A Note from Fred

It's been a long time since I've had a letter from anybody and wouldn't you know that it would be Fred who would finally come through for me!

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christian Greetings!!!

Have a pleasant day, Auntie Sykes!! We hoping of Fred that despsite of all the trials comes in your life you be still strong and have faith in God and everything wiill be OK!! Me and Fred we have been reading a lot of your letters and it's all have different emotions.

How's the condition of your husband's mother?

For our Christmas day we have spend time all together with our family and of course Fred and his two sisters. They were visit their grandmother and grandfather to send their love to them.

Fred like English subject, Auntie Sykes, and he also like drawing that was the one of his hobbies. Fred really like your photos send to him. He was happy when he saw his picture you being excited. It was nice and creative. Thanks for that, Auntie Sykes. Pray for Fred health together with his younger sister, Danica.

God bless you!

Lyra Cardinal
(Fred's Mother)

...before we leave

I've spent the morning writing letters to the Compassion Children, so they will all have something to read while we are away.

Each got a letter and something else. For Shallon in Uganda was a book about Michelle Obama. Fred in the Philippines got a book about Joseph and his technicolor dreamcoat. Pedro in Brasil got a book on instructions for making several different kinds of paper airplanes. Esther in Indonesia and Anjali in India each got instructions for string games (I'm hoping they can find string). Victor from Bolivia and Briana from Haiti each got pages from a book of "find a picture," things you are supposed to find within a photo--kind of like a Where's Waldo, but not quite as complicated. Leniel in the Dominican Republic, who is only 5, got pages of a coloring book. Wainana in Kenya got some superhero bandaids and a set of stickers with pictures of Jesus.

A New Kiva Loan

This is Jane V from the Philippines.

Jane is 33 years old and is a married woman with two young children. Her older child is 12 years old.

She is engaged in farming and hog-raising businesses. Her husband is a farmer and she helps him till their land to grow rice crops. She also helps sell their harvest at the market. Jane also grows pigs at their backyard. Jane plans to use her loan to buy pig feed, fertilizers and gasoline for the tractor.

In the future, Jane hopes for her family to have improved living conditions.

I find that when I make a Kiva loan now, I tend to look for people who are in the same countries as the children I sponsor...and how can I not loan money to someone who raises pigs in her back yard!!! (I love how the Kiva description said that she "grows pigs" instead of "raises pigs" ... I guess with pigs, "growing" is a more appropriate word!)