Pleased To Meet You: Isimbi

Welcome to the fourth installment of my series, "Pleased To Meet You!" I haven't done one for a while, but I am so excited to introduce a very special young lady to you all!

Name: Isimbi

Age: 14

Birthday: August 8

Country: Rwanda

Isimbi's very first Compassion photo at age 7!

OUR RELATIONSHIP: Isimbi will always be special to me, since she was my very first Compassion child! At the time, the leaders of the youth group I was attending had traveled several times to Rwanda. Since they had a heart for that country, they suggested that we, as a group, sponsor a child there. They called Compassion Canada and requested a child from Rwanda. The packet arrived, and on it, the sweetest, shyest-looking little 7-year-old girl. The youth group has since dissolved, but the former leaders continue to sponsor Isimbi, and they have given her over to me as a correspondent. What a blessing it has been to know this sweet girl in the five years she's been a part of my life!

Isimbi's second Compassion photo; 9 years old

ABOUT ISIMBI: Isimbi lives in the southern part of Rwanda with her grandmother, mother, and younger brother. Her mother often works away from home, and often Isimbi and her brother stay with just their grandmother. Isimbi is a very studious girl who enjoys school and really focuses on her grades. She is a very quiet, polite , and thoughtful girl, always careful to express appreciation for each and every item and letter that is sent. She has a sense of humour and enjoys funny things and spending time with her friends.

EXTRA PHOTOS: I am blessed to have several extra photos of Isimbi! When she was nine years old, a church team visited Rwanda and sent back some lovely photos! In the photo below, Isimbi (far left in the pink dress) and her brother (beside her in the white shirt) pose with some of their neighborhood friends.

In 2015, a good friend of mine also traveled to Rwanda and was able to meet Isimbi. In the photo below, Isimbi displays her beautiful smile and excitement at having a guest come to see her and her project!

LETTER EXCERPTS:

"I thank God you choosed me among all the other people."

"Thank you so much for the letter you sent me and the birthday card. Thank you for caring."

"Thank you for being a good parent to me and may God bless you."

"Send our best regards to your complete family and we love you all so much!"

"I like funny things."

"When will you come to visit me?"

"My brother and my grandmother love you so much, and so do I!"

"I sat for my National Exams that end the Primary classes, please pray for me so that I may pass and go to high school."

"Are you doing well? I believe that you are also doing fine and the family. We are in holidays and planting sorghum and beans."

Isimbi's third Compassion photo, age 10

"I thank you for the letter you sent to me and Bible Verses. They inspired me so much. I was happy because God knows my name."

"I would like to thank you for having sent your friend to see me, I was indeed very touched and happy."

"I am helping my parent with some work at home like sweeping, fetching water, and different activities. In Rwanda, we are now experiencing a dry season. For you, which weather are you experiencing?"

"I thank you for the letters you sent to me, they pleased me very much, they contain beautiful photos and nice stickers."

"We are preparing for commemoration period for our fellows who died in genocide in 1994.I wish you a happy Easter. I love you so much."

"I loved the calendar you sent me."

"It is rainy here in Rwanda, it is so cold, how is weather over there? I'm doing well in school and I hope to pass well this term. I know you pray for me. I always pray for you to be protected by God with your whole family."

"I know a bit English which I learned from school. My best friend is M. and we attend together at the project Compassion. My role model is my grandmother and in the Bible my role model is Hannah because she endured the temptation."

"We had happy holidays and we will celebrate Christmas in the month of 12 and we have Christmas tree, I was glad to hear that you are volunteering by helping some children and may God continue to help you."

"I thank you for the way you take care of me and may God bless you."

"Thank you for the lovely letter you sent to me, I was so happy because of the questions you asked me. I love you and my parents love you too. Thank you so much.

Isimbi's most recent photo, age 12

Pleased To Meet You: Basomingera

Welcome to the third installment of my series "Pleased to Meet You!" I'm really enjoying being able to introduce my sponsored and correspondent kids to you!

Today I want to introduce you to my second correspondent child!

Name: Basomingera Ada

Age: 13

Birthday: September 10

Country: Rwanda

The first photo of Ada that I received! 8 years old.

