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.

New Kiva Loan

 I couldn't pass up the opportunity to help this woman buy shit!

Rugarama United group consists of 13 members, both male and female, located in the outskirts of Ibanda town in Uganda.

The members have lived and worked within the same locality for the past five years. The group was formed to support each other in meeting the needs of the individual members. They believe in togetherness in facing their daily challenges.

Margret, a member of the group, majors in agriculture, particularly in bananas and cabbages. She wants to buy manure to fertilise her garden so as to improve on her yields. At the moment, her harvests are about 500 cabbages in a good season, but with this loan, she hopes to double the harvest.

Margret started her business to supplement her husband's income. With income from cabbage sales, she with her husband have been able to pay school fees for all their children and also meet other needs.

Margret is excited that she will be able to complete her unfinished house. They have been building it for the past six years.

Letter from Fred

This letter is dated June 26,2012

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christian greetings!

Hi!  My schooling is fine.  Thank you for your letter.  The dragon ball is the toy you sent me.  My sisters are going to school also.  We often go together.  Our father fetches us.  Please pray that we will be far from danger and that I will be more kind.  Do you live near the school?  Here, mothers are fetching their children from school.  Thank you for everything

Love,
Fred

Letter from Leniel

Loved this letter.  Short and to the point!

Dear Beverly Sykes,

I thank you for all of your letters and gifts.  Do you eat fried chicken?  Continue to pray for me.  I send you a hug.

Leniel

Letter from Somai

Dear Beverly,

Greetings to you in Jesus name.  On behalf of your sponsored child I am writing to you.  By God's grace Somai and his family are fine.  He is studying well.  He was promoted to Class I. 

He received your letter and beautiful family photos.  He love your photos very much.  Specially he praying for your mum and your family members.  Every Sunday he attend the Sunday School.  He love to sing a song. 

Here climate is very hot.  Somai is very excited for summer vacation.  Please continue to pray for hisstudies.  Godblessyou.

Ella
(Project staff)

Letters from Fred

 This one is dated May 21, 2012

Dear Auntie Sykes

Christian Greetings!

Thank you for the toys, the Peter Pan book and the clothes.  Thank you for giving us those things.  Peter Pan book is good to read.  What do you feel that I am writing to you now?  For me, I am feeling good.  Please pray that I will be mre intelligent.  I will be in grade 3.

My mother is the one waking me up.  I often play.  I am the one washing the dishes.  Your grandchildren are very cute.  Thank you for the pictures.  God bless you!

Love,
Fred

This one is dated May 25, 2012

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christian Greetings!

I will be in grade three this opening of classes.  During the camp, I went home every night and I just went back to the camp during the day.  I was so happy.  I am so kind to my mother and father and also to the teachers here in the church.  I joined the Daily Vacation Bible School.

Thank you once again for all you give.  The clothes, bible characters, car, candy and many more.  What is your favorite story in the Bible?  I would like to know.

Thank you for everything.  God bless you!  Please pray that I will be more kind.  I love you.

Love,
Fred

Letter from Emmanuella

It was nice to receive a letter from Emmanuella.   I've discovered something, though.  I think she is not the first child who reads that my mother is 93 years old to think that she is SICK.  I have received several letters saying that they are praying for her recovery.  

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Thank you for your letters and prayers for me and my family.

Tell grandmother not to be sick.  If I am invisible I will travel to other countries to say hi to all friends of your family.  I love to hear Lacie can sit on her own.  Good job for her.

I learned a new poem last week entitled "A Wish for Peace in Africa" at project center.  Have you recited a poem before?

I pray that grandmom, your mother, will get well soon.

Psalm 24:1 -- the world and all that is in it belong to the Lord, the earth and all who live on it are his.

Letter from Fred

Fred is now writing his own letters, which is very good, though I will miss getting the letters written by his mother.

Dear Auntie Sykes,

Christian greetings!  I will be in grade 3 now.  I am Fred.  I am happy that I am the one writing now.  Thank you so much for the letters.  I am excited for more letters.  I promise not to do bad things for ou.  Now I will say "I love you, sponsor."  Do you have children's camp?  We will have on May 1.  Please pray that Iwill learn the Bible more.  Thank you very much.

Love, Fred

Letter from Murugi

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Let me take this chance to greet you in the name of Jesus our Lord and Saviour.  God is so wonderful for he has given me such an awesome sponsor.  I thank God for all.

This Easter holiday has been marvelous and I hope that you celebrated well too.  Jesus Christ has shown us a lot of love by dying for us on the cross.  By him we are saved and we are able to get the eternal life from him that is great. 

I attended church service and I am able to learn about the love of God who gave his only begotten son to the people of the world.  This is so amazing.  I believe that you have accepted Jesus as your personal saviour so that you may have the eternal life through him.

My family members are doing well too and they also celebrated the Easter holiday in style.  I have much to share with you next time.  Thank you so much for your good support.

Yours faithfully,
Murugi.

Letter from Briana

Dear Beverly Sykes,

Briana warmly greets you and your family in the name of Jesus Christ and she is glad to write to you, hear from you, and to know if your mother is getting better.  She thanks you for the pictures, especially the one where you left her a place at the table.  She said that if she was invisible she would go to your house and sit at the table to celebrate with your family and play with Brianna and feed your dog, the one you love a lot. 

