These letters came from the four children!
Dear and appreciated Shana,
I hope you are doing well in union of your family. I tell you I am doing well, thanks to God. I came back to school and I had a good vacations. I visited my mother. (I think that this is good to hear because her mother abandoned the family) I thank you for the visit and I pray God to have the privilege of meeting you one more time. I thank you for everything you brought for me and for the time we spent during the visit. My family felt so glad and grateful. I say good-bye with a stronger hug than the one we gave each other that day.
Your sponsored child,
Sonia Lucia
Dear Sponsor Shana:
I send you many greetings from me and my family. I send you this letter and I am thankful that you are a very special person to me. The day when I saw you, I was so happy to hold you and it was like a fantasy for me. I thank you so much for the dolls, the toys, blouse, lunches, and presents you brought, the bracelets and necklaces for my mom: my mother and I are so very thankful. I am so happy and I wait for the day you will come again and everything will be prepared for your arrival again.
Goodbye lovingly, your sponsored child with kisses and hugs
Bleydis
Dear Sponsor,
I say hello and May God fill you of blessings. Thanks for coming to visit us in Colombia and in our city. Thanks for the gifts my children received. They will be useful to them. I tell you that my children were so happy for all of the gifts you brought for them. Thanks for thinking of them. May God reward you for all you do for the needy. I don't know how to return you all you do for us. I will always be grateful. Let me tell you that Francisco is very glad because of you and he told his friends about the nice way you treated him. My children wish that you succeed n everything you do. I am very thankful for all. May God bless you. Kiss from your sponsored child.
Karina (She is Francisco's mother)
Dear Sponsor Shana,
I hope you are doing well in union of your family. I thank you for coming to visit me from a distant place. I also thank you for giving me and my siblings and I so many presents and for taking us to the arcade. We had lot of fun there. Thanks, I love you, love you, love you. I thank God for having you close to me. Thanks for the bracelets, t-shirt and pen. I have not enough space to describe the many gifts I got. In my next letter I will include a surprise for you. I say good bye kindly,
Yiseth
Now, I can't wait to see the surprise that Yiseth has for me! All of the letters touched my heart and definitely made my day! So sweet :) God bless.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Photos and Random Thoughts
Believe it or not I still have a few more photos of Bleidis and Maria that I need to post. They were on my phone and I have a few more photos of Yiseth and Nelson, I think, and photos of the hotel, as well as a few more videos of the city. I'll try to finish them all by this week or next.
Random Thoughts about the Trip
I keep hearing the cheers of the children on the plane, when we finally landed in Cartagena after being delayed in the air due to a disabled plane on the ground at the airport.
I keep hearing the children whispering excitedly, "Cartagena! Cartagena! There's Cartagena!"
I remember gazing at the beautiful city as we flew in and then later seeing the sad poverty stricken areas that my children live in.
I still find tiny bits of glitter on some of my belongings, from Bleidis and Maria who had it sprinkled in their hair.
I miss the sweet aroma of the city of Cartagena and sound of people singing loudly in the early morning hours. It didn't matter if I only had one or two hours of sleep :)
I even miss the crazy driving, the impatient honking of horns of cars and people dodging to get out of the way.
I miss seeing people everywhere in Cartagena and in Barranquilla, just the mass of humanity.
I keep seeing the joy expressed on the face of the young man who worked for CI in Barranquilla. He was a former sponsored child.
I remember that wild and crazy ride to Barranquilla and me holding on for dear life, praying to make it there and back.
I miss the fact that I can't wear my favorite pair of earrings now, because one was eaten by a horse that nibbled on my ear when I came too close to it, in the Old City!
I remember the panic I felt when I thought that I had lost my camera one time and then my purse, another time.
I wonder what the children are doing during different parts of the day now, and wondering how little Maria is doing in the heat. She was always perspiring so much when we were outside and little Francisco only had that one fan to cool the family off in their home.
I wonder if little Melanie, Yiseth's little sister, liked her presents. I did not meet her but wonder what she is like.
I keep seeing Francisco's bright wide eyes when our eyes met and I keep seeing Sonia running as she came around the corner, our eyes locking when we met on the first day. I won't forget that hug.
I wonder how Nelson and Yiseth will smile when they realize that Nelson now has a sponsor. I wonder how they will talk excitedly about the letters they will both get from their sponsor now.
I worry about Bleidis, and hope that she is eating properly, seeing that her mom had to feed her lunch when I was there.
I miss hearing the sounds of the people marching down the streets in Cartagena, when it was so hot as they waved little red and white flags because the Colombian president was coming to their city.
I miss the friendly, patient smiles of the Colombian people who were nice to this American, who did not know what she was doing!!
And most of all, I can't wait until the day when I can return to see the children again!!
