Catching Up...

Lots of things have happened in 2014. Here are a few highlights.

First off, I was blessed beyond measure to be able to go last April to the Philippines! I love that country and would go back in a heartbeat.

In June, my daughter Joanne graduated from Central Washington University Magnum Cum Laude. We are so proud of her! She also won the Judge's Award for her designs in the CWU fashion show, a regional award for costume design for a play, and the grand prize in a cosplay contest at a convention down in Vancouver, WA.

In August, my birthday was celebrated up in the mountains at our churches annual Family Campout. I was so surprised!

Coming up, my 40th wedding anniversary road trip! And next year, Gary and I hope to go on a medical mission to Honduras where I will be able to meet my Compassion kids there!

Will post more when I can!

A New Face in the Crowd

One of the most awesome programs that Compassion has available if that of being a Correspondent Sponsor. There are many reasons why a financial sponsor might not be able to write the child they support, and if so, they can agree to let someone else do the writing for them! Anyways, I had put myself on the list for another correspondent child and lo and behold a few days later, a new face pops up! I am pleased to introduce Dhiner Moisés Plúas Vera, a charming seven year old from Ecuador. He attends EC318, Barranquilla Student Center. This poor lad has never received a single letter, even though he has had a sponsor for the last three years. Well, that is going to change!

         

Going Camping!

I will going camping with my husband this coming weekend to the FCF Family Camp up in the mountains. I ordered six packets to show around and hopefully find loving and good letter writing sponsors. You can also sponsor another child of your choice at Compassion.com

This is one of the children I am trying to find a sponsor for.. His name is Edwin and his birthday is on Jan 2, 2006. He attends ME991 Dios de Promesa Student Center, which is located right on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. Edwin lives with his father and mother and 2 siblings. He enjoys soccer, playing with cars and running. If you are interested in sponsoring this wonderful young man, please contact me! ME991 is where my Gema attends. Isn't he the cutest little boy? I love his smile.

 Beautiful Acsa from Haiti turned 15 on Jun 10th and she needs a loving, letter writing sponsor. She attends the Cite des Jeunes Child Development Center near Port au Prince. She lives with her father and mother and 3 siblings, enjoys singing, walking and jumping rope. She is above average in high school. I sponsor 2 wonderful teens in Haiti, and it has been a really good experience for me. If you are interested in sponsoring Acsa, please contact me for further information.

Say hello to Miguel! He is 15 years old and has a birthday on Jun 4th. This handsome young man has been waiting for 14 months for a sponsor!!!! He lives with his father, mother and one other sibling. He enjoys swimming, bicycling and playing group games. His performance in high school is average. If you are interested in being Miguel's sponsor, please contact me!

I have three lovely young ladies from a wonderful project in India available, IN443 - the Bishop Azariah Girls Hostel. These girls are not orphans, but they live at the Hostel so that they can attend school and have a safe place to stay while their parent work, usually as agricultural laborers. This is Manjula. She will be 8 on Sep 3rd. She enjoys playing hide-and-seek and playing group games.

This little cutie is Nikhila and she turned 7 on her birthday on July 31st. She also lives at the Bishop Azariah Girls Hostel along with her sister. She enjoys playing hide-and-seek and playing group games. She has been waiting for a sponsor for 9 months! If you are interested in sponsoring her, please contact me!

The last packet that I have is for Akhila, who turned 9 last May 4th. She is Nikhila's sister and she has also been waiting 9 months for a loving, letter writing sponsor. She enjoys playing house and hide-and-seek. I sponsor a little girl named Shirisha at this project, and I'm really impressed on how fast the letters are coming from her.

Happy 17th birthday!

Today, my precious girl in India, Divya, has turned 17 years old. I just love her to pieces! She has been my best letter writer out of all my sponsored children. I have received 8 wonderful letters from her since she was sponsored by me last June.

Here are some birthday traditions common in India..

• In India children wear new clothes on their birthday. A child may rise at daybreak and get dressed in new clothes. The child kneels and touches the feet of their parents as a sign of respect. They then all visit a shrine, where they pray and the child is blessed. In the afternoon there might be a meal that includes a spicy vegetable stew called curry and chutney which is a spicy fruit relish. The dessert is a treat known as dudh pakh, which is a rice like pudding. They might also stir in pistachios, almonds, raisins, and a spice called cardamom. To receive a birthday present wrapped in black and white is considered bad luck.  janmadin mubārak ho is how you can say Happy birthday

Compassion Scrapbook Part 1

I love scrapbooking! I tend to do it in spurts, and since I was sent a lovely Compassion Scrapbook I thought I would fill it up with pictures of all my kiddos... I just finished Section One, which features all the kids from Africa that I either sponsor or correspond with. They are from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Enough talking, here they be!

