March Monthly Mana

  Easter cards are due March 5, they can be a physical card or digital, and can be sent via email to LoveLempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Love Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

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Kristen put together packets with a Bible story, so if you want a quick and easy idea (or something to supplement a cute card), check out Google drive folder.

I found these Easter cards on Amazon, and I also got the Juan 3:16 bookmarks. I had previously found superhero and princess stickers, and so each child is receiving some stickers, along with animal bookmarks I had on hand. I also included a shortened version of A Sense of the Resurrection Easter devotional since every year my kids send some artwork from when we do it (if you would like a copy of the single page in Spanish for your Manna kids, email me at berry31(at)gmail(dot)com). 

Happy Writing!!

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And take a minute to check out the Love Lempira waiting kids! 

January Monthly Mana

 January letters are due January 5, they can be physical or digital, and can be sent via email to LoveLempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Love Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

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Kristen put together packets with a Bible story, so if you want a quick and easy idea (or something to supplement a cute card or folder), check out Google drive folder.

Along with the Bible story and activities (I borrowed Kristen's idea), I included some an "All About Me Poster," photos, stickers, sticker scenes and sheets of colored paper. 

For kids with birthdays between January and June, they received a birthday card (with the devotion and coloring/activity pages included here). 

Happy Writing!!

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And take a minute to check out the Love Lempira waiting kids! 

June Monthly Mana

July letters are due July 5, they can be physical or digital, and can be sent via email to manna4lempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Manna 4 Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

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Since we can send physical mail, I sent folders. I included artwork from our family, words to a worship song in Spanish, a sticker sheet, some stationary, and I wrote notes on these pretty scripture cards in Spanish. 

Happy Writing!!

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Manna is currently undergoing some changes, so stay posted to learn more about the new website. 

April Monthly Mana

May letters are digital, and need to be emailed to manna4lempira@gmail.com by May 5.  

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After participating in the Medical Mercy Mission at the end of March, Eric wanted to remind the kids the importance of tooth brushing! So if you are looking for ideas for letting writing, I shared coloring pages and a simple letter here.

Happy Writing!!

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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website!

Monthly Mana: February

Easter letters are due by March 5! Letters can be sent via email to manna4lempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Manna 4 Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

Easter letters are cards, and you can include a small gift like a necklace or a piece of candy with these cards. I like sending extra cards for kids who don't receive letters, and so I purchased these cards on Amazon.

If you would like to write letters to kids who don't get mail, make sure to sign them from Manna 4 Lempira. I printed Feliz Pascua labels for the front of the envelope, and inside I wrote a verse about God's love from 1 John. 

1 Juan 3:1

Miren cuánto nos ama Dios el Padre, que se nos puede llamar hijos de Dios.

1 Juan 4:7

Amémonos los unos a los otros, porque el amor viene de Dios.

1 Juan 4:8

Dios es amor. 

1 Juan 4:9

Dios mostró cuánto nos ama al enviar a su único Hijo.

1 Juan 4:16

Nosotros hemos llegado a saber y creer que Dios nos ama. 

1 Juan 4:19

Nosotros amamos porque Dios nos amó primero

I also wanted to include a small gift, so these cards will have a blue butterfly necklace and a butterfly sticker, for the girls, and for the boys, a cross necklace and verse sticker. I am sending these items to my sponsored children, along with bookmarks. Just a note, to fit these necklaces on the cords, you will need these jump rings.

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For our kids, I am printing Easter cards with templates purchased on Etsy. The cross and tomb cards are from this shop, and I turned this print into a card also. I am including the necklaces, a bookmark, a butterfly sticker, a small piece of artwork from the kids, lyrics to a song, and some photos! 

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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website. 

December Monthly Mana

 

Letters are due by January 5! Letters can be sent via email to manna4lempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Manna 4 Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

My goal is to send folders twice a year, once in January, and once in May or July. With the January letters, I like to include birthday cards for kids with birthdays between January and June, and with the second set of folders, I like to include birthday cards for kids with birthdays between July and December. 

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For the older boys, I am sending a verse coloring page, a Chinese new year red envelope (because they're pretty), a bookmark, some stickers, a pretty blank stationary page, lyrics to a worship song in Spanish, and artwork from me and one of my kids.  

For the older girls, I am sending a verse coloring page, a cute Disney movie scene postcard, a bookmark, some stickers, a pretty blank stationary page, lyrics to a worship song in Spanish, and artwork from me and one of my kids.  

For the little boys, I am sending a llama coloring pages (from a coloring book I picked up at Ollies), some stickers, lyrics to a worship song in Spanish, and artwork from two of my kids.  

For the little girls, I am sending a llama coloring pages (from a coloring book I picked up at Ollies), some stickers, lyrics to a worship song in Spanish, and artwork from two of my kids.  

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Since I usually work on these birthday cards in the summer, so that I can send them with the backpacks in October, I also email a letter to Manna 4 Lempira with current updates, so that it can be included with the folder! 