Random Thoughts about the Trip
I keep hearing the cheers of the children on the plane, when we finally landed in Cartagena after being delayed in the air due to a disabled plane on the ground at the airport.
I keep hearing the children whispering excitedly, "Cartagena! Cartagena! There's Cartagena!"
I remember gazing at the beautiful city as we flew in and then later seeing the sad poverty stricken areas that my children live in.
I still find tiny bits of glitter on some of my belongings, from Bleidis and Maria who had it sprinkled in their hair.
I miss the sweet aroma of the city of Cartagena and sound of people singing loudly in the early morning hours. It didn't matter if I only had one or two hours of sleep :)
I even miss the crazy driving, the impatient honking of horns of cars and people dodging to get out of the way.
I miss seeing people everywhere in Cartagena and in Barranquilla, just the mass of humanity.
I keep seeing the joy expressed on the face of the young man who worked for CI in Barranquilla. He was a former sponsored child.
I remember that wild and crazy ride to Barranquilla and me holding on for dear life, praying to make it there and back.
I miss the fact that I can't wear my favorite pair of earrings now, because one was eaten by a horse that nibbled on my ear when I came too close to it, in the Old City!
I remember the panic I felt when I thought that I had lost my camera one time and then my purse, another time.
I wonder what the children are doing during different parts of the day now, and wondering how little Maria is doing in the heat. She was always perspiring so much when we were outside and little Francisco only had that one fan to cool the family off in their home.
I wonder if little Melanie, Yiseth's little sister, liked her presents. I did not meet her but wonder what she is like.
I keep seeing Francisco's bright wide eyes when our eyes met and I keep seeing Sonia running as she came around the corner, our eyes locking when we met on the first day. I won't forget that hug.
I wonder how Nelson and Yiseth will smile when they realize that Nelson now has a sponsor. I wonder how they will talk excitedly about the letters they will both get from their sponsor now.
I worry about Bleidis, and hope that she is eating properly, seeing that her mom had to feed her lunch when I was there.
I miss hearing the sounds of the people marching down the streets in Cartagena, when it was so hot as they waved little red and white flags because the Colombian president was coming to their city.
I miss the friendly, patient smiles of the Colombian people who were nice to this American, who did not know what she was doing!!
And most of all, I can't wait until the day when I can return to see the children again!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Streets of the Old City
As you can see from this video, the streets of the Old City were very busy and followed no traffic patterns or guidelines. This was very interesting to me and and I thought dangerous at the same time.
Reflections on My Trip
Posted July 7 on Lift One:
This time last week I was finishing up my visit with my sponsored children in Cartagena and Barranquilla. I had the best time, meeting them and spending time with them and their families, and I hope that the children enjoyed themselves.
Things were crazy at times on the trip, like the aggressive driving in the cities, and the time that a horse that did buggy rides nibbled on my ear, and ate one of my earrings! I spent most of my time in the city of Cartagena which was fascinating to me with all of the history, the mass of humanity in the Old City, the constant movement, the sounds, sights, and sweet aromas that surrounded me and then there was the sad realization that the city is physcially divided into 3 sections, the rich section, the middle section, and the section where my sponsored children live. During my stay, people were eager to show me the beautiful new part of Cartagena as well as the historic sights but my heart was with my sponsored children who live every day in poverty. I saw the beautiful smiles of my kids and the relatives that brought them to meet me and then I also saw the sadness and feeling of hopelessness that one has when they are living in such conditions.
I have been thinking about how I can make another trip to Cartagena and Barranquilla to see these beautiful children again. I can't explain the feeling that you get when you actually see this child that you have bonded with and made a commitment to. From Sonia's tight hold on me when she met me, to Yiseth gingerly fingering my bracelet, to Francisco's bright smile snd shy glances, to the inquisitive questions and searching gazes of Bleidis, I know that as a sponsor, I am an integral part of their lives. I hope and pray that I will be able to provide the necessary support and friendship that they need, through the work of Children International, to help them become all that they can be, given their situations.
I saw first hand the dedication of the special CI workers. You could see the genuine compassion and concern that my translators, Gabriel and Ruth had, as they shared about the children, the families, and the programs. They answered all of my questions. If they did not know the answer, they took the time to find out. I really enjoyed meeting the workers who translate all of the children's letters in the office of Barranquilla. They made me feel right at home as I was able to sit with them, observe, and interact with them. I met a young man who is a former sponsored child who had such joy on his face as he talked about now being able to work with Children International and I was able to talk to Emelisa, one of our own lifters. She has the photo of her adorable sponsored child at her work area and you could see the love that she has for her. Even the drivers were dedicated to the work. One of my drivers was willing to drive me around for two days even though he was sick himself and the other driver was so kind and willing to help out whenever he could.