I am really starting to love Bolivia!

Today, I received my first letter from 17 year old Samuel. He lives near Cochabamba, Bolivia. My other sponsored child from Bolivia, Cesia, also lives near that town! Here is his letter..

"Dear friend Donna...
I greet you with the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy because you accepted to help me. I will be asking God every day to bless you. I am happy and I like being very friendly; I dream about being a good politic leader but I also like soccer; every day I am learning a lot. All this time I am reading. I like very much eating pique, a traditional food of my town and I have my dog Coqui and I spend my time with it when I am bored. Sometimes I go with my mother to the church services, it is very nice to serve God. I have lots of curiosity about knowing you. I would like you send me a photo of you. Love, Samuel"

He also drew me a really nice drawing. I can tell he is very proud of his country. Maybe someday he will be president of Bolivia and I can say, "That's my boy!"

Both he and Cesia mention Pique, so I had to look it up. According to Wikopedia, Pique macho (pronounced pee-kay maacho) is a typical Bolivian food said to come from Cochabamba. It is a mountain of marinated beef strips mixed with fried potatoes, onions, and peppers with a few sausage links for flavoring. A single portion is often enough for two people.
 

Happy Birthday Irene!

Today, Irene is 21 years old. This lovely young woman is from Kenya. Her mother is the only parent she has. Her dad died in 1997. She has 2 older brothers and an older sister. She enjoys athletics, netball and table tennis. She enjoys gospel songs, light and delicious food. Her best subjects are biology and chemistry. Her favorite bible story is Joseph and Potipha's wife. Her favorite color is pink. This is her first letter that she sent to me... *smiles happily*

"Receive holy and joyous greetings from here hoping that you are still doing fine. I first appreciate your concern about my life in this world. I am happy to know about you and I am happy for your family. May God grant your family good health and skills for life. In our family am the last born of four, two girls and two boys. We live with our only mother who has been caring for us all through until when I completed my form four last year. I like reading novels, inspirational books and doing some physical exercises. We love going to church especially every Sunday. I also take part during Christmas carols.
Here in Kenya the weather is cool. It rains almost daily and we also have the solar insolation moderately. We also have the preparations for the next president. The campaigns are very stiff and I will also take part in voting. I am happy about Joanne. Tell her to keep up! I see you also like pets. I do. Especially cats. Your photos are nice and I feel good when I see them. Thank you very much.
I have been looking forward to joining campus. I want to study for Bachelor in Education Science. This because I love Biology and Chemistry. I request you also pray for me to have a chance at the university and to have a prosperous future. I get all inspiration from the book of Jeremiah. I love it."

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.

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..

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.

Walk a Mile in their Shoes...

Errrr... What shoes?

I shiver as I look down at my tiny, calloused and very dirty feet. Wait! These aren't my feet! Reaching up I touch my face and hair. What happened to my long hair? The hair on the head I'm touching is cropped short and doesn't feel like it has been washed in a long time..

Where am I? The last thing I remember is looking at the profiles of some children that are still looking for a sponsor, my eyes having a hard time focusing because I really should have gone to bed already. Am I dreaming? But this feels way too real to be a dream. Taking stock of the situation while I try not to panic, I find out that I am apparently a little boy, but I have a ragged dress thrown over some way too large shorts. Don't I have any clothes of my own?

Then one thing becomes really, really apparent. I'm hungry. VERY hungry. As in haven't eaten in days hungry.

"Mahima!" I hear a voice calling me. I turn and see a bunch of other children waving at me. "Come on! Aren't you coming to the project today?"  They take off at a run and not knowing what else to do, I run after them, trying to ignore the feel of the rocks on the soles of my bare feet.

The rest of the morning is a blur. We arrive at the project, a very nice place. My stomach rumbles as I smell food. Some nice people help me wash my hands and give me a bowl which is soon filled with rice and vegetables. It was so good!! I ate every bit of it!

Afterwards, there are games and stories and other activities. Then as a tall man walks in, everyone stops and looks at him expectedly. "Mahima!" he calls out, "Come with me, please."

Shaking with fear, I follow him. Have I done something wrong? Inside his office, there are other people there, all smiling at me. "Good news Mahima! You have a sponsor!"

I can't express the joy that seemed to fill my whole body. One of the tutors takes my hand and leads me to a desk. "We are going to write your first letter to you new sponsor," I am told. "Don't worry, I will help you!"

Sitting down, he helps me to write the first of what I hoped to be many many letters...

