You Can Save a Child's Life

Follow this link to change a life today:  Compassion.

What a Puppy Taught Me about Compassion

This is Bucco.  Today is his first birthday.

Bucco came to live with me ten months ago, and no I do not have a cool rescue story.  He is a West Highland White Terrier, and not many of that breed are surrendered, so I could not find one to rescue.  I have always loved dogs, but I have very bad allergies and only recently discovered that I am not allergic to terriers.  However, I like big dogs.  My dog when I was a teenager was a very sweet Saint Bernard, so yeah . . . I like big dogs.

Because my niece has a Westie, I learned that Westies act more like big dogs than small ones, that they are very intelligent and very loyal.  So I found a Westie.  I paid much less than one would normally pay for a pure bred, so because of that and his one droopy ear, I call him my discount Westie.

But he is worth so much.

One of the first things that struck me about him was his acceptance of and reliance on me.  He immediately loved being with me and playing with me even though he didn't know me.  It reminded me of the children I met on the Compassion Sponsor Tour to Peru.  When we entered a project, the children were really excited to see us and loved us without even knowing us.  They all called me "Madrina," even though I don't sponsor any of the children in the projects we visited.  

Bucco loves the beach and has no fear of jumping into the ocean.  When I first started taking him, he kept stopping on the way to investigate other interesting things.  I kept telling him there was something even better waiting over the dunes.  Now he knows what's on the other side of the dunes and eagerly heads toward the ocean without stopping as soon as I say the word "beach."  I thought of the many times in our walks with Jesus that we think we have found something good, but He's really trying to lead us over the dunes to something even better.  

Those of you who are pet owners understand how important a dog can be.  Since I am alone, except for Bucco, mine is pretty much all I have.  I will sacrifice for my dog because I want what's best for him. Bucco often makes me think of my Compassion children and how important they are to me, but even more so, how important I am to them.  I remember that I need to sacrifice my time and energy to write to them and let them know they are loved by me, but more importantly, by Jesus.

I have the best dog in the Universe.  God has used him to enrich my life beyond what I ever expected.  What a lesson there is in that!

Waiting . . .

This is four-year-old Wilfredo in Nicaragua.  Don't you just want to squeeze those cute cheeks?

Wilfredo has been waiting 515 days for a sponsor.

Five hundred fifteen.

I don't even start counting down to something that far ahead!  Wilfredo needs a sponsor.

But he's not the only one.  You can go here to view all the children who have been waiting more than six months for a sponsor.  Please consider sponsoring one today.  You will change the child's life.

And the child will change yours.

These Sweet Children Need Sponsors Now

> Fahim is 11 years old and lives in Indonesia.  He has been waiting seven months for a sponsor.  He lives in a country with high risk for child rights violations.  He really needs a sponsor.

Yeabtega lives in Ethiopia and has been waiting THIRTEEN months for a sponsor!  She lives in an AIDS affected area.  She lives with her grandparents, which often means the parents are victims of AIDS.

A Gift for My Teenage Girls

It's sort of hard sometimes to find things to send to the teenagers we sponsor because coloring pages and the like are just a bit juvenile for them.
I saw this idea on the Compassion blog and made one for each of my teenage girls, not for any particular occasion. I put small cards with Bible verses and little messages such as "You are beautiful" in the pockets.
I used this video from youtube for instructions, but my paper was from the dollar bin at Target, so it's not as fancy as the paper in the video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYHiSLU7iA4

Sponsor a Child

This is a video posted on Facebook by Compassion International.  I have seen the smiles and heard the laughter of the Compassion children.  They really are truly happy at the Compassion Child Development Centers.  Sponsor a child today and speak life and hope into his or her life.

Peru, Part 5--The Most Special Day of All

I woke on Saturday in Lima more excited than I can ever describe.  I couldn't believe that I was actually going to meet Jack.

