Project Letter: EI-623

Here's a letter from the director of Jayid's project in East India! The photos came from Compassion's website.

Greetings to you! I am L. and I serve as project manager of the Compassion child development center in Madhya Pradesh region of India, attended by your sponsored child. We are very thankful to you for your support towards Jayid. Your partnership is helping us to meet needs and usher hope for the future. Thank you for understanding the needs of children and supporting them. We are here to create holistic awareness among children and their parents about education, hygiene, and health; but nothing of that would be possible if you are not by our side. So thank you.

One of our girls is particularly grateful for being enrolled in the center. She belongs to a poor family. Her father is a tailor who doesn't get work at times. She is an intelligent girl. She has learned computer and English at the center. She says that she is grateful to her sponsor whose support has enabled her to study in an English speaking school as she studied in a public school before joining the center.

Another child's father works as a day laborer and cannot provide for the needs of his two children. After joining the center, this boy's life is changing as he is able to enjoy the opportunities that his parents cannot afford. Our center is helping him to progress in life and have a better understanding about life and his purpose. He loves music and so he has been given training in guitar lessons at the center.

We are grateful to Compassion for the complementary intervention support through which we have been able to set up clean water facility at the center. When we started this center we struggled a lot for water. Many times the government taps are not given to the public. The center workers would bring water for cooking food and washing the utensils from so far or we had to purchase water from the private tankers which was expensive. Now we have sufficient drinking water and our children and cooks are all happy. We have also constructed a children's park with the complementary intervention funds we received. Children are happy that they can play without restraint and so they come to the center much ahead of their activity time so that they can spend some time in the park with their friends. This is a new experience for the children.

We are happy to know how much you desire to learn about your child so that you can better pray for needs and development. The sponsor and child correspondence is very important in establishing a strong relationship. We are thankful for each letter, photograph, and gift. The children really look forward to them. Children wait eagerly to receive their letters from sponsors. Encouraging words mean a lot to the children as they are filled with the love and care expressed toward their needs. I hope you can write often.

I am inspired to work at this center because I can see the visible change in their lives through the activities of the center. Please pray for our staff members so that they continue to serve the children with the same passion they had when they first started out. We request you to pray for the children, their parents, siblings, and the community at large. We heartily thank God for your love for children, your commitment to them and concern for their lives. I would like to thank you so much for your prayerful support and encouragement to Jayid. May God bless you!

Sweet Greetings from Kenya, Honduras, Thailand, Haiti, Burkina Faso, India, and El Salvador

Happy Mail Call Monday!

I'm glad that I'm now able to regularly share letters we are getting throughout the week! Sometimes,because the letters arrive in email form first, it feels like I'm still not getting very many- there isn't a stack of letters waiting to be answered on my kitchen table. But when I look at the google doc where I'm keeping track of my letters and saving their individual links, we are getting about the same number of letters each week now that we did back before the system change, and that's GREAT NEWS!

First this week, we got a letter from Jeferson in El Salvador!

Jeferson is doing great with his letter writing- to get his first letter, we had to do an inquiry, and when we did, we got some neat photos of him with all the letters he received from us. Now that he is writing, he fills up a whole page! Jeferson shared that Ruben and Bernardo are his friends, and Ruben is his best friend because they have many things in common "and they are that we are playful, we like to play with marbles and I met him at his house. We started to talk and we felt well and we became good friends." That is so cute. He also said he like sharing smiles and games with his friends, and that they have a children's day celebration, where they have a lot of fun! Jeferson then said he got the Christmas stuff we sent him, and that his family celebrates New Years by having a nice dinner and sharing their wishes for the year to come. Jeferson wants to know how many family members I have, as well as how many friends, and he shared that he was going on vacation in August! His family invited his friend along, and they were going on a hike. Then Jeferson drew this little dude. 

The next day, we got a letter from Festus in Kenya! 

