Sweet Greetings from Bolivia, Colombia, and India

Happy Mail Call Monday!

We had another good letter week, with five letters coming in from the kiddos! The first was from Julian in Colombia. 

Julian shared that his favorite Bible story is the story of Jonah, and his best skill is playing! He also likes soccer, and said his favorite shows are Animal Planet and Grimm's Fairy Tales. Julian said he has enjoyed my letters, as they are "so lovely" and he's glad that I am happy at work. He also said he has never met a missionary, but he would like to go on a mission trip to Portugal! 

We also received a letter from Michel in Colombia! 

Michel's helper at the project wrote in big letters at the top of her letter that she greets me with love! She said her favorite Bible story is "Jesus' birthday," and she likes watching Peppa Pig and Discovery Kids! Her favorite month is May because that's when Mother's Day is. She added that she is really happy to write to me, her family is doing fine, and it's been raining a lot in Colombia and she really likes that. She asked that we pray that her family is able to be together every day. She also said "I have never heard that an elephant never forgets. What nice thing!" This was in response to the letter I wrote about the Compassion graduate who works for the elephant sanctuary in Kenya, which you can find here on Hannah's blog! She added again that she really liked my letters, and her favorite part was the pictures. She said goodbye with "lots of fondness."

We also got a letter from Juan in Bolivia! 

Juan said that his family is doing great, and he liked all the cards and pictures I've been sending. He also said that his family sends me a huge hug, and that he's glad I work at a library and he loves books. He also got the little book about the three little pigs that I sent him. He said to tell Jess congratulations on her beautiful daughter, and he really liked reading about my trip to Africa and seeing the picture of the elephant. He got to visit Santa Cruz recently, and his dad bought him a little crocodile! 

I was also really happy to get our first letter from Rayza in Bolivia! 

I have really been looking forward to Rayza's first letter! Her letter was written to her financial sponsors, but it was really warm and informative. I think this is a great sign- if she writes such loving letters into the void (since she was not receiving letters for a few years before we got her as a correspondent) I can't wait to see what her response letters are like! Rayza said that on her school break, her family and her uncles went to Cliza province, where her dad is from. It was really rainy and a little chilly when they got there. She saw factories and "train ruts" and finally went to see her grandparents. She also said that they ate and played soccer. Now her school has started again, and the first two weeks were spent getting to know each other. She said "I thank you very much for being my sponsors! I thank so much God for the support you offer me! I pray for you a lot that you are always well of health! Don't go away out of God's way! Now I say goodbye with many hugs and kisses. May God bless and look after you a lot!" So sweet! 

Finally, we got our first letter from our new sponsored child Vandana in India! 

Vandana's letter was pre-written to send out when she got a sponsor, and it was really informative! It said that her mom's name is Dulazi and her dad's name is Natayan. She has two older sisters named Divya and Rinky, and two younger sisters named Kajal and Manisha! Her favorite color is red, she likes running, and her favorite foods are rice, dal, beans and curry (which I would like to eat right now.) Her best friend's name is Dhanashree, and her house is made of mud. On the back of the letter, the project worker wrote a little about the community and her family. They said that Vandana attends the project regularly, and that she is "sincere and hard-working." They said that the community is an "illiterate tribal community" and that Vandana lives in the slum area, which makes me sad. They said that most of the adults in the community are daily workers (they don't have regular jobs) and they usually work as rickshaw pullers, vegetable sellers, or manual laborers. Vandana's dad is a laborer and her mom is a housewife. At the end, the project worker expressed gratitude to Vandana's new sponsor because of the needs of the kids in the community, including getting regular meals, school supplies, and clean water. I already knew a little about the area where Vandana lives, because my mom's sponsor girl Amisha goes there. But I didn't realize just how severe some of the problems were. It's good to know how to pray for Vandana and her family, and the other kids in the community. 

Project Letter: IN-849

More pastor's letters have been coming in recently! Here's one from Vandana's center in India! 

Greetings from India. I am Koshy C.K., a partner with Compassion International in the Padosi Child Development Center. We minister to your sponsored child. Thank you for your sponsorship of Vandana. The center is situated in Nagpur, India.

