Leydi's Christmas 2008 Package

Leydi's package was sent to her on 10/27/08. It arrived at the office on 12/2/08 and was delivered to her just in time for Christmas! (12/9/08) I got the thank you letters and pictures yesterday (the same day that I got Dulce's). I don't remember everything that I put in the package, so this is what it says on the package follow-up letter:
1 letter
1 photo album (with her pictures in it)
3 post cards
2 books
1 paint set
6 shirts
1 coat
1 pack of socks
1 map
The comment at the bottom says, "The child got very happy with the gifts, and gave thanks to the sponsor for them."
Here is what her short letter said:
Thank you for the nice gifts and letter that you sent me. The photo album with my pictures, 3 post cards, story books, paint set, shirts, coat, socks and map. Thank you so much. May God bless you~ Leydi

Dulce's Christmas 2008 Package

Dulce's package was sent to her on 10/27/08. It arrived at the office on 12/2/08 and was delivered to her just in time for Christmas! (12/15/08) I got the thank you letters and pictures today. I don't remember everything that I put in the package, so this is what it says on the package follow-up letter:
1 letter
2 books
3 postcards
1 photo album (with her photos in it)
1 paint set
1 map
1 coat
6 shirts
It says "The child is very happy with all of her gifts."
Now, here is her letter:
How are you? I am well and very thankful for the letter, geography book, the 3 postcards, the paint set, the photo album, the coat, and the 6 shirts. Thank you. Everything is very pretty. May God bless you and your family. May the new year be full of blessings for you and your family. A big kiss~ Dulce

And, now you know why they call her "sweet" :0)

The school year

Greg from CI posted the school year schedule on the forum, but I wanted to put it here as a reference to look back to. I didn't know there were so many differences:

Chile: March - December

Colombia: 2 Semesters: February to June, and July to November.

Dominican Republic: September - June

Ecuador:
*Guayaquil: May - February
*Quito: Mid-Sept - Mid-June

Guatemala: January 15 - October 31

Honduras: February - November

India: June - March

Mexico: September - June

Philippines: June - March

Zambia's school year begins in January and consists
of three terms. April, August and December are vacation months.

Our latest fundraiser

*Yellow shirt is available in sizes 2/4 & small
*Green shirt is available in sizes small, medium, and large
*Blue shirt is available in sizes 4/5 & small
*White shirt is only available in size 2/4

Something great will be happening in February. I am very excited about it. My biological daughter who is 4 will be on the CI home page. Her name is Jaden, and she is INCREDIBLE> I don't want to ruin the story for you, but let me just say this part. We have 4 sponsored children that have HIV/AIDS> It is very important that they keep their health at an optimal level at all times. Which means, they HAVE to take their meds at the same time everyday, take vitamins and supplements everyday, EAT everyday, get a good sleep EVERYDAY (etc.) So, Jaden decided (on her own) that she is going to buy a bed for all 4 of the sick children, so they can stay healthy. She has a jar of coins that she is collecting for the purpose. Plus, I helped her set up an Ebay fundraiser for the same purpose. She is selling Wiggles t-shirts. So, if you find yourself in need of a Wiggles shirt, look no further! They start in child's size 2/4 (2 & 3 year old size) to child's size large (about a 10, 11, or 12 year old size). This is the WORST time to sell on Ebay, so I hope there are some Wiggle fans out there!! The Ebay button is in the upper right hand corner of the blog. I will keep everyone posted on the progress on the fundraiser. Right now, she has a little over $30 in coins, and she is just starting with the shirts. One of the children only needs $116 to buy a new bed!! If you know of someone with small children who might be interested, please pass it on. You can, also, order them directly which would mean more money would go to the cause. Each shirt cost us $1.08, so anything over that goes to the beds. For direct buys, you can purchase the shirts for $5 a piece + $2 shipping. Each additional item is $1 for shipping. For every shirt sold, $4 will go to the purchase of beds!!
Here is the breakdown of bed costs:

Dulce~ $116

Diego~ $207

Jonathan~ $181
*we are waiting for a report back from CI about how much Leydi's bed will be, and if she needs one. This is the way that Jaden has it set up for bed distribution in the order of who will receive their bed first (according to Jaden):
1. Leydi
2. Jonathan
3. Dulce
4. Diego
However, if we raise the $116 before we hear back from CI, we will swap out Leydi and Dulce, so that Dulce can get her bed while we wait for word back from CI> But, that is not the way Jaden wants it done, so we will see if we can get a fast response.