Festus' letter was a bit confusing, and in figuring out, I learned a little more about Compassion's processes. We recently had to do an inquiry because we had not heard from Festus since the beginning of the year. When we heard from Festus this week, his letter was a bit short (still very friendly) but was more like something he would send to a new sponsor, telling a bit about himself. My name was also not on top of the letter, and he addressed it to "dear sponsor." There was one instance a while back where one of our correspondence kids was accidentally and very temporarily removed from our account, and immediately added back on, but that changed how her "sponsored since" date appeared in the computer. I emailed and asked if maybe something similar had happened with Festus. I was told that when the field office is notified that a child needs to write a letter, they basically tell the staff at that project, and it could be that they don't have any pre-printed stationery with the child's name and sponsor's name at the top. So Festus may have been given a fresh piece of stationery without this info, assumed that he had a new sponsor (which has happened to him several times before) and just written a letter like it was to a new sponsor! I am sure he will be very relieved to know that we did not leave him (he is sponsored by a corporation, so hopefully we will have him and our other Kenyan kids until they graduate.) I am sharing this to encourage other sponsors who may have received short or vague letters after waiting so long to get one in the mail- it could just be a situation like this, where they wanted to get the letter out as quickly as possible, and in the process there was a tiny bit of miscommunication!

Our next letter of the week came from Sukumar in India! 

Sukumar is such a sweetheart, and I love getting his letters. We also hadn't heard from him since earlier this year, and it was encouraging to get a letter from one of our Indian kids- we hadn't heard from any of them all summer! Sukumar says that he is "quite fit by the grace of God" and he is studying hard to get good marks in every subject. Sukumar said he is growing in his spiritual life, and he is going to church every Sunday! And he really likes when his church has songs in English! He also shared that the project recently had a camp for teens, and he learned new songs and Bible verses. Then he asked how our climate is, and what season we are having. He then asked that we pray for his community, the Malto people, because "many people are suffering from diseases and also child marriage." Sukumar also said that for his birthday he got new jeans and a shirt! At the end of his letter he said "Thank you for your remembrance and prayer. I am from a poor family and by God's grace I got the wonderful opportunity to study (through) your Compassion sponsorship. Thank you for your supporting and loving to me." Sukumar is such a blessing to our family, and I'm so glad we get to write to him! Oh, and he also included this beautiful drawing! 

The same day, we got a letter from Jayid in India! 

Jayid's letter didn't have much to say. It was written by a project worker, and shared that he is doing well and is learning new action songs (as usual.) They asked us to pray for his grandfather, who has a fever. 

Next was a letter from Pitchaya in Thailand! 

I always love reading Pitchaya's letters- he has such cool stuff to wear! Pitchaya first listed all the letters and pictures he has received since he last wrote, which I thought was cute. Pitchaya said that it is really hot where he lives, and when it's hot, he likes to go to the farm house. He said it's not very big, but the weather is cooler, "and there are trees to give me places to hide from the sun." Apparently his family meets there during holidays and they listen to music, eat together, play games, and other fun stuff. It sounds a lot like the Jones family farm, honestly! He said they raise ducks, chickens, and squirrels there, too! Pitchaya said that his college is about to start up again, and that makes him happy because he misses his friends and they didn't get to talk much during the summer holidays. He also shared about the Songkran festival coming up, which I first learned about from our first Thai correspondent, Tae. Pitchaya told me a little more about the activities, like bringing gifts of fruit to the elderly who may not have much food and live in a nursing home. Pitchaya also responded to a letter I sent about peace by saying "I share peace by making people around me laugh!" I love this guy! He made this super cool drawing, too! 

Our next letter was from Eyo in Burkina Faso! 

Eyo is such a sweetie, and I was really happy to see we had another letter from her so quickly! Eyo sent her greetings and said that her family is grateful for our relationship. She said they were preparing for the rainy season by "cleaning the farms." Eyo also said that she is praying for my mom and my pappaw, and she wants to know more about winter in our country, and what we do with all the snow. She also asked what problems I face so she can pray for me, and that was so sweet!

Then we got a letter from Marc in Haiti! 