I'm so grateful to you for your valuable sponsorship. The community in which we serve is an illiterate tribal community. Life here is socially and economically difficult. Due to lower economic status, the parents therefore struggle to take care of their children's education and health needs. Because of the regular financial crisis in their home, many children drop out of school.

Our programs and activities are planned and implemented with the focus of the holistic development of each child at our center. Since most of them belong to the underprivileged section of society, we take special care to facilitate their personality formation with self-esteem, confidence, and moral and social values. Our activities tend to challenge every child to grow spiritually, intellectually, academically, socially, emotionally, and in terms of talents and extra-curricular potential.

Daily tutorials, with special attention to those who are lacking direction, are conducted. We regularly provide meals/snacks to all the children with the focus of nutrition. Special sessions, retreats, and camps for spiritual growth are conducted. Celebrations on special occasions like holidays, Republic Day, Children's Day, Teacher's Day, cultural programs, picnics, etc. are planned for recreation. Tours and field trips to challengingly different places are conducted.

Awareness programs on de-addiction to drugs, alcohol, health awareness, and hygiene programs are also conducted. Our sponsored children are trained on how to respect elders and the opposite gender. We arrange regular medical camps and health check-ups. We supply items of personal hygiene. We provide items that are needed for their education like notebooks, pens, etc. We also train them in co-curricular and extracurricular activities like sports, spoken English, music, computer, etc.

Special counseling for parents is also happening, to make adequate changes to the parents' perspective. We are there as good Samaritans in their lives. The children who are attending the center are healthier compared to the other children in the community. Through the center we addressed the issue of malnutrition successfully. As per the parents, sponsored children are behaving well after coming to the center.

Through the medical aid we save many lives and help many families. Earlier they never used to pay attention to the medical needs of their children, now because of the continuous follow-ups of the center staff, the parents are taking children to hospitals.

The letters from the sponsors make the children very happy. They treasure sponsors' letters. In the meantime, some children do not receive letters from their sponsors and they feel very sad about it. Sponsor letters mean a lot to them. Kindly send Vandana letters when possible.

The center children are continually praying for you. Please pray that the need of water facilities at the center campus and in the villages be met. We remain extremely grateful for your care and support. May God bless you!





If you are interested in sponsoring a girl in India, please consider pretty Priyal! She and her family live in an area very similar to Vandana's, and they face a lot of the same challenges. Priyal is 12 years old, and her birthday is August 4.

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! 

Compassion Joys: July

Where oh where did this month go?? It went by so quickly! Here are our Compassion Joys for this month! :)

Letters! 

This month we heard from Erick in Ecuador; Bonifas in Tanzania; Angelina in Ghana; Anahi and Sandier in Honduras; Thanakan and Tinnakorn in Thailand; Estha in Togo; Carlos in Peru; Kevenel, Abdias  and Benji in Haiti; Yekersew in Ethiopia; Barry in Burkina Faso; Jayid in India; Laura and Carlos Daniel in the Dominican Republic; Merlyn in the Philippines; Brendita in Mexico; and Victor, Christine, Motempa, Nkoyio, and Rose in Kenya! Five of those were first letters, too!

Photo Updates! 

We got two new photos this month- it felt like it had been a long time since we'd seen an update!

Estha in Togo

Erick in Ecuador

New Kids!

A few more kids joined our far-away family this month! We welcomed little Kaue in Brazil- a long time ago I had requested a boy in Brazil, and it had been so many months that I figured the request had gotten lost! We also welcomed Julius, Yese, and Ester in Tanzania, who attend centers I visited during my trip there last year. And then there's precious little Zalifina. We are taking over correspondent responsibilities for sweet Kelly who is dealing with some time-consuming family issues right now. I'm happy to be a part of the group of sponsors who is helping her by writing to her kids!

Sponsor-versaries!

We had several special sponsor-versaries this month! We celebrated one year of sponsoring Kajal, two years of writing to Prayer, four years of writing to Said, and FIVE years of sponsoring the girl who started it all, Tasya!

Birthdays! 

July held a lot of birthdays for our far-away family!! Rose in Kenya turned 12: Carlos Daniel in the Dominican Republic turned 16; Habimana in Rwanda turned 9; Julian in Colombia turned 8; Anahi in Honduras turned 7; Austin in Kenya turned 20; Tamirat in Ethiopia turned 19; Julius in Tanzania turned 17; and Merlyn in the Philippines turned 12!

