More Excitement From My Mailbox!

  My mailbox sure has been exciting lately. I have been receiving mail from Compassion Canada on a regular basis. So, yesterday when I checked the mail, I was excited to receive an updated picture of Nsengimana.

    

He looks so grown up, doesn’t he?

He is now in grade 10 and his favourite activities are running, soccer and volleyball. He also attends youth group and camp regularly. He lives with his mother, where his duties include carrying water, washing clothes and cleaning.

Did You Know?

- Letters to your sponsored child have an incredible impact on his/her life

- Notes of encouragement are often a sponsored child’s most cherished possessions

 

Have you written lately?

*Andrea*

Shaun Groves and his ‘Third World Symphony’

    If you would have asked me a year ago “who is Shaun Groves?” I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Now however, I can give you at least a partial answer. Shaun Groves is a gifted musician, and a powerful advocate for Compassion International. That is actually how I heard about him first. Not as a musician, but through all the work that he’s done with Compassion. He is a very inspiring and encouraging individual, and he’s given me ‘food for thought’ many times. I have never had the opportunity to meet him or even see him speak or sing, but I really believe in what he’s trying to accomplish through his music, blog, and Compassion.

On August 30th, Shaun will be releasing his newest album titled “Third World Symphony”. From my understanding, it will not be available in stores, online only. So to pre-order your very own copy for only $10 U.S. click here. If you want to listen first, click here. I really think you’ll enjoy it. I know I do.

Let me know what you think.

*Andrea*

What Can I Write About?

   On Tuesday a friend of mine came over for coffee. Somehow we got to talking about my sponsor boys (she probably saw the pictures on my fridge) and what kinds of things I send them and also what I write about. She is so confused because everyone she has talked to has told her what not to write about and what not to send. So, we got to talking and I shared with her what she can and should write about.

Some of the things that I shared with her are:

- Send a picture of her son in his football uniform and talk about our version of football and why he likes to play.

- Tell about something silly that her twin girls did that day and send a picture.

- Send lots of pictures, especially family ones.

- I told her to keep it simple, that he just wants to know more about them and their family.

I told her she can send all kinds of thin paper items (you will find more ideas on my page “letters to my boys”) to her sponsor child and anything that’s not in Compassion guidelines, they donate to the local charity. I also reminded her that if you only write after you have received a letter, you both will wait a long time. It takes roughly 3 months for a letter to go one way, so by the time he has received it and written back, it could be 6 months!

So for those of you who haven’t written in a while, it’s time. Time for you to write a short note with pictures attached, or a long letter about how your summer has been so far. It doesn’t matter how much you write. What does matter is that you do write. I think that we often overlook how very important our words of encouragement are to our sponsor children. Those words from us remind them that they are thought of, prayed for, cared about, and loved. Those are the most important words that everyone needs to hear.

*Andrea*

Changing…and Learning

   I guess some of you might be wondering where I’ve been lately. I have not been posting as much and when I do write, it’s not about my life or the work that Christ is doing in it. You see, I have been learning a lot lately and I’m just not sure how to put it all into words. I’m in the middle of a study with some other women and we’re studying the book “Lord, teach me to pray in 28 days.” This has been a challenging book for me. “How have I been challenged?” you ask, I don’t know. “What have I learnt?” I don’t know that either. I honestly can’t say. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have the words. I am a person who needs time to absorb knowledge and with this busy summer so far, I have not yet given myself the time to let it all sink in. There is one thing that I know for sure though,

I feel different.

Maybe it’s the holy spirit moving in me and changing me?

I hope so.

I’m sooo ready for change.

But, like everything else, I will only know for sure after it’s happened. I can’t tell when the change is happening, I can only tell later on when my reactions and feelings change and are different than before. When I don’t react the way I did ‘before’. When people can see that I’m a follower of Christ just by my actions. That’s the kind of person that I want to be, and that’s what I’m striving for. So, I will continue to learn and study and read. To strengthen my relationship with the only one who really matters, the only one who can save my soul, the only one who gave up his son to save me when I was not worth saving. HE is the one that I want to be closer to.

 

How have you grown in your relationship with Christ lately?

 

* Andrea *

‘Fun Days’ of Summer

   This week were supposed to get really nice weather again, so I probably wont post much.

This past weekend we had ‘Fun Days’ in my town. There was all kinds of things to keep you busy. Friday evening was community slo-pitch, and a wiener roast after. Saturday was a free pancake breakfast, a slo-pitch tournament all day, bouncers for the kids, face painting, petting zoo, a flea market, a silent auction, evening entertainment, and so much more. It was a busy place to be!

In the morning, we went as a family for breakfast and then my husband went to go help a friend of his, so it was just me and the kids. I took them to the ‘Fun Days’ for lunch and we stayed for a few hours. It was very hot, and they needed naps so we came home and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Here are some pictures from our weekend:

We ate a lot of freezies,

and cotton candy,

got our faces painted,

and tried to find shade where ever we could!

It was a really great day! I love summer festivals, how about you? Have you been to one lately?

*Andrea*

Happy Birthday Niyomugabo!

  Wow! July has barely begun and I have had a lot to share about my ‘boys’ already. On July 8th Niyomugabo had his 19th birthday.