Marc is another one of our kids that we hadn't heard from in about five months, so it was really nice to hear from him. He said he was really glad to get our letters, and asked what our activities are and what people like to do in our country. He asked about my grandparents and said that he is always praying for me and my job, which is really sweet. He also thanked me for sharing about my friends, and for sending a photo of Hannah's new baby. "I love that baby so much!" How cute! I always love it when I get to share about my every day life- including my friends and family- and when the kids take an interest in that. 

A few days later, we got a letter from sweet Thanakan in Thailand! 

Thanakan sent a form letter about what she likes best. With her friends, she likes drawing and coloring. Her favorite game is skipping rope. Her favorite class at school is Thai, and she likes to visit waterfalls! Thanakan always writes quite a bit in her letters. She opened with "I am very glad to receive your 17 letters." :) She said she likes reading all the details in my letters, and she gains knowledge through them when I write about animals and other countries! She also said she liked the picture of the blanket I made for a friend, and that I have a good ability. I thought that was adorable. Thanakan said she is in the rainy season and wanted to know about our weather. She also said her family doesn't really like coffee, but they do like tea, and she likes when her mom makes her breakfast. She also said that her dad was in a bad scooter accident and he can't walk. He had an operation and now he's resting. I'm glad he was able to get the medical help he needed! Thanakan also asked if I can send a letter about rabbits so she can learn more about them. She included this pretty drawing- I like the cake! 

Later that day, we got a new letter from Ruth in Honduras! 

Chances are that this is the last letter I will get from Ruth before I go meet her in LESS THAN SIX WEEKS! Crazy! Ruth said she is happy to write to me and hopes we are all in good health. She said "I am glad we will communicate often- and that way I will be able to know you better." She also said she is happy to see me, even if it's just in a picture. By now, she probably knows I am coming to see her in person!! Ruth said she wanted to tell me about her school, and shared that she gets there in a taxi. Her school is by a forest. It is a 20 minute ride from her home. She wants to know how long it takes me to get to work. She asked to learn more about my family and what I do each day, and she hopes we can communicate again soon. She asked that we pray for her family, that they will not lack anything. She also sent a pretty drawing! 

Lastly, we got a letter from our lovely Christine in Kenya! 

Christine's latest letter took about six weeks to get to us! That's pretty quick! She asked how we are doing "over there" and she and her family are doing well and they are really happy. She said she loves learning more about our friends and family, and that she's doing well in school. She said her best subjects are science and Swahili, and she hopes to be promoted to the next grade. She then shared Romans 12:1 with us. 

Project Letter: BF-259

Here's a letter from Eyo's project in Burkina Faso! All photos come from Compassion's website.

I am Jean Baptiste B., team leader of the child development center attended by your sponsored child and run by the Baptist Church in Koudougou town, Burkina Faso. Great is my joy to say thank you for your different supports on behalf of Eyo in order to contribute to her success, well-being, and blooming. Thanks to your assistance, there is regular participation at the center on Thursdays to take part in the different activities such as singing in the choir with friends. That has brought a positive change in life with good behaviors toward friends in the center and at school. Church is also attended regularly. May God bless you richly for your support.

Recently we received the Complementary Intervention funds which are used for teaching the children and their parents on malaria, hygiene, and sanitation. We also received water filters which enable them to drink pure water.

The meetings of information that we organized have had some positive changes on people. We see them practicing hygiene in order to avoid diseases such as malaria. The use of the water filters has also contributed to the reduction of some diseases linked with dirty waters like stomach-ache. Parents can now save money because they no longer spend their money on medicines to always treat the children.

The letters that the children receive from their sponsors always bring them great joy and mainly when they find photos or drawings inside. It is easy to feel a member of your family because your name becomes familiar and the names of your family members as well. I know many children here who have memorized the Bible verses found in their letters, and some children even use those Bible verses in their own songs they like to sing with their friends. A child testified one day that he was happy because he has found that his sponsor and himself have the same last name.

I am so moved when I see the love, commitment, and determination of the sponsors always manifested toward their children in this center. That encourages me to work with more discipline and diligence in this ministry among the children.