Project Letter: ET-156

Here's another pastor's letter we received recently, this time from Melat's center in Ethiopia!

My name is Dessalegn Bosen and I am the coordinator of the children's ministry in the Agaro Kale Hiwot Church, which operates the child development center attended by Melat. It is located southwest of Addis Ababa in the town of Agaro, Ethiopia.

On behalf of the beneficiaries of this center, I want to thank you immensely for your support in finances and prayers for Melat. Praise God we are seeing results in the children!

The town has over 60,000 inhabitants that follow various religions such as Muslim, Orthodox, and Protestant. The town is surrounded by vast coffee-growing areas, which is the main crop for the country, and is considered as the trade center for coffee marketing. However, the development of this town is very slow. The main reason is that its inhabitants have a very low outlook on work and prefer to spend most of their time chewing chat (a local drug) and chatting. This has exposed its inhabitants to serious problems.

The children who joined our center were partakers of the community's problems before and were in a very bad level of destruction in their social, psychological, and spiritual endeavors. This whole mess has reached the new generation, affecting the individual person up to the family and country at large. But due to Compassion International's vision, this yoke is being broken. With the financial support, the prayers and loving ministry of sponsors like you, a tangible transformation is seen in these children's lives.

Children who had lost their hopes and were living without any purpose in their lives now have started planning for the future. Children who were cursed by many and lacked love and care are now getting this love and care and are developing balanced thinking. All their school material needs are provided to them. They benefit from the medical care they need, and many of them are accepting our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Sponsors and their sponsored children are exchanging letters. The children tell their sponsors what their future dreams are, thank them for all that they have done for them and ask them to pray for them on various issues in their letters. The sponsors in return write to them on how much they love and pray for them and give them advices. This mode of communication has many advantages.

We need to tell about the impact of the auxiliary curriculum book Compassion published in order to have these children learn in the spiritual, physical, social and intellectual levels. There is no doubt that it will enable us to harvest yet many more.

Our church is fulfilling its Great Commission call properly by being a positive impact for our community and elevating at the church's welcoming position. It is also participating in the country's vision of reducing poverty. What is much better than reaching out to the children in most need by rendering a holistic ministry? Nothing!

Though this center is new yet, the fruits we are seeing have raised our hope to expect a lot of harvest. We thank you a lot for partnering in this work by supporting Melat. May God bless you!

Sweet Greetings from Kenya, Mexico, and Honduras

It's the last Mail Call Monday in July! 

Most of our letters last week came from Kenya! First we heard from precious Rose. 

Rose wrote to me about her school. Her best subject is Kiswahili, and she shared her teacher's name and her school's name. She also likes playing leg ball at school, and she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She said "Thank you for the letters you send me. I felt very proud when I got them. Surely be blessed." Rose said she was excited about the impending arrival of my friend Jess's baby, and asked how the baby is doing now. She also said that there are lots of extra security measures where she lives now, since the attack on Garissa College, and there are soldiers in the street every night. Finally, she asked what I do at the library, and if I enjoy the work! 

Then there was a letter from Motempa. 

Motempa said she had a nice Easter with her family, and she had been praying for God to provide her school fees, and he did! And she said "something interesting that happens in my life is God usually remembers me in every situation." 

Then we got a letter from Nkoyio!

Nkoyio said she enjoyed reading about our 5th wedding anniversary, and said she is praying for Brandon because his back has been hurting. She asked that we pray for her education, because she has "many challenges", and said "I am very happy to have you as my new friend. I hope we shall continue with the help of God." Motempa and Nkoyio attend the same center, and are just a few months apart in age. Nkoyio wrote in her letter that she learned I also write to Motempa, and that they are good friends and spend a lot of time together! Finally, Nkoyio said that she got new school shoes with the small birthday gift we were able to send her. 

We also heard from Christine! 

Christine says her family is doing well and they are weeding and preparing to plant maize and other vegetables. She said "I am happy writing for you again and get to know each other." Christine said that in Kenya, babies are named after their grandparents, and they have a big party when babies are born. She also shared that she is doing well in school but she still hopes to improve, and she had fun celebrating Easter with her family- her parents made chicken and rice "and it was wow!" She also asked that we pray for her family and her country because of all the conflict in Kenya, and shared this verse: "Happy are the merciful, for they shall see God." 