OUR RELATIONSHIP: Basomingera came to me in a very special way. At the time, I only had one correspondent child that I was writing to on behalf of our youth group (Isimbi). I really wanted another little girl from Rwanda, someone close to Isimbi in age, so they could be friends if I ever had the opportunity to travel to meet them. I had requested for my name to be put on the correspondent waiting list for a child (any age, any gender) from Rwanda, but as the months dragged by and there was no response, I began to fear that my name had somehow gotten removed from the list ( it had). Several of my friends had gotten assigned new correspondent children, and I mentioned that I had been waiting a very long time for a child in Rwanda. Imagine my surprise when I received a private message from a friend saying that she had just gotten assigned a girl from Rwanda, and would I like to have her instead? She assured me that she didn't mind at all going back on the list for a child from any country, but perhaps I would like to have this little one? Of course I immediately said yes! Although the only things I knew about her were her name, her age (9, exactly one month younger than Isimbi!) and that she lived with her mother, I somehow knew that this child was going to become very special to me. And indeed she is my "heart child." I love all of my children, but Ada has connected with me in a very close and very special way.

Ada, age 10

ABOUT BASOMINGERA: Ada lives in the eastern part of Rwanda with her mother, her two older sisters Anitha and Amina, and her brother Olivier. Her father is deceased. Ada is an above-average student in school who loves mathematics and dreams of being a doctor one day. She loves to write letters and crams as many words as she can into the space she is given! I call her my little chatterbox! She loves stickers and photos, the color yellow, and helping her mum with the garden. She is very affectionate in her letters and always thanks me repeatedly for the little things I send her. She is a young lady with some big dreams and big hopes for her future!

EXTRA PHOTOS: In April of 2013, a sponsor visiting Rwanda from the US offered to take a quart-sized baggie to Ada with some little gifts and toys from me! Several months later, I got this beautiful photo of her holding the little stuffed dog that I had sent her! Her big brown eyes never fail to melt my heart!

LETTER EXCERPTS:

"I have my best friends, we share food and play different games together. My best friend is Sandrine."

"I miss you, I love you and I keep you in my prayers."

"I thank you for the nice letter you wrote me and many other letters you keep sending me and tell me that Jesus is a Friend who can never forsake me."

"I first of all greet you, wishing you the peace of God and thank you so much for your having accepted to be my sponsor. It reminds me of how Jesus loved me and accepted to be my sponsor."

"I am so glad to hear from you and know that I am part of your family."

Ada's very first Compassion photo at age 6

"My name Basomingera means to go deep in water."

"Have peace from God and a Merry Christmas. I thank God Who connected us. Me and my family there is no one sick. Continue having a Merry Christmas. I wish that you show me your father and mother and I wish them a Merry Christmas. I wish to be a doctor and I wish to see you. Merry Christmas."

"I thank you for being a good parent and i was happy for the good things you always do to me. I believe to have a better future."

"Thank you so much for taking care of me in my daily life. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers."

"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?"

"I am thankful to you for your letter, I am glad you love me. Here I have your three letters with encouraging words and giving hope to my soul and hope for a better life. A Compassion worker is the one who took this photograph of mine, which you sent back with stars and cakes which is good and it has given me hope."

"I always feel so glad to see photos which you send to me. I wish to see that church which you pray from."

"In the last semester I got good marks, 61%. I keep on praying for good marks. Please keep me in your prayers to improve on my marks. I continue to pray for you too, and may God bless you and family."

"I thank you so much for your letter you wrote me with all the beautiful touching words. In Rwanda, we do not have a Christmas tree. I also thank you for the decorations you sent me. I had a wonderful Christmas and my family was all well."

"How are you doing there? Am also doing well with my family no problem. Thanks for praying for me and I do pray for you as well."

"I thank you for the letter you sent me. I was so happy to hear that you receive my letters, and that your parents are doing well in Alberta. I liked your picture in a heart style. It shows how much you love me and that picture will always be a remembrance in my life. Thanks!" 

Ada's most recent Compassion photo

Pleased To Meet You: Papi

Welcome to the second installment of my new series... Pleased to Meet You!

