Ana Yareth in Colombia

We began corresponded with Ana Yareth from November 2017 to February 2018.

We received one letters, but we have received one country director's letter. Her birthday is July 7 and she lives with her mother.

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Project Info and Activities:

Ana Yareth attends CO-639 near Santa Cruz de Mompox-Bolivar
* Home to approximately 12,500 residents
* Most commonly spoken language is Spanish
* Most common work is work is day laboring
* Average earning is $75 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, bananas, fish, bread, cassava & rice
* Common Health Problems: flu, fevers, diarrhea, malnutrition, anemia, gastritis
* Typical Houses: cement floors, brick walls, tin roofs

Center activities: Bible classes, medical exams, recreation activities, special celebrations, field trips, academic reinforcement, music classes and talent development.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: learning new vocational skills, dolls, group games, jump ropes, language, playing, watching tv, going to school, Jeremiah 33:3

* Dreams: to be a stylist



Artwork

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Country Director's Letter: Colombia

Today's letter is from Colombia, where we sponsor and correspond with Valeria, Kenedy and Isabella. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

Greetings in Jesus’ name! My name is Jose Carrasco. I am the South America area director, and I’ve been privileged to serve as the interim country director of Colombia since 2014. I was born in Peru. I am married to Laura, and we have two wonderful children, Jose Alonso and Natalia.

Compassion has been serving Colombia for 45 years. We currently have more than 240 child development centers in Colombia, and we are serving 77,000 children and youth. Through sponsors’ generous and selfless giving, children feel loved, cared for, nurtured and supported in many ways. You have made all this possible for your sponsored child in Colombia through your sponsorship and your prayers. You truly are making the difference in your child. Thank you so much!

Unlike a child who is not in a program, a sponsored child has a safe place to go each day. At the centers, children have the opportunity to learn about the love of Jesus and to identify their strengths, develop their gifts and talents, and overcome difficulties. They are taught, among other things, that they are special because they are children of God.

We do face struggles daily. Compassion serves Colombia’s most impoverished children and their families. The children are at high risk of sickness and even death in their early years. Every day, they are surrounded by violence, the absence of one of the parents, etc. They also face economic crisis, in which unemployment and the cost of living are extremely high, making life increasingly difficult for those who live in poverty. Lack of water and access to good medical attention is a daily struggle. Hospitals lack medicine and equipment. The families cannot turn to government education or its agencies, as these do not offer the help they require.

By God’s grace, we will continue to go forward and overcome any obstacle that presents itself. Compassion Colombia has improved its program and materials to better empower the church to fulfill its mission. Churches work hard and diligently to serve the children better through training, materials and mobilizing local resources. We are developing child protection networks and early childhood and youth development strategies so we can help more children to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults. It happens when the church of Christ gets mobilized in prayer and action to intervene in children’s lives.

Nourishing the relationship between the sponsor and the child is of utmost importance. I encourage you to write letters. When a child receives a letter, it means more to a child than you will ever know. Your words really affect your child positively. Knowing that someone who lives so far away is praying and thinking about them makes children feel loved and appreciated.

I cannot express my gratitude for your sponsorship in Colombia. Your giving has changed the destiny of your child, and that is priceless! My heart fills with joy as I express my appreciation and recognize your generous giving. May the Lord bless you and your family. We covet your prayers and promise also to pray on your behalf.

Sincerely in Christ,
Jose Carrasco

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Colombia, please consider sponsoring handsome Juan (who attends our Kenedy's project!).

Juan's birthday is October 3 and he is 19 years old. Juan lives with his parents and two siblings. Juan enjoys music, running, singing, soccer, walking and learning about God! To sponsor Juan, click here.

Prayer Requests, Good Posts, and a Few Kids...

Between the rain in South America and the drought in East Africa, I'd like to remind you to please be praying for our sponsored kids in those regions! And if you comment with your child's name, I'll pray for your child in that region too.

As I mentioned before, I get my updated crisis information from Compassion Australia's page. This is what their page shares about Peru from March 30:

On 27 March the north part of Peru suffered another river overflow, this time affecting mainly Piura where we have several child development centres.

