Bittersweet news

I received the sad (for me) news that Shallon, from Uganda has left the program. I have been her sponsor for 5 years now.  She started out as a correspondence child and when her sponsor dropped her, I took on her sponsorship.

She was one of my better letter writers, a deep thinker.  When I first got to know her, she wanted to become a teacher, but family health problems forced her out of class for several months while she earned money during her sister's illness.  She went back to school, but in a program to teach her how to be a hairdresser.  She is now 22 and too old for the program and she wants to open her own business.

I will be getting a goodbye letter from her in a month or two (I've been told it's in the pipeline), but she no longer appears on my list of sponsored children.

I made the graphic above here, and printed it in a 5x7 glossy to send to her in my own goodbye letter.

However, they offered me a my choice of a new child and I chose Edilsar, from Mexico.  He's 12 years old and lives near Chiapas.  I don't know much about him yet, but I am his third sponsor in three years and in that time he has received only one letter, so I will make sure we rectify THAT situation right away.

I also chose someone from Mexico in the hope that our Mexican daughter, Marie, might at some time be able to take a package to him for me, but since her family lives closer to Mexico City and he lives in the far southeast, I don't think that will happen.  (Kind of like saying "Oh, you're going to New York, can you drop this package off for my cousin in San Francisco...")

But I look forward in getting to know him.

Letter from Shallon

Dear Beverly Sykes.,

How are you, dear?

Let me thank God who has given me this golden chance to say hey to you.  Praise God.  I thank God for that.

My family members are greeting you and your family members like Jeri, Ned, and Brianna.

My mother, I am praying to God such that I can get a job and start doing my work because I have finished my course in salooning. [I think she means "saloning," since she was studying hair cutting]

I thank you for your letters and everything you gave to me, like calendar.

You asked how we cook cabbages.  We first cut them in small pieces and then we cook them.

When someone dies, we celebrate the years he/she had.  We also sing church songs and pray for them that God receives them.

I have also seen Mike's photo.  Sorry about his loss.

My mother, don't worry about your good friend Mike.  God is there.  May he rest in internal peace.  Read from Exodus 14:14.  [The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.]

Also, we are in wet season.  How far with the snow I saw it in the letter how it was covering cars and roads.

I hope you are now okay and doing your work.

As for this year, I believe it's holding a lot for us.  Because even the bible says that that comes our way with a thankful heart.  I believe I will be able to earn a living and look after myself.

Otherwise, may God bless you!

Letter from Shallon

My mother, Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this opportunity to thank God for giving me another golden chance to talk to you.  How are you, my mother?  My family members are sending warm greetings to you.  My family members and I are all okay and healthy.  Every time I receive letters from you I feel so happy.  Thank you very much for loving me and sparing some time to write to me.  I am happy to hear that you celebrated 49 years in marriage.  That is very good.  The photos of your wedding are very nice and you all even had a smile.  I am glad t hear that Dick and Gerry have been married for 50 years.

Jeri at the age of four, Lacie, Brianna with Mickey Mouse.  They looked so happy.  Is it still hot there?

Yes, at school we use chalk and draw pictures while discussing.  The drawings on the letter are so nice.  Yes, I have ever sneezed when I had flu.

How was Tom's birthday?  Thank you very much for selecting a nice cake for Tom in form of a football field. 

We have sunflowers where I live and they are good to watch as they grow.  In our area we have an old man who is 101 years old, but he cannot move long distances.  No, I have never met a pirate and I am not aware of a pirate bible.  How old is Friday now?  Congratulations to Abbie for giving birth.

(Friday is a colt whose birth I watched on "barn cam" some months ago.  Abbie is his mother.)

You have really done a good job at the book store.  I love cooking 

My mother, I am happy to inform you that I am at school studying very well.  We are now in third term and I am reading hard to be promoted to another class.  In my area we receive both rain and sunshine.  I have planted cabbages in my garden.  I liked the Easter song you wrote to me.  My sister is now okay.

Thank you for the photos that you sent to me.

I wish you a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Letter from Shallon

Dearest my mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this opportunity to thank God who has given me this golden chance to greet you in the name of Jesus Christ our beloved lord.

The main issue of writing this letter is to thank you very much for everything you have done for me.  Like I thank you for the letters.  I would like to tell yoiu that every day I pray to god  because God has made me what I am.  I am very glad to hear that your mother has ninety-four years. 

