Mack's 2010 Trip #5 – On to Honduras!

A post from Mack:
September 8th was Sam's 21st birthday. Instead of the traditional ritual of sleeping all day and partying all night, he did pretty much the opposite. We got up at 3:30 am to catch a "collectivo" to Copan Town, just across the Guatemalan border. I spent several days in the town last year, so I wanted to briefly show Sam the sights before we moved on to San Pedro Sula.

On the (short) road between the border post and Copan Town, we drove past CI's relatively new Western Honduras community center. I knew they had established a program in Copan, but I didn't know exactly where. Later, I learned that they've got about 1,000 sponsored kids in the area, but their goal is to be able to accommodate 3,000.

It was about 10:30am when our van arrived in town. Since we were still burdened with suitcases full of heavy gifts, we hired a tuk-tuk taxi* to take us to our hostel.

*Just as a note of interest, tuk-tuks are small "auto rickshaws" used for short distance transportation. The name originated in Asia (probably Bangkok), and I find it odd that other countries – such as Honduras and The Netherlands – have adopted both the vehicles and the term "tuk-tuk". I would expect them to come up with more culturally fitting names for their versions.

Our day started out badly, when halfway to the hostel Sam realized he'd left one of his bags behind. Our 'guide' took him on a mad dash back to the bus station, and eventually they tracked the suitcase down at a different hostel with some of our fellow collectivo passengers. We were now indebted to this man and his tuk-tuk, and he welded himself to us for the remainder of the day (and night).

I took Sam on a zip-line canopy tour, and to see the Mayan ruins. I had a grandiose plan that we would float down the river to the ruins on inflatable tubes. This scheme was thwarted by two insurmountable obstacles:

1. Sam forgot to bring his tube.

2. The river flows in the opposite direction of the ruins.

We had to take our friend's tuk-tuk to the entrance.

When it was time to return to town, I wanted to share one tube and float BACK on the river. No dice. We discovered that there is a high fence built around the ruins, with strands of barbed wire along the top. This is presumably to keep tourists from sneaking into the ruins without paying the $15 entrance fee, not to prevent honest ticket holders from accessing the river afterward.

We pre-paid our tuk-tuk driver to pick us up at 5:30 the next morning to catch a 6am bus to San Pedro Sula. Hint: Don't do that. When our driver had not appeared by 5:45, we jogged to the main square in search of alternate transport. Nope, none around so early. When we eventually flagged someone down, it was our apologetic driver out looking for us. We loaded the tuk-tuk, and he got us to the station just in time to see our bus disappear over the bridge. Fortunately, we had planned for such a contingency. Really, we were aiming to take the 7am bus!

Arriving in San Pedro Sula around 10:30am (again), we took a taxi from the bus depot to the hotel where we would be meeting Victor later in the day. I didn't want to admit the name of our hotel to the taxi driver … but there was no other option. I was hesitant for good reason, because when the man found out that his filthy backpacker passengers were staying at one of the best hotels in the city, he quoted us $40 for the ride into town. When we pulled up to our hotel, I 'tattled' to the bell boy. He approached the taxi driver on our behalf and politely informed him that we would be paying the usual rate of $5, instead of the 'rich, dumb tourist' fare.

Unless you are insistent upon opening doors for yourself, there's nothing bad to be said about the Real Intercontinental Hotel of San Pedro Sula. They will treat you like royalty, and your stay will be completely comfortable. The restaurant is good, and the swimming pool will cool you down at the end of a long, hot day. The hotel is located directly next door to a modern shopping mall, providing you with easy access to a movie theater and food court. Of course, you could sponsor a child for 6 months for the price of one night's stay at Intercontinental.

Alternatively, try staying at Dos Molinos B&B, only 300 meters away from the Intercontinental. Basic rooms for two rent out at $25 per night, plus you get to eat breakfast with the family in the morning. Luis, the proprietor, will pick you up from or drive you to the bus station/airport. My dad and I stayed at Dos Molinos last February, and we were quite satisfied.

But, since Victor was willing to share the extra bed in his room, Sam and I dumped our bags at the Intercontinental and grabbed one of their honest taxis. Our destination was CI's new central office … which the taxi driver couldn't find.

After stopping for directions, we arrived at the CI office, where we were greeted warmly. We enjoyed a tour, and I was reunited with my friends Miriam and Jessica, our hostesses from last year's visit.

The new office is truly astounding! It is beautiful, modern, and air-conditioned – a vast improvement from the previous office. The best part is that CI owns the land and the building, whereas they were renting at the other location. Much of the construction material was donated, and by using local labor, the office was affordable to build.