The Pedregal Grande district suffered flooding that reached the top of the houses. This area has significant damage and more children are impacted near PE-01585. During the time of the flooding Compassion staff received calls from 2 tutors with 14 children each that were stranded on roofs. They had to wait the whole night to be rescued because the river flow was very high and difficult to access the community. On 28 March the river flow decreased and the children, tutors and the families were successfully evacuated from the area and taken to a safe and dry location. Those families lost at least 80% of their belongings. The community is still flooded and uninhabitable.

Additionally, two more areas in Pozo De Los Ramos and Monte Sullon were flooded. Two annexes of PE-0331 and PE-0584 facilities have been flooded. The children and their families were all evacuated and all the children are alive and healthy. The primary location of PE-0331 was not flooded so they’ve been receiving children from affected areas.

No additional child development centres or children have been reported as affected yet.

Compassion Peru is continuing to provide emergency assistance to the affected families through disaster funding.

We thank God that all children are alive and healthy. Please continue to pray for the safety of our children in all affected areas.

Compassion Peru will keep us updated as more information becomes available.

And last night Compassion shared this blog post: Flooding in Peru...take a minute to learn more!

And about Colombia from April 4:

On 1 April, three rivers near Mocoa in southwest Colombia overflowed, causing flooding and a landslide. Many people are missing and 254 have died. The Colombian government is providing aid. Compassion does not have any partner churches in the affected area.

Please pray for those living in the affected area and for those responding to this emergency.

We also received an email from Compassion USA about the drought. I would appreciate if you would be praying for the kids in East Africa as well:

As you may have heard in the news, East Africa is in the grip of a crippling drought that has left 23 million people in need of aid. Lack of rainfall has sharply curbed harvests and driven up the price of grains and other staple foods to increasingly high levels, leaving the region’s poorest in danger of malnutrition.

Compassion is committed to the long-term care of each child registered in our program. In the coming months, our field staff will guide us as we provide food, water, drought-resistant seeds and support to the families we serve in East Africa.

We ask for your continued prayers in this season. Will you join us today in praying for:
a rainy season that would bring relief to crops and water sources
families who must make the difficult decision to uproot and move to find water
the health of the children we serve, particularly those who are malnourished

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I also recently read two wonderful blog posts and wanted to share them here! The first one is about Ecuador's recovery from the earthquakes last year. It is so encouraging to see the impact Compassion has on a community after a natural disaster, especially as we are watching other countries suffer this year.

Putting life back together after Ecuador's devastating earthquake

And the post Perspectives on India: One Compassion Graduate's Words was encouraging and heartbreaking all in the same moment. I at least encourage you to take 4 minutes to watch this video.


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Finally, Compassion has been adding a lot more children with disabilities, and these two kids caught my eye. I am praying for them to be sponsored soon, and just in case you might be on the search for a new child, please consider one of these two!

Zamary from Mexico just turned 6 on January 25. She lives with her mother and one sibling, and has a chronic illness listed as "other."

Zamary enjoys art/drawing, playing with dolls and learning about God! To sponsor Zamary, click here.

And Elias from Guatemala will be 14 on May 25. He lives with parents and two siblings, and struggles with epilepsy.

Elias enjoys group games, soccer and learning about God! To sponsor Elias, click here.

**All photos are courtesy of Compassion**

Project Director's Letter: Colombia (CO-447)

In the spring, Compassion sent us a bunch of project director letters! I'll be sharing them over the weeks! Enjoy!

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This letter is from Isabella's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Colombia Flickr Album.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

Regards, grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am Flor Maria M. R. Through this letter I am writing to you as the Project Director of the CDC in LV, located in the neighborhood TA, in the District of Buenaventura, belonging to the Region of Valle del Cauca - Colombia attended by your sponsored child.

We are totally grateful first to our Lord Jesus Christ, and second with you for your unconditional support of Isabella.

Children from many different situations currently are attending the center, most of who live in vulnerable situations, some of them only receive food that is provided in the CDC in office hours, others only have one parent, and others lives with their grandparents either paternal or maternal.