Rounding out our Kenya letters was a much-anticipated letter from Victor! 

I was getting really worried because Victor's letters always arrive within a day of Mary's, and we heard from Mary over a month ago. I'm thinking that his letter just got a little lost in the shuffle, because it was dated in April, and usually they get here pretty quickly. :) Victor said that he has learned a lot from my letters, like how the snow affects the transportation of goods and people. :) He also said he is praying for Jess and her new baby, and he thanked us for always writing to him, and for the "advices." I love this boy so much! 

We also got a letter from Brendita in Mexico! 

Brendita wrote a form letter about her last check up at the doctor. She rode a bike and went with her mom and aunt, and she said, when asked how it made her feel, that it made her laugh because it was ticklish. :) She said she learned that she needs to drink a lot of milk because it will make her strong and keep her standing, and she said, in the thank you section, that she says thanks for the letters, the stickers, and everything. "You are the best!" :) Then she wrote out responses to the questions I have sent her. She has never seen snow, her grandmother's name is Carmen, she has a ton of cousins, her favorite movie is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", her best friend is Karlita, she does know what pumpkins are and she eats them sometimes, she is doing well in school, "yes yes yes! The Christmas party at the project is always great. We get gifts and candy and we break pinatas. We drink punch and other things." And she said that weddings in Mexico are celebrated in little parks, at home, or in the streets.

Finally, we heard from Sandier in Honduras! 

Sandier filled out a form letter about his dreams. He wants to come to the US to meet me, and he wants to see race cars. He also wants to rescue people when he grows up, and he wants to be like his mom. Iris filled out an extra half sheet of paper for Sandier, and he answered a bunch of my questions. He said he loves music and his favorite song is "Glory from on High" and he doesn't know how to play any instruments, but he'd like to learn to play the drums. He also said he's never met a missionary, but if he ever went on a mission trip, he'd want to go to Brazil. He has never seen an elephant, but he'd like to see one. Sandier also asked what my biggest dream is! And then Iris, his tutor, said "Sandier wants to thank you for all the letters, especially for the words that say that you love him and that you keep him in your heart." He also liked all the stickers, books, finger tattoos (a thumb war tattoo kit with superheroes) and cards and pictures. 

Project Letter: BO-561

Here's another pastor's letter, this time from our Maite's project in Bolivia!

We greet you with the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ and hope that his endless grace fills you abundantly with blessings in the ministries you carry forward. 

My name is Severo Gomez and I am the Evangelical Baptist Nazareth Church pastor. Our child development center has been in existence for more than 25 years, and is attended by your sponsored child. The church and center are located in the southern area of the city of Cochabamba, in the Plurinational State of Bolivia.

On behalf of the church we want to thank you for sponsoring Maite, and pray God blesses you in great ways. 

Let me tell you that the southern area of our city is known for struggling against great social and economic issues since many families live in extreme poverty, live on a rent, have low incomes, and most of our children come from disintegrated families. There are many gangs in the community, high rates of delinquency and many places that sell alcohol and drugs. In the midst of this, the children living in this area need to be taken care of and require our holistic support in the cognitive, physical, social-emotional and spiritual areas.

When it comes to measure the impact our center has in the community, we must first help the poorest and neediest of families. Our center staff is continuously challenged to help the children in greatest need, and in this way contribute to their holistic development. The impact this center has in the lives of these children brings us great satisfaction since there are areas in their lives with great needs that are being met.

The church vision is to continue benefitting the children and we know they represent a hope for a brighter future for their families, in the church and society altogether. 

The events that took place this previous year were: graduations, military camps, field trips, sports, birthday celebrations, Children's Day celebrations and others. The sponsored children receive their sponsor's letters with great joy and emotion. The relationship between the sponsored child and their sponsor through written correspondence and prayer is utmost important in the child's development phase.

As a partner church we kindly request our sponsors to continue to support their sponsored children with their prayers: that our children may grow and be fulfilled in life and above all, reach Christ's Lordship in their lives. We pray they live fulfilled lives with high Christ-centered principles and values.

With this prayer request we say goodbye and once more express our infinite gratitude to the Lord for your sponsorship of Maite.