Now for the downside … the office is not located in a very "nice" area of the city. In fact, it's way off the edge of the tourist map that Intercontinental gives its guests. Obviously, real estate in the more central parts of town comes at a premium that CI doesn't want to pay. Unfortunately, some problems with crime occurred, and CI has been forced to hire a 24-hour guard for the building. His gun is HUGE.

(Don't worry, this is not a building where any of the children come. It's exclusively offices for program administrators and letter translators.)

Nothing much else happened that day. We shopped (read other post), saw a movie, and connected with Victor after he finally arrived. We spent the evening at the mall buying even MORE stuff to give to our boys the next day.

Mack's 2010 Trip #4 – No Greasy Chicken!

A post from Mack:

When we finished shopping, we drove to the central park to meet up with the families of Steve's child, Blanca, and Robyn's child, Wilmer. This get-together had been postponed back in January, and finally the kids were having their day out.

I thought the plan was to eat lunch in the park, but the sky started to sprinkle as we pulled up. Gladys jumped out and located the kids, then herded both families into our van. It was a tight fit to squeeze everyone inside, but nobody minded lap-sitting. The newcomers were: Blanca, her mother, and her two sisters + Wilmer, his mother, his 5-year-old brother, and his infant sister.

I was surprised when James dropped us off in front of an expansive McDonald's restaurant. No greasy chicken for us, Steve – so, HA!

The McDonald's had a nice courtyard with a fountain. The sky had cleared, so we began moving tables together so we could sit outside. Just as we'd secured the correct number of chairs, the rain started back up. We retreated to the covered patio, and again began pushing together tables and chairs.

It was decided that we would go inside to order our food in family groups, starting with Wilmer's. While the boys were gone, I passed out gift bags to keep the girls entertained. When Wilmer and his brother returned, they received their soccer-themed bags. In exchange, both Blanca and Wilmer gave me the "Thank You" cards they had made earlier on the expectation that we would have a fun day together. It's a good thing we DID have fun, or it would have been a tragic waste of glitter!

The annoyingly indecisive sun popped out again, so I herded those who had finished eating (or who had not yet ordered) back out into the courtyard to take photos in front of the fountain, and also with a plastic replica of Ronald the Clown. Everyone enjoyed posing, and they all brought out their cell phones to snap their own sets of pictures. I felt a little jealous that not only did the sponsored families have better phones than mine, but they also know how to use the features! Seriously, though, I'm glad they have a way to stay connected from their remote homes, but I really hope that the service plans in Guatemala are cheaper than ours are in the States. Otherwise, having a phone could easily use up a third of the family's monthly income.

Sam was quite popular with the ladies – all of the mothers wanted to be photographed with him … then Blanca and her sisters … then the CI staff members (except for James).

Once the Big Macs and McFlurries were all eaten, I passed out the bubble wands I'd brought for each of the kids. We had a bubbly good time playing outside (check out the videos on LiftOne later) … until the rain returned once more. Hurray for the indoor McDonald's Play Place! Double hurray for age limits that weren't enforced!

Wilmer was the life of the party with his crazy antics. In an early photo session, a CI staff member made the mistake of telling him to say "whiskey" (instead of "cheese"). For the rest of the day, the boy would randomly shout out "Whiskey!" at regular intervals – whether or not a camera was pointed in his direction. Wilmer was full of high spirits and funny dances. Everybody laughed when he took a drink straight out of the fountain, and when he tied his seat belt around his neck like a noose. Yes, as far as I know, Wilmer survived our day out … but possibly with a stomachache later from the unpurified water.

Blanca and her siblings get along better than any set of sisters I've ever met before. I don't know what the situation is like in the privacy of their home, but all I saw was love and happiness among the family. And they were constantly laughing about something … although most of the time I wasn't sure what was so funny (probably my ridiculous-looking sunscreen!). I do know that the sisters thought it was hilarious when one of them asked how long it takes to get from the United States to Guatemala, and I answered "Four hours by plane, or three weeks riding horses." That's assuming the horses are strong swimmers.

The kids were allowed to play for a long time, and 3 o'clock (the hour I was told we'd be taken back to our hostel) came and went. Eventually, the CI staff decided they'd better wrap things up if they wanted to get home before dark. Most of them needed to return all the way back to Guatemala City! I really appreciate the personal sacrifices the CI staff members always make to ensure that sponsors have plenty of time with their kids.