            

Happy Birthday, Niyomugabo. I hope that you have a wonderful day. I hope that today is a very special day for you and that God will continue to bless you and your family abundantly. You are very special to us and we love you very much!

Love: your family in Manitoba.

Have your sponsor kids had any birthdays lately? I would love to hear about them.

*Andrea*

A Super Happy Mail Day!

   Last night when I went to check my mail, there was nothing in it except these two envelopes:

So you can only imagine how excited I was!

It was even more exciting for me to open them up and see that they were both from Nsengimama!

I have not heard from him yet so I was very excited!

The first letter was just introducing us to him. This is what he said:

“Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky, Nsengimana Claude greets you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. He is very glad to thank you very much for being his sponsor and may God bless you. Your child (meaning him) is now in senior 4 and studies are going well so he asks you to often pray for him to be clever and he wishes to proceed his studies at university after high school. Now in Rwanda it’s raining, what about over there? Your child requests you to send him your photo because he is eager to see you, may God continue to be with you.” 

In the second letter he said:

Dear Andrea & Timothy Sawatzky,  I first of all greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How are you with your family? For me, I am very fine together with my family. God keeps on protecting us well. I was very much pleased with your letter. I am studying in S4 and my studies are going well. I was very much pleased with your familys picture with snow. The God who let me know you is very God. We are in very rainy season here in our Country, you told me it was very cold there at yours, how is it now? I still thank you very much for being my sponsor, may God keep protecting you with your family. May God keep protecting you.”

I just love his constant focus on God throughout the entire letter. It’s such a good reminder for us to keep our focus on him at all times and to praise him constantly. I’m so happy that he wants to go to university and I pray that he will be able to. It’s so great to see the ambition that he has to change his future. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to write to him and I look forward to getting to know this young man better, in the months and years to come. 

Have you heard from your sponsor child lately? I would love to hear about it.

 

Have a great weekend!

*Andrea*

It’s time to write again!

Well, It’s writing day again! I really love writing to ‘my boys’ and I have so much to say this time. I could probably write my next 3 letters to them with the thoughts that I have floating around my brain. I’m so thankful that the Canada post mail strike didn’t last too long. I don’t want ‘my boys’ to wonder why they have had to wait longer than usual to receive a letter from us. I did email some, but I prefer to hand write my letters. My hand writing could be neater, so it’s good practice for me when I hand write the letters and not just type them.

I can’t wait to tell them about the fair that we went to, Canada day, and the fair that we are going to this weekend. Summer time is so busy that it’s so easy to come up with writing ideas. I have also been taking lots of pictures. Now, I just need to develop them so that I can send some with my letters.

If it’s time to send a letter again for you and you don’t know what to write, go through your pictures, choose some favourites and write something for each picture. I’ve heard that they love to receive pictures.You don’t have to write a big long letter, just a note and picture is fine, they just need to have some kind of communication from you. And if the saying is true that “a picture says a thousand words” you should have lots to say.

I wonder what they will say when they see these pictures:

           

 

   

              

That’s just a sneak peek of what I’m sending to my sponsored boys.

What are you sending?

*Andrea*

Happy Birthday Alejandro!

Today, my little Alejandro turns 4!!

          

Happy Birthday Alejandro! I hope you have a wonderful day! I want you to know that I’m thinking of you a lot today and I’m praying for you as well. I hope that you enjoy your day and remember that God created today just for you.

I hope your day is extra special!

We love you!

Love: your family in Manitoba

A Lifeline For A Lifetime

   Can you imagine this is the water that you drink every day?

                          

This is reality for millions of children around the world.

I’m not telling you this to guilt you into something. I’m not good at that, nor do I like to be treated that way. So, I won’t do it to you. I will, however, share something that I recently heard with you, so that we are better educated about the conditions of the world and how we can help.

Compassion International started a program called “Water For Life” http://www.compassion.com/water-filters.htm which provides water filters to a child and their family for only $55 (U.S. funds) . It’s a one time donation that will change lives. This water filtration system cleans over 1 MILLION gallons of water.

                      

That is enough water for one family for their lifetime. That is enough clean water to help children who would otherwise get sick and possibly die from diseases like: Cholera and Typhoid. Diseases that are easily preventable. Diseases that you and I don’t ever worry or even think about, but they kill over 4,000 children everyday.

Right now, Compassion has filtration systems in Haiti, Rwanda, Guatemala & Ghana. Seeing as how my two correspondence boys live in Rwanda, I’m saving up to give the gift of clean water. Want to join me?

Let’s do this. Let’s give the gift of clean water to those who need it most. Let’s show them what love can do. Lets spread the word, tell your friends, neighbours, co-workers and let’s see how many filtration systems we can give by the end of summer. Summer is sooo hot, Wouldn’t a nice, cold glass of clean water be great?

Let me know when you donate a filtration system (or are part of a donation)  http://www.compassion.com/water-filters.htm. Leave me a comment and let’s see how many we can give!

*Andrea*

 

If anyone is interested in donating with me, you can click on the ChipIn widget on the side and donate securely through paypal. Any amount is greatly appreciated!