Tuesday, October 30, 2012

My daughters Mini-Me

Sitting here along in my house a few nights ago and skimming through the children on the Compassion International site when a little cutie caught my eye... first off, she is blond.. second off, she has curly hair.. and third, she looks almost identical to what my daughter Joanne looked like at that age.

I resisted one night.. the next morning, she was still there, so I gave in and sponsored her! Please welcome Camila Andrea into my compassion family. She lives with her mother and father. She enjoys telling stories, playing with dolls and playing group games. She attends preschool and Bible classes. She lives in the coastal city of Barranquilla

Here are pictures of Camila and an old black and white picture of my now 19 year old daughter.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

To write, or not to write...

That is not the question at all! Of course I will continue writing each and everyone of my compassion kiddos.. if there is any question at all, it is how often!

I have heard how important letters are from the most important source of all, former compassion children. Each and every letter, even if it just a sort note like "Thinking and praying for you today.. " along with some tidbit about my daily routine. I may not think something is all that interesting, but some of the kids might think its funny that I get woken up every morning my a rooster crowing outside my window.. or some crazy thing my dog or cats did.

So, I write. The templates on the Compassion website are awesome! They make it so easy to write a nice, fairly short letter to the kids and attach up to three photos on it. And to top it off, no trips to the post office are required at all!

When I get letters from the kids, I put together a "care package" filled with crossword puzzles, coloring pages, stickers, etc etc. Lately I've been taking a 8.5x11 piece of cardstock and scrapbooking three photos or so onto it.. Hopefully it will be a little longer lasting that way. Then I write a personal reply letter and send the package merrily on its way to Colorado to begin its journey to the far reaches of the world.

Somewhere out there, according to Compassion, there are at least eight letters floating around in the postal system from Divya, Sangeetha and Suhasini in India; Cesia in Bolivia, and from Grace, Elisa and Florien in Rwanda. And so the cycle of letter writing continues..

Saturday, October 13, 2012

A Letter from the DR!

At long last I received my first letter from Jeison in the Dominican Republic! I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't get one before I left at the end of January to go visit him on my very first ever Compassion Sponsor tour! I can't wait to meet this boy in person! Here is his letter...

Dear Sponsor... How are you? It's a pleasure to me to find out you chose me. Thanks...I was born on January 9th, 1997. I live with me father. I have 4 siblings. I'm the 3rd.  I'm in 1st grade High School. My favorite subject is language. My favorite food is Moro de Hapichuelo with potato salad. I live in an area called "Brisas del Este". I would like to know if you are married. If you have children. What your favorite food is? I ask a prayer for my family and my studies. Goodbye.. with love... Yeison

Not bad at all for a first letter! *melts into a happy puddle*



Of course, I had to search out a recipe for his favorite dish.. Here 'tis!

Dominican Moro De Habichuelas

 ( Rice and Beans)

Ingredients

    • 2 cups rice
    • 4 cups water ( the water you boiled the beans in if possible)
    • 1 cup cooked red beans
    • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste ( not sauce)
    • 1/4 cup cubanel green peppers or 1/4 cup green bell peppers, finely chopped
    • 1/2 medium red onions, chopped
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 fresh garlic cloves, mashed ( or pressed)
    • 1 sprig fresh cilantro ( with stem)
    • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
    • 1 chicken bouillon cubes or 1 chicken stock cubes
    • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the garlic, onions, oregano, pepper, parsley, and salt. Sautee for a minute then add the bouillon, stir until dissolved. Add the tomato paste and stir until heated.
  2. Add the beans and stir with your base. Heat for about a minute stirring constantly. Don't let it stick or burn. Increase heat to maximum and carefully add 1 cup of the water and allow it to simmer. When it starts to simmer, add the rice, stir and add the rest of the water. (at this point you should test for salt, it should be a bit saltier than you'd prefer because the beans and rice will absorb most of it). Bring to a boil.
  3. When it starts to boil reduce heat to the lowest possible and cover with a lid.
  4. After 15 minutes remove the lid, most of the water should have been reduced. Throw in the whole spring of cilantro and give everything a good stir from bottom to top. Cover again and let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.