We dropped off Nicty and her family first, and I said my sorrowful farewells (with promises to return someday). Next, we drove to Wilmer's town, and then to Blanca's. In both cases, we did not go to the kids' actual homes, but dropped them off somewhere within walking distance. Finally, the staff got rid of me and Sam so they could get on with their own lives (hopefully clocking overtime hours?). Sam and I arranged our bus tickets for the next day, then went out to eat. I'd only ordered a pie at McDonald's because I didn't want to be distracted from my picture-taking by food consumption. After dinner, we tried to find our way back to our hostel in the dark. We wandered for a couple of hours – covering pretty much the whole city of Antigua – before we gave in and flagged down a taxi.

Mack's 2010 Trip #3 – The Antigua Shopping Expedition

A post by Mack:

Antigua is definitely the place to sponsor a kid, because the city has NO BIG MALLS! On the one hand, it's fun for the children to visit a modern shopping complex, where they probably don't often buy things, but money goes SO much further in the local marketplaces.

First, I asked that we stop at a grocery store. I had brought Nicty many "fun" items, and wanted to invest some money into useful life necessities. Our driver, James, pulled us up to the back entrance of a supermarket, and as we entered, Sam and I recognized it as the same place where we had bought our dinner (peanut butter, jelly, and bread) the night before. This was good, because we already knew our way around + what cool stuff was on sale.

I lifted Nicty up into the shopping cart so I could push her around the jam-packed aisles. It was very hard to maneuver as a group in the crowded supermarket, so we all scattered in different directions to collect the things Nicty's family needed. We filled up the cart with beans, pasta, rice, sugar, cereal, powdered milk, laundry soap, diapers, toilet paper, etc. Nicty was pretty much buried alive by the time we were done!

At the end, I wanted to hit the cookie and candy aisles for some treats, but it was difficult to convince Nicty to choose anything sugary and fun. I don't know if she felt overwhelmed by the options, or if she simply couldn't breathe underneath all of the other groceries! Heidy helped me find a few things that she knew her sister would like.

We headed for the check-out counter, where I was able to pay with a credit card and save my cash-on-hand. The total for all of the groceries and supplies came out to just slightly more than I paid last year to buy each of my two boys a single pair of shoes at the mall in Honduras.

James pulled the van up to the front of the store, so that we could load the boxes and climb inside. We started off, then stopped aburptly because the women realized that they had forgotten their purses at the bag check counter at the other side of the store!

Next, I wanted to visit the sprawling local marketplace to find some clothes for Brian and Heidy. I'd brought numerous outfits for Nicty already, and I was surprised at how well they all fit her. I bought her size 6 (because she is almost six) on the advice of an employee at Wal-Mart … but I was very dubious. The clothes were so tiny, and I just couldn't imagine a person being that small! Shows how much I know about kids.

We entered through the artisans market, where locally made crafts are sold to tourists. What a coincidence, the mother of one of my CI hostesses was the proprietor of a booth in the main square! After we were introduced, I said I would buy some goods from her stand (I wasn't asked to do this, just to make it clear that the CI staff aren't coercing visitors to support their family members!). I thought it was cool that the woman (sorry, I can't remember her name!) was able to visit with her mom in the middle of a work day. The only problem was that the booth only sold touristy stuff, and the last thing I needed was souvenirs to add to my overloaded duffel bag. Fortunately, Nicty's family was able to find some things that they could use … Heidy got red earrings to match the Zoo York t-shirt I had brought her (which she was wearing), Nicty fell in love with a backpack shaped like a turtle, and I bought Brian a toy drum to bang on. Brian, by the way, loves to make noise. Every time we got back into the van after a stop, he would scream his silly little head off!

We wandered away from the "touristy" part of the marketplace, into the area where the citizens of Antigua buy their clothes and such. We shopped for Brian first, and then for Heidy. At one stall, Nicty found a pair of jeans that she really, really wanted. According to her mother, the pants cost too much, and she wouldn't allow me to buy them. Nicty refused to give up the jeans, until Gladys told her about the surprise that I had planned – I was going to let her pick out a piñata for her 6th birthday party the next month. Gladys told Nicty (paraphrased): "Hand over those jeans, or no piñata for you, young lady!" The choice was easy for Nicty, and we departed in search of piñatas.