I decided some time ago that if I ever visited one of the kids I sponsor, it would be Jack because he was the oldest at that time (I now have a girl two years older than he), but more importantly, because we had developed a close relationship through our letters.  I could see him grow spiritually, and I knew that he loved me very much without ever having met me.  I prayed for well over a year for the opportunity to go to Peru, never imagining that as a teacher I would actually have the funds to do that.  I received a letter from Jack in January of 2012 that said his greatest prayer request was to meet me in person.  I didn't know at the time how important it is to the kids to meet their sponsors.  Two weeks later, I received an email from Compassion about this trip to the jungle.  My first thought was that I wasn't good enough to make a trip to the jungle, and my second was that I needed to pray about it for at least a week.

Then I said, "Duh, Mindi.  You've been praying about it, and so has Jack.  This is the answer."  So I signed up.  I had never been to a place where English is not the official language, and I had never used my passport.  And there I was saying "yes" to go to the Amazon jungle!

Before I made the trip, I received seven more letters from Jack, and four of them said that his greatest dream was to meet me in person.

We met our kids at the Lima Zoo, spent a few hours there, had lunch at Pardo's chicken, and then spent some time in a park next door.

As we approached the zoo, I was so excited, I couldn't contain myself.  I knew that somewhere beyond those gates was a 16-year-old whose dream I was about to fulfill.  I can't say I've ever been able to do something like that before.

Sean, our leader, told us that our names would be called, and that we would be matched up with our kids in an orderly manner.  Once we went through the gates, I pretty much led the way to the place where the kids were all waiting with a parent, a project worker, and a translator.  I tried to find Jack in the crowd, but suddenly there he was in front of me, and he grabbed me and hugged me as if he never wanted to let go.  After all the "strong hugs" he had sent me in his letters, there I was receiving one in person.  I can't even describe the feeling.

The translator told me that he (the translator) was looking for my name tag, and Jack came running up behind him to say that he saw me and then ran to me.  I don't even know what to say about that.

Jack's mother was with him.  She's also a worker at the project, so no one else had to come with them. She said that she considers me to be a part of the family and a second mother to Jack.  How many mothers are willing to say something like that??  One of the first questions she asked is when I would be able to visit again.  By the time we had made our introductions, I showed them how my hands were shaking from the excitement.  I was thrilled!

Jack and his mother.  I made him smile.  Teenagers!  :)

They live in Trujillo, so they had made an 8-hour bus trip to Lima.  Jack said the bus was boring, but he was excited that they were able to stay in a hotel. He had never been in a hotel.
I asked when he was told that I was coming to visit, and he said that the director of the project asked if he'd ever been to Lima and told him they had a surprise for him in Lima.  That was two weeks before my visit.  Then they bought bus tickets for him and his mom, but they still didn't tell them why they were going to Lima.  Jack said he finally guessed on the bus ride.  I think it's awesome that they weren't told, that it was a total surprise.  I'm not sure why they weren't told, but I liked it that way.

We walked around the zoo for a few hours, and we took a ride on the peddle boats.  Jack drove, and he kept running into walls around the pond.  We had a lot of fun doing that.

This is the pond where we rode the boat.  Jack wanted to go through the dolphin topiaries, but when we got close, we noticed that we were blocked.  Here's Jack driving the boat.  My camera focused on the boat rather than Jack, but it's not too bad.

When we found the penguins, I told Jack I had to take his picture there because the Penguins are my favorite ice hockey team.  He thought that was hilarious.

Throughout our time together, we talked about things we like.  I knew that Jack plays the trumpet in school and at his church, but I didn't know he also plays the violin!  He said he wants to play the saxophone, but it's too hard.  I told him I played the saxophone in high school, along with a few other instruments.

Jack's mom said that he'd had three other sponsors, but they never wrote to him and none of them visited him.  Actually, I began as Jack's correspondence sponsor because his third sponsor didn't write at all.  Then when he or she dropped him, I became his financial sponsor.  Some people have told me that I write too much to my kids, but after hearing in person how much both Jack and his mother treasure my letters, I will never believe that.

Jack told the translator that he writes to me every month (he does), but he wishes he could write to me every day.  That melted my heart.  (Just one of many things throughout the day that did.)

I asked Jack about his favorite food, and he said that he has watched Garfield, so his favorite food is lasagna.  I definitely laughed at that!

Here is Jack feeding a leaf to a rather unattractive goat, as far as goats go.

I took a Frisbee for Jack, so once we reached the time that we had to meet back at the gate, we played with the Frisbee while we waited for everyone else.  The translator took a couple of pictures and said he hoped it was okay.  Of course!  I wish I had asked for more pictures of us together, but I didn't think about it.

We had a lot of fun playing.  That's one thing I can do pretty well.  Jack liked the Frisbee because I had bought it at one of the tourist shops on Atlantic Avenue, so it says "Virginia Beach" on it.  He thought it was especially cool that the back says, "Made in U.S.A."  I'm so glad it wasn't China!!

I taught him the meaning of the word "cool."  I also pointed out that one of the guys in our group is "loco," so every time we passed him, Jack said, "Loco."  He has a great sense of humor.  Even though I don't speak Spanish fluently, we communicated well, and of course, we had the translator to help.

Next we went to Pardo's for chicken.  Man, that chicken was SO good!  I couldn't eat all of the food, but it was awesome.  I asked Jack if he liked desserts, and he said that he likes ice cream and that chocolate is his favorite.  I told him that's my favorite ice cream, too, and that I also love chocolate cake.  His mother then said that she was amazed at how the Lord had brought together two people who have so much in common.  That reminded me of Sean's comments about Jhuniors, whom I had just sponsored.  And beside us was a couple with their little girl, and she was NOT shy!  Not in the least. Sean had said to them, "How did you find a girl with your personality?"

It's amazing because we just look at the pictures on the website and choose one that grabs our hearts, or in my case, I was just given Jack.  We know nothing about the personalities of these children, but God knows who needs whom.  He amazes me.

Pardo's had paper crowns like Burger King, so Jack wore one:

He discovered the uber coolness of my iPhone, and he loved tobyMac's music.  Toby--you have a new fan in Peru.

I showed him how he could take a picture of himself with the iPhone, so he took this funny one.

He was eating chocolate cake--our dessert!  I said that God was celebrating with us by giving us chocolate cake.

After lunch we went to the park where we gave the kids the gifts we had brought for them.  I had crocheted a shawl for his mother and his sister and took some things for the home for his mom.  She was so, so grateful.  She hugged each item and cried.  I am so glad that Jack has such a wonderful mother.

She apologized for not bringing a gift to me since they didn't know they would be meeting me.  I told her that I need nothing, and that being with them was my gift.

Then it was Jack's turn.  I ended up with two backpacks for him.  One is a Steelers drawstring bag that someone gave me after I got to Peru.  I had knitted a blanket for Jack, and he wrapped himself in that. He loved it.  It warms my heart to think of Jack using that blanket to stay warm at night.  I also took him some school supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste, playing cards with Virginia Beach on them, and a bookmark with Virginia Beach on it.  I got a deal on tee shirts from one of the tourist shops (why I always go there after Labor Day), and each time Jack took a shirt out of the bag, he said, "Virginia Beach!'  He loved it.

The two biggies were a new soccer ball with a pump and a Spanish study Bible for teenage boys with his name engraved on the front.  I thought he would like the soccer ball the best, but when he took the Bible out of the bag, he said, "La Biblia!" and jumped up and hugged me!

At the end, I asked him what his favorite thing was, and he said, "La Biblia."

Jack found Psalm 23 in the Bible, handed me the Bible, and then proceeded to recite the Psalm. :)

I may or may not have propagandized Jack a little:

New soccer ball:

It was really fun to watch Jack play with the ball.  He's a very good player, and last year his school team was in the championship. His mother said she thinks he's good because when he comes home, he's always very dirty.  I agree!  Good athletes get dirty.

