Sponsor a Child
57 Search Results for ""ci blog""
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Heartbreak...again! Heartbreak...again!
- From: Maynard
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Description:
I just got a letter from CI yesterday that my girl, Jamaica, in the Philippines has moved out of the service area and t
hey cannot find her. They say her family may have moved to improve their economic situation. I hope that is the reason and that it will mean a big improvement in their lives. I only had her as my sponsored child for about a year. She was just about the turn 15. This is the 4th child I've lost since I began sponsoring in 2003. Will I ever see a child leave the program in the desired way, by graduating at the ripe old age of 19? I am depressed. CI naturally sent me a photo and family history of a new girl in the Manila area. Her family seems to be even poorer than Jamaica's. I'll be posting about her in the next few days but now is too soon. I'm still greiving for Jamaica. It's ironic that I should lose her now. I had a big yard sale in July and raised almost $500. I called CI in the very beginning of August and told them to see what that amount could do for Jamaica in terms of a Income Generating Project. I was expecting the envelope to contain a report on that and instead I find she's gone. Not the good mail I was expecting. I'll be posting an upbeat blog about our new child soon and hoping I don't fail her the way I fear I may have failed Jamaica. I will miss her so.
- Blog post
- 1 day ago
- Views: 68
- Not yet rated
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Monserrat Monserrat
- From: hsin531
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Description:
This is my blog for my sponsored child Monserrat from Chile. I remember when I first saw her picture there was something about her shy and reserved expression that drew me to her and I am pleased to say that she is part of my CI family. Monserrat is 9 years old and lives in Chile with her parents and older sister. Her father is a daily worker and her mother is a homemaker and their family income is $96/month. Their home consists of two bedrooms and a dining room with some of the basic household items such as a gas stove, beds and a toilet. I sent Monserrat and her family an SNG, in their report they mostly requested items for the household, some groceries, and winter clothing for Monserrat.
Monserrat's talent is dancing and her favorite school subjects are math and grammar. Her favorite pastime activity is reading (big smile on my face), which also means there will be more book shopping for me to do! Clearly, that makes me excited but I'm even more excited about receiving Monserrat's first letter which I thought was sweet and gave me a little more insight into who she is and what her interests and hobbies are. Here is what she wrote (translated from Spanish):
Dear Sponsor:
I would like to thank you for being my sponsor; I am happy about it and would like to tell you something about me. I live with my dad Eugenio, my mom Elia, and my sister Charlotte. I attend school at 4th grade and get very good marks. I like music and my best friend is Katerine. Could you please send me a picture to know you? I hope this letter finds you well and beside your beloved ones. I send you a big kiss.
Sincerely yours,
Monserrat Medina
I think it's really cute that in her letter she calls me her madrina or godmother as it's translated, I guess it's similar to the meaning of sponsor. It's great to know that she is doing well in school. Also, on the back of the letter she drew a scenic picture filled with flowers and trees. She selected more of her favorite hobbies such as singing, drawing and practicing sports. I have already sent her a package with some books in Spanish, a notebook, hair clips, and pens. Now that I know she likes music and sports I will ask her in my response what kind of music and sports she likes and send her something that suits her interests. I am happy to get a glimpse into who Monserrat is and I look forward to getting to know more about this lovely girl! - Blog post
- 2 weeks ago
- Views: 148
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Yurith here and on CI Yurith here and on CI
- From: JuanaCeline
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Description:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/MediaArchive/2009/Pages/slideshow-PovertyInBlackAndWhite-4-14-09.aspx?sid=351BC26D-2F51-4DF3-ADED-FA569822CAA1
Yurith from Colombia, who is desperately seeking a new sponsor, is on todays slideshow "poverty in black and white" from children.org (the second photo)
and here in my friends picasaweb:
http://picasaweb.google.de/TinaKue/Yurith?authkey=Gv1sRgCJrMh6bRivls#5426317118241733682
My friend had to stopp all her sponsorships today due to her husband leaving her family, I wrote about it in the blog "new sponsors searched" 5 days ago.
