First I heard from 10 year old Duagndao in Thailand.
She writes her own amazing letters in Thai. Her handwriting is like artwork alone! She told me how she joined cheer and a running race when they held a sports day. She was on the red team and will compete for the winner. She informs me it's her summer vacation and she is helping her mom by watching her little brother and helping her parents to work as much as she can. I'm so proud of her. And she signs her letter, Love you very much.
Then I received a letter from Zaira, who is also 10 years old, but from Peru.
My sister sponsor her twin sister Zarai, and we have been sponsoring them since they were 4 years old. This last year they lost their mother to a long battle of cancer. They started writing their own letters about a year ago, but they never have very much information or details. She tells me she was promoted to fifth grade section A. I'm so excited to hear, but I'll have to ask what the section A is. She then says she wants to know how old I am and how old my sister Samantha is. This is the first time to make much acknowledgment of knowing we as sisters sponsor her and her sister. So I was pretty excited to hear.
My sister's letter was much longer, with more details, so I wonder if Zarai likes writing more than Zaira. She also acknowledged me by name too!
I was really excited to see the other envelope. It was a slightly larger envelope. And while they use to almost always contain photos, I know lately that isn't always the case. I was hopeful none the less.
Karabukirwa or Denise is 20 years old, and from Rwanada.
She again wrote me two pages. They were half pages front and back, and required traslation, but they would equal out to two full pages. She often writes two pages, and tells me so much about her and her family. I'm so thankful as I've only been sponsoring her not quite a year, and she will not have a ton of time for us to get to know each other.
She opens with "I your daughter Karabukirwa, greet you in the name of Jesus." While we are close in age, I do consider it a great honor for her to address me as a daughter. She tells me she loves me so much and misses me. She thanks me for all my letters, and goes into detail about many of them. Attached to her letter was one of the valentines cards I sent her to share with friends. At the chance of her thinking it was too juvenile, and she seemed to enjoy them, and even sent one back!! She said it was her first time receiving one!
She told me a little more about the house/building situation. And explained they had to stop for a time because of her cousins wedding, but they are now building again. And thanked me for the gift I sent, as it helped with building their house.
She tells me she completed secondary level and scored 16 points. She said she wishes to continue on to university, and that she is praying that God will help her because she does not have the means to. She goes on to tell me that some of her friends study together and others do the work of God. Attached was a photo of her and her friends!
I was able to pick her out by her smile right away, without the help of the arrow! I was in awe when she told me the names of her friends, and one of them has my last name, Jermyn, as her first name, or maybe it's her family name she goes by. (I'm not too sure which name they always go by, she uses both names). My last name being extremely uncommon here, I would never imagine seeing it in Africa! It's written in the top and in translation. I believe her to be the girl in the white, but the description of positions was a little vague. Another of the girls shares her name as well, Denise. She then asks if I have people here called Denise. I'll have to say yes, but I do not personally know anyone.
She asks for prays for her to continue her studies. Will you join me in pray for her to have a way to continue on to University? I'm going to call Compassion and see what the costs might look like for her.
Did you hear from any of your kids?
**And if you want to read more about my kids, click on their names, and it will take you to their introduciton.