Thanks everyone!

Jonathan's Letter~ The Policeman in Training

Here is Jonathan's letter to me:
I am doing well. I thanks you for the stickers that you sent me. When I don't have classes, I go for a walk with my grandma. I, also, help clean the house and make the bed where I sleep. I live with my grandma and aunt. On the weekends, I play cars and soccer with the friends in the neighborhood. When I am big, I want to be a policeman. Thank you with all of my heart for being such a great sponsor! I say goodbye with a big hug. ~ Jonathan

A Letter From Leydi

As promised, here is the letter that I received from Leydi a few days ago. I am going to stop putting it in Spanish and English, just so that I can save some time:
Thank you for your letter. I am in school and I am in the 3rd grade. Say hi to your daughters and give them a hug for me. Thank you for wanting to know me. When I am not at school, I play with my dolls. I say goodbye ~ Leydi

Now, doesn't she just melt your heart? "Thank you for wanting to know me"!?!?! I can't wait to respond. I am hoping to send her a new doll for her birthday in June as well. She is only seven but in the 3rd grade. I will have to ask CI about that and make sure they got her age right. That happened to me before. They had messed up the age of one of children by 3 years!! Hopefully, she really is 7, and is just so smart that she advanced to the 3rd grade :0)

Henry's Thank you Letter Part 2

So, here is the picture that Henry made for me. And, now here is what his letter said:
Mi familia y yo esperamos que usted y los suyos se encuentren muy bien. Gracias por todo estos regalos estan muy bonitos. Ya estrene la cama ahora tambien voy a estrenar la cobija que recibi junto con los platos, los vasos, las toallas, el juego de damas y la carta. Ya Esneiver cumplio cinco años el 16 de septiembre. Le deseamos feliz navidad. Muchos besos para Jaden y Morgan. sin mas, me despido, con amor y cariño~ Henry
(My family and I hope that you and your family are well. Thank you for all of these pretty gifts. I already started using my bed, now I will be able to use the blanket that I received along with the plates, cups, towels, checkers game, and letter. Esneiver already turned 5 years old on September 16th. We wish you a Merry Christmas. Lots of kisses for Jaden and Morgan. Without anything else to say, I say good-bye. With love and affection~ Henry

Henry, Esneiver and their parents

Here is a picture of Henry, his brother Esneiver, and his parents in front of their home in Cartagena, Colombia.

One of Henry's Christmas Packages

Letter to follow tomorrow. Enjoy the pics!

First Letter from Leydi!!!

I have so much to blog about & no time to do it!! I got my first letter from Leydi today, so I will be posting it soon. I am hoping to have some time tomorrow. Stay tuned :0)

A thank you from Henry~

I got a thank you letter and pictures from Henry today for the package that I sent him in September. I can't wait to share it with you!! Hopefully, I will get a chance this weekend to upload the pics and drawing.

Katherine from Santiago, Dominican Republic

The picture I saw of her on the CI web-site on 8/22/07,

Katherine, grandma, and Adam

So, Henry is the sponsored child that I have had the longest~ Katherine comes in 2nd place. I began sponsoring her on 8/22/07. When I began sponsoring her, she was 3 years old. Her and Jaden are two months apart, and that is why I chose her. When they learn how to write, they can begin writing letters to each other. Katherine is already in school, even though she is only 4. Her mother usually writes the letters for her. At the beginning of her sponsorship, she was living with her mother and father. Later, her parents began to have marital problems. Katherine and her brother Adam who is 5 (and doesn't have a sponsor by the way~ hint, hint) were sent to live with their grandmother. Their grandmother continues to take care of them while their parents live in seperate cities and work to send money home. Their grandmother can not read or write, so Katherine has to wait until her mom visits in order to write me back or read my letters. Here is her bio:

Age: 4	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 6/8/2004
Height: 3 Feet 2 Inches		Weight: 36 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls, Running
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $150.00
6. Name of Father: Porfirio			Age: 31	Occupation: Factory Worker
(If not present, why?) Separated
7. Name of Mother: Katy Ant			Age: 27	Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Adam		Age 5	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Relatives
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: Living Room, Kitchen, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Portable gas stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Wood			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Dulce, another sweet letter

