Kisumu County in Western Kenya. Thank you for sponsoring Victor.

I want to thank all the sponsors of our children for the love and support that you provide to your sponsored child. Your partnership with us to release children from their extreme poverty is the impetus towards hope and change in their lives. Thank you to all for your letters, photos, and gifts that bring such joy and smiles to them. This is a partnership to restore hope where hope was lost and to provide healing where wounds were incurable as well as providing solace to the homeless. I know with certainty that you have a special place in the heart of your sponsored child.

The center takes the children through a holistic child development program which seeks to bring up the children spiritually, cognitively, physically, and socio-emotionally. Thanks be to God that through the curriculum, our children are achieving positive results that make them feel encouraged and hopeful. They are encouraged to think that they can come out of their problems, that they can become successful people, and that they can be what they have dreamed for themselves.

Memory verse recitation during our discipleship program has greatly benefited one of our youngest children by improving his reading and writing skills. Since reciting Bible verses involves reading the Bible as well as writing down the text, this child's spiritual growth has been good because he loves finding more verses to recite.

Alongside impactful activities for the younger children are interactive programs for our teens. Having given her life to Christ, one of our older girls has not only preached the gospel to other children at the center, but has also been involved in various outreaches that have led to over 70 people giving their lives to Christ. This girl has further changed the lives of many students at her secondary school. Being a Christian union representative on the school council, she is demonstrating servant leadership with her mentoring and counseling skills. Through the income-generating skills workshops we offer at the center, she has become proficient in tailoring and dressmaking. Her dresses are sold at our center's store, and now she desires to take her skills to the next level where she can earn an income from dressmaking to put food on her family's table.

Please pray for our children's ministry at the church, that it will continue growing from strength to strength and be able to meet our target of evangelizing our community. With your prayers, we trust the Lord with winning more souls to Him. Pray that our children will become fulfilled Christian adults. Pray, also, for our leadership at the center. Thank you, again, for sponsoring Victor. It is my prayer that the Almighty God continues to touch you in a special way so that His glory and love can be seen in you.


If you are interested in sponsoring a child at Victor's center, please consider beautiful  Elavian. She is 7 years old, and her birthday is August 15. Elavian is an orphan and is in the care of her uncle. I am sure that if someone I know were to sponsor Elavian, Victor would be happy to seek her out and "adopt" her as a little sister!! :) <3 a="" about="" her="" href="http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-biography.htm?needKey=KE3130352&referer=130694" more="" read="">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 Haiti, Kenya, and Bolivia

Happy Mail Call Monday- the last one of January!

This week we received five letters, and they all came on the same day! The first one was from Benji in Haiti.

It had been many months since we heard from Benji, so it was so good to hear from him! Benji told me about his schooling and said his favorite classes right now are Creole and "experimental science." I asked him what they do in that class, and it gave me the opportunity to tell him about my cousin and her work in the field of science! He also said that he wants to be a historian when he grows up, which made me very proud. Benji asked me if I like to read the Bible, and said that he hopes we had a very happy Christmas!

Next up was another letter from Festus in Kenya!

How nice to already have heard from some of our Kenyan kids twice in the new year! Festus' letter said much the same as his last letter- he wants to do better in school and he shared some of the challenges that he is facing at home which make concentrating in school a little more difficult. Please join me in praying for Festus and his family- they have nine children, which is a lot of mouths to feed under the best of circumstances, and I believe that being hungry might be having an impact on Festus' learning. He also said they have no books at home, so I am going to be sure to send him some paperback non-fiction books soon so he can practice reading (and learn some extra stuff) when he's at home!)

We also got a letter from Victor in Kenya!

Victor shared a little about the teachers' strike in Kenya (saying that the students are experiencing "grievances") and asked that we pray for the schools to reopen soon. He also had some very kind words to share about the impact that we are having on his life through letters. I love this boy so much and it is my earnest prayer that we are able to meet someday!

Our last Kenya letter from the week came from Celestine!

Celestine must have been in a bit of a hurry- she normally has quite a bit to share, particularly on the subject of theology and what she's doing at church, but we received a form letter about her favorites (which is still very nice to have!) Celestine shared that she enjoys eating ugali and playing handball, and her favorite activity is reading. She loves purple and her best friend is named Anastacia, and she likes dogs! She also said that her favorite character in the Bible is King David. Celestine thanked us for sending her "beautiful" pictures, and requested that we pray for her grandmother, who is sick.

Lastly, we got a surprise letter from William in Bolivia!

I say that William's letter was a surprise because he was not expected to stay on our account as a correspondent for very long! We received William as a correspondent mid-October, but his graduation date was listed as October 1! So I have been writing to him faithfully, with the expectation that he would disappear from my account any day. After getting his letter, I asked about his graduation, and was told that he probably will be in the program for a few more years, but that the Bolivia country staff just might have missed this information on his records! So we are doing an inquiry and hope to hear back soon. William seems like such a friendly young man in his letter; He said he's in good health and he's enjoying studying at college! He shared Psalm 35:27, and asked that we pray for his studies!

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! :)