I guess beating cute animals with sticks is a huge deal in Central America, because the piñata selection was plentiful and impressive! I steered Nicty away from the ones that were twice her size (who needs THAT much candy?) and encouraged her to choose one only 2/3rds her height. She spent the rest of the shopping trip 'bonding' with this giant yellow rabbit. I wonder if she will have the heart to bash in her new friend's head with a stick when her birthday arrives? I also wonder if the kids will be able to resist eating the filler candy before October 6?

Next, we meet up with Steve's child, Blanca, and Robyn's child, Wilmer …

Mack's 2010 Trip #2.2 – Nicty Meets a Friendly Ghost

Pst by Mack:

When we arrived at the house, I was pleased to discover that Nicty has a very decent place to live (by Guatemalan standards). Her home is in a small, enclosed compound that accommodates six families (all or mostly relatives, I believe). Each family has a single-room house, and they all share a communal kitchen, bathroom, and medium-sized courtyard. Nicty's small home contains a mirrored dresser, a table, and two beds – more than adequate for a family of four (again, by Guatemalan standards). I'm glad that Nicty has a safe, dry place to live, with plenty of cousins and other kids on hand to play with!

Inside the house, I unloaded the gifts that I'd brought for Nicty and her siblings. Heidy was most excited about the wrist watch I gave her, and Nicty loved her Minnie Mouse doll. I didn't have much for Brian, as I was unaware of his actual age when I packed, but he was perfectly happy to take possession of the candy I'd given to his big sisters, trying in vain to rip open the bag with his teeth. Another jealousy issue arose when Nicty decided that she was the rightful owner of the lip gloss set that I had brought for Heidy. She didn't throw a tantrum, but simply clutched the package to her chest and smiled sweetly as she refused to relinquish the lip gloss back to her big sister. I can only assume that the two of them worked it out later.

After the gift distribution, Sam and I stepped outside so that Nicty could try on the clothes I brought her and pick which ones to wear on our shopping expedition. This gave me time to pass out lollypops to the other little children in Nicty's community. Whenever you visit a sponsored child, it helps to come bearing candy – there are always lots of other kids around!

To be continued …

Mack's 2010 Trip #2.1 – Nicty Meets a Friendly Ghost

Post by Mack:

Gladys, of Children International Guatemala, arrived at our hostel promptly at the agreed-upon hour of 9am. I was ALMOST ready to leave, but not quite, as I was stressing out over rubbing my sunscreen in properly.

I had a little incident earlier this year with skin cancer on my face, so I wanted to be extra cautious while basking in the Central American sunshine. A friend sent me a link to the Environmental Working Group's 2010 sunscreen guide (http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen), and I'd invested a couple hours prior to my trip on researching and determining the best skin protection I could afford. I ordered some all-natural (and vegan!) cream, but upon application found myself looking like a zombie extra from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. Already pale to begin with, I was afraid that my death-like complexion would terrify poor Nicty!

As I struggled with my sunscreen (entirely unaware that it was going to rain most of the day, anyhow), Sam kindly helped to load my many bags of gifts into the CI van. A few minutes later, we were off to the local community center to meet Nicty!

First, a little bit about "my" sponsored child, Nicty, for those who don't know her:

She is 5 years old – about to turn 6 in October. She is technically my father's sponsored child … he pays the fees, but I make sure that he writes to her regularly and I handle the mailing of letters and packages.

On the other end, Nicty's big sis, Heidy (age 12), does the same thing. She writes letters to my father on her young sister's behalf. I was looking forward to meeting Heidy, as I consider her my colleague in Correspondence Assistance. I also wanted to inquire about the correct spelling of our little girl's name, as CI calls her "Nicty", but Heidy always writes "Nicti" … but, umm, I forgot to ask. However, I've decided to use "Nicty", because when I came home yesterday, I found a letter from Heidy waiting for me … she used both "Nicti" and "Nicty" this time around, so I guess the name can go either way?

Now, that the Nicti/Nicty debacle has been addressed, on with the story …

We soon arrived at the community center to be immediately greeted by the vivacious Nicty. She is a very animated and outgoing little girl, and there were no shyness issues as she hurled herself first into my arms, then into Sam's. We met the rest of the family: Nicty's mother, Heidy, and Brian, the 18 month old brother. While the others waited downstairs, Nicty tagged along during our tour of the community center (videos to one day appear on LiftOne).

Before we piled into the van, I first wanted to show Nicty a short video I had taken of my father and his dog at the park, so she could understand who her REAL sponsor is. Because there is no sound during playback on my camera, I had memorized a Spanish script so I could narrate along with the movie. When I came to the part about the dog liking to chase rabbits in the park, I got flustered and stumbled on the word "conejos" (rabbits). Instead, I said a more familiar word that flowed off my tongue a bit more naturally – "cojones". Yep, you all know what THAT means! Gladys was quick to correct my verbal slip-up before the family became too confused!

