Letter from Anjali

I don't know the date this was written, but I received it today.

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Greetings to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.  I am fine.  I hope same from you.  I received a letter from you, also celebrated mother's day and father's day.  How you celebrated Tom's birthday?  How old to him?  What is he studying now. 

Your photographs are very nice and beautiful.  When I am reading your letter about Ned's cook it made my mouth water. 

We celebrated our Independence Day on 15th of August.  We celebrated Teacher's Day on 5th of September.  That day I honoured my teacher. 

I am studying well.  I am praying for you.  I thank you for your sponsorship.

Your loving child,
M. Anjali

Letter from Theresa

This is the kind of "fill in the blanks" that the little kids send to sponsors. Theresa is only 5.  This letter was written September 14, 2012.

On the back she adds:

Theresa prays that God should help her to be intelligent and lead her class in exams.

She loves singing songs about Jesus at project on Saturdays during project devotion time.

Theresa says she is fine.  Theresa says yes, she wants to know how to read so that she can be a news reader.  Theresa says she has never eaten a cherry.

Letter from Wainaina

Written September 20, 2012

Dear Beverly Sykes,

First of all is much greetings from me.  How are you and your family? I hope you are fine, and your family as well.  How is the weather in your country?  In our country it's sunny, but some parts it does rain.  I am studying very hard in school and my performance is better.

I also helped my parents in those holiday that is going to end on 31st August, 2012.  The holiday was fantastic as ever before.

My favorite game is soccer.  I am a fan of football since I was in class one.  I like playing football with my team where I do play in defense side.  Pray for our team to win a match between us and Isinga team on this Saturday on 1st September.

May God answer all the prayers I use to pay for you.  May God be with you.

Read Revelation 18:6

Be blessed.

Wainaina makes the most interesting drawings.  Here is his bee hive.

Letter from Murugi

This was written September 6, 2012

Dear Beverly Sykes,

How is everybody in the family?  We are doing well here at home.  I thank God for keeping us safe all through.

I was so happy to receive your letter and seeing the pictures of your wonderful grandchildren.  I have never eaten cherries before, but I hope that one day I will.

It is now sunny and people are now preparing land for the next season of plantation.  Though the previous season was not so good, we hope that the next season will be full of God's blessings and that we will harvest much from our gardens.  How is the weather in your country?  When do you plant?

I would like to thank you for all the support you have given me.  May God bless you abundantly.  I love you a lot.

Good bye!

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.

New Picture of Fred

I got a new photo of Fred today.  He looks like has has grown so much since the last photo I received!  I love this little guy so much!

First Letter from Josephat

Some information about Josephat from his letter, before the actual letter.  Josephat is from Kenya.

Caregiver:  Sister and Maria Loipokopeny
Josephat is an orphan

My brothers and sisters
Eliza (F) 15 yrs
Lemayian (M) 3 yrs
     (sister's children)
Lpenilas (M) 4 yrs
Najipo (F) 10 months

My best friend
Leo (M) 7 yrs

Best Game:  Soccer
Best Song:  "Depend on the Lord"
Best Food:  Rice stew
Best School Subject:  National Language (Kiswahili)
Best Bible Story:  Joseph
Best Color:  Red

Message for my sponsor:
Josephat says Hello!  And he hopes you are well.  He is also well together with his guardian.  He stays with his sister, who is his guardian.

Josephat also says he is in class two (2) of Milimani primary school now.  And the name of his village is called Yamo.

Your sponsored child thanks you for being his sponsor.

Josephat requests you to pray for his sister and her children.  He says he will pray for you too.

Letter from Esther

Dear Beverly Sykes,

I was happy to hear all your stories you wrote me on your letter, Beverly.  It's July now.  I am studying in grade 12, high school.  I will be sitting for final exam soon.  There are many things I have to prepare.  I usually spend my time studying in school, helping around my home, and sometimes taking care of my nephew/niece.  I know when to wake up:  when the sun rises.  Then I tidy up my bed and sometimes I pray.  I will write you again.  God is with you!

Thank you for the photo and letter you sent me, Beverly.

Letter from Anjali

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Greetings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am fine.  I hope same from you.

I received 2 letters from you.  How are you?  How are your children and grandchildren?

We are in rainy season.  All the plants and grass are looking very green.  We have corn in this season.  Watermelon is not available in this season.

On the mothers day our church gave roses for children to give their mothers.  I gave my rose to my mother and I told wishes to my mother. 

I am studying well.

Photos are very nice and beautiful.  I am also playing with kite.  I am praying for you and your family members.  I thank you for your sponsorship.

Your loving child,
M.Anjali

A New Kiva Loan

I learned that I had a Kiva credit, enough to make a new loan, so I went searching for a loan in Kenya.  Not only do I sponsor two children in Kenya, but I just saw an interview about an upcoming PBS special, "Half the Sky" about the oppression of women in Kenya and so I wanted a new loan to be for a woman in that country.

When I saw this woman, I felt a kinship, of sorts, because of the size of her family and because she seems to be a devoted grandmother.  I also hurt for the pain on her face.

Mukombogo, 50, is a widow. She lives in her own house that has electricity but no piped water. Mukombogo has seven grown children, three of whom are still under her care.

She started raising and selling local poultry more than 15 years ago to earn income and support her family’s daily needs. It has been a profitable business, which sustained her even before her husband passed on. She is also thankful for her children's contribution to paying her expenses.

She has requested a 50,000 KES loan to buy chicks and chicken feeds. She hopes her sales will increase so that the business will grow. She enjoys this business because it is not too involved and gives her time to spend with her grandchildren.

