News From My Kids!

I haven't been updating this blog very frequently lately, so it is with joy that I share THREE new letters from my beloved kids!

Since Compassion implemented some of their new letter-writing policies, there was a bit of a backup with letters stemming from some glitches with the new system. Things are getting back on track though, and I am finally starting to hear from my kiddos again!

First up is a letter from Mbula! 

He starts every letter with "Hi! My dear sister in Christ." He says he hopes that I enjoyed the Christmas holidays well. His was "really wonderful" and he really enjoyed it. He responded to a letter I had written quite a while back about my job situation, and adds that he is praying for me and knows that God will answer his prayers. He also asked for prayers since this is his last year in secondary classes. One more reminder that he will be graduating Compassion's program next year! (Cue teary sponsor moment).

I had written about Richard Turere, the Maasai boy who invented a way to protect his family's cows from lions, and Mbula responded, "I also appreciate the story of the Maasai boy. Actually, I have never heard it but it was interesting to go through it." He also says he is keenly and actively participating in church.

Mbula closed his letter with, "Remember, if you believe, all things are possible to him who believes as it is stated in the Scripture Mark 9:23." Thank you for that reminder my dear brother!

He also drew me this beautiful picture, the first drawing I have ever received from him!

Next up is a letter from my beautiful Basomingera! 

This was a "first letter" template, since I recently became her financial sponsor. I was excited to learn some details that I hadn't known before, such as her mother's name and her siblings' ages (I knew their names). I learned that her favorite color is yellow, her favorite food is meat, her favorite game is football (soccer), her favorite toy is a doll, her favorite subject is math (good girl!), and her favorite Bible verse is Job 28:28. She then said, "I appreciate your letter and the photos that were many! And it was so nice. I wonder when did God give you such a love that you show me? (cue sponsor tears... again.) I wish you God's peace and blessings. Pray for me to perform well in school the National exams, November 2016."

She also drew me her first picture ever, an adorable cow!

Lastly, a letter from Miriam! 

This was written on the "My House" template. In this letter, I learned that she sleeps with her siblings, she gets water from the river, her house is made of mud with an iron sheet roof, she does not have electricity in her house, and she washes her clothes in a basin. I also learned her parents' and siblings' names.

Miriam's tutor wrote some exciting news on Miriam's behalf, "Miriam greets you in Jesus' name. She says she is fine and doing well at home and at school. She loves you and thus informs you that her mother has a new-born baby boy (Mbulu) who is 2 months of age. (Cue excited sponsor dancing up and down moment!) She is looking forward to meet you one day of her life. (Heart-melt!) She says that she loves going to Sunday school and prays for you and your family members. Wishes you a happy life."

And she drew this awesome, colorful picture!

I'm so glad to be hearing from my kids again! Now I'm just waiting on long-overdue letters from Isimbi and Papi, and of course Shakira, whom I don't hear from as frequently since she is through a different organization.

Have you gotten any fun letters lately? 

July Joys

Well, I thought I wasn’t going to get any letters at all this month, since I heard from all of my Compassion kids last month, but I was very blessed to find a letter from my little Miriam in my post office box today! I’m glad to have at least one letter to blog about!

My little munchkin sent me another cute coloring job and a little drawing. She’s my first Compassion child to draw for me and I think it’s SO precious! It looks like letters are going to be coming from her project quite regularly, and the project staff are making sure that she responds to my letters and questions!

Here’s her letter, which was written on the “My Family” template:

My siblings from oldest to youngest are Mary. In my family I spend the most time with my mother. Extended family that lives with me are grandparents and aunt. My family lives in the rural area. My food is prepared by my mother. My favorite thing to do with my family is dining together. (How cute!) My favorite way to help my family is sweeping the compound. My family’s faith background is Christian. My family’s health and special needs are education.

Miriam expresses her sincere love to you. She hopes you are okay back in US. (Oops, better write her a letter about Canada!) She says back in Kenya she is doing well with her family. She thanks you for the lovely letter you send her. She was happy to know about your parents and what they do. She asks you to pass her love to them. Miriam says that she also likes singing. She says that she lives with her parents and her sister Mary. She thanks you for the picture of your parents. She says she enjoys going for a trip with her family. Miriam wishes you all the best in what you do.

Isn’t she a little doll? Here’s her lovely drawing and coloring… just my favorite shade of blue! 

June Joys

June was a CRAZY letter month for me… I heard from five of my six kids! (Which means that July is going to be very boring letter-wise, unless I get an unexpected surprise or two!)

First up was a letter from my dear brother Mbula in Kenya! 

He greets me with “Hi! my sister.” (I love it when he calls me sister, which happens in every letter. I feel so close to this guy you wouldn’t believe.)

Mbula received the soccer card, world map, and other items I sent for his birthday and “greatly appreciated” them. He says he’s doing well with his studies and is getting good scores. He hopes I am praying for him to do well. He then shared, “I also wish to give thanks from my relatives who have really appreciated your support very much. I hope that you will appreciate them.” Mbula also said they are doing well in church, and he hopes I will keep on praying for them as they continue serving the Lord. He is also praying for me as I continue my activities.

Next up was my first letter from Papi in Indonesia! Papi also celebrated his 20th birthday this month!