This center has been a great blessing to the community because through the interventions carried out we are able to decrease the risk factors presented by the population through days of spiritual enrichment, sharing things and sports. Through parent trainings we can educate caregivers on the optimal development of children, to acquire skills and improve their skills. Besides the community, we also make an impact on children who are fundamental part of the center, because we are optimizing the cognitive, physical, motor, social-emotional skills. Also we strength the spiritual part of the children who attend the Development Center.

Likewise, this program has been a great blessing for the children, because it has allowed them to change their way of looking at life, know that there is a loving God who sent His only son to die for them, realize that this love is reflected in others who want to see them grow in a balanced way and understand how they can serve in their community when they have the opportunity.

The children at the center have written a total of approximately 156 letters. It is important to point out that our children are happy to know that their sponsors keep them in mind not only for economic reasons, but also in the emotional and spiritual areas. However, those without sponsors, at not receiving anything, feel somewhat unprotected; a situation that we keep in prayers, so that God may be putting grace in other people as He has placed you so that all our children can be sponsored.

My wish is that children have a good diet during the five days of the week that they come to the center as this becomes vital for them to have optimal development in their learning, and their cognitive area can evolve quickly.

Finally, I keep thanking God for having guided you to us. May He give many spiritual and financial blessings to you and all your descendants. Thank you for your support of Isabella.

On behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace,
Flor Maria M. R.

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Colombia, please consider 6-year-old Jadyth who has been waiting over 330 days for a sponsor. His birthday is March 1.

Jadyth lives with his grandfather and his mother. At home, duties include sewing and gardening. His grandfather is sometimes employed and his mother is employed as a church worker.

For fun, Jadyth enjoys bicycling, baseball and playing group games. He attends church activities and youth group regularly and is in primary school where his performance is average. To sponsor Jadyth, click here.

Project Director's Letter: Colombia (CO-508)

In the spring, Compassion sent us a bunch of project director letters! I'll be sharing them over the weeks! Enjoy!

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This letter is from Kenedy's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Colombia Flickr Album.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

May the grace and blessing of God keep continuously on you and your family. I am Enys Z. V., Project Director of the CDC [CO-508] attended by your sponsored child. We are located in the beautiful city of Cartagena in the country of Colombia.

This time I write you with great joy and satisfaction in my heart. Thanks because I can thank you for all your love, affection and special appreciation to Kenedy. As a church and CDC we are fully convinced that God will reward every day all the support you give.

Our community of SF and SI are neighborhoods made up of happy and enterprising people, who every day are challenged to face and improve their poverty, community and family conflicts that sometimes cause our boys and girls to suffer.

However, there is faith in our hearts that the limits and barriers can be removed to see the dreams came true, families restored and transformed by the hand of God; and for this reason we are committed as a team in imparting to the children life principles that help in making good decisions for the future of each of them. We've been introducing Christ as Lord and Savior. The children actively participate in Biblical teachings and spiritual retreats where they are strengthened and challenged to a better lifestyle.

Currently adolescents between 12 and 17 years are learning to design shoes like sandals and now are selling them. They have learned to print blouses, fabrics and glasses. Besides this teenagers are learning beauty and manicure and pedicure and they make beautiful hairstyles. These workshops have been done from a support provided with Complementary Interventions operated by the church and Compassion. It has been a valuable life experience for our kids since they can generate income for their families with this learning.

On the birthday of the children, we make them a big party with friends the center. They share cakes, presents and games. It is a beautiful way to share this special day. They participate in playful and recreational activities, and also we strengthen their cognitive developmental through school reinforcement, in addition to receiving from each tutor the teaching of the curriculum that helps them improve the cognitive, physical, spiritual and social-emotional areas.

We believe that each of the activities implemented in the CDC generates impact in their hearts and releases them from any adverse circumstance because the purpose of all this beautiful work is that they become responsible and full adults who serve with a positive leadership in our society.

