Treasure in the mailbox

Look what i found in the mailbox this morning! Getting a letter from ChildFund is always a treat for me. This means i have a letter from one of my sponsored children! This letter came from Sri Lanka, and was sent to me from my sweet girl, Nisansala

She is an amazing artist. She drew this picture of Santa for me, with little stars and snowflakes falling all around him

and inside is this special message of love...

I have been worried about this sweet girl. Her country was recently deluged with floods, and before that, war. Her brother had written to me to tell me that Nisan was having trouble sleeping at night because of the sounds of gunfire at night in the jungle behind her house. And yet, she thrives...The longer i am Blessed to live, the more i realize that ALL children are My Children and i am their Mother, Father, Grandmother...And that tho i live a world away, i am a part of her true Family...

Movie Night: Slumdog Millionaire

We didn't get to see this in the movie theater, but gobbled it up on Netflix as soon as it became available. It is a beautiful love story, and a hard look at life on the streets for children in India. (~and one of the reasons i have been supporting children-especially girls-there thru CCF for over 25 years) I LOVED this movie....

A New Year Message from India (CCF)

Nirupam and her Mother.

I received another special message in the mail yesterday. This one is from Nirupam, who also lives in India. (In case you are wondering where all these messages are coming from, I sponsor 2 little girls from India, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Mexico, all thru

Christian Children's Fund. ) Nirupam's art work may not be as elaborate as the others
But her message really melted my heart.... Happy New Year!
(If you cannot read the writing, it says: "May the magic of Christmas and New Year-2009 touch your heart the way you have touched mine..."
And for me, that's what it's all about....

Letter from Sri Lanka

There was a new letter in my mailbox today! A letter from Nisansala from Sri Lanka, written by her older brother Dammika. Nisansala and her family live on the outskirt of the jungles of Sri Lanka and have written many times telling me that they stay up all night, fearful of the gun blasts in the jungle behind them, between the government soldiers and the militant groups there. It is a tough way to go to sleep for a little girl in a country far away. Still, the letters they send are always full of love and gratitude and happiness. If you click on the letter you should be able to read the actual letter. Reading these letters always gives me a different perspective on my life and my world. No matter how hard things seem here, it is always more difficult in other places in this world. And by the time i fold the letter and place it back in the envelope, i can't help but feel more gratitude for my Blessings, and the Blessing of this love sent to me by this little child and her family from so far away... Nisansala Madushani

Letters from my Other Children

For more than 25 years i have been sponsoring children thru the organization called Christian Children's Fund. It started out with one little girl named Prameela in India, and has come all the way to the present day, where i currently sponsor four children. Km Neeta and Nirupam live in India, Nisansala is from Sri Lanka, and my newest child, and the youngest of them all, Imelda lives in Mexico. With one exception, i have always sponsored little girls mostly from third world countries. (My little boy, Louis Buck Elk, is a Native American from South Dakota, and i imagine he has grown into a wonderful young man by now. ) I have always been drawn to India, and have always felt sad about the mindset of some people in very poor countries and how they view girl children. I have read and have been told-"A son is a blessing to the family and a girl is a burden." So this is my attempt to try to lend a helping hand and make a bit of a difference in those little girl's lives. Anyway, after spending the day with my daughters and granddaughter, I came home to 2 new letters from India. I thought you might like to see what these sponsorship letters are like. First you get a letter, hand written by the child or a spokesperson for that child in their own language. Sometimes it is a parent(if they can write) and sometimes it is a field worker or a sibling writing in behalf of the child. Then you get the translated letter to read. Sometimes the child will include a drawing as a little gift. I love it when i get a drawing!

Here is my favorite drawing of all from Nisansala in Sri Lanka

The first letter i read today was Km Neeta's letter. Here is the original letter handwritten in her language:
and here is the translation: (I had to retype this as i could not get it to scan big enough to read..It is typed exactly as it is written.)

Dear Ms. Robinson,

Greetings,

I am quite fine here with my family members and pray to God for your happy and peaceful life. I am very glad to receive your nice 1 card/note and stickers. My Family members and i hearty convey you thanks for your nice card/note and stickers. I liked your nice card and stickers very much. It is not talk about Valentine Day in my village.

The Summer has set in here. Some times it does fall rain, with fast wind here and temperature becomes very below. Farmers are reaping and thrashing their crops. It is not sown any seeds during the summer. Several people of my village go to do work of wage in stone mine and digging community pool.

I go to school every day. Now my school runs 7 AM to 12 PM during these days. My annual examination will convene in May.

My family members and i once again convey you thanks and wish for your happy, healthy and peaceful life. Your sponsored child, Km Neeta

This is Km Neeta and her Parents in front of their home. As i receive more photos and letters i will share them with you in hopes that maybe someday, someone else's heart will open up to a child who needs a little help, somewhere else in the world.