I probably have not mentioned this before in this new blog, so I will say it now: "Dulce" means sweet in Spanish. I just started sponsoring her 2 months ago. Actually, I got her along with three other children (Jonathan, Leydi, Katherine in Ecuador, and Dulce) only with the intention of finding the sponsors. Alice took Katherine (not the same Katherine that is on this blog~ an older one who lives in Ecuador), and Mack took Mercy, so that I could keep Jonathan. Dulce and Leydi are still technically looking for sponsors. In the meantime, I have sent them a Christmas package, and I have corresponded with them as often as I correspond with my other sponsored kids. Usually that means that I write 9 children twice a month (so, 18 letters a month). Sometimes they may get three letters in a month. Some of the kids write to me almost as much as I write to them, and others only write every now and then. This is my second letter from Dulce so far. I am still waiting on the pictures and letter from the Christmas gift that I sent her back in October. I can't wait to see those!!
This is her latest letter:

Hola! Estoy bien y mi familia tambien. Yo estoy muy agradecida de recibir su bella carta y esos lindos postales. Mi familia esta muy bien de salud. Tengo dos hermanos Carolin y Anthony. Mi familia y yo les mandamos un fuerte abrazo para usted y su familia y muchas bendiciones. ~ Dulce
(Hi! I am fine and so is my family. I am very grateful for your beautiful letter and pretty postcards. My family is healthy. I have two siblings Carolin and Anthony. My family and I send you and your family a big hug and lots of blessings. ~ Dulce

For some reason, I can't get the picture that she drew to upload... I will have to try again later.

What do you need to be happy?

Tonight, during my sleep-deprived venture on the internet (It is 12:50 AM, and I still can not fall asleep), I came across an article by The Everyday Cheapskate. I wanted to share what it says:

When people say they want happiness, what they’re really looking for is contentment, that feeling of satisfaction that does not go away once the carpet is a few months old, the car has lost its “newness” or the holidays are over. He went on to suggest that happiness is the result of a “happening” and when the event is over, the happiness goes away. The contentment we seek comes with satisfaction and fulfillment that are not tied to specific events but rather based upon things that do not change, like warm family relationships, connecting to God and expressions of sincere gratitude.
(http://www.cheapskatemonthly.com/ed_cheapskate.asp?ID=39220)

So, now you know why sponsoring brings a sense of contentment!! I thought that was very interesting, and now I have a way to explain why sponsoring a child feels so good. It is based on things that do not change. It is making a difference EVERYDAY in the life of a child and their family. It is something that will stay with me and with the children I sponsor for the rest of our lives~ A bridge between people half way across the world... People I have never met, but yet they are like family members that were always in my life since the beginning.

Henry ~ Cartagena Colombia~ The Artist

Henry's first picture. This is the picture that I saw on the CI web-site when I decided to sponsor him.
Henry's second picture came after about 6 months of sponsorship. He already looks happier.
Henry's latest after over 1 year of sponsorship. If his smile gets any bigger, his face might crack!



His 2007 Christmas package.






Of the 9 sponsored kids that I currently have, Henry is the one I have sponsored the longest, so I am going to start with giving information about him. I will provide information about all of my kids in the order that I began sponsoring them. Henry's sponsorship started on July 13, 2007. When I first started sponsoring him, his family lived on $25 or $35 a month! They, also, did not have a toilet. A lot has changed since then. His new update shows their income at $225 a month! They have a toilet, and more recently (for his birthday) he received a bed! The bed was a collaboration of fund raising efforts through Ebay and caring people. I am not sure how many packages I have sent him during his sponsorship. It may be around 7. The bed was the first thing he received by funds being sent to CI to purchase through his field office. Here is his personal bio:

Age: 8	Gender: M	Date of Birth: 10/28/2000
Height: 3 Feet 11 Inches		Weight: 46 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing soccer
Chores at Home: Sweeping, General housework
Talents or Hobbies: Drawing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $225.00
6. Name of Father: Deiver			Age: 28	Occupation: Baker
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Amalfi			Age: 28	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Esneiver Manuel		Age 5	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room, Bathroom
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Wood			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Dirt
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

He filled in a questionnaire about himself as well. I will post the results on this post as soon as I get a chance to transfer his responses.
I sent him 2 Christmas packages for 2008, but I have yet to get the photos and thank you letter. I will post those as soon as I get them on another post.