Today I want to introduce you to my most recently sponsored child!

Name: Papi

Age: 21

Birthday: June 24

Country: Indonesia

The first photo of Papi that I saw on the website.

OUR RELATIONSHIP: I first saw Papi's picture on the Compassion International website. He looked like an intelligent young man, and when I clicked on his profile, I wasn't surprised to learn that he was an above-average university student! I started sharing his photo and information on Facebook, hoping that he would find a good sponsor to help him finish out his time in the program. After a while, Papi disappeared from the site, and I celebrated; he had been chosen! But a few weeks later, he appeared on the site again... his child info packet must have just been pulled to send to an event. I began circulating his photo again... and weeks went by. I couldn't understand why this handsome, studious young man was waiting so long! Finally, I began wondering if I was meant to be his sponsor. I struggled with it for a while... knowing that I couldn't afford another child. But it would only be a short sponsorship... three years at most... and I couldn't explain why I felt so inexplicably drawn to him. My "yes" came in the form of my parents, who offered to share his sponsorship with me! Now I know why Papi waited so long to find a sponsor.... he was meant to join my family!

ABOUT PAPI: Papi lives in an urban area of Indonesia, where he attends one of Indonesia's top universities to study for his degree in civil engineering. When not attending classes, he spends his time at home with his mother, who is a domestic worker, and two older sisters. In his free time, he loves to visit the nearby beaches and play with his two dogs! Although I don't hear from him as often as my other children, he is a great writer and his letters are usually several pages long!

Papi's current photo

LETTER EXCERPTS:

"I thank you very much for your willingness to sponsor me, Hannah."

"Each morning I must struggle to ride on the campus bus because public transport to campus is not many. It is one of our town cultures."

"My hobby is watching animated movies, walking around, and hanging out with friends."

"May I call you sister? When is your birthday? What do you do? How is the culture there?"

"Shalom. I am so glad writing you letter again. I really like to get and read your letters. I reply, How are you?"

"I am so pleased that you have given the whale photo and some data about them and I found it very nice. I haven't ever seen real whales yet like you have. I only see them from TV and pictures. How many years life of a whale?"

"I like reading books that tell about the life of a person (biography) who inspired many people. I like to know their struggle to reach their success. By the way what kind of books do you read?"

"I will always remember you because our mothers' names resemble. I also like blue color, pink, and green. I am feeling lucky because my family love me much, care, and support me all this time."

"I don't sing because my voice is not good and I don't know how to play music instrument, but I like listening to music, that is why I want to hear your band."

A drawing of Psalm 91:11 in Indonesian, by Papi

"I like being at beach especially when sun sets. It always becomes my favorite moment."

"Indonesian traditional food is Se'i. Se'i is smoked beef or pork. Really delicious."

"My dogs' names are Avril and Digo. They are so cute. They act cuddly while welcoming me everytime I got home."

"The beach here is made of rocks and sands. I couldn't swim. Here we have many beautiful beaches. But lately, many people were afraid of going to the beach because there was a wild alligator that was cut loose around the beach."

"I am happy to hear your story about Ken Taylor. I never heard about him before. I hope you can send me other stories from The Faithful Man and Woman that you know."

"By the way, I like Newsboys and I also like Planet Shakers. I like their song lyrics. This is my letter for now. Lord Jesus blesses you."

Pleased To Meet You: Mbula

Howdy! I'm excited to announce a new mini-series of sorts here on the Path of the Carpenter... Pleased To Meet You!

In this series, I will introduce you to each one of my sponsored kids in depth. I will be sharing photos, quotes from letters, fun facts, hobbies and interests, etc.

I just want to say that I totally got this idea from two awesome blogger-friends of mine; Jessi and Hannah! They have both done a series on their sponsored kids and I LOVED the idea! Jessi blogs over at Me and Mr. Jones, and Hannah blogs from Because of Shamim. I highly recommend that you pop over and check out their blogs; they have some pretty awesome content!

So with that being said, on to the first introduction!

Name: Mbula

Age: 21

Birthday: March 24

Country: Kenya

The first photo of Mbula that I received!