The extra-curricular activities such as music, hairdressing, football, handball held in the center on Saturdays have a positive impact on the children. Many children really excel in hairdressing, and we see a girl dressing the hair of one another all the time. We are also happy to inform you that the children registered in our center have received a medical visit, and those who have health problems have been well treated. They are healed now. Their school results this year are satisfactory, too, because of the extra classes they have in the center on Thursdays. Additionally, the families who got gifts from their children's sponsors are now involved in income-generating activities which help them to have money to take care of their families properly.

We didn't get a dangerous disease this year in our midst thanks to your prayers and that of the center. Now we would like you to pray for the child who suffers from sickle cell anemia, and the child who is epileptic, the mother of one of our children who is sick too, and the area where the center is located so that we can have a medical center, and a secondary school. My sincere greetings once more to you. Thank you for contributing to the success and blooming of Eyo. On behalf of all the center, receive my sincere gratitude in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Outgoing Mail: WorldFest

My city has a huge international population, and every year we celebrate this by having a festival downtown by the river. While I've never actually been to WorldFest, I really want to go every year and it just doesn't work out. But I always look forward to seeing the photos that are posted on social media and on the city's website! While looking through the photos this weekend, I thought it would be fun to send the kids a letter about WorldFest.

In the letter, I explained a little about my city, and told the kids about the activities that take place. I wrote the letter in Word and had to tweak the phrasing and spacing a bit when I found out that even though I felt I had tried to be brief, I had run out of space. :) I also collected photos from the city's website and a couple of Google searches- there were so many to choose from! I hope that some of the kids especially like seeing their countries represented in the Parade of Nations! While this letter wouldn't make much sense to copy and send to your own kids unless you live in my city, I would really recommend checking with your local government to see if any similar events take place in your own town. WorldFest is the big, city-sponsored event each year, but there are also smaller events and celebrations put on by specific communities, too! Chances are, your own town has some sort of fun, multicultural event that you can learn about or even visit!

Here's the text of what I sent:

My city has many of its festivals and parties in the spring, before the Kentucky Derby horse race (which is a famous sporting event that draws many visitors and some celebrities to my town!) But each year in September, our city’s government hosts what they call World Fest (short for “festival.”) My city is home to many people who have moved to the United States from other countries. Some are very new, and other families have lived here for generations. This is reflected in everything from our local food to our architecture. Our city’s website says that more than 100 languages are spoken in our schools, and people from over 150 countries live here! The four day festival is a celebration of all the cultures represented in our city. I thought it would be fun to tell you about it.
The activities for the festival are held in the downtown area, which has many museums, tall buildings, and a lovely park by the river. Most of the events are at the park, where there is room for tents, tables, and stages. Musicians from all over the world perform music from their home countries, and the festival visitors can walk through the park and hear several different kinds of music being played at once! Some of these musicians are accompanied by dancers, such as flamenco dancers from Mexico or step dancing from Ireland. There are also booths where craftsmen and artisans sell goods from their country, like baskets, jewelry, or wood carvings. One really fun thing about the festival is the food. It is a chance to try foods and drinks from all over the world! Here are some examples of the foods that were available at this year’s festival: churros from Mexico; ice cream from Italy; juice from the Caribbean islands; dumplings from China; sushi from Japan; and many more! Also during the festival, the government has a naturalization ceremony. Do you know what that is? Naturalization means the process of becoming a citizen. People who want to become citizens of the United States must live here for several years, and then take a written exam, like you might have at school. The exam asks questions about American history and government. Then, when the exam is passed, people are “sworn in” (they take an oath, or make a promise) in a legal ceremony. We have many of these ceremonies throughout the year (and some even take place in our public libraries!) but I think this ceremony is extra special for two reasons: many people are becoming Americans at the same time, and also the celebration of the festival makes it very fun!
Another interesting part of the festival is the Parade of Nations, which takes place on the first day of the festival. At this time, people of my city dress in traditional clothing from their countries and march in a parade. It is always so exciting and interesting to see the costumes from the different countries. I am sending you several photos of the parade so you can see these different countries represented!
I always love learning about other cultures and countries, and this is part of the reason I love my city so much. Can you tell me about a festival or special event from your city? I would love to learn about it! 