This is a fictional story, but there is a little boy named Mahima from India that desperately needs a sponsor. His profile can be found at Sponsor Mahima

Happy Birthday, Diluxana!

Today is Diluxana's 8th birthday! I fell in love with her when I saw her bright, happy smile. She lives in the mountainous community of Hali-ela, home to approximately 14,500 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls and tin roofs. Hali-ela lies just to the sw of Badulla, the capitol of the Uva Province of Sri Lanka. It is almost completely encircled by the Badulu Oya River, and is about 2200' above sea level. The town is overshadowed by the Namunukula range of mountains. There are some wonderful things to see around where she lives - the Muthiyangana temple, the Dhowa temple, the ancient Bododa wooden bridge, and the Rawana water fall. Someday I would love to go see Diluxana. Her country is very beautiful!

Isn't she beautiful! I have received one letter from her so far. Her note said, "Dear Sponsor, My name is Diluxana. Thank you so much. I like to play cricket. I am studying in grade four. My favorite pet is cat." She also did a very nice, colorful drawing for me!

One More "Last" Child..

At least until someone graduates!

It all started with an awesome offer by a wonderful lady who will be going to Uganda for a visit. Sponsor a small sized young man and she has a package of athletic clothes for him.. So, being the helpful sort that I am *laughs* I went through the Compassion site and located not one, but 5 wonderful young men that were in the need of sponsors.

The first one was Anderson.. He is perfect, she said when I asked if the clothes would fit him..

He has a sweet expression on his face, but was that a bit of sadness in his eyes? No, Donna, you don't need another child in your overflowing quiver of children that you are sponsoring..

So, no having anything to do, I checked up on him a bit closer. People in his area earn around $5 a month! I can easily spend that on lunch everyday..  No, Donna, you usually sponsor girls, remember? And besides, you already have a little correspondence boy from El Salvador named Anderson.

Still bored, I go back and read the posts on Our Compassion, rejoicing that so many have had really good experiences with their kids from Uganda.. The clicking finger started to twitch.. I tried to walk away and do something else. But the Lord gave me the go ahead.

So I clicked. Please welcome Anderson into my Compassion family.

Anderson makes his home with his father and his mother. Carrying water, gathering firewood and teaching others are his household duties. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 5 children in the family. For fun, Anderson enjoys soccer, swimming and singing. He attends church activities, Bible class and Vacation Bible School regularly and is in high school where his performance is average. Anderson lives in the hillside community of Maliba, home to approximately 45,500 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls and thatched roofs. The primary ethnic group is Bakonzo and the most commonly spoken language is Lukonzo. The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, cassava, potatoes and goat. Common health problems in this area include malaria, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and chest infections. Most adults in Maliba are unemployed but some work as farmers and earn the equivalent of $5 per month. This community needs income-generating projects, scholastic materials and tuition assistance.

Welcome Bo to my Compassion Family!

Yet one more beloved teenager has joined my Compassion family. Bo is from the TH407 project 10 km southeast of Mahasarakha in Thailand. This is a new country for me to sponsor from and I'm looking forward to getting to know Bo over the next few years! She is living with her grandmother and enjoys ping pong, volleyball and singing.

I now have a grand total of 24 young people that are blessing my life. Just for haha's I went through and figured out that of the 21 that I actually sponsor, 16 of them are teenagers or young adults! Two of the remaining five are 10 years old, and one is 8. The other two are my munchkins.. they will be 5 and 6 shortly, so, when over the next 3 to 5 years my nest begins to empty again, I will still have a few of of the little ones to keep me company!

An Early Morning Letter to God

Good Morning God!

It is another beautiful morning here on the farm. The roosters are crowing as usual, letting me know that the sun is starting to peak over the horizon. Before long, the hens with their chicks will be roaming around adding their little cheeps to the morning chorus. Then of course, the horses will be letting me know its time to come outside and feed them. Till then, Lord, I'm enjoying this quiet time with you. Thank you for all the blessings you have given me!

Right now, I'm especially thinking of the 24 blessings you have laid upon my doorstep, so to speak. Thank you for each and every one of them, from the 20 year old young adults to the tiny 4 year old kidlets. What a crew! I love each and everyone of them! Lord, I have to admit, sometimes I think I went a little crazy having so many, but you have provided for the means for me to financially sponsor the ones that I do, plus the three "bonus" correspondence children. How can I thank you enough for putting them into my life? Having them has taught me to be even more diligent in my prayers, because much to my shame, I know I have let the everyday business of life overshadow my need to come to you and to talk with you just like I am doing now. Please forgive me Lord for not seeking you out more.