Finally, I thank the sponsors for each letter sent to the children which generates a smile on their faces; because for them is of great joy to hear from their second parents; and likewise they respond to these letters received and share personal and family experiences.

I ask you to continue praying for the BCGN and the work done in this community, for everyone who has an active part in this work so that their forces continue and they keep strengthened, filled with love and hope to transform children and their families in the Name of Jesus.

I leave you with much joy and satisfaction for the opportunity to communicate with you and I'm very grateful for you life and unconditional support you show through the support given to Kenedy.

We continually pray for your life and families.

God continue to bless your life, with brotherly affection,

Enys Z. V.

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Colombia, please consider little Diego who is 6. His birthday is September 10 and he has been waiting over 305 days for a sponsor.

Diego lives with his grandmother. His grandmother maintains the home. Diego works at home running errands and cleaning.

Diego is not presently attending school. Soccer and playing with cars are his favorite activities. He also attends church activities regularly. To sponsor Diego, click here.

Bilingual Preschool: Learning About Colombia

I am over at the Compassion Family blog today, sharing about our adventure learning about Colombia!

To read the rest of the post, click here!

Previous posts for the 2016-2017 preschool year:

Year plan

China

Spain

Tanzania

France

Project Director's Letter: Colombia (CO-144)

In the spring, Compassion sent us a bunch of project director letters! I'll be sharing them over the weeks! Enjoy!

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This letter is from Valeria's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Colombia Flickr Album.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

Receive warm and sincere greetings, with the best wishes for yours and your family's lives to be blessed by our good God.

My name is Diana L. I'm the Project Director of [CO-144] which serves your sponsored child, Valeria. Our center is located in the Andean region of Colombia.

Through this letter, I want to thank you for the support you give to Valeria, making it possible for your child to attend the center, to learn skills, and to develop comprehensively in life.

In our community, there are different situations that show the need to guide our children and teenagers so they want to have a healthy life and not be involved in drug abuse and vandalism. This is why, as a center, we try to impact the lives of the children through different activities. Your contributions help make our work effective, and now we can see engagers and young people motivated to be different and to participate in change for a different community that accepts them and values them for their confident behavior. This brings joy and satisfaction to the lives of this who work here to make it happen.

Our children, through the lessons learned, have changed their perception of their lives and expressed a desire to be men and women who contribute to their families, both spiritually and economically. To do this, they are motivated to study, supported by the center that contributes through different teachings, including workshops of income-generating skills. This allows them to have a clearer vision of what they want and can be in the future.

In the past year, we've had the opportunity to be visited by three sponsors, who with love and kindness accept our children and adolescents. In that time, we have received about 300 letters from sponsors to their children and teens. This is an event that brings great joy to those who receive letters. At the same time, it motivates them to write their sponsors.

It is my pleasure to write to you and keep you in my prayers. I thank you for praying for those who are part of the center staff, for us to be useful vessels in the hands of God and continue contributing to the comprehensive change in the lives of Valeria. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord.

Keep very blessed,
Diana L.

If you would like to sponsor a child from Colombia, please consider handsome Juan who turned 19 on August 21! He attends CO-144, the amazing project that Valeria attends!

Juan makes his home with his father and his mother. Buying or selling in the market, making beds and running errands are his household duties. His father is employed and his mother maintains the home. There are 2 children in the family.

Soccer, bicycling and listening to music are Juan's favorite activities. In middle school his performance is average and he also regularly attends Bible class, youth group and camp. To sponsor Juan, click here.

Kenedy in Colombia

We began corresponding with Kenedy in September 2013. I will continue to update this post as we hear from Kenedy.

We have received 23 letters, one project director's letter, and one country director's letter while corresponding with Kenedy. His birthday is November 15. Kenedy's family situation is a little complicated, but currently Kenedy, along with older sister Rina and younger sister Eva, is living with his aunt and uncle and two cousins.