I am now at school and I am doing well.  That is why I praise the name of God every time I have a chance to do so.  I want to send you a verse in the bible.  It is from Isaiah 55:3. [Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.]  It is special to make you just the way he wanted you to be.

At our home we live with dogs.  So many families live with them.

I have a new year resolution.  I want to read my books and be a candidate next year.

My country has the day of Thanksgiving, especially at our church, thyat is 16 February.  Of course  you cannot come to thank God with nothing.  You bring what you have.

We are in dry season.  Which season are you enjoying over there?

I send my greetings to you and your family members.  God bless you with his love, peace, and may you get to know his unconditional love for you.

Yours,
Shallon.

Letter from Shallon

My mother Beverly Sykes,

Let me thank God who has given me this golden chance to say how are you?  I thank you very much for loving me and sending me letters.  How are your family members?

Back to us, we have no problem because we are protected with the holy spirit and thinking that you are also fine like us.

I want to send you a verse in the Bible.  It is in Jeremiah 30:11 [this is the verse:  For I am with you to save you, declares the Lord; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.  I wonder what THAT means!!!]

I send my warmly greetings to your family members.  And my guardians are greeting you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you know that we are in Christmas time.  I wish you good and happiness in this time.  My mother, how many years will you have when I am celebrating my birthday in February [we share the same birthday].  I want to communicate with you face to face when I am celebrating my birthday.

I need your prayers such that the holy spirit come down and help me to continue schooling next term and finish my 4th year.

My sister recovered from sickness last month.  She is now fine. For me, I have a verse which gives me power.  It is Jeremiah 20:11.  It says I know the plans I have for you.

What weather do you have over there?  We are harvesting millet.

On your letter the children who put costumes and dresses they look funny at first.  I thought they were not human beings.

I have never heard of bathroom wall so I was wondering what is it? But, my friend, I have read you had fun and after reading it, I laughed.

My guardians and I we are always thankful at your support because you chose me out of many.  May God richly bless you.  I wish you merry Christmas and happy new year.

Love from your child.

Letter from Shallon

(this is also a new photo of Shallon)

My mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this opportunity to say hay to you, my mother/friend.  I thank God for the life you have and I praise God.  I pray that I keep on communicating with you through letters.

In the last letter I wrote to you, I told you that I joined vocational school in salon and hair dressing because in second term my sister was sick and there was no one who could take care of her.  So I will go back to school next form such that I can add on my studies and become a teacher.

We are in dry season.  All trees are shedding off their beautiful leaves.  We are planting beans but the seeds are going to be dormant because of heavy sunshine.

I am sending my regards to Ned, Lacie, Brianna and your f riends.  I want to send you a verse in the Bible.  It is in Daniel, Chapter 4:2:3. "I will continue to praise God because he is merciful and loving to me."

Let me wish that you have a wonderful day.

I love you,
Yours,
Katusiime Shallon

Letter from Shallon

Dear my mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes.

Let me take this opportunity to say hey to you, my mother and friend.  I thankGodfor the life you have and I praise God.

I pray that I keep on communicating with you through letters.  In the last letter I wrote to you I told you that I joined vocational school in salon and hair dressing because in second term my sister was sick and there was no one who could take care of her.  So I will go back to school next term such that I can add on my studies and become a teacher.

We are in dry season.  All trees are shedding off their beautiful leaves.  We are planting beans but the seeds are going to be dormant because of heavy sunshine.

I am sending my regards to Ned, Lacie, Brianna and your friends.  I want to send you a versee in the Bible.  It is in Daniel, Chapter 4:2:3

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

 How great are his signs,
    how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
    his dominion endures from generation to generation.

I will continue to praise God because he is merciful and loving to me.  Let me wish that you have a wonderful day.  I love you.

Yours, 

Shallon

Letter from Shallon

My lovely Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this opportunity to thank God who has given me this golden chance to talk to you through this letter.

I thank you for the letters you sent to me.  I send my prayers to you and your family.

I send my love to you and your friends.  Tell your friends that I love them.

It is wonderful to see you replying my letters.  I thank you very much.

I hope that baby Lacie and Brianne are fine.

We are still in wet season.  Trees are shedding off their beautiful leaves.

We are not planting anything because the rainfall is too much.  My friends are greeting you in the name of Jesus Christ.  My friend and I request you to give me more information about Ned because Ned is a good musician.

