Project Letter: PE-392

Here's a letter from the project our Yesenia in Peru attends! All the photos come from Compassion's website. 

My name is Roberto A. and I am the pastor of (PE392) in Miramar where we minister to Yesenia. I want to show you my sincere gratitude for what you have been doing for Yesenia. I want to emphasize how important your support is and how much you mean to our ministry.

Miramar is a village, smaller than a district, where malnutrition is abundant and many children are left by themselves at their homes. They are exposed to any dangerous situation because their parents have to go to work at the foreign factories. There is lack of running water and electricity. Children in this village need to spend more time with their parents, have good nutrition, and enjoy their childhood because many children have to work, too.

The impact our center is having in this community is very outstanding. We directly work with the children, but we also have a parenting school and monthly meetings where parents are taught about how important it is to give their time to their children, quality time. At the workshops we have, we try to teach our children and parents how to generate incomes without leaving their homes and being in risk on the streets. We also teach how to provide a balanced diet for the children. Those are effective actions we take in order to try to solve problems we have detected here. During our meetings, we also listen to parents' opinions and share the love of God. Our staff is happy to contribute to these little children's learning.

The direct impact the center has on the children is very important, as many of them are joining Bible school at church. A big group of children has given their heart to Christ and are attending discipleship classes. Children are being helped with their schoolwork and are learning music, which is very good for them to develop intelligence. Above all, they are being surrounded with love. We also have the support of a psychologist, who treats specific cases. Our vision for the children is for them all to have a happy face and know and feel that they are embraced by God, the center, the church, and their sponsors.

Our vision for the community is to let them know that we care about the situations they have to face and that we have effective ways to solve them. We want them to know that they are our priority, but we don't want to do it by ourselves. We want to count with them and are ready to listen to their ideas. Every improvement will be based on group effort, them and us together for a better Miramar.

I thank you for the letters you send to Yesenia and encourage you to keep on doing it because they fill all the children with much excitement. We can see joy on their faces when they know that there is a letter with their name on it. And I ask you from the bottom of my heart that you could pray for our church and for the center. May God bless you and shine His face upon you!


If you are considering sponsoring a  young lady in Peru, please consider Daira! She is 13 years old, and her birthday is coming up next month. Read more about her here.

Project Letter: PE-352

Here's a letter from the director of Mishel's project in Peru! The pictures are from Compassion's website. 

My name is Lourdes B., and I am the project director at (PE-352) attended by your sponsored child. We are located in Junin, Peru. Thank you for sponsoring Mishel.

I have the pleasure to thank all the sponsors of our children for your sponsorship and support. You all are a great blessing for our center and church. It is very important to our children to receive a sponsor letter because many times when they feel discouraged, a letter encourages them to continue in the program. One of our boys was very excited to receive a letter, and he shared it with his classmates and tutor. He says he keeps his letter in a folder along with all his other letters. When our children and their families receive a gift, they are always grateful and happy. Parents cry for happiness if they are going through a time of need and can't find a solution. Many blessings for our sponsors!

I want to share with you what our children and teenagers are learning spiritually. We teach children from 3 to 6 years old how to pray. Bible stories, how to memorize Bible verses, and to participate in children's church services. Our children from 7 and above have Bible verse contests, basic discipleship lessons, and camps. Each child and teenager has daily devotional times with their tutors in class. They also attend Sunday school.

With God's help, most of our teens finish their last year of high school. However, only a few continue on into higher education. Some of them are working since their parents do not have economic resources. Thanks to Compassion Complementary Intervention funds, several of our young people have been able to go to university to study nursing, administration, agronomy, and computer science. Other students are attending academics. They are happy and grateful for the support they are receiving.

Our children and teenagers are healthy. Most of them eat healthy food, and they also practice sports. They have medical checkups every year.

We have a young lady who started with us when she was 3. She had family and financial problems. All of that affected her emotionally. It was a very difficult time for her when she saw and listened to how her father treated her mother. The pastor and his wife visited them on several occasions, and they spent time with the child. As time passed, she told them that her father had changed a lot, and cared more about her and her mother. They were grateful to God for the prayers of our staff and the pastoral visits. Later, her father passed away due to an accident. It was a very sad situation, and we could only hug her, cry, and pray for her and her family that our Father God would comfort them. Thank God that during the wake, the young girl, her mother, and other relatives surrendered their lives to Christ. We visited them and supported them constantly with God's help, and they were able to overcome their situation. She is now 15 years old and along with her mother, has been baptized. She helps in Sunday school, and she attends the church services. As a 10th grader, she got second place in her school. She's very happy for the support she's receiving from the center.

Thank you, again, for sponsoring Mishel. I pray that God will pour his grace, mercies, and blessings upon your life.


If you are interested in sponsoring a girl in Peru, please consider sponsoring Maria! She is so cute and I have been eyeing her profile on the website for a little while. :) Maria lives with her mom, who is a farmer. She just turned 3 on March 22! Read more about Maria 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 India, Peru, and Kenya

Happy Mail Call Monday- and Happy New Year! After some technical difficulties, I'm finally getting this posted! :)

As the holidays came to a close, three more letters trickled in. The first was our first letter from Bijay in India! 