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Project Info and Activities:

Kenedy attends CO-508 in Bosque San Isidro, Cartagena
* Home to approximately 14,700 residents
* Most commonly spoken language is Spanish
* Most common work is work is laboring
* Average earning is $153 a month
* Regional Diet: beans, bread, chicken, eggs, bananas, fish, beef, plantains, potatoes & rice
* Common Health Problems: influenza, malnutrition, skin diseases, parasites
* Typical Houses: mud floors, cement walls, corrugated iron roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, health education, sports, special celebrations, homework help, computer courses, English classes and life skills training.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: group games, soccer/football, other ball games, Kid Butowski (tv program), blue, fried fish, Psalm 12:21, birds, tigers & lions, art, mango, Daniel in the lions' den, bicycling, batman, John 16:20, horseback riding class, story of Moses, Romans 12:21, watching TV, taking care of his birds

* Dreams: to learn English, to become a soccer player, to visit the USA

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Letter Highlights...

"Your letter is very beautiful and it showed me that you love me as I love you. It fills me with joy to know that you will have a baby Rose. I send a kiss to Juanito, he is a beautiful boy."

"I am a happy and playful boy."

"I want to tell you that I have friends at the CDC who I share with and they are Fabian, Cheynis, Hader and Juan. Our favorite activities are the sports and playing together. Jesus our Lord is also my friend and He is always with me."

"The project has been supporting us in prayer, psychological and spiritual therapies, and with our groceries as well."

"I thank you very much for all the messaged that you have sent me, especially for the transformation of the caterpillar. This teaching gave me much strength and had helped me go ahead."

"In the project I am learning about God, that His almighty and the Bible is His Word."

"My favorite thing I learned about Jesus is that He is my Savior."

"I want to thank you very much for your letters because I learned more about your country and the cultures you know. I liked the pictures of those animals very much. But my favorite was the lion."

"I want you to learn more about my favorite hobbies. I love playing soccer with my friends -- I really enjoy it! I also like watching TV with my siblings. I don't have a pet, but I would love having a dog, to call him Lucas, and take good care of it...Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your family."

"This time I want to tell you about how I have fun. I tell you that in my free time I like watching TV. My favorite activity is taking care of my birds. When I am not in the project I like going to school, spending time with my family. When I am in the project I like the lessons and taking part in all the activities. When I am bored I like sleeping. One fun thing I like to do is playing soccer."

"Typical activities I do at my project are learning with the teachings, reading the Word of God, participating in group dynamics. What I like the most is laying soccer. What I like about the project stuff is that they are kind and affectionate to us. When I am at the CDC I typically eat rice mixed with chicken, French fries, and tree tomato juice."

"How do you like my new handwriting? Now I say goodbye with affection."

"Today I would like to tell you about my vacation. It lasts for about a month, in December. During this time, I like staying home, playing with my cousins, watching television. What I like the most is swimming in the pool with my friends. My favorite meal to eat on vacation is rice with beef and noodles. I love spending this season with my family. I would like to spend my future vacation traveling to Bogota and the US. It'd be wonderful."

"I want you to know about my friends. Their names are Roiner, Rony, Isaac, Juan David and my best friend is Roiner. I met him in my neighborhood since I was a child. He is very special to me. When I'm with my friends, I like going to play soccer and chat. Our favorite activity is listening to music. We get relaxed and excited. I don't like being alone, so that's why I like having friends. It is very fun."

"I want you to know my favorite activity is playing soccer because I entertain myself and have fun doing it, I have a favorite friend who is always with me, his name is Roni... I also tell you that my grandma Edilsa makes my favorite food, which is her noodles rice with meat, it is so delicious. The color blue is my favorite. I play soccer with my friends in the neighborhood, it is my favorite sport... I like canary birds so much."

~~~Artwork

~~~Recipes

I do know how green plantain "patacones" are prepared...first you have to cut them in pieces, and then you fry them for a short while. Then, you take them out of the hot oil, flatten them with a small board, and moister them with garlic/salted water, to fry them again for a very short time.

~~~Gifts & Visits

We sent Kenedy a stuffed tiger in 2015! And even though Kenedy has had some tough stuff going on with his family situation, the project has been taking great care of him and his siblings! They sent us these photos of the project staff checking in on Kenedy and bringing him groceries in 2015:

~~~To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Jhandra in Colombia

We were Jhandra's correspondents from May 2014 to December 2014.