She is especially sorry for Yurith and Maria Fernanda, while I am sad that I do not have the money to help her with Janneth Liliana - today is her 12th birthday and she has a wonderful new annual photo:
http://picasaweb.google.de/TinaKue/Janneth?authkey=Gv1sRgCN2pwPrip_ms3gE#5501243804507948946
Sometimes it is not fair, sigh....
- 1 month ago
- Views: 173
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Yurith here and on CI Yurith here and on CI
- From: JuanaCeline
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Description:
Look here:
in the slideshow "poverty in black and white" which is today on children.org, the second photo is Yurith from Colombia, who desperately is looking for a new sponsor:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/MediaArchive/2009/Pages/slideshow-PovertyInBlackAndWhite-4-14-09.aspx?sid=351BC26D-2F51-4DF3-ADED-FA569822CAA1
http://picasaweb.google.de/TinaKue/Yurith?authkey=Gv1sRgCJrMh6bRivls#5426317118241733682
Like unfortunately all other sponsored kids of my friend, see blog post "new sponsor searched" 5 days ago.
My friend´s heart is especially bleeding for Yurith and Maria Fernanda, while I wished I had more money to help her keeping Janneth. Sigh....
- 1 month ago
- Views: 188
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Yuselfi SNG Yuselfi SNG
- From: Inga.K
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Description:
Please read my blog post about Yuselfi's SNG:
http://community.liftone.org/_Yuselfis-SNG-Letter-and-Follow-Up-Report/blog/2511729/121091.html
- 2 months ago
- Views: 224
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Yuselfi SNG Yuselfi SNG
- From: Inga.K
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Description:
Please read my blog post about Yuselfi's SNG:
http://community.liftone.org/_Yuselfis-SNG-Letter-and-Follow-Up-Report/blog/2511729/121091.html
- 2 months ago
- Views: 220
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Yuselfi SNG Yuselfi SNG
- From: Inga.K
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Description:
Please read my blog post about Yuselfi's SNG:
http://community.liftone.org/_Yuselfis-SNG-Letter-and-Follow-Up-Report/blog/2511729/121091.html
- 2 months ago
- Views: 231
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Visiting Honduras Visiting Honduras
- From: elizabethdurr
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Description:
Has anyone ever visited their sponsored child in San Pedro Sula, Honduras? I was just wondering well I have several questions. What is the field office like there? Did a CI person pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel? Where they kind of like a tour guide? Also, what did you do once you met the family? If you went out and spent the day with the family, what did you do? About how much money do you spend on the family, or the child? How many days did you spend in Honduras because I read that you are only allowed to spend one day with the child. Please give me the scoop on traveling to this region. If someone has a blog posted about Honduras I would love to read it. Thanks so much.
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 234
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YEEIIHHAAAA!! FIRST LETTER!!!! YEEIIHHAAAA!! FIRST LETTER!!!! :-)
- From: frumor
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Description:
Geraldine, age 11, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Our mailman has crept around our mailbox in the last weeks trying avoiding us and our tedious inquires as the poor mailman in Mrs Hyacinth. We have been even worse than her!
In the 7th week after starting sponsoring Geraldine we received the first letter from her. I can tell it's all worth the waiting.
She is sponsored by my husband ("godetomater"). For strange reasons we chose to sponsor a child each and not together as my husband wanted to sponsor a girl and I wanted to sponsor a boy. I am sponsoring Daniel from Chile and still awaiting his first letter
But of course Geraldine is 'my girl' too, and I will make this blog for her knowing that my husband will make her an even fancier one. So I am sure you will get to know Geraldine, La Princesa de Guayaquil!!