Leydi's Introductory letter written by her cousin

Leydi's first letter was written by her cousin. It says that she is too young to write. She is 7 years old. I am not sure how old her cousin is, but here is the letter:
Le estoy muy agradecida por haber elegido a Leydi como su niña apadrinada. Quien le escribe es Augustina la prima de Leydi. Ella es una niña muy educada. Le gusta jugar con su muñeca y con sus amiguitas. Se despide de Ud. ~ Augustina, la prima de Leydi
(I am very grateful that you chose Leydi as your sponsored child. The person who is writing to you is Augustina, Leydi's cousin. She is very polite. She likes to play with her doll and her little friends. I say goodbye~ Augustina, Leydi's cousin

*She listed her favorite colors as red, pink, yellow, and orange. The characteristics that she has are: quiet, playful, obedient, and loving

Coming soon, I am going to give more details about each child, so that I can have their info all on one blog... Stay tuned!

Sweet Letters from Dulce and Diego

I think I like having a blog dedicated to just my sponsored kids. I will add tags as a go along, so that you can follow the kids by their country or by their name.

Today I received 2 letters!! I received the first letter ever from Dulce in the DR. The other letter that I received was from Diego. It was his first introductory letter (I am trying to distinguish his first letter from the "thank you" letter that I received from him for the package. I received the thank you letter before the introductory letter~ if that makes any sense)...
So, This is what they said. Dulce wrote:

Le estoy muy agradecida por escojerme como su niña apadrinada. Estoy en segunda. Cuando no estot estudiando, ayudo a mi tía en los quehaceres de la casa. Estoy contenta de escribirte. Me encuentro bien al igual que mi familia. Besote~ Dulce
(I am very happy that you chose me to be your sponsored child. I am in the second grade. When I am not studying, I help my aunt with chores. I am very happy to be able to write to you. I am doing fine and so is my family. Big kiss~ Dulce)
*She included on the back of the page that her favorite subject is grammar, and she likes birthday parties.

This is what Diego wrote (this letter broke my heart):
Espero que se encuentre bien de salud en union de su familia. Estoy muy feliz de ser su nuevo ahijado. Estoy en tercero de primaria. Mi matería favorita es ingles. Me mejor amigo se llama Junior. Me gusta jugar al fútbol. Vivo con mi tía porque mi mamá y mi papá se murieron. Mi tía me quiere mucho y me da mucho valor para salir adelante. Sin más que contar, se despide~ Diego
(I hope that you and your family are well. I am very happy to be your new sponsored child. I am in 3rd grade in elementary school. My favorite subject is English. My best friend's name is Junior. I like to play soccer. I live with my aunt because my mom and dad died. My aunt loves me very much, and she gives me the strength to go on. Without more to say, I say goodbye~ Diego)
*He included on the back of the page that his best friends are his mom, dad and a girl. With his family, he likes to go for a walk, go to the beach, play sports, talk, clean the house and pray at church.

I, also, scanned their letters, but for some reason they won't upload. I will try again later & post them ASAP.

Katherine's 2008 Christmas Package

Welcome to my new blog for my sponsored children!!! To see past posts of the sponsored kids, please visit: http://www.ilovemykids08.blogspot.com/
From now on, all of my post about these special children will be on this blog. So, keep coming back, as I will post pictures, letters, and updates as I get them. We currently have 9 children, so the posts should be pretty regular...
Now about this post: Katherine's Christmas package was delivered to her on 11/7/08. The reason that I sent it early is because in 2007, her package didn't get to her until February, even though I sent it in November. At least this way she got it before Christmas and not after. CI gets busy around the holidays, so that is probably the reason it takes so long.
In this package to Katherine, I sent her clothes, the tie blanket I made for her, a Baby Alive Sin N Slurp doll, Princess paint set, sticker books, paper doll books, and a chalk board.

A Public Announcement

All posts related to my sponsored children will now be posted on this new blog. Stay tuned for updates. As a recap, here are the 9 sponsored children: