Welcome, Leniel

What a lovely surprise to discover I've been assigned Leniel, from the Dominican Republic, as a new correspondence child. I don't have any information on him yet, other than that he is 5 years old and appeared magically on my account information this afternoon.

More information will be coming, as it becomes available!

Selamat Hari Natal

That is "Merry Christmas" in Indonesia. There was a letter from Esther today.

Beverly Sykes:

Peace in the love of Jesus Christ. Thanks for the letter you sent. I'm so happy to hear about Beverly. Yes, I have 2 cousins, Febi and Risa. They're cute kids. I often meet them because our house is near. When I see other families I just watch them and feel happy for them.

Now I'm facing the final Semester I exam. I hope I get good grades.

How about Christmas there?

I wish Beverly and family there Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Love greetings. I thank you for the Christmas gift.

Letter from Briana

It's always such a surprise to hear from Briana, who lives in Haiti. I took her on shortly before the earthquake and there has been such chaos in that country for the last year (even though she's in the north, which escaped damage), that I chalk up the irregular letters to that. So it was a delight to hear from her today.

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Briana greets you in God's name. How are you doing with your family? Today Briana is very happy to write you, by the grace of God. She is not too bad in spite of the cholera problem which have in Haiti. God protects all her family.

Briana did her exam for the first trimester, so she obtains a good grade of 6.99. She will have a nice Christmas with her family. She says you have prayed for her to have a nice Christmas and also for her to do good grades, the same way she will pray for you too, with your family.

She thanks you for the letters. She is very happy for the book. She sees Joseph, Mary and Jesus. To celebrate the birth of Jesus, Briana went to church.

Compassion's project will organize a nice feast for them in the 24th of December. She wishes you a happy Christmas. Briana is very happy to know that your step-mother (she means mother-in-law) is doing well, she is healing. Greet her for Briana.

She thanks you because when came to see your step-mother even though you were driving the car but you were thinking about her. She asks you what kind of vehicle do you drive?

Briana loves you a lot. Thank you. May God bless you more for the Christmas gift that you sent for her. She will guy a dress with it, also for the game that have the music that you sent.

Papa li Luma Elisee, Briana's father.

Latest Kiva Loan

I discovered I had $44 in my Kiva account, from loans which had been repaid, which I could re-loan through Kiva, so I have chosen a group in Uganda to loan to.

45-year-old Naume Basiimwe is a member of Mirarikye Abaryakamwe group-Bushenyi. This happy-go-lucky, married mother of 5 has been retailing in Mirarikye for 5 years. Her retail shop attracts many people within her local area. Naume says to take root in this business she got ideas from a close friend. Before that she was doing mostly farming. She still farms, though it is on a smaller scale now. Weekly, this business generates her 200,000 UGX. Naume says with this loan she is going to purchase more retail stock to sell.

I'm all about loaning to a "happy go lucky mother of 5" !!

Sad news from Fred

My heart is breaking for Fred and his family. I sent them a donation for Christmas and thought it strange that I had not heard back in a longer time then usual. Today I received 2 letters and the first one told the tale:

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christmas Greetings!!

We would like to say to you that thank you very much for the family gift that you had sent to us. We received [amount]. It is a big help because we bought one sack of rice that we used for the burial of Fred's sister. We bought us some of our clothes to wear every Sunday and also groceries for the Christmas eve and for New Year, so our family really appreciate your kindness and generosity to us. Hope that God will continue to bless your work and your family circle.

May God bless you!!

Another letter, dated the same date reads:

Dear Auntie Sykes

Christmas greetings!! Hope this letter will find you wel;l. Auntie Sykes, thank you so much for the stickers, pictures and Christmas card. We are so blessed because of your life.

Auntie Sykes, we're so sad on this Christmas because Fred's sister died last December 6, and she buried last December 15, 2010. Our family experience lonely because one of our family was gone away, but in behalf we are so happy, because April Lyka is in the hand of our almighty God. He doesn't want to suffer her sickness. We love her so much but God really love her.