Her story is heartbreaking: We asked CI for the sponsor history, as the photos in the album was dated from 2007 and the last picture was taken in Dec 2009. CI replied that Geraldine had NOT been sponsored before and Debbie was so kind to clarify the answer on the Message Board. She wrote:
I did a little more digging on this Geraldin and Daniel and found that Geraldin was enrolled in our program on 5/31/2007. We sent her information to to 17 potential sponsors and no one wanted her. On January 13, 2009, we assigned her to sponsor whose first child had left the program. On that date we notified our staff in Guayaquil to begin giving Geraldin benefits. So she waited about 18
months from the time she enrolled until she began receiving benefits.
As jenkinsg (a Lifter here) explained, out staff would have visited her home to make an appt. for her to come to the community center to update her personal information, have a new photo taken and get her first medical check-up.
Unfortunately for Geraldin, the sponsor she was assigned to did not want to sponsor her either, so she was placed back on our waiting list. We did not find another sponsor for her until June of this year ( We were the lucky ones to find her!). However, because we had notified our field staff that she had a sponsor, she began receiving benfits in January 2009 and they continue to this day. -----------------------------
Further to this the family record tell us that the mother abandoned family! and the father is listed as separated and not present and with an empty line for "Occupation"Geraldine has an older sister listed on the record. They live with relatives.
It still bring tears to my eyes, and even more when we received the letter. She is such a strong, intelligent, lovely girl. I hope she has received the SNG we sent end June. My husband asked the staff to find something personal for her, that would make her happy and the reply from CI was very personal and warm as if the staff have kept an eye on her?(Our confirmation on the SNG for Daniel was more formally, maybee just different standard letters from the different fields but we WANT to believe that she is treated specially, she deserves it so much!)
Her name is Geraldine but she is listed at CI as Geraldin, so I have spelled her name wrong from time to time. That will not happen again ;)
We sent an online letter to her early after we sponsored her, but I dont think she replies to that, this is more a presentation of herself.
She has the most beautiful handwriting. I will scan the letter as soon as I can.
Her first letter in translation:
I thank you for choosing me as your sponsored child! I live in Guayaquil and I am writing these lines from my beautiful city. Let me tell you(this was the pre-printed part) that I am in the 7th year of school (which is explained as 6th grade, equivalent as 7th basic year). I have good grades. My favorite subjects are: Mathematics, Language and Science. I like very much to study at school. I have many friends (amigos y amigas) with whom I share my emotions and games, for example I ride bycicle and play with the dolls. I also play in the park and other games. My favorite food is rice with beans and roast chicken. I also like Ceviches de Camaron and Encebollado (pictures) I like animals like dogs.Says good-bye with affection (cariño)Geraldine.
And no one wanted her????????????Annette
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 373
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How everything is done How everything is done
- From: Melinda85
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Description:
Debbie went into such great detail on how everything is done. They do so much there it is almost overwhelming. She took us and showed us how the mail is done when we write/email our children. The letters are taken out of their envelopes that we send them in and of course the emails are printed out and a label is printed that has the child's id number on it and put on the back of each letter and also any picture or item that we send to Kansas City and then they are placed in a little file like box,each country has it's own box,some of the countires has more than one box like Guatemala because they receive a lot more mail than some of the other countries.
Then I am thinking on late Wednesday afternoons that all the letters are picked up and mailed out on Thursdays. I know that Debbie said they mail letters and pictures to the field offices on Thursday of each week and that the field office mail letters to Kansas City each Thursday,she said that they usually receive whatever letters that are sent from the field office on Tuesdays. Of course the pictures are emailed so like with the direct packages even though CI in Kansas City has the pictures already printed up and ready to go they cannot mail them out until they receive the letters in the regular mail which sometimes can take a while.
I know sometimes we grow impatient and feel like they should mail our stuff out right away well believe me they do try,there are only a few people that handle that department,you wouldn't believe the stacks of pictures they had on a desk ready to go and just waiting for letters,there are gonna be a lot of happy sponsors here in a few days,looked like some really great photos. I know it has to be time consuming to match all the photos with letters,they receive so many letters and pictures,I know at times it really has to get overwhelming for them.