So, as I pray this morning for the health, safety and spiritual awakening of each of one of these precious children; please Lord, help me to remember that no matter if the mail box is empty, or if people think I have gone completely off my rocker in my old age, its not about me, its about Jhovie, Irene, Mary Paul, Beauplan, Ashley, Sangeetha, Suhasini, Jean Paul, Rubi, Janette, Samuel, Bo, Jeison, Divya, Rossy, Mariam, Janna, Grace, Elisa, Florien, Diluxana, Karolin, Anderson and last but not least, little Georgette!

Love, your daughter in Christ, Donna

Letter from Peru!

I got "Mi Primera Carta" (my first letter) from Jean Paul in Peru today! It lists the names of his parents, grandfather and brother. He lives on the coast and near his house is a school and church. His favorite food is "Arroz Con Pollo" (my 3rd child that list that particular food as their favorite!)

On the back he drew me a colorful stick figure picture of 2 boys playing soccer.. apparently an artist he is not.. but I love it anyway! I think I will attempt to do a drawing of some soccer player and send it to him.  This is what he wrote..

Dear Sponsor Donna Kirckof,
Greetings in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ hoping that you are in good health. I only have one year left to finish high school. I'm in 10th grade and I really like to play sports. How old are you? Pray for me and my family. Jean Paul Ladares Cabanilla

Short but sweet!

RECIPE FOR ARROZ CON POLLO:

Arroz con pollo means "Rice with Chicken" in Spanish. It is a classic dish of Spain and Latin America, with many different traditional ways to prepare it, unique to various countries. An arroz con pollo you find in Cuba may be quite different than one you find in Peru.

Easy Arroz con Pollo

• 1-3/4 cups uncooked instant rice
• 6 boneless pieces of chicken
• Garlic salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup picante sauce
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Spread the rice in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with garlic salt and pepper; place over rice. In a large bowl, combine the broth, picante sauce, tomato sauce, onion and green pepper; pour over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

My Little Dominican Firecracker

Have you ever looked at a picture and feel instantly head over heals in love? Well, that is what happened to me when I saw Karoline for the first time. I agonized over sponsoring her for awhile. After all, I already had 19 kids! And since she was in the Dominican Republic, that mean I would be making my 16 year old Jeison share my sponsor tour in February with a 6 year old. But in the end, I couldn't resist. Here she is!

Blogging for Compassion

Well, I have jumped on the September Blog Month bandwagon. There are lots of prizes, none of which I will win :) but the main goal is to have 3,108 children sponsored during the month of September! I am sure we can do it! There are some awesome bloggers out there. Make sure that you click on the Compassion International banner on any of our sites before you chose a child that you want to sponsor.

If you have not noticed, I have a heart for the older children - the young men and women that will be shortly graduating out of the Compassion program. Too many of them will be finishing up their last couple of years without the encouraging words of a loving sponsor. So, please, consider sponsoring an older child! They are usually incredible letter writers and often times will be only a short time commitment.

So, for now, I have 19 sponsored children and 3 correspondence boys. Of those, 15 of them are teenagers! I love my little kidlets.. especially my little Georgette, who was the first child that I sponsored, but the teens have a special spot in my heart. I may not have them very long, but I will love them and support them with encouraging letters for as long as I do.. In the meantime I wait... I have received letters from 6 of them and have at least 2 more on the way. The rest will come in God's own timing!

I Thought I was done Lord!!!

But apparently not.. Let me introduce to you Irene Adero from Kenya. She just has a little bit over a year left in the program and softy that I am.. I couldn't let her go that last year without someone writing and encouraging her.. Now I know where the bonus check from work will be going..

She is 20, likes to sew and lives with her mother. She is part of the KE414 project..

And this lovely young lady is Mariam. She is 13, and lives in Burkina Faso. She is very special because she is an above average student! I'm looking forward to getting to know her and to encouraging her to continue her studies...

Happy Birthday Rossy!

Sweet Rossy from Colombia is 13 years old today! She lives just outside of Cartagena. I received a wonderful letter from her last month that informed me of her parents names and that she has a brother named Ramiro Jose. Her favorite hobby is designing clothes, her favorite food is "arroz con pollo", her favorite subject in school is art (mine was too!), her favorite animals are dogs, and her favorite color is fuchsia (no ordinary pink for this gal!) Her letter went like this..

"Hello, I am grateful for choosing me as your sponsored child. I hope God will reward the work of your hands. I am well, thanks to God, and my family too. From now on I will keep you in my prayers. Also pray for me and my family's wellbeing. On the other hand, I want God to greatly bless you. We will soon be in touch, with love, Rossy Tamara." 

She drew me this awesome drawing..

And this is my beautiful Rossy..