From our home to the school of Fred, 1 kilometer more or less. Fred sometimes he walk and sometimes he rides. This is the name of Fred's sister: April Lyka. She already died. Danica and Diana. Does your children will spend with you on this Christmas?

Our family asking your prayer that God will able to heal our loneliness. Once again, thank you and God Bless you!!!

Love,
Lyra (Fred's mother)

Letter from Pedro

Hello, dear sponsor Beverly Sykes,

It's a joy for me to write you this letter in this special time. I'm doing well. It's summer here and Christmas is coming. It's very beautiful. Thank you for the Christmas gift of R$24.58. I got a shirt and a car and liked it a lot.

Now I'm on school vacation and I'm happy because I'll have lots of fun and play with my friends.

In school I hope to pass to 5th grade.

I got your letters and pictures of Russia and stickers. Thank you a lot. I'll answer your questions with love: I'm doing well, I have cousins and visit my relatives often.

Sponsor, I'll tell you something that you don't know. I use my right hand to write and use my right foot to score goals in soccer. I like to sing and love reading.

I got your post card from Sacramento and band aid.

I finish this letter missing you. I hope to write you again soon. Warm kisses from me and my family, until next time!

Love, Pedro.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2011.

Shallon

Today I wrote to Shallon to tell her that I will now be her "real" sponsor and not just a "correspondence" sponsor. This week the two of us share a birthday (February 17) and it was just a year ago that I received her information and became her correspondence sponsor.

I'm starting to feel like a Compassion hoarder...but it's all for the good.

New Picture of Pedro

There was a new picture of Pedro in the mail today.

But the interesting thing is that he's wearing the exact same shirt he was wearing in the picture I got of him last year!

2010 ----------------- 2011

To Shallon

Today I made a collage of a walk that I took yesterday and printed it on high gloss paper to send to Shallon, who says she likes to walk.


(I print on high gloss paper because my printer does a lousy job on regular paper, but a lovely job on high gloss)

To Pedro

I absolutely LOVE this poster I put together for Pedro today!

And I am thrilled with how this magazine cover turned out for Anjali.

Fun Photo Box

I found this site for making special effects on photos and tried out a couple on Fred's photo:

A letter about Anjali

I don't think I can strictly say that any of the mail I get from India is from Anjali. It is more about her, with some drawings thrown in.

Dear Beverly Sykes,

She sends greetings in the sweet name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. She asks you how you are? She tells that she is fine, and she hopes the same with you. She says that she prays every day for you and she says that she studies well.

She says she celebrated Everett Swanson day on the 12th of December (Everett Swanson is the man who started Compassion, Intl.) and she says Project given honey cake pieces on that day. All children went to church, girls sung a song in the church. After her staff run a canteen on that day.

He says her family members are praying for you and your famiy members. He once again thanks you and your, and kind letters.

On behalf of Medam Anjali [name] Sponsor Relation Asst.

On the horns of a dilemma

I wrote a bit ago when I took on sponsorship for Erick that I had been saving the last "can afford" slot for Fred, in case his sponsor dropped him. But I saw that the need for an older boy in an AIDS area (where the sponsor contribution is higher than other areas) was great and so I decided to go for it and I agreed to sponsor him.

I have had his paperwork for a week and today got a call from Compassion saying that Shallon's sponsor can no longer sponsor her. Arrrgggh! Shallon and Fred, the two correspondence kids are the two that I feel the closest contact with. Can I possibly afford a fifth sponsored child? I have until March 2 to decide. She will also have the same problem that Erick does--an older child is harder to place than a younger one.

I must do something that, despite my association with Compassion, I rarely do. I must pray about it and hope I can come up with the decision that is right for everyone.

A Packet to Erick

I finally got together an introductory packet for Erick and sent it off to him today. It included a letter about our family and then sheets with pictures of everyone in the family.