And with the direct packages the field offices have 30 days to get the package to the child and sometimes the children can come right away and other times it may be days before the child can make it there and each child has an id card and they have to sign their initials showing that they are the ones who picked up their packages so that there is proof that it actually went to them. The people that work at CI in Kansas City that handle getting all of our dp reports and info sent out to us are really amazing there's just a few of them and there are times that they have hundreds of pictures and letters to macth together and get ready to be mailed out to all of us sponsors,so please remember when you are waiting to receive pictures/letters in the mail that they really are trying their hardest to get them to you as soon as they can.
The field office in Lusaka ( I am pretty sure that isn't spelled right lol) has a lot of problems with their internet and that is why a lot of sponsors that sponsor children there have such a big wait on letters and pictures. Now the field office emails the memos to Mrs. Bert and she types up their memos for dps and prints them out herself,so she does a lot of work and deserves a lot of credit and not just her everyone that works there does. There are so many processes that each letter goes through that we and our children send to make sure everything goes to the right place and also so the staff can pull up information on the whereabouts and how long it's been etc.
CI depends on each person there,they all have big roles that help make sure everything is done right,even the smallest little thing in the end turns into something so much bigger,it just all falls together.
We also met with Jennifer the administrator over LiftOne,very nice lady and she has a beautiful daughter that was there at work with her that we got to meet,a very sweet little girl. Any ideas that we sponsors have for the LiftOne site Mrs.Jennifer would be more than glad to hear them,they want us sponsors to step up and tell them how they can make LiftOne easier/better for us,so any ideas that you have post them here on LiftOne or email Jennifer.
Mr. Jim Cook was so down to earth and so friendly our visit with him was really nice,he has done an amazing job with CI. He and a lot of the other staff and Debbie included talked a lot on visiting sponsored children,it's something every sponsor should do,you really get a feel of what these kids go through they say it makes is so much more real to see how they live. A lot of the staff at CI have been to other countries and listening to some of the stories Debbie shared about her experiences when she visited was very heart breaking. I am certain with the Lord willing that I am going to either Mexico or Ecuador next year so I can visit some of my kids,just gotta decide which one out of the two countries.
Another thing Debbie showed us was how our statments are done,it's actually a machine that folds our statements and stuffs them in envelopes. There is also a room where envelopes are printed out like the envelopes we receive when we get a letter or pictures from our sponsored child. There is also someone who matches each updated annual photo with each printed envelope and gets those in the envelopes and ready to mail out.
I know that there is so much more stuff I can say that I am not remembering right now,I think every sponsor should try to visit the main office if they can,you will learn so much. I have so much respect for each person that works there,each one has such a big role,it may seem small to us but believe me it isn't :). Debbie is pretty amazing herself she also does a lot for CI and she is so very nice,she has such a bubbly personality.
If I got any of this information wrong or mixed up please correct me Debbie ha,we went over so much that I may be getting some of it all mixed up or even leaving out specific details. It was a wonderful experience,a lot of the staff has been there for several years and then some have only been there a short time but each one loves their job and is so dedicated to what they do. So please let them know they matter and are appreciated too,everyone deserves a pat on the back sometimes. Anyways I am through babbling now and hope that I made some kind of sense in this blog lol.
So I had to come back and edit my blog somehow I left Brian out and totally didn't mean to,guess I was getting beside myself with everything. We also got to meet Brian and go in his office and visit with him,he is such a fun person and super nice. He came up with an idea for a new group on here for LiftOne,Debbie and I think it's a really good idea too and she is supposed to run it past Jennifer and see what she thinks.