Jack leaves his house at 6:00 AM to walk 30 minutes to school.  He is fourth in his class academically.  He plays in the school band and the church band and has practice after school.  He also has futbol practice after school.  He sometimes doesn't finish with those practices until 8 PM.  He also attends a Bible study for teenagers on Friday nights.  And he goes to the project for the program there.  He loves the Lord with all His heart.  I encouraged him to continue to follow Him fervently.  (Okay, so I don't know that word in Spanish, but that was the basic idea.)

Jack kept saying all day that he felt like he was in a dream that he didn't want to wake up from.  I agreed, and yet I STILL couldn't believe I could be so important to someone.

After we prayed together, it was time to leave.  The time had gone so, so fast.  I will never forget that day or the love that I was shown by Jack and his mother.  It has helped me to understand God's love for me in a new way.  I went to Peru to bless Jack and his family, and I received a blessing along the way.

As soon as Jack and his mom got on the bus to leave, I started crying.  It wasn't all because of sadness.  There were so many emotions that I can't even come to grips with them more than a week later.  I just know that it was an experience like no other I've ever had.

I cried a lot.  Other people on the bus pulled themselves together, but I just kept crying.  I cry even now as I type this.  How can I have so much love for someone with whom I have spent only a few hours?  God.  That's how.

My goal is to go back again, this time on an individual visit, to see Jack before he finishes the project in two years.

¡Hasta pronto, mi amigo!  Dios te guarde.

Part 6http://minscompassion.blogspot.com/2012/10/peru-reflections.html

Peru, Part 1

Last week, I was in Peru with Compassion International, from the 13th through the 21st, to be exact.

I left my house at 4 AM on the 13th and after four airports and three flights, landed in Lima at 9 PM (10 PM Eastern).

It was my first time really being out of the US.  I have been to Canada, Bermuda, and the Bahamas, but South America is a totally different story.  It was my first time in a country whose official language was not English.  I have been studying Spanish (mostly on my own) for about a year and a half, but I have a LONG way to go before I am fluent.

The next morning, we split into two groups (over 50 people total) to go to a church service at a Compassion church partner.  At the church where my group went, the children were waiting to greet us outside the church.  I was SOOOOO excited to see them!  That was my main reason for going to Peru--to see the children, especially the boy (young man) I sponsor.

When we walked into the church, the people were already seated for the service, and they clapped for each of us!  I kept thinking, "I don't deserve this."  The pastor at the church spoke about giving to the poor.  Seriously???  Man, that was humbling!!  The pastor and people of this church are the ones who deserve the recognition.

After the service, we were treated to snacks, mostly pastries, that were made by the teenagers of the church.  I don't even know what it all was, but I do know it was incredibly delicious!  The center has a cooking class for the teenagers.  I was very impressed with that because I believe that cooking is a very important skill to learn.  Those teenagers will be able to use their skill to make money.  Believe me, I would buy their pastries!!

Two of the teenagers and one of our translators

After church, we went to a restaurant next to the ocean to have lunch.  I learned that Peruvian time is NOT the same as US time.  We were eating lunch at 3 and didn't finish until 6.

The food was amazing!  I felt guilty for having such awesome food, knowing that so many in Peru have barely any food.

Appetizer that I couldn't eat because it had shellfish in it. Notice the tiny octopus. 

This is purple corn juice--chicha.  It is very popular in Peru, and I liked it a lot.

Here are a few shots I took outside the restaurant:

When we returned to the hotel, we met with eight LDP students.  It was amazing to hear them speak.  I knew that LDP is hard to get into, but I didn't realize all that is involved.  They have to go before a panel of judges who show no emotion when they interview the students.  They go through a series of three interviews.  If the make it into the program, they not only have to study, but they also have to serve at their church and do community work.  I have a new appreciation of that program.

That was all for the first day.  The second day, we spent TEN hours in a bus going over the Andes mountain to the jungle.  I was so afraid of getting altitude or motion sickness, but I got neither.  Well, I did get a very bad headache as we drove toward our highest point, 14,800 feet, but it subsided once we began our descent.

