So excited about a couple of things and I can’t type fast enough to even tell you about them!

1) We received a letter from 5 year old Joan, one of our sponsored children living in Uganda, and an updated picture of her!

Here’s what Joan’s letter said:

11/15/2008
Dear Brittany,

Joan says hi to you. She is so happy to write to you once again. According to her, she is happy to inform you that the birthday gifts you sent she received and she bought a number of items.

The first gift she received was a general child gift of (X) she used for buying a dress, shoes, and stockings that is showed in the photo.

Then the second gift which was a birthday gift of (X) she used for buying a mattress.

She then sends her gratitude to you and the whole family members for the wonderful work you have done in her life.

More appreciation comes from Joan’s family, especially her mother. She says may God bless you so so much. In fact, words cannot express her joy.

Joan says if she was near, she would first come and carry the baby (Eleanor). In fact, she was so happy to see the photo of the baby at the age of two months.

Conclusively, she sends her love and greetings to the whole family- the children and their dad.

May God bless you mightily.

From your child, Joan (she even wrote her own name this time!!!)

I am brought to tears each time I read a letter from my sponsored children. I am reminded of how strong they are… that their faith is so much more solid than mine…that they have so much joy despite living in poor conditions…that they are so thankful! (I was just complaining that the kids’ toys were everywhere and I couldn’t see my carpet…toys - carpeting…does Joan have these things??? ) Can you imagine being 5 years old and buying a mattress for your birthday? I’ve always had a mattress…I never had to sleep in a hammock or on the dirt floor of my house. I am even more moved by her closing: …may God bless you mightily. What a strong word that is, mightily. God has indeed blessed Joan and her family with mighty faith and courage. I am so honored to know this little girl and her family!

2) TWO children from my packet that I received from Compassion have been sponsored: Dalya, who I featured already on this blog, & Vincent, a 7 year old Ugandan boy who I had not gotten to feature yet. (big THANK YOU to Bill in Texas!) I have 8 children left from my packets who need sponsorship and will continue to feature them on my blog. Remember, if you contact me (click the little purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog) and sponsor a child who I feature, I will gladly knit you a one of a kind “Compassion Pal:”

Lastly, if you are still searching around for those last minute Christmas gifts, please consider giving the gift of sponsorship. It is only $32/month…could you put aside 18 cents/working hour for a hungry child?? Just think - there will be two recipients if you do: your loved one…and a child who you helped get out from living in poverty.

Vaijayanthi is a six year old girl living with her mother & father, who are sometimes employed as laborers. She attends primary school and enjoys activities, such as walking, running, and listening to music. Vaijayanthi lives in a country where only 22% of people living in rural areas & 59% of people in urban areas use *tolerable* sanitation resources (in the USA, 100% of people use proper means of sanitation). In her country, only about 39% of its female students attend secondary school…click here to see why. This country is India. For only $32 a month - about 18 cents per working hour - you can sponsor Vaijayanthi and give her opportunities, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that she would otherwise never receive.

Facts about the India and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International)

To learn more about India, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Vaijayanthi…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get her packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send her back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you a “Compassion Pal”  - hand knitted by yours truly - when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Vaijayanthi from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Vaijayanthi’s life…forever.

Yunior is a five year old boy who lives in the Dominican Republic with his mother, who is sometimes employed as a laborer. He attends pre-school and has one sibling. Yunior likes playing with cars and, along with his fellow countrymen, has a love of baseball! (Did you know Ozzie Virgil was the first Dominican to play professional major league baseball in the US?!) Yunior lives in a country where there is a severe shortage of schools, teachers, and educational funds. For only $32 a month (about 18 cents per working hour) you can sponsor Yunior and give him opportunities, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that he would otherwise never receive.

Facts about the Dominican Republic and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International)

To learn more about the Dominican Republic, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Yunior…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get his packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send him back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you this gift when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Yunior from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Yunior’s life…forever.

Dalya is a six year old girl who lives with her father, who is a laborer, and mother, who maintains the home. She attends kindergarden and loves playing with dolls.  Dalya lives in a country where only about 68% of women are literate, only 63% of people in rural areas have clean drinking water, and about 45% of people live on less than $1 per day. This country is Nicaragua. For only $32 a month (about 18 cents per working hour) you can sponsor Dalya and give her opportunites, such as medical assistance, food, and educational tools, that she would otherwise never receive.

Facts about Nicaragua and a comparison to the USA (information courtesy of Compassion International):

To learn more about Nicaragua, including its culture, food, and history, visit Compassion International.

Please prayerfully consider sponsoring Dalya…and even check out Compassions website if you have any questions (or email me back and I can try and answer them for you. Just click my purple envelope in the bubble at the top of my blog). I have to get her packet back to Compassion by January 16th and I am praying that I don’t have to send her back unsponsored. And remember, I will be happy to give you this gift when you sponsor a Compassion International child who I feature on my blog (you may even choose your own yarn colors!):

This would be a wonderful reminder of how you came to save Dalya from poverty: the deprivation of common necessities. Your sponsorship will change Dalya’s life…forever.

AHOPE is today’s charity over at the One Dollar Give. Go read how donating to AHOPE can really help children living in Ethiopia who are affected by HIV.

Check out today’s charity: Community Access, which provides housing support for people with psychiatric disabilities in New York City.

Go check out Sonya’s experience with the Children’s Miracle Network at The One Dollar Give!

Check out today’s charity at the One Dollar Give: the Bakersfield Rescue Mission.

Would you consider donating even just one dollar?

I’m going to be taking a break from blogging for the next couple of days in order to prepare for an extra special blog about Compassion International for The One Dollar Give that starts on DECEMBER 1st (mark your calendars!!!).

If you haven’t checked it out yet, please head over there. Or, if you prefer, I’ll just re-post what I had written a while back:

My oh so dear friend, Mandi, came up with this awesome idea of donating $1 to a different charity each day in December:
(for those subscribing to this via email, click here to view her vlog)

Sure, $1 doesn’t sound like *much,* but just imagine if we EACH donated $1…what a difference that would make!

My oh so dear friend, Mandi, came up with this awesome idea of donating $1 to a different charity each day in December:
(for those subscribing to this via email, click here to view her vlog)

Sure, $1 doesn’t sound like *much,* but just imagine if we EACH donated $1…what a difference that would make!