Last year, for my New Year's themed letter, I asked (and answered) some questions. The first two I asked of all the kids, and I asked the older kids all four questions. 

        1) What is the most exciting thing from 2022?

        2) What is the most sad thing from 2022?

        3) What is the best gift from 2022?

        4) What is a goal you have for 2023?

The response was incredible, and I learned all sorts of fun and sad things from our sponsored kids. It really allowed me to learn so much about our kids, so I am sending the same questions (along with my answers for the year 2022).

I also built some mini-devotions based on Matthew 5-7 and this lesson, one focusing on the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) for the older kids, and two focused on being the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-15) for the younger kids. I found some of the images on a Google search, but the beautiful one the older girls are receiving was created by a friend! 

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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website!

October Monthly Mana

November letters are digital, and need to be emailed to manna4lempira@gmail.com by November 5.  

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We sent Christmas cards in September, and instead of writing on the back of a few hundred photos, I am sending descriptions in this typed letter! It was a fun opportunity to update our sponsored kids on our visits with family, and to ask the kids about their favorite things to do with family members. 

Also, since we did not have letters to reply to, I decided to share about the journey that the backpacks take. We are in touch with a few teens who are no longer part of Manna, and they were shocked to learn that we start packing in August, and that the backpacks have to travel via truck and boat to arrive to Gracias! 

I used some of my own photos, and then I consulted the Sowers blog for additional photos. I also included a map for some of the older kids, and that was found on a Google search. Just a reminder, photos in emailed letters will be printed in black and white. But you are welcome to include some photos with your emailed letter. 

Happy Writing!!

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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website!

Birthday Theme 2023

I am working on birthday cards for 2023! I like having a devotional to share with the kids for their birthday, and accompanying it with a personalized letter (handwritten for our Manna 4 Lempira kids, and digital for our Compassion International kids). 

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This year I made three different birthday theme letters. I will include the text here, in case you would like to use them for your Compassion sponsored children. 

For the younger girls, I am sending a snowflake object lesson letter. The fun thing with this theme was including Frozen paper dolls! For the Compassion kids, I am sending paper dolls in color. 

❄ ❄ ❄ Happy Birthday, Anjali! ❄ ❄ ❄

I find snow very fascinating and wanted to share a bit about it with you! I grew up near snow where I lived in Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. But where we live in Florida, we do not see snow. My kids would love to see snow someday, they think it would be fun to play in! But I also know that it is very cold. Have you ever seen snow?

Snow is normally formed when water vapor becomes available, which is when water vapor changes to ice without first changing to liquid, high in the atmosphere at a temperature below 0°C, and then falls to the ground. . Snowflakes are made of ice crystals. Each snowflake has six sides and is made of as many as 200 ice crystals. Snowflakes form in clouds where the temperature is below freezing. Ice crystals form around grains of soil that have been blown into the atmosphere by the wind. As the snow crystals grow, they become heavier and fall to the ground. Every snowflake has six sides, but though billions fall, no two are alike. In the same way, God has made billions of people, but there is no one like you. You are very special, and He has a very special place in this world for you. He knows where a snowflake falls, and He knows His plans for you! Isn't that an incredible truth?

Jeremiah 29:11 says, 'For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

I hope you enjoy the princess paper dolls! Do you have a favorite princess character?

❄ ❄ ❄ I love you! ❄ ❄ ❄

Hannah

For the Manna girls, I am sending black and white paper dolls to color. I also found scratch snowflakes and snowflake stickers to send in the Manna birthday cards. 

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For the younger boys, I am sending a sea star object lesson letter. For the Compassion kids, I am sending a dolphin 3D craft and a 3D Squirt turtle craft. 

Happy Birthday, Gil!

While walking to the beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he noticed the figure of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and calmly tossing them into the water. He moved closer and called out, “Good morning! Could I ask you, what are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean." The old man smiled and said, "I have to ask, so why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" To this, the young man replied, “The sun has risen and the tide is out. If I don't throw them in, they're going to die." On hearing this, the old observer commented, “But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish in every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely. Afterwards, he leaned down, picked up another starfish, tossed it into the ocean ahead of the crashing waves and said, "It made a difference to that one." This story told me that even though I am just one person, God can use me. If we look at all the problems in the world, they can overwhelm us, we can wonder what we can possibly do to make a difference, but if we focus on the part of the world where God has placed us, it is easier to see the things we can do. Maybe you can't imagine that you have influence on other people, but you do. You have influence on your siblings, your classmates, your friends and your neighbors as well. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." I encourage you to look for ways you can show the love of Christ to those around you. Give someone a smile and kind words, help someone with their homework, do your best in school, help a classmate with their studies. Never consider a favor too small. Remember that Christ can multiply little things. What you think is a small favor can mean a lot to the person who receives your favor.

I love you!

Hannah

For the Manna boys, I am sending a dolphin 3D craft. I also found scratch sea creatures and sea creature stickers to send in the Manna birthday cards. 