OUR RELATIONSHIP: On May the 15th, 2013, I put my name on Compassion Canada's waiting list for an older correspondent child from Africa or Asia. At the time, I had two 9-year-old girls, and really wanted the chance to connect with an older child. I especially wanted a teen boy from Africa, although I didn't specify that. On May 31st (my mother's birthday) Mbula showed up on my account! The teen boy from Africa that I wanted! He looked very stern and and handsome in his bright red sweater, and I was a little intimidated about connecting with him... I needn't have worried. From our very first letters back and forth, we have called each other brother and sister. He is the sweetest and most Godly young man one could imagine! And on September 25th, 2014, Mbula's financial sponsor dropped him, so I was proud to become his financial sponsor.

Mbula's photo updated a year after I began writing to him!

ABOUT MBULA: Mbula lives with both parents. He has three brothers (Kilonzo, Musyoki, and Mutua) and one sister (Betty). His family are farmers who grow maize and beans, and Mbula works hard to help them with the planting and harvesting. One thing I learned right away about Mbula is that he is a VERY passionate football (soccer) player. He mentions football in almost every letter and enjoys competing as an attacking mid-fielder. Mbula has also been a very dedicated student who's favorite subject is History. He recently graduated from High School, and he dreams of pursuing a university education and becoming a doctor!

EXTRA PHOTOS: In August of 2014, a sponsor friend visited Kenya and offered to take a gallon-size baggie filled with goodies for a few of us sponsors! I was happy to be able to send a polo shirt, wristwatch, toothbrushes, leather gardening gloves , journal with Jeremiah 29:11 on it, bookmark, and a Canada keychain. A few months later I received these fantastic photos of Mbula with his gifts, and got to see my boy smile for the first time!

LETTER EXCERPTS:

"In our family, we have three brother and one sister. I would not mind anymore if you would be my second sister in our family."

"My pastor's name is Pastor Matthew who is God's fearing servant and he likes doing God's will and following them."

"My brothers were very much interested in the letter that you sent me. Actually, it was very interesting and they appreciated very much."

"In our community, we are doing well although the rain was inadequate, we managed to put extra effort in the garden matters. We thank God for the little that we have got from our garden."

Mbula's very first Compassion photo at 5 years old!

"In our country we had an athletic games where we had some Kenyans participating in Moscow. In spite of tough competition they managed to win some of the games."

"I am very glad to know the meaning of your name and actually the grace of God is with you. According to me, my name was inherited from my grandfather according to our custom."

"I had a wonderful time since you started sponsoring me and you actually committed yourself in helping me. May you continue with the same spirit as you continue living in this world."

"I am very happy to hear that you have managed to be my sponsor. May the Almighty Lord bless you as you keep on sponsoring me. I also give thanks to my outgoing (previous) sponsor who was very helpful to me. May the Almighty God keep on blessing her very much."

Mbula age 13

"I would be very happy if you wish to visit us here in Kenya and enjoy good and attractive places with beautiful natural features."

"Hallo my sister, let me take this golden chance to salute you. I would greatly thank you for sending me a hand watch, gloves, diary, shirt, toothbrush and the letter that you wrote to me. I actually appreciated them and they are really helping me. Concerning T-shirts I usually wear it when going to church. I also shared toothbrushes among my brothers and my sister. They also appreciated you very much. I also use the watch in school and the diary in church for writing personal Bible verses."

"It is my hope that you are always trusting in the Almighty Lord as your personal Saviour. May He fully bless you and protect you in your life, and expand your territories."

"How have you been since I lastly wrote a letter to you?"

"I am very happy to know from your previous letter that your father is a French. I would also appreciate if you sent me a letter with a French words and their meanings."

"I greatly appreciate for your letter of a short story of a moose. I have really enjoyed reading it and it's my hope that our family members will enjoy reading and narrate it to others."

"It is my hope that God has made your life a beautiful moment, and you deserve to honor and believe in Him in your life."

"I am very glad to inform you that I received the gift you sent me. I really appreciated and thanked a lot. I was able to purchase the following items: 1 goat, 3 plastic chairs and 2 hens. I pray to God that you will keep on remembering me and any other person since we are all God's people."

Mbula's most recent photo; 21 years old.