The "plan" was to take Nicty's family shopping, meet up with some other sponsored kids for lunch, then return to visit Nicty's home at the end of the day. After some further inquiry, I determined that we'd be better off going to the house first, to drop off the gifts I'd brought before loading up the van with even MORE purchases. Gladys was dubious about the change in agenda ("Just how much are you planning to buy???"), but left the decision up to me. It turned out to be for the best that we go to Nicty's home first, because:

1. 1. We could have NEVER packed everyone into that van along with all of the gifts/purchases.

2. 2. Since Nicty's family was dropped off first at the end of the day, the other kids would have had to wait for a long time in the van while I was showed around the home.

3. 3. Nicty was overdressed in a hot sweat suit, and the trip to her home provided an opportunity for everybody to change clothes.

to be continued...

Mack's 2010 Trip #1 – Getting to Guatemala

A Post by Mack:

Hi, all!

I got home yesterday, but I'm very sick. I don't know how quickly I will be able to produce these trip reports, but I'll give it my best shot.

As many of you know, the visit I just made to my sponsored children was a "replacement trip" for the one I missed back in January due to illness and other complications. Good things come to those that wait, I guess, because my second visit attempt this year was planned to be more adventurous, rather than just a quick in-and-out affair. Instead of travelling mostly alone (but meeting up with Victor in Honduras), I arranged to go with a friend, and also to spend some time in Nicaragua (a new country for me) after the child visits.

My first step was to connect with my friend, Sam, in NYC, so we could fly together to Central America. Unfortunately, I was restricted to using Frequent Flyer miles, which offered no availability to JFK at such short notice. I began searching for an open FF flight to ANYWHERE on the Eastern seaboard, and Boston turned out to be the big winner. I took an overnight flight to Beantown, then relied on JetBlue Airlines for cheap one-way transport to JFK. I allowed myself four hours between the two flights (in case of complications), so I had plenty of time for a leisurely stroll – pushing a cart piled high with luggage – from Terminal A to Terminal C.

Here are a few airport security tips:

1. If you are transporting big bags of batteries to power children's toys, remove them from your carry-on before you run it through the x-ray machine. The guards don't like bags full of batteries.

2. Don't let Barbara (WorldTraveller) talk you into taking a pretty crystal knick-knack to her girl in Guatemala. The guards think that pretty knick-knacks are far too bomb-like to pass by without through inspection.

3. If you DO transport a gift for Barbara, don't carry it in a pretty box tied with a big bow. Otherwise, you will have to re-tie the big bow after each suspicious bomb-scare (3 times, in my case.).

When I got to New York (two hours late because of a delayed cheap JetBlue flight), Sam was waiting for me at our hotel. We headed first to Central Park, where I had some business to attend to, and then we hit the closest Target store to shop for our kids.

We took TACA Airlines from NYC to Guatemala. This is a reliable and affordable (keep an eye out for specials) airline to use if you are travelling to Central or South America, but they fly out of only a handful of select U.S. cities. Check their website to see if you live close enough. I don't.

One great thing about TACA is that they allow a whopping TWO free bags! Hence our visit to Target to take full advantage of this generosity. However, our Target shopping experience was less than successful. This particular store was a mess! Pretty much all of the merchandise was in one huge pile in the middle of the floor, and you had to dig through and wrestle with other shoppers to grab the items you needed. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the place was extremely disorganized. I hate shopping in the best of circumstances, and this Target was so frustratingly crowded and confusing that I just gave up. The one cool thing about the store was that it was the first place either Sam or I had seen an escalator with a mechanism for moving shopping carts to the second floor. That was fun to play with.


Our shopping took longer than anticipated, so we headed straight to Manhattan to catch a Broadway show without going back to the hotel to drop our bags. After some research, we decided that we couldn't afford Broadway, so we settled for "Off" instead.

The next morning, we enjoyed a pleasant flight to Guatemala City, with a brief layover in San Salvador. Our goal was to spend as little time in violence-ridden GC as possible, which was easy since my sponsored child is lucky enough to live outside of beautiful Antigua, about 45 away. We arranged for someone from our hostel to pick us up at the airport and drive us straight to Antigua. He graciously slowed down for me to take photos of Pizza Huts, which was all that the big city had to offer me.