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For the older kids, my friend Kristen wrote a beautiful letter about sunsets, and I turned it into my birthday letter. I included some photos of local sunsets, and a sunset coloring page.

Happy birthday to you, my very loved friend, Earl John. 

I wanted to tell you about the beautiful sky that we experienced a few days ago here in the Gulf Coast of Florida. The vibrant colors filled the sunset sky, and the pictures of the beauty flooded the internet. It was spectacular! Sometimes in these Floridian sunrises or sunsets, the beauty of the sky above me leaves me speechless. As God painted yet another colorful, remarkable masterpiece for the world to enjoy, it was a reminder of His promise that He is here. We are never alone, even in our darkest moments, because God is always here. I don’t know what each day will hold, but one thing I know is that God is faithful. Each sunset and each sunrise are beautiful reminders of His faithfulness.  

Another way I see God’s faithfulness is in the people He has blessed me with. As I have grown older, I realize the importance of surrounding myself with good people who bring out the best in me. I want people who support me and encourage me in the same ways that I do for them. My closest friendships are filled with honesty, positivity, good advice, and a lot of love, and these friendships have truly helped me get through some difficult times. This is when I most see God working through the people in my life.  

I want to ask you to reflect on those you count as your friends. Are you surrounding yourself with people who make a positive impact on your life? Are you in the company of people who are good influences on your decisions and who push you down a path that will honor God? My prayer for you always is that the people you choose to be around will be people who love, support, and encourage you to make good decisions. Surrounding yourself with people who truly want the best for you is really necessary in life. I want to encourage you to look at the people who you spend time with- do they bring out the best in you? I also want you to think about the type of friend that you are to others- do you encourage your friends in positive ways? All relationships should feel like places of safety where you can be your true self, and my prayer for you is that you have relationships like this. 

I want to ask you if you’ve recently had a time when something you saw or experienced reminded you of God’s faithfulness- maybe a person in your life, an unexpected blessing, or something you saw in nature? 

Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sending you all my love, Hannah

For our Manna 4 Lempira older kids, they will receive sunset magnetic bookmarks and sunset stickers with their letters. I have two slightly different printed versions for boys versus girls. 

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Happy Writing! 

September Monthly Mana

Christmas cards are due in Jacksonville by September 5! Be sure to label the envelope with the child's name and number. You are welcome to send a bundle of labeled cards in one large envelope (I use the USPS flat rate mailing boxes):

Manna 4 Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

Just like for Easter, in addition to writing to our sponsored kids (and kids of friends and family members), I am also trying to make 400 extra Christmas cards for kids who don't receive a letter! Not every child receives a letter from his or her sponsor, plus there are always some unsponsored kids.

I found these cute cards already in Spanish on Amazon, and these are the stickers I am sending, a sticker roll, and sticker scenes.  And some of the cards I am printing myself, thanks to a cute template purchased on Etsy! The cards I purchased are currently unavailable, but Amazon does have a few options in Spanish right now: card with a verse, and ones with cute sayings. 

If you'd like to help us write extra letters, that would be amazing!! The letters need to be mailed to the Jacksonville address above, and arrive by September 5. The cards need to be written in Spanish, and signed by Manna 4 Lempira, so here are some simple phrases you can use:

¡Feliz Navidad! Que Dios te bendiga en este año nuevo. ❤ Manna 4 Lempira

¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo! Que Dios te bendiga. ❤ Manna 4 Lempira

Just a note: your personal cards do not need to be in Spanish already, the Manna staff will translate them for you! But we do not have time to translate extra cards, which is why these need to be sent already in Spanish. 

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For our Christmas cards, I had purchased the shiny ones on Christmas clearance, plus I am sending some of the ones listed earlier in the post. My kids think shiny or sparkly is best when it comes to Christmas cards! We are also sending the same stickers that are listed earlier. 

Also, if you are wanting other ideas for writing, my friend Kristen and I are collaborating on a Google Drive folder to share resources. Kristen has been making packets for mailings (including a Christmas packet), and we are sharing coloring pages, activity pages, etc., as we find them. 

Happy Writing!!
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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website!

June Monthly Mana

Letters are due by July 5! Letters can be sent via email to manna4lempira(at)gmail.com or you can send snail mail to:

Manna 4 Lempira

7075 Holiday Hill Court

Jacksonville, FL 32216

If you have read a few of my blog posts, you know how passionate I am about letter writing! But lest you think that I am always over-the-top with my makings, I wanted to share what I am sending in July...

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A one-page response to my kids' letters with coloring page of a bird found through a Google images search! 

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Since I write in Spanish, I format my emails for the Halls. But if you email a letter English, I will format it for you! 

I format the emails after I finish translating, so all you need to do is 

1) Type a note in the body of the email (put your child's name and number as the subject)

2) Attach a photograph (or two or three!) or a coloring page

3) Send your email to manna4lempira(at)gmail.com 

Your sponsored child will be thrilled to hear from you. Happy Writing!

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If you would like to sponsor with Manna 4 Lempira, you can see photos of waiting children at the Sowers 4 Pastors website!