She would like to know where you go to church and if it is a baptist or a catholic one.  She always prays for you and your family so that God could give you strength, let you be healthy and protect you and she would like you to do the same for her.  She thanks you for the gift because she bought a beautiful dress with it and she was very glad about that.

May God bless you!

A special gift

I received such a special gift today.

A couple of months ago, I heard from a woman who was going to Kenya and offered to take my child Murugi a doll or something.  It would be something she would buy because she had no room in her suitcase for me to make up a package, as I did for Fred.  I thanked her but said that as Murugi is 19, she wouldn't be interested in dolls.  But she said she would try to take some pictures of her for me.

I actually had forgotten all about that.  I remembered briefly, when I heard from Fred thanking me for his gifts, but I had not yet heard from Murugi.

Tonight I received an e-mail from the woman who had gone to Kenya, apologizing for not having contacted me sooner and telling me about her visit with Murugi.

In my talk with her, she wanted to know why you weren't able to come but hoped that you would be healthy and be able to come visit her one day as she wants you to be proud of her. Her dreams are now to be a businesswoman rather than a nurse. She is in college program and she hopes to become rich so that she can help others like herself. As we talked, she wanted to know if it was true that we Americans kept dogs in the house! She and her friend were laughing so hard at the thought.

They asked too if we Americans would call her, a black person, a dirty N---- and tell her to go away. This shocked me as I couldn't imagine what brought on this thought, but I reassured her that if she did come to the US, it might be hard but that not everyone was this way and that the church would accept her with loving arms and help her.

She mentioned the idea of becoming rich a few times - so if I were her sponsor and I tried to be her mentor, I might remind her that rich is good but gently remind her that "love of money" can quickly take over ....though I have a hard time trying to say such a thing in the face of my own wealth and such poverty around us.

She really wanted me to share email information with her, but I told her that I was sad not to be able to do so but wanted to follow guidelines. It would appear as though she does have some access to email, so that is a thought for when she graduates.

Embu is very rural and is considered a village. There are some things that you might find within a town but it takes some time to get to this project but they are taking care of their girls and boys

I loved the photos especially.  I had only seen one photo of Murugi since I began writing to her and she was so solemn.  It's so nice to see her smiling and to see her with the photos and letters I've been sending her.

It makes me feel more like she is a part of our family.

The woman who visited her promised video some time when her life settle down again.  How special that will be!

Letter from Anjali

Dear Beverly Sykes,

I am fine.  I hope same with you.  Indian food is really tasty food.  Indians' marriage is very fine.  I think you enjoyed football game.  Buddy photos are looking very cute.  I sit Buddy liking you very much! That's why he snuggles in your arm.

I am studying well.  Now we are in summer.  The temperature is very high.  We have mangoes in this season.

I am praying for your health.   I am very thankful to you.

After annual examination I will going to my mother-in-law's village.  I am not playing here because the temperature is very high.  How is your health.  I am praying for youahnd your family members.  I thank you for your loving sponsorship.

Your loving child,
M. Anjali.

Thank You from Fred

This picture brings me tears.  It is Fred, with the gifts I was able to send to him with someone who was going to the Philippines.  This is the letter that accompanied it:

Dear Auntie Beverly Sykes.

Christian Greetings!  Thank you for the gifts I received.  Thank you for the little silver heart for my mother and the little bear for my sister.  The two t-shirts are fit for me.  Thank you for the Peter Pan book, markers, stickers, jelly beans, flash cards, butterfly toys, key chain, toy cars, smiley bag tag, glitter cards, magnet, milk chocolate and magic towels.  Thank you for your letter.  We play the toys.  I have read the book.  Thank you that you love me.  Please pray that I will do right.

Love,
Fred J. Cardinal

Letter from Anjali

I can't remember when this letter came.  It was at least a month ago, but I'm not posting it until today.

Dear Beverly Sykes

Greetings to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.  I am fine here.  I hope same with you there.  I received 4 letters from you.  Yes, the air balloons are very special to me, because we have no air balloons in our town.

How is your grandchildren?  How are Ned and Marta?  I am very happy that the empty chair at the table is for me.  I am thinking when I am sitting with you in the empty chair.

I like the fog.  I also love the fog, but here we have no fog.  I have some subject in my class now.  My favorite subject is English.  I am also like music.  I am praying for you and your family members.  I thank you for your love and kind letters.

Yours loving child,
Anjali

Letter from Fred

Dear Auntie Sykes.

Christian Greetings!!!

We hope that all is well there.   Buddy is really cute.  Here, we have lots of dogs just roaming around.  Some are free to go from house to house.  That is their way for survival.

We know that you live both in beach and mountains.  Here, we are on a flat land.  Still we have fields in our city.  We must travel also about 30 minutes so we can go to the nearest beach.

By the way how is your mother now?  Is she feeling well?

Fred's favorite team is their center,called the Jabez players.  Last year they won the game during their Chidren's Camp.

We are glad you prayed for us during the earthquake.  Now we cannot feel any of earthquake any more.

Please pray that Fred will alwaysbe in safety.  He will be in third grade son and your prayers are helping him a lot.  Thank you for everything.  God bless you!

Love,
(Fred's Mother)

New Photo

I received a new photo of Leniel, who has grown so much since I first saw his photo!