I'm sure that you've all been following the storm situation in Guatemala. At the time of our visit, many major roads were closed due to mud slides. We were fortunate that the route between GC and Antigua was not affected.

We stayed at Casa Bellona, a quiet hostel on the edge of the city. The owner, Danielle, was very helpful and friendly. A basic private room with shared bathroom cost us $22 per night (Dorms = $8 a bed). A good breakfast of cereal, fruit, and toast is included

Letters from the girls!

Dear Mack F,

Greetings to you and your family. Mercy is fine and growing well. Mercy was happy to hear about your grandmother who will be 80 years old and wishes her many more returns. Mercy liked the pictures you sent to her and said they look so lovely. And for the photos of her family you will be sent. More greetings from Mercy and the family.

From Cecilia, mother

Dear Sponsor Jim,

I am greeting you with lots of love and hoping you are in good health with your family. Nicti would like to give you a strong hug and she is very happy for the pictures, stickers, Christmas card. She is very happy and she thanks God and you for remembering her. She tells you that it is cold now, and she is very happy for the Christmas presents. She would like that you can visit her one day and that if it comes true, she will be waiting for you with open arms. She says so long with a hug and a kiss.

Clara, mother

*In a separate envelope, we received an updated progress report which indicates that Nicti's father has abandoned the family.

Direct Package to Katherine in Ecuador

Mack wrote:

Here are the photos/letters we received after sending a package to Katherine in Ecuador. This was not the large box that got held hostage by customs, but a simple flat-rate envelope that I mailed in October for Katherine's 8th birthday. I always enjoy the letters that Katherine's mother writes, because they are so detailed and creative:


Hello Jim Miller!

Katherine is very happy for receiving your gifts. She wore the bracelets and started dancing like Shakira, the singer. She will wear the socks when she goes out to stroll. She will do her homework on the board, and will use the hair accessories to style her hair because she has long hair. She will play with the punch balloon. She will also play in the patio with the paddle ball. She gave the set of pens to her sister. She liked the card and the photos. She will keep them in the wardrobe. Thank you very much for the gifts we received. Katherine is healthy and hopes you and your family are fine.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for being a wonderful sponsor! I say goodbye with a strong hug – Katherine’s mother.

A Look Back 2009 Part 1

#1 Janet was the first child ever to receive our group's donations! Janet is Robyn's sponsor child. She lives in Zambia. She was in great need of the items in order to start school. Luckily, we were able to provide them just in time! She even received a bed and food items!

We raised: $215 by 4/19/09

Janet received:

1 –Bag of rice,
1- Bag of Mealie Meal,
1- Container of cooking Oil
1 - Bag of Sugar
1 - Blanket
1 – Bed
1 – Uniform
1 - School Bag
1 - Pair of shoes
1 – Miscellaneous bags of Beans, Flour, Groundnuts
1 – Kapenta (sardines)

#2 Miguel is Barbara sponsor child in Mexico. He was sharing a bed with his parents, and desperately needed a bed of his own.

We raised: $215 by 4/30/09

Miguel received:

1 Bed

1 Chest of drawers

1 Bedspread

1 Set of bedsheets

1 Pair of shoes

#3 Katherine is Jim's sponsor child who lives in Ecuador. She was in need of nutritional supplies and a bed to keep her healthy.

We raised: $200 by 5/2/09

Katherine received:

1 Blender
3 Pediasure bottles
1 Portable gas stove
1 Full size mattress
1 Bed sheets

Letters from the Children

From Katherine's mom:
We feel so happy for the letter and pictures of your family and pets, also stickers. We will put it in a photo frame in the living room in order that it looks very nice. She (Katherine) loves animals, especially the dogs and cats. She had a rabbit and she called it Sebastian, but she is allergic to animals so she had to give it to another person. In other opportunity we will send you some pictures together with the family. She would like to know if you have seen Guayaquil. We invite you to come to know the place where we live, and also we will be able to show you nice places. I thank you deeply for being a wonderful sponsor!
I say goodbye with a big hug,

Katherine's mother

From Mercy's mom:

Mercy is fine and the family. She is happy with your sponsorship. She is enjoying school, though it is very cold here and windy. She likes playing with her friends, dish washing and clearing the table after meals. Thank you for the support to Mercy.
Yours, Mercy's mother