We thought the trip would take five hours, so it was a little difficult for us to cope with the ten.  The road is very narrow, very twisty, and has no guard rail in most areas.  We were in a double-decker bus that often had to drive into the left line to make the turns because they were like very tight U turns.  It was unbelievable!  I went from living 8 feet above sea level to riding on a bus almost 15,000 feet above sea level.  Even the people from Colorado said that they no longer consider the Rockies to be mountains after seeing the Andes.  I'm including a few pictures.  I have lots and lots.  (Of course)

When we finally arrived at the hotel in the jungle town, La Merced, we found that there were not enough rooms because another group had stayed over (although that was worked out somehow).  I was given a key (not a card, a key) to a room and when I unlocked the door, I found that it was already occupied.  Thank God the people weren't in the room, just their belongings.  Just as I was about to go back to the desk, a girl ran up with another key.  Whew!

THEN . . . the power went out!  It was very hot and humid, of course, which I didn't mind at all.  It really wasn't different from Virginia Beach in the summer, which I love.  Some of our group members were even trapped in the elevator!  That wasn't funny until they started to climb out.  Then we laughed really hard.  The power kept coming on and going back off.  I thought it was funny; others . . . not so much.  But I mean, we were in a third world country, after all.  I was just so excited about being able to visit the children the next day that I was not concerned about being personally uncomfortable.

At least I know I will never forget that night.

Go to Part 2. 

Great Things Await Me

So . . . ever since I signed up for the trip to Peru, I have face a lot of adversity.  Nothing really, really bad, but enough to wear me down.  It's mostly from work, with people criticizing me even though I take great pride in going beyond what is expected of me, and MORE people compliment me and thank me for my help.

Why is it the negative ones that stick with us?  As tobyMac said recently, I don't want to fall into "Christianese," but I am fighting a spiritual battle at work.

July was my one month off (I am an 11-month school employee), so I was looking forward to resting and being refreshed.  Instead, I spent the month taking care of my 17-year-old nephew who broke his ankle badly on my first day of vacation.  I wouldn't trade that time with him for anything, but it took its toll on me.

Now I have received my travel packet from Compassion and found that my last name is misspelled on  my ticket from Miami to Lima.  Needless to say, it doesn't match the name on my passport.  This does not bode well.  However, the Compassion trip leader has assured me that he can fix it easily on Monday morning.

I feel very discouraged in my life.  I know it's my fault because I have to change my focus and not allow "things" to get me down.  I feel as if I keep getting kicked in the same spot, and it hurts more each time.  One hit on a football player is okay, but when half the team "piles on," bad stuff can happen.  Unless you're Hines Ward and you're made of steel and just get up smiling no matter how much it hurts.

¡Muchas montañas!

What I believe with all that has happened in the last few months is that Satan really doesn't want me to go to Peru.  I have felt like giving up many times.  I feel so inadequate.  I don't think I know enough Spanish (because I'm a perfectionist) even though I've been studying.  I feel like I won't do a good job with the children, even though I'm a teacher, and that's my God-given strength.  I'm afraid I will get sick when we travel over the mountains into the jungle.  I live at sea level, and we will be going 15,000 feet above sea level!
I wish I were in better physical shape so that I wouldn't get tired and I would look better when I meet my sponsored child, but a foot injury, for which I will have surgery and miss three months of work when I return from Peru, has kept me from working out the way I like.  Yet another obstacle.

All this discouragement that I feel and the obstacles I've faced tells me that great things will happen in Peru.  I know it will be a life-changing event, but I believe it will go beyond that.  There are forces trying to keep me out of that country.

Something great from God awaits me.

If Only I Had Known . . .

Dear God,

When You first spoke to my heart about child sponsorship at that newsboys’ concert a few years ago (You know exactly how many, but I don’t remember), I had no idea at the time that it would be a life changing experience.

Well, You know that I didn’t respond that night.  Something kept me from it.  I think we left right away, and I used that as my “out.”  I was afraid to make a monthly financial commitment because You know how much anxiety I have about finances.  I sometimes wonder if a child suffered because I didn’t listen to You.