Each child that I visited has so much potential as all of our sponsored children do and I want my sponsored children to know this and go as far as they can with my help and with the help of CI. Meeting my children just helped to strengthen my commitment to sponsorship. If you are able to meet your child, I would encourage you to take the plunge. You will not regret it :)
Thank you, Children International for making this time such a wonderful experience for me and my sponsored children and God bless all of the work that you are doing for children and their families.
This time last week I was finishing up my visit with my sponsored children in Cartagena and Barranquilla. I had the best time, meeting them and spending time with them and their families, and I hope that the children enjoyed themselves.
Things were crazy at times on the trip, like the aggressive driving in the cities, and the time that a horse that did buggy rides nibbled on my ear, and ate one of my earrings! I spent most of my time in the city of Cartagena which was fascinating to me with all of the history, the mass of humanity in the Old City, the constant movement, the sounds, sights, and sweet aromas that surrounded me and then there was the sad realization that the city is physcially divided into 3 sections, the rich section, the middle section, and the section where my sponsored children live. During my stay, people were eager to show me the beautiful new part of Cartagena as well as the historic sights but my heart was with my sponsored children who live every day in poverty. I saw the beautiful smiles of my kids and the relatives that brought them to meet me and then I also saw the sadness and feeling of hopelessness that one has when they are living in such conditions.
I have been thinking about how I can make another trip to Cartagena and Barranquilla to see these beautiful children again. I can't explain the feeling that you get when you actually see this child that you have bonded with and made a commitment to. From Sonia's tight hold on me when she met me, to Yiseth gingerly fingering my bracelet, to Francisco's bright smile snd shy glances, to the inquisitive questions and searching gazes of Bleidis, I know that as a sponsor, I am an integral part of their lives. I hope and pray that I will be able to provide the necessary support and friendship that they need, through the work of Children International, to help them become all that they can be, given their situations.
I saw first hand the dedication of the special CI workers. You could see the genuine compassion and concern that my translators, Gabriel and Ruth had, as they shared about the children, the families, and the programs. They answered all of my questions. If they did not know the answer, they took the time to find out. I really enjoyed meeting the workers who translate all of the children's letters in the office of Barranquilla. They made me feel right at home as I was able to sit with them, observe, and interact with them. I met a young man who is a former sponsored child who had such joy on his face as he talked about now being able to work with Children International and I was able to talk to Emelisa, one of our own lifters. She has the photo of her adorable sponsored child at her work area and you could see the love that she has for her. Even the drivers were dedicated to the work. One of my drivers was willing to drive me around for two days even though he was sick himself and the other driver was so kind and willing to help out whenever he could.
Each child that I visited has so much potential as all of our sponsored children do and I want my sponsored children to know this and go as far as they can with my help and with the help of CI. Meeting my children just helped to strengthen my commitment to sponsorship. If you are able to meet your child, I would encourage you to take the plunge. You will not regret it :)
Thank you, Children International for making this time such a wonderful experience for me and my sponsored children and God bless all of the work that you are doing for children and their families.
Bleidis and little Maria
A sleepy little Maria
Bleidis having fun
She finally takes the plunge to cross the scary part :)More Photos of Bleidis
Bleidis at the produce section in the grocery store. She likes fruits too!
Bleidis is holding her birthday treat.
These are a few more photos of Bleidis, the last child that I visited. She lives in Barranquilla. She lives with her little sister, Maria, her mom and stepdad.
Poor Neighborhoods in Cartagena
This video was taken on the way to see Sonia or one of the CI centers in Cartagena. It shows some of the poorer neighborhoods in Cartagena.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Baby Valentina
Francisco's aunt hid behind Valentina and the kids enjoyed seeing themselves on camera. The child in the black shirt w/the designs told me that he was Francisco's brother, I think, because he wanted a sponsor too. We are standing in front of Francisco's home.
Francisco Gets Ready to Eat some Chicken!
I guess they don't have Colonel Saunder's finger licking good chicken but they enjoyed this meal. I had some kind of beef but could not eat the salad :(
Evelyn Gets New Shoes
Evelyn was a little disappointed because she wanted a large bouncing ball to sit on but her mom said that she needed shoes and we were not able to get icecream due to time limitations! She'll have to do that with Sponsor Steve! But Francisco seemed to be happy in the video :)
Yiseth and Nelson Playing Games
Nelson and Yiseth had a great time on the games and won many tickets. Sonia wanted to ride the waterslide but since it was being repaired, she did not get to ride anything else because she was too tall for the rides.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Photos of Francisco and His Family
Samy
Francisco gets ready for lunch
Baby Valentine with her auntie and a cousin 
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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