I want to  send you a verse in the bible.  It is from Psalms, Chapter 130:7.  It says "Trust in the Lord.  The Lord is the one who is faithful and true."

How is your legs?  Are you fine?  I wish to see babies Brianna and Lacie.  If you don't mind you can send me their photos.

Let me stop here.

Yours faithfully,
Shallon

Letter from Shallon

This is a red-letter week:  letters from my two favorite kids.  Today it is Shallon:

My dear mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes,

How are you and how is your life over there?  Back to me, I am fine.  I am very happy and proud of you.  I was happy when I received your gift.  My beloved mother, the gift you sent to me I bought the following things:

piglet   30,000
piglet house  40,000
deworming tablets  55,000
dress  20,000
sweets  200
Total:   95,200

I thank you very much.  I wish you well in all your daily activities.  It is Easter time.  I wish  that you celebrate the death of Jesus well. I thank you for your reply.  I always sing special Christmas songs.  The song I love is "Once in David's Loyal City."

I want to send the verse in the bible.  It is in Ephesians, Chapter 1:17.  It says that God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

We are also in dry season.  The trees are losing their beautiful leaves.  But we are planting beans such that we may not have famine.

I send my warmly greetings to Ned, Lacie, Brianna and the whole of your family members.

My goat was sick so on the gift you sent to me I used some money to buy de-worming tablets such that it can get better.  It is now doing well.

I send my prayers to you and your family.  Tell your friends that I love them.  Keep with that spirit of love you have.

May God bless you abundantly.

All from your daughter, Katusiime Shallon

Letter from Shallon

My friend Beverly Sykes,

How are you and how is your life?  Back to me, I am doing well.  I first thank God who has given me this opportunity to communicate to you through this letter.  I thank you very much for replying to my letter and sending me photos which look nice.  I was encouraged by the pictures which illustrate women in the Bible.  The message on these pictures is touching.

As you said in your letter, it is true this year has gone very fast. 

I went to the school library and found a book which contained a story about cherries.  It was talking about the colour and that they are purple and how they are made. 

I, too, like the book of Ruth in the Bible because it has good stories which are encouraging. 

I want to thank you for the love, care and support and for thinking about me always.  Thank you also for the stickers.  They are nice.  I enjoy them.  Today the good lord bless you for that kind of love.

My favourite fruits are oranges and mangoes.  At our place we have many of them and we also have a plantation of sugar cane. 

Thank you very much for everything you have done in my life and may the lord richly bless you.

Read Psalms 118:1
(Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.)

Yours faithfully,

Katusiime Shallon

Letter from Shallon

I received such a beautiful letter from Shallon today:

My mother Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this opportunity to thank God who has given me this golden chance to greet you.  How are you, my mother?  I have taken a long time without talking with you and I thank God for this chance.   Really, my mother, I am happy to see my photo copy.  Thank you very much for the gift you sent to me.

I have read your letters but I was not happy with your knees.  I want a story about what happened to get that damage?  But I thank God who has given you that cane which help your knees to feel better. Really that is a good thing.

How is your husband, Ned, Brianna, baby Lacie and your friends?  Tell your friends that I love them.

We are in wet season where we are planting millet and beans, which you have said that beans some people call it a super food.  You have asked me whether I have ever eaten a cherry.  Surely I have never eaten it.  Which color does a cherry have?

My mother, I got the position which is the same with last term's position.  I was fifth out of eighty one students in our class.  I don't know whether next term I am going to get a new position.  If it is a new position I am going to increase because our class has many students like two hundred and above students.

I am happy with the verse you sent to me because it has improved me to have love with my friends.  I thank God and you very much because you have helped me in many things.  When my mother died, I didn't know that I was going to get another mother like you.  Praise the Lord.

I think that I will write to you soon.  I wish you nice time.  May God bless you.

From your daughter, Katusiime Shallon.

Beautiful Letter from Shallon

Written 4/26/2012.  Much of this refers to questions I'd asked her.

My mother Beverly Syes,

Hi, Honey.  How sweet are you!  Let me take this opportunity to greet you.  Hey, my mother in Christ?  How are you and how is your life?  Back to me, I am okay.  I was very happy to see your letters and how isbaby Lacie?  In which part of Uganda did your husband and his sister visited?  I don't know much about baseball in America.  I have never seen the necklaces like these.

I fetch water for a distance of one kilometer away.  I go there every day.  No, there is no well around my home.

