Happy New Year! It’s already off to a great start here at ALF. We just got back from the island where we were able to let 4 children at the children's home know that they will be able to attend the “bilingual” (or ‘private’) school near the home that provides a better education than the public schools. They are very excited, although maybe a bit nervous, but they have great tutors helping them bridge the gap to get them prepared. Mark and Susan Schuler have a ministry of, among many other things, tutoring many of the children in the neighborhood for both their regular studies and English. They have been hard at work getting these 4 children ready. A BIG “¡Gracias!” to the donors who made this possible!
Also, we had the privilege of introducing 6 of the children to the new Mentors we found for them! Like an individual “sponsor” (but with no financial commitment required), these Mentors will be writing to their child on a regular basis and sending cards and small gift packages for their birthday and Christmas to let them know someone cares about them and that they are uniquely special. 5 of the 6 children have individuals who are Mentoring them, but one little girl was selected by a girls’ club, so she has lots of love heading her way on a regular basis!
On New Year’s Eve day, we went to the children’s home to pass out the very first cards, letters and gifts that these Mentors sent to begin their new relationship with the child they had selected. The kids’ eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation, and they poured over the letters they received. It was such a blessing to see their hearts filled up by receiving love from someone that most of them had not even met yet. We will continue to deliver letters and packages to these children on each trip that we, or an ALF representative, make in order to keep these relationships growing.
Also, we had the privilege of introducing 6 of the children to the new Mentors we found for them! Like an individual “sponsor” (but with no financial commitment required), these Mentors will be writing to their child on a regular basis and sending cards and small gift packages for their birthday and Christmas to let them know someone cares about them and that they are uniquely special. 5 of the 6 children have individuals who are Mentoring them, but one little girl was selected by a girls’ club, so she has lots of love heading her way on a regular basis!
On New Year’s Eve day, we went to the children’s home to pass out the very first cards, letters and gifts that these Mentors sent to begin their new relationship with the child they had selected. The kids’ eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation, and they poured over the letters they received. It was such a blessing to see their hearts filled up by receiving love from someone that most of them had not even met yet. We will continue to deliver letters and packages to these children on each trip that we, or an ALF representative, make in order to keep these relationships growing.
While there, we learned that some of the lights at the home had not been working for over a YEAR! With a quick trip to the hardware store the men with us were able to quickly get those lights working again, which I think some of the children were more thankful for than the other gifts they had just received! : )
As for the roof on the children’s home, we had some builders on the island take a look at it and it was decided that it does not need replaced, but only needs some minor repairs where the vents join the roof. That is good news as it won’t be too costly and should be easy to do. We still target our February trip to get this accomplished.