We received 2 letters while corresponding with Jhandra. Her birthday is May 1. Jhandra lived with her parents and she has 5 siblings. Her father was employed as a construction worker.

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Project Info and Activities:

Jhandra attended CO-383 in La Reliquia, Villavicencio
* Home to approximately 7,000 residents
* Most commonly spoken languages is Spanish
* Most common work is work is day laboring
* Average earning is $221 a month
* Regional Diet: beans, chicken, fish, plantains & rice
* Common Health Problems: respiratory illnesses, fevers, diarrhea, influenza, malnutrition, asthma
* Typical Houses: cement floors, brick walls, tin roofs

Center Activities: bible teaching, medical exams, health and hygiene education, sports, birthday parties, tutoring and skills for life training.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: group games, bicycling, jump rope, meat, rice, ripe plantains

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Letter Highlights...

"What I like the most about the project is that I learn about the love of God."

"I have three pets: a cat and two doves."

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Artwork

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Final Letter

"Hi, dear sponsors! I wish to thank you for caring about the child… All the gifts and letters are very encouraging. My greatest wish is that you and your family are blessed by God. I am the child's tutor and my name is Anjhinsson M.

Departure Reason
She is leaving the project because her mother doesn't like it… she said that she is not interested in anything we do.

Learned Skills
At the project there are areas like music, arts, knowledge, reading, etc., everything focused on a better life venture.

Benefits during sponsorship
During the time she was at the project she received benefits like: lunch, medical check-ups, gifts and utmost care.

My future
She is currently studying; we hope she will graduate from high school."

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Isabella in Colombia

We began corresponding with Isabella in December 2014 and I will continue to update this post as we hear from Isabella.

We have received 15 letters while corresponding with Isabella, one project director's letter, one pastor's letter, and one country director's letter. Her birthday is September 22. Isabella lives with her mother and her stepfather, who works as a welder. She has a younger brother, Dilan.

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Project Info and Activities:

Isabella attends CO-447 in Turbay Ayala, Cali

* Home to approximately 27,200 residents
* Most commonly spoken languages is Spanish
* Most common work is work is day laboring, although majority are unemployed
* Average earning is $110 a month
* Regional Diet: beans, bananas, chicken, fish, bread, plantains, rice & potatoes
* Common Health Problems: flu, colds, rashes, respiratory illnesses
* Typical Houses: tile floors, brick walls, zinc roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, health monitoring, sports, group games, psychological counseling, reading and writing workshops, crafts, tutoring, trips to the library and music classes.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: dolls, running, jump rope, Spanish, birth of Jesus story, Psalm 23, painting, watching tv, song "Dios Hizo los Animales," song “Jesús limpio mi corazón,” basketball (to grow), trips with family, art & sports subjects

* Dreams: to visit Chile, learn to speak English, learn about animals, help her grandmother, become a doctor for animals, jumping rope, to ride a horse

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Letter Highlights...

"She starts the school land she is happy because she was promoted to other grade and she has new friends and hopes learning a lot and have good behave to God be happy."

"I am learning a lot about Jesus. He is my Savior."

"I would like to know more about your family and meet them. My family is very beautiful and we live in a small house."

"I would love to learn about bears because I think they are beautiful."

"I felt such a huge happiness when my tutor gave me the letters you sent me. I first opened the envelopes so I could see everything in them. Please know I loved everything you sent me. I love you very much and I pray for God to bless you always."

"In my project, the things I am learning about God are...to forgive others like He forgives us... My favorite thing I learned about Jesus is...He is love and gave it all for me."

"I love you and wish you will always be well. Your prayers are very important to me, please do not stop doing them."

"My sister Mencha makes our meals, they are delicious and unique."

"Knowing you pray for me makes me very happy, please keep doing so. Psalms 34:4-5."

"I am so pleased to write. You will my life with happiness and hope. I thank God for putting you in my life to help me."