If only I had known . . . . . 

But You didn’t let go.  There they were again--newsboys--talking about helping our neighbors in Mexico, and I knew I couldn’t walk away this time.  It’s really amazing to look back at how You design everything to fall into place in my life, so that my life follows the plan You have for it, even if I’m sometimes too thick-headed to respond right away.  How many times have I cried to You out of loneliness because I have no family, because people look down on me for having no children of my own?

But You gave me children.  Lots of them.  They are my family--those sweet Compassion children.  And in them I see You.  They love so freely.  They don’t know me.  They’ve never met me.  Yet they love me.  They send me “besos y abrazos” with every letter, and I accept those as Your love for me.

You have taught me so much through them, to look beyond my own selfish world to see a hurting and devastated world that needs Your love, to see how little these children have when I thought I was the one with very little.  I have so much.

They have changed my life.  They have filled my life.  I needed a reason to live, and You gave me my Compassion children.  Now I know that someone needs me, someone loves me, someone depends on me.  I’m important.  ME.  Important.

I signed on to give to them, to help them, but You have given so much to me through them.

And now . . . as I prepare to meet one of them in person, I am amazed beyond words at what you have done with my life, from a small village in Ohio where I had little, knew very little love, to a week in Peru ministering to your children and fulfilling the dream of one very special one.  I can’t even imagine what You will do with my heart during that week and that one very special day that I will spend with Jack.

I can’t imagine why You have chosen me, but I am grateful that You entrust me with Your very precious children.

Mi niña en Ecuador

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm

Sponsor a Child Today

When you walk into a 7-11 or other convenience store, do you ever think about how you could spend your money more wisely?  $1.69 for a 20 oz. Diet Coke (that's my vice)?  That's more than many villages in Africa average in a month.  An entire month.  Think about that . . . .

Can we even imagine?

When you look at the Big Bites and the Breakfast Bites and . . . to be honest, I don't even know what they sell back there because I stay away.  But what I do know is that we have SO much, and SO many have SO  little.  Why?  Why must wee keep it all to ourselves?

I cringe when I hear how much the people who are in line in front of me are spending on lottery tickets, cigarettes, alcohol, and horribly unhealthy food.  What I could do with that money to help those who can't even afford a $1.25 shot for malaria!

But I help a few.  I help those I sponsor.  I help those to whom I send money to Compassion for mosquito nets.  I help those who are sponsored because of my testimony.

So why not jump on board?  Why do we keep living in our small worlds, wishing, drooling over, hoping for the latest tech gadget (all Apple for me) when someone like my Francis finds it a treat just to have a glass of milk for breakfast?

I'm Marilu, and I'm 3 years old.

I waited for about seven years between the time I first heard about Compassion at a newsboys' concert to the time I sponsored my first child when I heard Michael Tait (now with newsboys) talk about how we should help our neighbors in Mexico.  How many children needed me in those seven years that I thought I couldn't sacrifice just $38 a month to help them go to school, get medical care for them, sometimes even save their lives?

Don't wait any longer.  Sponsor a child today by clicking here.

It will enrich your life beyond what you could ever imagine.

Compassion's Child Survival Program

Will you consider supporting a Child Survival Program for only $20/month?  I support one in Haiti.

Here are some other videos and information about Compassion's CSP.  It is an awesome program.

http://www.compassion.com/help-babies/csp-advocates-videos.htm

This Week's Letter "Jack"pot

Jack

I received yet another letter from Jack (Peru) this week.  This letter was to thank me for his birthday gift.  He turned 16 on April 15th.  He sent a picture of the clothes he bought with the money I sent and asked if I like the clothes.  He said he will only wear them when he goes out with his friends.  He's such a teenager!  I love it.  He also said he is praying to meet me one day soon.  This is the fifth letter I've received from Jack since January (that's a lot), and in four of them he has said that he is praying to meet me.  It's so amazing to me that he says that since I am planning to see him in October.  He has never said that until now.
Here is the picture of his slick new clothes.