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.

Sweet Greetings from Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, and the Philippines

Happy Mail Call Monday- and happy Labor Day!

A few more letters have come in this week, which is great! Some of them were written recently (less than a month ago!) and a few were five or six months old. Still, progress is progress! First we heard from Zalifina in Tanzania. 

Zalifina said her family is "very fine and healthy" and asked about us. She also said that they were in the "very cold season," which makes me smile because it's nothing like we will have here in a few months. :) She shared that she was on school holiday and she was helping her mom take care of their home. She then shared Psalm 35:1 with us and closed her letter "God bless you so much!"

Next we heard from Reine in Burkina Faso!

Reine said her family is doing well and that they are having warm weather where she lives. She said that Easter was nice and many of her classmates were baptized! And that she herself was baptized in 2014! So far she is the first of my kids to tell me that they have been baptized- many others have said they are too young, or they want to be someday. With her birthday gift, Reine got a new pair of shoes and a mat. She also said she had never heard of an alpaca before, and was glad that I told her about them. She also made this lovely drawing! 

The same day, we got a letter from Fatuma in Kenya! 

Fatuma is so precious. She always says really sweet things in her letters. She opened with "it is always lovely to hear from you" and said that she and her family were doing very well. She also said that her project has been doing community work, such as helping the elderly with their chores and volunteering at a local hospital! "I love these moments." I'm so proud of her for having a servant's heart! She also asked if kids in our country have August holidays, and she would be having hers soon, and that she would be staying home with her parents. She also made this wonderful drawing of her house! 

Next up, a letter from our lovely Rubby in Ghana! 

Rubby shared that she is always grateful to receive our letters. She also said that she is learning to prepare food for her family and how to properly clean cooking equipment. She asked that we pray for her upcoming exams, and she shared Psalm 136 with us. Rubby also drew a lovely flower on her letter! 

We also got our first letter from Isac in Mexico this week! 

Isac is one of our newer correspondents- we were just matched with him back in June! I'm so glad we got our first letter from him so quickly. His letter was really cute. It was a form letter about holidays and such. He loves Christmas and his birthday, and for Christmas his family goes to church and eats tamales and drinks coffee. He also said "thank you for the food" as he apparently really loves eating at the project. The vegetables are his favorite! For his prayer request, he asked that we pray for his dad because his dad plays guitar and he wants to play guitar someday, too. :) And he made a colorful little drawing for us! 

On the first day of the new month, I was very excited to see that I had a new letter from my dear Mary in Kenya! 

It had been almost five months since we heard from her, which is the longest without letters we have gone since we started writing to her almost four years ago. This letter was probably in the bottom of a stack somewhere, because it was written in the spring! I always adore reading Mary's letters, though. She shared that she is continuing her training to become a caterer and is learning some exciting new ideas about cooking. She also shared what she's learned about kitchen cleanliness, including pulling back your hair and keeping your nails trimmed and clean. As for her recent spiritual developments, here's what she had to say: "There are many ways of worshiping God by praising him, giving to the needy, and also by Thanksgiving. The recent thing I have learned about the Bible is that we should give thanks in all circumstances, for it is the will of God." Then she shared about some of her favorites. Her favorite fruits are apple, mango, and watermelon, and her favorite activities are watching movies and spending time with her friends. She also like taking nature walks! Mary then asked me to send her more information about some things I have mentioned in my letters, specifically more information about freezing rain, and a description of how and MRI machine works. She also specifically asked how the Lord provides for our family, because he is faithful in providing for hers, and she asked that we continue praying for her grandmother who is still recovering from heart surgery. 

Finally, we got another letter from Edmundo in the Philippines! 

We just heard from Edmundo last week, so it was a big surprise to get another letter from him. I was also very impressed to see that he wrote this letter in English. He said his family is fine and that he's thankful for the four letters he received since the last time he wrote. He said "I read that your parents were married on Valentine's Day, and I am so happy to know that." He said he's praying that God will guide me every day and protect me from any danger. What a sweetheart!