"Every day I pray for you, I love you; when will you visit Colombia? Say hi to your family; Proverbs 10:27, 'The fear of the Lord adds length to life.'"

"My house is cozy, it has a cement floor and we're happy in it. Are you happy in your house?"

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Artwork

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Gifts

In 2015 we were able to send Isabella a stuffed dog!

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Valeria in Colombia

We began sponsoring Valeria in October 2011 and I will continue to update this post as we hear from Valeria.

We have received 36 letters while corresponding with Valeria, one project director's letter, one pastor's letter, and one country director's letter. Her birthday is December 20. Valeria lives with her parents, Edgar and Luz, and a little brother Jacob. Her father works as a machine operator.

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Project Info and Activities:

Valeria attends CO-144 in Medellin
* Home to approximately 380,000 residents
* Most commonly spoken language is Spanish
* Most common work is work is day laboring
* Average earning is $312 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, beans, chicken, plantains & rice
* Common Health Problems: viruses, skin infections, malnutrition, diarrhea, intestinal problems
* Typical Houses: cement floors, brick walls, tile roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, medical and dental checkups, nutrition education, sports, special celebrations, academic support and educational field trips.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: group games, running, art/drawing, biking, swimming, spaghetti, dog, green, fuchsia & purple, geometry, basketball, watching tv, parakeet or parrot, jumping, the Colombia National team, sunflower, Luke 6:43, the stories of Jesus’ miracles, “Cristo no esta Muerto”, eating fish, swimming, “Minnie Mouse” cartoon, “Hansel & Gretel” movie, eating ice-cream, art, Samson, rice pudding, Micky Mouse, soccer, the song Dios subio su trono, John 3:16, pink

* Dreams: to be a police officer, doctor or engineer

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Letter Highlights...

"There is a hero that I love and He is Jesus about whom I have been taught so much."

"I want to tell you that the place I would like to visit is Cartagena and San Andres Island, because they are spectacular places. I would like to meet you and know how you are and I want to meet your son in person."

"I want to help my family so that they can succeed and have better finances and stability. When I grow up I would like to be a doctor because I love to learn about the body."

"I was on vacation and I had a great time. I was in a place near Medellin called Gaitero, there is a very big lake where we can fish, buy fish and eat them, they are delicious. Do you like fish? It is a place filled with nature and green stairs."

"I like listening about the miracles of Jesus and how through His death He gave me life."

"I tell you that in my free time I like watching TV and speaking on the phone. My favorite activity is eating burgers with my family. When I am not in the project I like sleeping. When I am in the project I like learning new things. When I am bored I like listening to music. One fun thing I like to do is playing with my brother, going on walks with my friends."

"[T]he typical activities that I do are to share with my classmates and learn from the Bible. Among them, I like most is to walk and learn the word and many other things. What I like about the project staff is that they are helpful, humble and good people. When I am at my project, I typically have pasta, juice, Jell-O, spaghetti, cereals, juices, etc."

"During my school vacation I often go to play sports and spend time with my family, and what I like to do during that time is watching TV and sleeping. Sponsors, my favorite food during my vacation are burgers. During that time I like to be with my family. In the future on my vacation I would like to go to San Andres, it is an island of my country."

"While being with my friends, I usually go out to eat ice cream and what I like to do most with them is going out anywhere. Sponsors, I like to have friends because they are a big support to me."

"I like watching TV and My favorite person is my mother who is the woman who has been always with me. My favorite food is spaghetti and the color I like the most is pink."

"I'm happy because you keep writing to me and you remember me always as I remember you every day."

"I want to thank you for being in touch with me. I like that you tell me about what you read because that way I learn too."

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Artwork

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Recipes

The most common dish they cook is red beans and the recipe is the following: 1. place a pot with water to boil them. 2. Once the water boils, please the red beans on it and the corresponded spices, red plantain. 3. Add some carrots. 4. When every ingredient is on the pot, boil all them for half an hour and the beans are ready.

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Visits & Gifts

In 2012, my friend Kristen was visiting Valeria's project (where she sponsors a child) and she took gifts and even got permission for us to speak on the phone! You can read the post here.