Unlike Sukumar's letter, Bijay's was written in Hindi. I'm glad to know which language these boys know, so I know what sorts of gifts I should send them! Bijay's letter was short but very sweet and affectionate. He also seems really excited to finally have someone writing to him, and said he is praying for us and asks that we pray for him, too. Based on the language he used, I am guessing that Bijay is a Christian, which is wonderful!! 

On Saturday, we got two letters. The first was from Carlos in Peru! 

Carlos also wrote a short letter this time, but he said that his sister celebrated her Quinceañera recently!! How neat! Carlos hasn't written about his sister before- and in this letter, he said that she's the only girl in the family, so she's very spoiled, but he loves her a lot. :) Carlos asked that we pray for his studies!

Lastly, we heard from dear Victor in Kenya!

Victor shared that his end of term grades were C's, average. I think this is great, but Victor is so hard on himself- he is always saying that his grades aren't good enough and he's going to try harder! My encouragement and praise for him is always tempered with reminders that trying his best is what's most important, and I am very proud of him and love him no matter what his grades are. Victor said that he has enjoyed reading more about my country from my letters, and he asked that we pray for Kenya because of the bad weather they have been experiencing recently. Mary's last letter mentioned the impending El Nino, and Victor said that some areas have had flooding and some people lost their houses. We are definitely praying for their recovery efforts!! 

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! 

Sweet Greetings from Thailand, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Peru and Honduras

I forgot to post last Monday, so there are two Mondays worth of mail this week! :)

Most recently, we got our first letter from Pitchaya in Thailand! 

Pitchaya called me sir, but that’s ok. He says that his family is fine and he was on school vacation. He shared that he was working a part time job to earn some money, which is awesome! He was working at an iron welding shop, and the work was “not too difficult and not too easy.” When university started a new term, he was going back for his second year studying logistics. He was not satisfied with his grades so he asked that we pray for his studies. Pitchaya also responded to my letter about tapirs, saying that he knows what they are and described them in good detail. He said that there aren’t many in Thailand, but they live in a sanctuary. He also said he donated some of his wages from his part time job to the Nongsua District church, which is small but beautiful. He said the children will have a chance to learn more about God there. I’m proud of him for his generous heart! 

Last week we heard from Abdias in Haiti! 

Abdias is such a lovely writer! Abdias says that he is happy to have the privilege to write again, and that he and his family are doing well. He also says that he had a good term at school "in the name of God the omnipotent." He is moving up to 9th grade. He said that he's spent his summer holidays riding biks, playing ball and "many other amusing things." He is also taking sewing classes at the project, and he has learned to sew trousers and shirts. He shared that his family and his church pray for us, and he sings in the choir. He asked that we pray for God to give him strength in all he does. 

We also heard from Carlos in Peru! 

Carlos says that he and his family are doing well and he's very happy to write to me, and to get my letters. He said "thank you for remembering me with your mind and heart" and said he really likes when we send pictures. Carlos said that his country won third place in the "Copa America" tournament, and that everyone celebrated. He asked that we pray for his studies and for his family, and he said goodbye with big hugs! 

We also heard from little Sandier in Honduras! 

Sandier's letter was written by Iris, his tutor, as usual. When I meet Sandier next year, it would be fun to meet Iris, too! :) Iris says that Sandier is doing really well, and of course he has eaten pizza, it is his favorite food and he eats it whenever he can. He said he's never met a brand new baby (he has a little sister but is too young to remember her as a baby) but he would like to take care of a baby! He also listed several holidays in his country, and said he really likes his birthday, mother's day, and independence day. He liked the card and letters we've sent and he asked that we pray for his best friend Ezekiel because he broke his arm. Poor little guy! Sandier also asked that we pray for peace for Honduras. He said goodbye with blessings and hugs, and he drew a pretty picture of mountains with TONS of birds flying over! 

Earlier last week, we heard from Kevenel in Haiti! 

Kevenel had a helper write this letter, but it was written on "big kid" stationery for the first time! His helper at the project said that he was "delighted" to greet us and he wants to know how we are doing. He loves to get our letters and his family is doing well. He said that he has not yet eaten pizza, and he asks that we pray for his protection during his holiday from school. He also said "It's very warm in his country at this moment and the Haitians can't stand it." Sounds like everyone had a hot summer! Kevenel said not much is going on where he lives and he wants to know if I've ever been in a canoe. :)  

We also got a letter from Barry in Burkina Faso! 

Barry's letter was also written on big kid stationery! He said that he is glad to get our letters and he and his family are in good health. He said that the schools are closed or a few months because of the summer holidays, and he likes going to farms and helping his parents. He said thank you for praying for him and his family, and they are also praying for us. He also shared that he moved up a grade, and he is really happy about that! He asked us to pray for him so he can fear the Lord, and he asked if I have been to a farm. At the bottom of the letter, Barry drew many little pencil drawings, including a shopping bag, a house, a faucet, a person, a truck, a bowl, a soccer ball, a bike, and some other random things! 