It was written before I sponsored him, so it wasn’t really personal, but I did learn some interesting information about him. He lives with his mother since his father is deceased, and he has two older siblings. (I wasn’t sure from the names whether boys or girls.) His favorite food is fried rice, his favorite color is green, his favorite Bible story is Daniel, his hobby is reading, he lives in a city (My first urban child! Yay!), and he seems to have several best friends! He thanked me for sponsoring him and said he prays for God to be with me in everything. He also asks for prayer for his studies, family and friends.

My third letter was from my “chatterbox” Ada in Rwanda! She always has something interesting to say in her letters.

She begins her letter with “Your child Basomingera Ada, I am greeting you and I wish you peace of Jesus Christ.” She thanks me for being a good parent and says, “I was happy for the good things you always do to me.” (heart melt!) Then she adds, “I believe to have a better future.” (THIS is why I sponsor!) She shared her school grades with me and said she had a happy Easter with friends and family. They had food and drinks. She then tells me she likes to study mathematics (good girl!) and she is happy to receive my letters supporting her life. She thanked me for sharing Philippians 1:3-4 with her and said, “We pray for you to be blessed and to drive well the lorry.” (A reference to a truck-driving job I told her I was hoping to get.)

Just two days later, I got a very special letter; my first from my cute 3-year-old Miriam in Kenya! It was written by a project worker on the “My School” template.

I’ll just share the whole letter with you, since it’s pretty adorable! “I am in nursery school. My school is one kilometer from my house. The name of my school is E------ Primary school. I go to school by foot. The color of my school uniform is green and yellow. My teachers name is Miss Ndumu. My best friend in school is Matheka K------. The games we play in school are netball and volleyball. The other activities in school this term are ball games. What I like best about my school is playing football. My favorite subject in school is numberwork. After school I like to take care of baby.

Miriam salutes you with love. She was happy to meet you and hear from you. Miriam says you are a special friend in her family. She says she likes rice and beef as her favorite food. She has not seen ocean and has not eaten fish any day. Miriam informs you that her favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5. She says it is not so much windy in Kenya and especially where she lives. She thanks you for encouraging her through Psalms 145:9, 'God is good always.' She wishes you a wonderful Easter and blessings."

She also colored me this adorable picture:

And drew me these pencil scribbles!

My last letter of the month was from Isimbi in Rwanda.

Isimbi began her letter by greeting me in the Name of Jesus and asking me if I’m doing well. Her mother, grandmother, and brother are doing well “and they love you.” She told me how her studies are going and what position she got in school, and asked, “Are you getting rain over there in your country?” She then asked me to continue praying for her to pass well.

It’s unusual for me to hear from all of my Compassion kids in one month! Have any of you ever had that happen?

Welcome to the Family

As of a month ago, I was blessed to have four precious children to call my own. The four quarters of my heart… the four corners of my life. Handsome Mbula, shining Shakira, precious Isimbi and beautiful Ada.

So many times I shake my head at the goodness of God. You’ve heard me tell stories before of how I was blessed with my Isimbi, but my heart longed for another little Rwandan girl… until Ada joined my family. I was so happy with my two girls, until the Lord spoke to me; “You have room for one more.” And seventeen days later, Mbula became my brother. I told God after that, “That’s it; my family is complete.”

I’m sure He chuckled. A few months later, Shakira pulled on my heartstrings and wouldn’t let me go… shortly after that, she became the fourth member of my family.

By this time, I threw up my hands and said, “Lord, I give up saying my family is complete. Next time, I will just be quiet and let You do the adding!”

For over a year now, I have been content to nurture and mentor my “fabulous four” through letters. Then a few weeks ago, I noticed a Facebook post from Compassion International, the organization that Isimbi, Ada, and Mbula are through. A large company had decided to sponsor 1,000 children (yes, one thousand) in Kenya, and the call had been put out for correspondents for these precious kids.

My initial reaction was, “Oh, wow, somebody is going to have fun getting assigned new kids!” I didn’t even think about applying for one myself. Four was definitely enough. But then, I started thinking, “Kenya is fabulous with letters. The kids there right every two months, and in English! Mbula is from there and we have such a close relationship. I wonder what it would be like to add a very young child to my family? I could send so many cute items that my girls are a bit too old for now. I’d like to have a child to “grow up with” so to speak. One who’ll be with me for her entire time in Compassion.”

Unlike the others, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I talked myself into… and out of… applying many times. I tried to figure out where I could fit a fifth into my writing schedule. Finally, a friend of mine told me in mock frustration… “I think you already know what the answer is going to be… you wouldn’t be talking about it this much if you hadn’t already made your mind up.”

Of course, they were right… and so I put in a very specific request. I wanted a three-year-old girl.

Then came the waiting.

I nearly drove myself batty, checking my account multiple times a day. I hoped to have her by Christmas… and then held out hope for New Year’s. Patience is a virtue I didn’t have at all, at least not for the past couple of weeks. Every night my prayer was… “Jesus, you see the little sweetheart who’s coming my way. Be with her and her family and keep her safe. Help me to show her your love…” I was more than ready for “Angel #5” to arrive.

And then, on January the 2^nd, 2015… I opened my account, and there she was. She was everything I’d hoped for, longed for, prayed for, and dreamed of; the most precious gift I could have asked for.

So I’d like you all to officially meet Miriam, who is three years old and lives in Kenya with her mother and father. She’s too young to attend school, but she helps around the house by taking care of the animals and she loves playing ball games!

Welcome to the family Miriam… you are so loved!