I purchased a Bible to take to Jack when I meet him in October.  It's a Spanish Study Bible for teenage boys.  It just arrived today.  I looked at some of the topics, and I am so excited about how good it is.  One topic is "Why does God allow bad things to happen?"  That is one I will point out to Jack because his father died two years ago, and he still writes about how sad he is.

Francis

The day after I received Jack's letter, I received a letter from Francis (Nicaragua).  She turned 8 on April 7th, so her letter was also a thank you for the gift I sent.  She went shopping with her sister (always), her mom, and the secretary from the Compassion project.  She bought underwear, socks, shoes, milk, popcorn . . . and the obligatory cookies and candy.  I have sponsored Francis for two years, and she always, always buys cookies and candy, and I LOVE that.  She usually buys corn flakes, but I guess she decided to go for popcorn instead this time.  She said that she loves to drink milk for breakfast.  Gosh, how many parents have to make their kids drink milk, and Francis loves it?  :)  Here is the picture she drew for me.  See if you can count the fish she drew.  :)

Nancy

Yesterday I received a letter from Nancy (El Salvador).  The really cool thing about it is that she wrote it herself, and she just turned 7 last week, so she wrote this letter when she was still 6!  That's mind-boggling.  Some of the children I sponsor who are older than she cannot write as well as she does.  She is definitely advanced.  I was shocked when I saw the letter in first person in her hand.  She ran out of room, so her tutor finished for her, but I'm still very impressed.  This letter was about her house, so she drew a picture of it, and to the right in the picture is the living room--la sala.  She says that she likes Christmas because she can spend time with her family and asks that I pray that she finishes the school year well.  She also says that she prays that God blesses me and multiplies what I do for her.  :)  In every letter she tells me that she gets more letters than any other girl at the project and thanks for me all that I send her.

Yuleisy

On the same day, I received a letter from Yuleisy (Dominican Republic), who is one of my correspondence children.  Her letters are short, but she also writes them herself, although not as well as Nancy even though she's older.  Her letter was a form letter where she has to list her favorite things.  She says her favorite hero is Dora, so I will certainly be looking for some Dora stuff to send her.  :)  Her drawing is awesome.  My friend who sponsors a boy in the DR received a letter from him this week and sent me a picture of his drawing.  His mom has the same hair style that Yuleisy has in her drawing, but his mom's hair is not green.  She says that her favorite colors are rojo y amarillo--red and yellow--but she certainly went heavy on the green in this very cool drawing.

Katiusca

The last letter I received this week was from Katiusca (DR), who turned 18 in May.  I just began sponsoring her, so this is her first letter.  She introduced herself, telling me that she is doing well in school and would take the exams in June to see if she passes from 11th grade to 12th.  She asked if I would ever like to visit her community.  :)  My dream?  To begin in Mexico and go through Central America to South America and then to the DR and back home, having visited each child (or teenager) that I sponsor.  I need a lot more money for that!

So it was certainly a banner week for letters.  Now I need to answer all of them, which I love.  I am so happy when I receive letters from my kids because that's how we develop our relationships.  I am blessed to have them all.

Letter from Camilo Alberto

Oh how I LOVE letters with photos of children with the gifts they've purchased with the money I send.  It's not the things that are so important, but that look that lets me know I have helped that child to feel treasured and worthy.

This is Camilo Alberto (he sometimes uses "Camilo" when he writes, sometimes "Alberto") from Colombia.  His birthday was at the end of March, and he wrote to me on that day. He was very happy to be 8 years old.  :)

In the photo, he's holding shoes, a shirt, and socks that he purchased with the gift I sent.  I wish the photo were in color because those shoes look quite spiffy.

Camilo is a very special boy.  Even though he just turned 8, he has been writing his own letters for a few months, and he writes very well.  His letters are quite long for one so young.

Camilo has a very sweet heart.  He calls me "my dear Mindi"--"Mi querida Mindi"--and says he wants to share John 3:16 with me where God expressed His love for us through the sacrifice of His son for us.  He tells me what he does at the Compassion project, what he eats there, and that the person he likes best there is his tutor Adriana because she teaches them many things.  He thanks me for being so nice to him.  (That melts my heart.)