Sweet Greetings from Haiti, Peru, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Thailand, the Philippines, and Kenya

Happy Mail Call Monday- the first of August!

Eleven letters showed up in the past week! Wow! :) 

The first was from Barry in Burkina Faso! 

Barry wrote a form letter about his typical week, and says he wakes up at 6 to "have a wash." He goes to the project on Thursdays and Saturdays. After school, it's his job to put the hens in the hen house! Barry shared that his favorite day of the week is Sunday, because that's church day, and he says he's never had pizza but he hopes he can try it some day to see if he likes it. 

Next was our first letter from Yekersew in Ethiopia! 

Yekersew's letter was about his hobbies and pets. He likes playing group games and soccer with his friends. He also said he has a dog named Buchi. He said that he wants to know about our family, and asked us to pray for his health. 

Next was a first letter from Benji in Haiti! 

Benji says things are going well in his "locality" and it's really warm where he lives! He also said there are lots of mangoes, avocado and grapefruits where he lives, and asked if I liked these fruits. He said there is a library near his house, and he asked that we would pray that God will give him life. 

That same day, we got a big letter from Kevenel in Haiti!

Kevenel's letter was a form letter about his last medical check up, which was in 2014. He said he liked seeing the doctor because he found out if he was healthy. He told me that his favorite animal is a goat, and he asked that we pray for his health and his family's health. He also said that soccer is very popular in Haiti, and Easter is a very important holiday there, too. He asked how we celebrate Easter and said that he loves me very much! :) 

Then there was another first letter, this time from Tinnakorn in Thailand! 

Tinnakorn covered the entire back of his letter with drawings, and included an extra sheet of paper with drawings! They were all soccer related- apparently he's a big fan of Lionel Messi! Tinnakorn says that he spent his school break at home, and he helped his parents by taking care of his sibling. He said that he and his friends went to the Songkran festival, and his dad is working. He said he thinks of us often, and he wanted to know if I am visiting Thailand this year! Tinnakorn asked that we pray for his family and his studies. 

Another first letter was from Abdias in Haiti! 

Abdias sent us a new sponsor form letter about himself. He has five older siblings, and two of them are older than I am! He said his favorite color is red, favorite food is rice, favorite game is soccer, and he likes cooking! 

Next up was a letter from Mishel in Peru! 

Mishel answered my question about her favorite animal, and said that she likes turtles! She said that she liked the letters we've been sending, and the little notebook that I found for her. She also said she is doing really well in school and is making good grades! And she said "I asked God that my sponsor would send me many letters and God made this miracle happen." I loved that so much!!!

Next up was a letter from Fatuma in Kenya. 

Fatuma sent a form letter about her school. She shared the name of her school and her teacher, and said that her favorite subject is math. She also likes to skip rope with her friends! Her helper at the project said that Fatuma greeted me with "jambo," which was neat because now I know that Fatuma speaks Swahili. Fatuma also said that it is raining every day in her country, and that she liked the "promises" I sent her. 

Another first letter we received this week was from Mjay in the Philippines!

Mjay said he's enjoying my letters and he liked the card that I sent to his whole family. He said there's a library in his school, but not one in his neighborhood. He asked that we pray for the success of his dad's fish vending business! 

Our last first letter of the week was from Sithum in Sri Lanka!

We got Sithum as a correspondent back in March, so it was good to hear from him. His form letter was a "getting to know you" letter, but it was really more about his country than about him! I'm looking forward to knowing more about him in the future! Sithum said he has a brother, and he shared his mom's name. He said he likes to ride bikes, and he wants to be in the army someday! 

The last letter I will share is my favorite letter of the week, because it made me laugh! It was from Carlos in Peru. 

I just love Carlos' letters. He always has so much to say! Carlos told me about an archaeological site in his city, which was the city of the Incan empire. He is very proud of his culture! He said he's happy about my new job, and that God put me there for a reason. :) Carlos also said that they have baby showers in Peru, and sometimes there are pinatas and clowns for the children. He told me he likes penguins and dolphins, as they are very curious. He also wrote about Brandon's birthday. Carlos said that he's glad that God gave Brandon another year of life, and that he can see from the pictures that Brandon hasn't changed much. He also commented on his height- Carlos said that in Peru, a tall person would be 5'9", which is how tall I am. He said "Brandon is like a giant to us." I cracked up when I read that! He also responded to my comment in a letter about pizza, and said he tried it once but maybe he got the wrong kind because he didn't like it. He knows that there are many kinds, though, so he's willing to try it again! Carlos also said he loved the pictures I've been sending, which included walruses (my favorite animal- he said they are beautiful) and Jess's new baby. He said the new baby's pictures are the most beautiful! I love this kid!