I can be happy when you come and give me a big hug.  In our home we have a newborn kitten.  At our school we have reached a topic called British Columbia in geography.  It is very hard like we are studying fishing in British Columbia that is very hard.

We are in rainy season.  We are planting beans and ground nuts.  Have you ever eaten beans?  How was Easter?

Keep with that spirit of loving me.  I am sending my prayers to you and your family.  In our country there is Queen Elizabeth national park. That is how God is great.

I was very surprised and grateful to hear you calling me a super star student and must maintain that you stated.  I need your prayers towards my studies because I changed the position in class and last term was 6th out of 35 and now I am 5th out of 39 students.  I am sending you my love to you.

In Corinthians, Chapter 1:4 there is thirty sayings so read them.  When I am at school, I spend my day studying and when I am at home I spend my day working.  When it is time to wake up I hear the bell ring.  I wake up and I wash plates and cups and sweeping compound.

How is  Polly now?  You ask me about my health.  How I have improved.  I eat beans and bananas.  I like to make small children smile.

I remain your daughter Katusiime Shallon.

I also received an updated photo of Shallon.

Letter from Shallon

Isn't this a beautiful photo of Shallon?  I have been so concerned about her because she has not written in a long time and in her last letter she complained about some health problems, but yesterday I received an explanation of the health problems from Compassion, and then this great letter, thanking me for the money I sent for her birthday (we have the same birthday).

My mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes,

Let me first thank God who has given me this chance to write to you and greet you.  Hey, my friend.  I am very glad to hear that you have a newly born baby, Lacie.  How is Brianna?  I hope that God is amazing that he can do everything.

Thank you for the gift you have sent to me.  In this gift I bought the following items:

Shirt and Blouse
shoes
sweater
sandles
Thanksgiving

Thanks be to God.  I like puzzles.

My dear, this is bad news!  Our banana plantation has got banana wilt and we have famine in our home, so, my dear, I need your prayers.

I want to celebrate my birthday party on 17-02-2012.

My mother, I like to watch birds.

Your mother celebrated 92 years. Really this is a great thing.

I want to send you some verses because God has done something in myself.  It is in:

1 Timothy 4:6 and Psalm 37:3:6.

My dear, how was Christmas?  Back to me, Christmas was colourful.  I hope you have a good week.  May the Almighty God bless you too.

Your loving, faithful Katsuiime Shallon

Letter from Shallon

I finally had a letter from Shallon, who hasn't written for a long time. I worried because of the droughts experienced in Uganda. Here is her letter:

Beloved Beverly Sykes,

With amazing happiness of writing this letter is to send my heartfelt greetings to you and beloved family members.

First and foremost I would like to thank God almighty for the gift of life to see that we are all still alive in his name. I am now in holidays and I have ended this term successfully.

But unfortunately I transferred from the school I was in and I am in the new school because I do not take the food they give us so I had to go in a school that was near to my home area.

I promoted to senior two with the position of 6th out of 38 students and I thank God for this position. I also promise you to do the best next term more than this.

My family members are okay and they all greet you.

We are now enjoying both sunshine and rain. Really condition is good here ihn Uganda as Christmas is soon coming but there is inflation of goods and works are going on slowly so pray for us.

I also request for prayers in my daily life because at times I feel headache and stomach pain but by God's mercy I will get well.

I appreciate your love, kindness and care you render to me. Sincerely may God reward you abundantly.

I have new friends who love you and also love to hear from you.

Let me wish you the best in whatever you do.

May good Lord bless you.

Shallon

I hadn't heard from Shallon in a long time, but there is a drought in Uganda, which may make lots of things difficult. The letter a wonderful, long, chatty letter.

Dear Beverly Sykes,

With mercy of God I am happy for this day because I have got time to write to you. Really it's great thing to me and it is real pleasure to you my dearest mother in Christ for having respected moment to let my mind to think about only and only about you.

My family members are greeting you and they are praying for love and mercy from God upon you.

Sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. Let me tell you that may she rest in eternal peace.

I am moving in anther step. 2010 I was in primary, but surely now I am in senior secondary school.

Sorry about Kathy's lungs and you about your mother-in-law.

On the photo of your president there is the word Washington, DC. Write in full D.C.?

As you know that I prefer young children's smile.

We get water from river.