Letter from Nicti's sister:
Dear Sponsor Jim!
Nicti Janeth sends you loving greetings, wishing that you are fine beside your family. She tells you that she got the letter and card and the beautiful pictures from you. She says that she is happy because you remember her. She tells you that you have a beautiful family and nice dogs and cats. She has not seen a snake before until now that you sent the picture to her. She loves you very much.
She says so long to you sending you many hugs.
Heidy Abigail

I Know the task can seem DAUNTING

Do you feel like what you are doing is not making a difference? Right now, especially during these slow fundraising months, it can be hard to remember that we have already done so much!! Funds are only trickling in for our projects, as opposed to the flood of money we had just a few months ago.
This post is to keep you from feeling down about these slow months. REMEMBER, we have already helped 13 children and their families with our previous projects, and we did it all in a span of 5 months!!! That is incredible!!
August is the slowest month for contributions of all of the months of the year. Right now it seems even worse because the projects we are trying to fund are larger than the previous ones. Luckily, we are halfway through August, and contributions will get even better as we approach the holiday season.
For now, we just have to do the best we can with what we have, and remember that we have done a lot already. There are children out there sleeping on beds that we purchased; children who are healthier because of nutritional supplements we provided; children that have clothes on their backs because of us; children's parents who now will be able to better provide for their children because we have provided them with a business of their own that they would never have been able to afford had it not been for us... I just want everyone to see that even if you only were able to donate a few dollars, it DID make a difference!!!
These are the 2 current projects that are in need of donations to complete. I hope we can complete these this month, so that the families will get the money in September. I can't speak for everyone, but I currently find myself in a VERY tight financial spot! Donate what you can, when you can, and little by little, penny by penny, we WILL make a difference!! On my next pay day, which is still a week away, I plan to add a few more dollars to the fundraisers. I know it won't be much, but I know $5 or $10 less in my pocket (or to my bills) will have a much bigger impact on the familes that we help than it will in my wallet... Of course, I am not condoning debt. I do think that we can all find ways to pinch a penny or two :0)
If any one would like to submit any of their new and exciting ways to pinch pennies for the benefit of our children, shoot me an e-mail. Once I get several ideas, I will post them here with the submitter's name.
Don't forget these children who have a chance to get their projects funded this month! If we can raise the money needed for them by August 31st, they will get the funds for their projects at the end of September!!

Nsenzeni's project needs $370 to provide a small business for her grandmother:
http://www.firstgiving.com/igp4nsenzeni
Angelito's project only needs $165, and his sponsor Tamara is offering a raffle ticket for each donation of $10. The winner will be able to choose a gift from her web-site valued at $100!!!
http://www.firstgiving.com/graduates2

I, also, wanted to update everyone on the success of finding sponsors. My blog readers are the BEST! If you don't believe that, just check out the list below... 4 children received sponsors because they were featured on this blog. I like featuring children on the blog for others because then, I get to see the children grow through pictures and letters as their sponsors send me the updates. There is another child that got a sponsor through the blog, but I don't have his picture. After the special needs feature last year, my sister-in-law decided she could take a child. She asked me to find her a child with a cranial-facial disorder. I contacted Ashley at CI (The same rep who hooked me up with the other children with special needs) and she gave my sister-in-law a filipino child named Feliciano.
I want to thank all of you who have donated and/or taken on a sponsor child from this blog!!!!

Alice stepped up to sponsor Paola's sister Tomasa after she saw the post that she was in need of a sponsor!!
Sarah became Maria Cristina's sponsor at the end of July!!! Maria Cristina will greatly benefit from the health benefits, thanks to Sarah!!

Katherine was featured almost a year ago, along with 3 other children with special needs. Katherine was scooped up by Alice immediately after she saw the post. After some financial difficulties for Katherine's sponsor Alice, Katherine was able to get another loving sponsor... Jim became Katherine's new sponsor. Alice is still able to watch Katherine's growth via this blog!!

Gladis was featured just a week ago. Her sad face touched Llahnna who has now made it her mission to change her frown into a smile. Llahnna is excited to be Gladis's new sponsor!

Fundraiser Project #3 Pictures!!!

Please list the gifts provided to child and family.

1 Blender

3 Pediasure bottles

1 Portable gas stove

1 Full size mattress

1 Bed sheets

1 Mattress transportation

What were the child's/family's comments when the gifts were delivered?

They felt very happy and thankful for the gifts received.

How will the gifts benefit the child and/or family?

The new mattress and bed sheets will allow the child sleep comfortable.

With the portable gas stove they will prepare the meals for the entirefamily. With the blender they will also be able to prepare juices for breakfast and the milk will help the child grow.