And then in 2015, when my friend Helen had a layover in Colombia, she brought some more gifts for Valeria: baby blanket and hats for Jacob, journal for dad, sewing kit and dishcloths for mom, lip gloss, barrettes, nail clippers, notebook, soap and washcloth.

Valeria sent a thank you letter that said, "I want to thank you for the present that you sent me! We loved it very much! ...the agenda that you sent me, has been so useful for me to write the things I need to be reminded. The blanket and hair clip, have been so useful in winter season and also make my hair lovelier. Everything I got was special!"

We were able to send Valeria a gift in 2015 and received these wonderful photos of her purchases! She wrote:

"I am happy to write you again. I want to tell you that I am very well. I hope your family is too. I want to thank you for the present you sent me in the year 2015 with which I bought a gas stove of two places, white slippers, a shirt and some pair of shorts. Thank you for everything you sent me which has been of very good use with me and my family. Thank you for the Christmas and birthday presents you sent me this year. With it I want to buy a pair of blue jeans and shirts. This year I finished 10th grade with a lot of effort and dedication. Thanks to this achievement next year I will finish my studies. With it I want to have a great career to help my parents and also improve myself every day with your prayers help. I also every day pray for you, sponsors. Thank you for everything you have given and I also tell you that my family is well. My brother too, he is already 3 years old. I will enjoy this Christmas with my family with a lot of love. Thank you very much for everything you give me, Eric and Hannah."

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Extra Photos

Also thanks to Kristen visiting in 2011 (before I knew Kristen), I have a few extra photos of the project!

Kristen also took this photo where you can see Valeria in the yellow!

And Valeria sent us this photo in 2012:

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Letter Writing: Colombia

June's game is from Colombia because Valeria sent us instructions! I love sharing the games that our kids play! I also wrote about parrots since they're a favorite of many of our kids, and specifically about parakeets since they're Valeria's favorite animal! I got my information from Science Kids, National Geographic and Budgiekeet. The map, flag, photos and how-to-draw page were found through a Google image search. I just love being able to add extra pages with photos and activities!

Here's a picture of the letter I sent:

If you would like to share this letter with your sponsored child, here is what I wrote:

Dearest Friend,

I want to share another game with you! This one is called Yeimy, and is played in Colombia. My friend Valeria taught it to me! Valeria is 14 and she's from Colombia. She has a little brother named Jacob. She enjoys drawing, swimming, parakeets and sunflowers! I included her photo for you to see. Colombia is a country in South America and I included Colombia's flag and a map for you to see where it is located.

To play Yeimy, you need: two teams of people, a ball, and a pyramid of rocks.
1. The first team tosses the ball towards the pyramid of rocks until the pyramid falls down.
2. The opposite team gets the ball and tries to hit the members of the team that knocked the pyramid down.
3. Reset the pile of rocks and let the second team start!

I also wanted to share some about parrots, since there are many parrots in Colombia. There are 372 species of parrot in the world! Most parrots live in tropical areas. Parrots have curved bills (beaks), strong legs and clawed feet and are often brightly colored. Parrots are believed to be one of the most intelligent bird species and some species are known for imitating human voices. Most parrot species rely on seeds as food. Others may eat fruit, nectar, flowers or small insects. Some parrot species can live for over 80 years. Macaws, amazons, lorikeets, parakeets and cockatoos are all different types of parrot. I included some photos of different parrots!

Since Valeria likes parakeets, I wanted to share a little about them too! The parakeet is one specie of parrot! Parakeets are actually called Budgerigars and are originally from Australia. They are little birds, only growing 18 centimeters tall, but can fly hundreds of miles! They typically lives in flocks and when nesting, the mothers chew holes in trees and lay their eggs in the hole! These birds can be found in 32 different colors and are one of the most popular pet bird breeds in the world.

In closing, I would like to remind you of what God shares in Jeremiah 31:3, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." I love you very much and pray for you, but always remember that God loves you more and He is always there for you.

Hannah

Feel free to copy this game to share with your sponsored kids!