Let me thank you very much for sending me some photos and a child's photo. But I want to communicate with you face to face. and I want to send you a song. It is in psalms chapter 27:1 to where you want to stop. And I want to send you some verses to you and those are Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 and in the same book 11:9 and read Ecclesiastes 7:1.

For you mutual love of you with me. I am very glad to hear that you like walking. And how is library now? In Uganda we are in dry season. We are going to start sowing millet. How is Ned? But my mother could tell me more about your president. How is Bella, your dog? Thank for sending me a paper of verses and thank you for my scanned photo back.

My mother in Christ, be blessed by God and have a nice time.

Your loving daughter Katisiime Shallon

Shallon and Wainaina

Well, after a long dry spell, I've finally had two days of very nice Compassion mail. Today it was my two oldest kids, both sponsored kids (not correspondence kids), both kids who write in English. The first was from Shallon, in Uganda, who writes:

My Beloved Friend, Beverly Sykes.

Let me take this opportunity to thank God who has given me this golden chance to talk with you in this letter. Thank you for your prayers in my exams. I did well in my exams with no problem faced in my exams. In my exams I scored the following - 6 English, 4 Math, 8 Science, 5 Aggregates, 23 Division two (I don't have a clue what any of this really means). That is in my exams.

Let me thank you because you have given me another photo and letters. I would like you to send my greetings to Ned, Jeri and Tom. Sorry about the death of Paul and David. May God rest their souls in eternal peace.

You have told me to tell you whether snow was around us in our country. Yes, it was near to us.

I joined the secondary school so pray for me to pass exams in the senior one.

So I wish you the best Easter day. After Easter day we are going to go back to the holidays. In senior I have made many new friends. Those are Moreeen and Phionah. In our school we have scripture union. This scripture union teaches us reading Bibl and singing Jesus songs. On last Saturday we enjoyed scripture union club at our school. We eat, dance and sing many songs.

When I saw your letters and photos I was very surprised because I take long time wihout talking to you. In the Bible I have a verse which helps me in my studies which is in Psalms 9:1-16. I want to send you a verse Psalms 13:16. It says I will sing to you, O Lord, because you have been good to me.

In our school I have already started to sing. I have a song to you. It is in Hosea 14:1. It says Return to the Lord x3. The lord is calling. We have sinned, Lord, against you but we call upon your presence. We are back you.

Let me stop here. Your loving daughter, Shallon.

That is the longest letter I have received from any of my children since I began this project.

Wainaina from Kenya also sent a very nice letter:

Dear Beverly. I am glad to write this letter to you. First is greetings from me. I am happy to know that you are doing well and you are healthy. I am writing this letter to inform you that I am doing well in school and Compassion. I always pray for you to God to bless you and your family to be protected. I hope that you are praying for me.

For now we are preparing for Easter celebration. That is death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I request you to pray for me to pass my exams. May God bless you.

Read Isaiah 60:1: "Arise Jerusalem and shine like the sun. The glory of the Lord is shining in you."

He also included a wonderful drawing.

Shallon and Leniel

I returned home from Santa Barbara to find the introductory packet for Leniel (my new correspondence child) and a nice letter from Shallon, written January 1. Leniel's packet was just a repeat of what I posted earlier, but this is Shallon's letter:

Dear my mother in Christ, Beverly Sykes,

I first thank God who has given me this chance to communicate with you. How are you and how is your life? Back to me, I am okey, doing my works in these holidays. I am very proud of you and your family members of sending me another calendar, Washington and Christmas card. I think you very much because you give me a gift of Christmas. This gift I bought the following items:

Skirt
Blouse
Stockings
Thanksgiving
Photo
Sweets

I bought these items in the money you have sent to me.

How was Christmas? Back to me, Christmas was very good. I request for prayers from you because I am going in another step. I send my warmly greetings to your mother, Peach, Ned, Kathy. But how is Kathy's lungs?

I would like to ask you a question. Write in full [she has something here that looks like a Delta followed by a C--I don't know what that means].

I am very glad to hear that you and your husband attended the wedding of your cousin.

In another calendar you have sent to me I would like to ask you a question: what do you celebrate on April 19th because it is highlighted and what do you know by the word Hanukkah, 21st December.

Thank you for sending me the photo of your president. I would like to send you a verse. It is in 1 Peter Chapter 3, Verse 8. [I looked it up. It is Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.]

I thank you for everything you have sent for me. Let me stop here.

Yours loving daughter Katsuiime Shallon

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.

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)

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.