Letter from Katherine's mother, August 2009:
Hello dear sponsor,
We feel very happy for receiving a blender to prepare the juices before she goes to school. We also received a portable gas stove to cook her meals. She and her younger sibling will sleep on the mattress, and the bed sheets for her new mattress. The Pediasure milk is so she can get stronger. We thank you for sending her all of these things that are useful for my child and family. The foundation is sending pictures with the donation received. She would like to meet you even by photo and know more about you by means of letters. We feel very happy and thankful.

Letters from the kids

Yessica in Guatemala City wrote:
Dear Heather:
I thank you for the letter and three pictures that you sent me. I am very happy with all that you have sent me. I feel very happy that you work in the hospital, and I like the babies. I pray that God allows you to go on with your work. My family and I are fine, and so is my education. I am fine thanks to the support that you send me. I will have time off at school soon. I say goodbye with a strong hug.
Yessica

Henry in Cartagena, Colombia wrote:
Dear Heather
My family and I hope that you and your family are well. We are doing fine. We have one week of vacation for holy week (semana santa). I am playing a lot, watching t.v., and doing my homework.
Thank you for your letters and for always thinking of us. I wish you and your family a lot of blessings.
With nothing more, I say goodbye
with a lot of love,
Henry

Leydi from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic wrote:
Thank you for your pretty letter. I like that you write to me. I love you very much. I am doing very well in school. How great that you work in the hospital. Thank you for worrying about me. with a lot of affection, thank you for the stickers.
Leydi

Katherine is one of the children that I was looking for a sponsor for. Jim (Mack's father) is now her sponsor. She was in my account for about a week or so. I wasn't sure if I would find her a sponsor, so I sent her a letter in that time. Her mother responded with the longest most detailed letter I have ever seen. This letter is posted here for Jim to enjoy!:
Dear Mrs "(last name removed):
It is a big joy to be a part of the sponsorship program provided by Children International! Your sponsored child's name is (here she lists Katherine's name in its entirety). I will tell you some things about her so that you can know each other much better. Let me tell you that I am so proud that you have accepted my daughter as your sponsored child. She is a seven-year-old girl. She has brown eyes and brown hair. She is restless. She enjoys dancing, painting, playing and going to the park and coutryside in order to see the animals, especially the iguanas. Her favorite foods are: chicken soup, rice with beans and meat. She likes maracuya juice. She likes all kinds of fruits, especially watermelon. She is attending school now. She is in Pre-school (equivalent to 1st basic year in Ecuador), but she can't write yet. She has four older sisters and she sleeps with her sister because she is the last one. I say goodbye with affection,
Miriam, your sponsored child's mother

Regine from the Phillippines wrote to Efrain. Here is the letter Efrain wrote back to her,as well as the letter she wrote to him:
I just sent a letter to Regine. This is what I wrote to her, what I surround with parenthesis is not part of the actual letter:
May 14, 2009
Dear Regine,
Kumusta ka? Mabuti naman ako. (How are you? I'm very fine.)
I am extra happy to receive your letter. This was what you wrote:
“Dear Sr. Efrain Caro,“A blessed day to you and to your family. I have received a letter from you and I am happy writing to you once again. As you were asking, yes. I always wanted to write to you. I am fine and doing good in school. I am study my lesson very hard to got high grades in my reportcard. I am excited to be in grade next school year. I am sad that your workplace will closed but promise that I will pray hard for your upcoming business. Congratulation in advance. Regards and thank you for your letter. Hope to hear from you again.“Love,“Regine"
That’s your letter word by word. (I deleted her last name to protecther identity)
I’m happy to know that you are a good student. Continue to learn what they teach you. What you learn is what you will take with you from school when you graduate. That’s what matters.Maraming salamat (thank you very much) for your congratulations on my upcoming business and for your prayers. I am trying a few Filipino words in this letter. Nakakaintindi ako ngkonting Tagalog. (I can understand a little Tagalog.) I hope that sentence is well written. The course I’m taking teaches to talk Tagalog, but not to write it. I hope to go visit you somewhere this year or maybe next year. I’m not very good on speaking English; my native language is Spanish; so I hope that knowing a little Tagalog makes a difference. Take good care of yourself. Your loving sponsor, Efraín
That was my letter to Regine. In order to put her "yes" reply in context, this is what I have previously written to her:
"Would you like me to write more often? I remember that when I was a child, time seemed to pass much slower than now. I suppose it’s the same with you. Maybe by the time you get a new letter of mine, it seems centuries since the last time you wrote."