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 350
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Wow...I don't even know where Wow...I don't even know where to begin
- From: Melinda85
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Description:
Today was the day that I went to the Children International main office for a tour and I have to say it was absolutely amazing. Everyone was so very friendly and so willing to take a break from their busy schedules and talk for a few mintues. We as sponsors do not give these guys the kind of credit they deserve. They bend over backwards to do their jobs and you can tell they absolutely love working for CI. As we talked to each person about their jobs and what they do their faces just lit up with joy. If it wasn't for all these amazing people that work there there wouldn't be a CI,it's awesome how the staff and the sponsors all work together to make something amazing happen for these children. Debbie went out of her way to make this an awesome tour for me and I greatly appreciate her,she is a very wonderful person. We met Mr.Jim Cook out in the parking lot,we pulled up at like the same time he did. He is so down to earth and just as friendly as can be,we were invited into his office to chat with him and Debbie,it was very nice. I met alot of wonderful staff...Lisa..Bert...Jennifer...Brian...Carole...and quite a few more but my mind is starting to go blank on the names. Any sponsor that can should go and visit the main office I promise you will not regret it. I learned so much and met some wonderful people,it's something I will never forget. It is such an awesome feeling to be surrounded by people that has the same passion for helping these children as I do,I just can't describe it. I planned on saying so much more but it seems like everytime I get ready to start typing my mind goes blank,I guess I just don't know how to put it all into the right words
I uploaded some pics on my fb and I am gonna put them on my blog also if you wanna check them out
P.S. Next time Debbie I am bringing some cake LOL
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 402
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Karen's SNG: The Final Word Karen's SNG: The Final Word
- From: m.a.durbin
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Description:
After two anxious blog posts and a lot of confusion caused by poor timing and misunderstandings, I have Karen's Special Needs and Education reports in hand. Included was a three page letter wonderfully composed by Debbie explaining Karen's situation. I also was able to discuss it with Debbie at length, and have chewed on it quite a bit. Here's the complete list of needs:
Bunk beds, mattresses and and sheets for two children (I assume Karen and a sibling, likely 6 yo Angellys)
Double bed, mattress and sheets for her parents
Two fans
Clothes and shoes for Karen and her siblings
A television
The clothes include what was in the previous letter plus some extra for her sibs. The television surprised me, but as Debbie explained, Karen's family has been designated an "internally displaced family". Both her current and previous homes are furnished with other people's possessions. Besides the beds, a tv is one of the few things there would be room for, could be used at either home, and would be their own. Still, with three kids I want to help, it's not a priority.I'm going to wait until I get Briggitte's report, but depending on B's needs and whether Karen drops out of the program before I can do anything, I'd like to provide everything except the tv. I do think it would be make Karen's life better, and I am now confident she'll receive benefit long-term, regardless of what happens in the next few months. All of these items would be needed and can be used wherever she winds up.
To clear up some things raised in previous blog posts, six months ago Karen's family moved to her paternal grandmother's home. It is not far from her previous home, but it is outside CI's service area. She lives there full time, but returns to the old neighborhood to go to school and visit cousins and friends. Because the move may be temporary, CI has given the parents a couple of months to decide whether to move back. If they're not back in the service area within that timeframe, Karen and Angellys will be dropped from the program.
The current home is actually a far better environment for Karen than the one in CI's service area. Not only was the old home not built by CI, it is small and in poor repair. Including Karen's family, a total of 15 people lived there. The new home, owned by her aunt, is larger and has been well-maintained. The grandmother is the only other resident, except when the aunt visits (her primary residence is in Bogota). Karen's family share one room to themselves. The room has two small beds that belong to the aunt. In the old home, they slept on the floor. If I provide the beds in the report, each child would have their own and the parents would share a bed. If they move back to the old home, they'd still have the three beds I provided to share. Both homes are "in the family" in that they are owned by relatives, but Karen's family essentially lives at either at the discretion of others.