At the end of his letter, he asks me to pray for him and his family and says that he will pray that God guides my every step.  He seems much older than 8.

Camilo had been waiting over 6 months when I chose to sponsor him.  That was before Compassion posted the exact number of days, so I'm not sure exactly how long this sweet, special boy had to wait, and although I am not happy that he had to wait, I am thankful that God kept him for me because he is a blessing.

He also draws very well.  Below is the drawing he sent with this letter.  The front of the building says "la iglesia"--church.  I'm assuming that's his family going to church.  How awesome to see that this little boy has such a heart for God already.  

I see a visit to Colombia in my future.  :)

Six Months (Seis Meses)

In six months, I will be in Perú serving the children who live in the jungle, teaching Vacation Bible School to them and hugging them every chance I get.

Summer is my favorite time of year--I actually get depressed in the Fall and Winter, for which I have been reprimanded and criticized, but it happens.  Because of that, I don't ever wish for summer to go by fast, but I can't wait until October when I will be in Perú with those children.

Besides that, on the last day in the country, I will get to meet Jack.

But six months seems such a long time.

If it seems that long to me, imagine how long it seems to a child.  Not just a child, but a child waiting for help, waiting for a sponsor to love and nurture him or her.

The Compassion US website has 103 children who have been waiting six months or longer for a sponsor.  Imagine the joy you would bring to a child and his or her family if you would choose one to sponsor.

Here's the link--go for it!  Children Waiting Longest for a Sponsor

Amazing Letter from Jack

Jack wrote this letter in January, the day before my birthday.  Kinda cool.  :)

First the bad news.  Jack had his appendix removed.  Therefore, he did not have a good Christmas, and he is not permitted to play the trumpet (mi instrumento preferido) or . . . futbol!  He loves futbol.  So I guess Jack and I have something in common--neither of us can do what we like because of an injury.  I am very glad that Jack is in the Compassion program so that he was able to receive proper care.  

Jack writes to me more than any of the others that I sponsor, but this is the first time he has sent pictures.  In his previous letter he said he would try to send some, and he sent four.  I LOVE them!!  In the letter and with the pictures, he says, "I love you very much, Mindi" three times.  I can NOT wait to meet him.

This picture is of him and his friends who like music.  He is second from the left.  He writes on the back of the picture: "En esto foto salgo y con mis amigos que les gusta la musica."  (If you know Spanish, you will see that his spelling and grammar are not perfect.)  The picture is printed on plain paper, so the quality is not great.

For this one he says that he is with the instrument he plays in school.  Is he a cool cat, or what?  :)  ("En esto [esta] foto estoy con mi instrumento que toco en mi coligio [colegio].)

In a previous letter, Jack told me that his school football team was playing in the championship.  I'm wondering if this is from that championship.  He says it is when he and his friends played in the Olympics.  I love this photo, too.

And this is the best one.  He says this picture was taken of him when he was thinking of Christ and that he hopes I will put it in a frame and think of him when I see his picture.  (Esta es mi foto cuando me tomaron pensando en Cristo.  Espero lo lengo (?) en un cuadro y cuando lo via mi foto piense en mi.)

There are no words for this one.  <3

This is the part of the letter that really gets me (other than the three times that he says he loves me very much).  He says, "I want to know will you ever visit me so I can meet you?  I long to meet you and I hope God will allow me to."

And I long to tell him that I plan to be there in six months, but I dare not say it. Not only have I read Of Mice and Men, but I have taught it several times, and I know about those "best laid plans," although I believe this one will work out.  There is a special bond between us, so we need to meet.  It is so cool to me to think that Jack was originally my correspondent child.  

So that's my awesome letter from Jack.  I hope it brings you some joy.  It certainly brought great joy to an otherwise very tiring day for me.

I can't wait to meet him.  I just want to sit and talk with him . . . and maybe play a little futbol.  :)