We received 15 letters while sponsoring Maria! Her birthday is April 15. Maria lived with her mother and grandmother and some siblings, although she's the youngest so many of her siblings had moved out already.
Project Info and Activities:
Maria attend NI-105 in Cuidad Sandino, Managua.
* Home to approximately 120,000 residents
* Most commonly spoken language is Spanish
* Most common work is work in factories, although the majority is unemployed
* Average earning is $84 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, beans, chicken & fish
* Common Health Problems: parasites, stomach illnesses, respiratory disorders, eye diseases
* Typical Houses: cement, corrugated iron roofs
Center activities: computer classes, baking classes, Vacation Bible School, visit to Masaya Volcano, first aid training, Bible teaching, health education, nutritious meals, tutoring, literacy training, scholastic materials and uniforms.
Miscellaneous Info from Letters:
* Favorites: dolls, soccer/football, bicycling, walking, running, reading, singing, fried chicken, listening to music, drawing, history, artists Jesus Adrian Romero & Alex Campos, song Sonido del Silencio
* Served as a teacher's aid in 2011
Letter Highlights...
"Let me tell you that I already baptized on Sunday, March the 29th. It was a fun activity because another brother and sister baptized with me. They were my brother Franklin and my sister Fanny. That day we shared many types of food at church but what I liked the most was my baptism."
"I love the music by Alex Campos; my favorite song is Sonido del Silencio. From my church and Bible, I have learned about love, to have a good testimony for my brothers, and how to be a good leader."
Artwork:
Maria included a drawing or a cute doodle in almost every letter! Here are a few of my favorites:
Final Letter:
"God keep blessing you, dear Hannah Berry! My wish is that you are in good health by the side of your whole family. I want to give thanks to you in advance for the gift you sent me on my birthday since I could buy clothes with that money; may God bless you for that detail. I want to tell you how much I've learned at the project, all what my Teacher has taught me, it has helped me a lot in my spiritual and school life. I want to tell you that the anniversary of Compassion was super nice; we marched at the Central Plaza where there were also songs, dances, and the most important thing was the meditation of this word; the whole activity was carried out by the children of Compassion. Also, I want to tell you that we celebrated the Mother's Day a short time ago. It was also really nice. The teacher helped us make manual works, of course made by us! To give them to the mothers and there was a delicious lunch for all the mothers and children in the end of the activity. And the last celebration we had was the Children's Day; it was very fun; there were raffles, contests, gifts, prizes. I'm very thankful to the Lord Jesus in the first place and to you for all the blessings I receive. Today I'm receiving a pair of shoes that I was given here at the project. I want to ask you: What praise do you like to listen to? I ask you to pray for my sister who is pregnant so that everything will go well. I close this letter by sending you kisses and hugs. Maria"
In December 2014, Maria graduated with her degree for teaching 5th grade! We are so proud of her!
To read the other posts in this series, click here.