Karen's grandmother requires surgery. Her illness is the reason Karen's family moved. There are no other paternal family members in town, and Karen's mom can provide care while dad works. The parents say they hope to have the surgery done soon so they can move back, but I cannot imagine it being scheduled and the grandmother fully recovered within two or three months. As Debbie described the medical system, there is a waiting list, and it is not unusual for a patient to be "bumped" after being scheduled, as late as the day of the surgery. Unless other arrangements can be made for grandmom, it seems just a matter of time before I lose Karen.
Even after granny has recovered, I see little chance of the family moving back, unless she kicks them out. If I were the father, I wouldn't. The new home is described as very nice, the kind of home we all hope for our kids when we pay for home repairs and build homes. As important as I feel CI's benefits are, I can't see them out-weighing the improvement in home environment and personal space. Karen does receive basic government health care and school tuition through the "internal displaced family" entitlement.I do love this kid and will miss her if she leaves, but I feel fortunate in having some advance warning. I've already asked that if she drops, her case be flagged so I can be contacted if she returns. I should have time to tell her how important she is to me, and that in my mind, I'll never stop being her padrino. I'm happy for her improved home environment, and if I can provide these extras before she leaves, I'll feel good about what I could do in the limited time I had her.
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 402
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My First Experience with CI My First Experience with CI
- From: eguinto
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Description:
Hello LiftOne!
This would be my very first post to my blog in this amazing social network that helps the helpers. First of all, I just want to say that this website looks very nice and is easy to use. I haven't play around too much on the site, but I what I can say so far is that this social network has so much potential and can reach more people than expected.
I have a big respect for everything that has to do with websites (social networks, onlline search engines, blogs, tweets, etc); the reason is that it has bring so many benefits to "connect" people. Of course there is a downside of these technologies, such as identity theft, lack of information security and privacy issues to name a few, but there will always be pro's and con's to everything. WE have the choice to use these technologies for good and WE have the choice to enjoy all of its benefits.
I wanted to point out my interest and respect for these technologies because that is how I found "Children International". I googled "sponsor child" and it came up a webpage called "children.org" (clever isn't it? =). I started by looking around the stories shared on the site, the definition and motto of the company, as well as the stories from sponsors and their kids.
I said "ok, it seems that this company has a very good intention, but I need to see other reviews of the company". That's what I did, I googled "children international reviews" and I found MANY good reviews and only a few bad ones. So that gave a little bit more confidence of the accountability of the website and the whole company.
So I registered and start looking around for a needy kid. I am from Mexico, but I didn't want to sponsor a mexican kid because I think I can help my community in other ways, maybe joining a volunteer team or a disaster recovery association to help others here in Mexico. So I looked for kids born in India and I found this kid called Pradip, I don't know the real reason I picked him, his photograph and story moved me and I didn't think twice and click "sponsor this kid". I put my credit card information, billing information and something about me. A few minutes later I received an email saying that my sponsorship to a kid in India has begun!!! I was so happy to read that.
A few weeks later, I received on my mailbox a photo of my kid and a report of the contitions he is living in, it shocked me, mud floor, no electricity, family income of about $30 dollars a MONTH!! I would have never considered meeting a family living in those conditions, but when I read that my kid will be provided with food, clothes and medical treatment he needs filled my heart with joy!
I started writing letters to my kid, always telling him to thank all the help he is getting by HELPING others less fortunate than him. We'll always be with at least 1 other person more fortunate than us, but we'll always be with at least 2 other persons less fortunate, and our opportunity is to help them.
It has been almost a year since my first donation. I feel the same way I felt when I first joined. I feel that there are so much Hope in the world and every drop of help counts. I hope to sponsor another kid in the near future and maybe someday visit my kids to their homes! That would be soooo much fun! looking forward to it.
I will finish this post by writing a quote from a movie (I can't remember the name).
"Do for others more than you do for yourself"
Take care and thanks for reading this.
- Blog post
- 2 months ago
- Views: 364