Letter from Emmanuella

Written 8/19/2012

This is kind of a fill-in letter, where they give the child a topic and she writes about it.  I'm printing it here in letter form.

I thank you for your prayers and your love for me.

I and my parents are doing well, by the grace of God.  I am on vacation for three weeks.

I was the sixth person in this term promotional exams and I am happy I have been promoted to class six.

How is Lacie and her sister doing?

May the lord protect you and your family.

Pray for my parents' business to go on well.

Memory verse:  John 3:16.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Amen,

She included this drawing:

Letter from Somai

Written 6/30/2012

Dear Beverly,

Loving greetings to you in Jesus name.  How are you?  Thank you for your letter.  I am studying well.  My parents are OK.  Pray for good rain.

I love you

Your loving child
Somai

Letter from Fred

 Written 7/25/2012

I do miss the letters written by Fred's parents, which give a better picture of his life, but it's also fun to hear from Fred directly.  This is a form about his favorites, where he either circles his favorite things or draws a picture.  So I know his favorite game is hide and seek, his favorite animals are dogs and birds, his favorite cartoon character is Spiderman, and his favorite sport is basketball.

 

His letter reads:

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christian greetings!  I am always praying for you.  How is Brianna?  Is she feeling well?  Please pray that I will not get sick.

Love, Fred

He also included another picture.  On the book is written "A friend loveth all the time."

 

Letter...sort of...from Henrique

One thing about Brasilian kids, they don't write much!  I got a letter, sort of, from Henrique today.  It is a check-off page telling about his house:

It's brick
The floor is cement
The roof is tile
They have electricity
They get water from the river
He sleeps in a hammock
His clothes are washed in a bowl

And he has a question for me:  What is your favorite animal?

That's it.  But he did include a drawing.

Meet Josephat

Michelle of Blogging from the Boonies is a shamelessly bad person!  I simply MUST stop reading her blog! Wainaina from Kenya is a result of one of her posts, Theresa from Ghana is a result of one of her posts, Kwagala from Uganda, with whom I share sponsorship (a whole bunch of us help sponsor her) is a result of one of her posts.  The other day she posted photos of orphans who are waiting for sponsors.  I was just going to look.  You know how that goes.  It's like going to the store for milk and coming home with nothing but milk.

I truly was NOT going to sponsor another child, but look at this face.

This is Josephat, who is 7 years old, an orphan being raised in a home with his sister and three others. I looked at the pain on that little face, with puffy dark circles under his eyes, and my heart melted.  So I am now sponsoring Josephat.  I don't have his information yet, other than his age, that he's from Kenya, and his picture, but I will be writing more about him in the coming months.

This is really the last.  I absolutely, positively cannot afford another child!

Letter from Anjalli

 Written 6/18/12

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Greetings to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.  I am fine.  I hope same you.  I had summer holidays.  I went Srisailam in summer holidays. [This is a dam across the Krishna River in the Kurnool District]. I saw tiger, rabbit, deers, peacock in Ashram after I went dam.

I completed 3rd grade and promoted to 4th grade.  Our family members are hydrated also [I wonder what THAT means!].  I saw Nagarjuna Sagay dam.

How are your pets?  How is your weather?  Our weather is getting cool.  How is your granddaughters?  I am praying for you and your family.  I thank you for your loving sponsorship.

Your loving child,
 M. Anjali

Letter from Theresa

The Compassion kids in Ghana, especially the young ones, write letters on a certain theme, when they write.  Two letters ago, Theresa wrote about her house, last time she wrote about her project.  This time she is writing about her dreams (though since she is only 5, I suspect there is a lot of prompting about what to write.  The front page of the letter was just multiple choice questions to answer.  She would like to visit America. She wants to help expand the family business, she wants to give me a gift, she wants to be a teacher.  On the back there is more detailed information.

Theresa says God should help her to get money to help her family when she grows up.  Theresa says her dream is to visit her senior sister at Kumasi in the Ashanti region some day [I am assuming this refers to a sister who she says is 30]

Theresa says her favorite thing to do during the day is to fetch water and wash the utensils for her family.  She says the song she sings with her friends is  ABCD, EFGH, IJKL, MNOP, QRST, UVW, XYZ, XYZ.  She says the special thing to do is draw for her mother.

Letter from Anjali

Dear Beverly Sykes

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ.  I am fine here.  I hope same with you there.

I received two letters from you.  How are you?  How is your health?  I am also like spring season.  I am also like read books, like to read story books.  My belated birthday wishes to you and your husband.  How is your mother's health?  How is your little puppy and his new family?  In the picture the flowers are very beautiful.

I went to my mother-in-law's town.  [maybe she means grandmother]  I went Nagarjuna Sager and saw the dam there.

I am enjoying in holidays.  School reopens on June 12.  I am praying for you and your family.  I thank you for your loving sponsorship. 

Yours loving child
M. Anjali

This post links up with Michelle at www.bloggingfromtheboonies.com on her Mail Call Monday!

Letter from Esther

Beverly Sykes -- The weather in May was indeed hot enough.  I felt that swimming was freshing enough for my body.

On last 21 April to be exact, my country celebrated Kartini day.  It's a symbol of Mrs. R.A. Kartini, as women emancipation up-holder.  So, the women in my house area carried out choir competition.

In Easter, we had devotion at school and egg decorating and Christmas card making cometitions.  I got many things at Indonesian Red Cross, one of which the way to help people who are hurt.

Beverly Sykes' pictures are cute.  I was happy to receive them.  Thank you, Beverly, for sending me the pictures and letter.  I was so happy to receive them.

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.