2018 Christmas Letters

I wanted to share what I'll be sending to my Manna 4 Lempira sponsored children with their Christmas letters; which are due November 5.  Since my backpacks already contain longer letters, I decided to keep these short.  The cards will contain just this short greeting: "Merry Christmas, (name)!  Christmas is the day to celebrate when Jesus came to Earth on His rescue mission to save us from sin and make us into children of God- for anyone who turns to Him.  He loves you so much.  I am praying for you always and hope to see you soon."  My newest sponsored girl, Ashley, will be getting a longer letter since it will be her first one.

Ashley's Christmas mailing

Since we often have letter deadlines that are before the holiday supplies come out in stores, I usually stock up the year before.  This year, I did already find some things in time to add to last year's stash.  I'll be sending nativity cards that can stand up as decorations, stand-up paper trees, Christmas sticker books, and Christmas-themed cartoon activity sheets.  I'm also sending them each a picture of my trip to the beach this summer.  I just need to put everything into some pretty festive envelopes and they'll be ready to go!

Summer Vacations/Fall Festivities/Thanksgiving

In my September letters, I am sharing highlights of my summer, upcoming fall festivities, and what I'm learning about God.  Basically, a life update.  Feel free to use any or all of these themes for sharing new parts of your life with your sponsored children.  They love to learn about you!  For Manna 4 Lempira sponsors, September letters will be delivered in the fall and November letters will be delivered around Christmas.

Hello again, sweet girl!  How are you?  I am very well.   I always think about the time that we spent together and pray that I can return to visit again soon!  Until then, God is always with you.  He left His Holy Spirit with us on the Earth to be a comfort to His children all the time.  He is a good Father who loves you so much.

What is new in your life since I saw you in June?  In my life, many things are new.  I am helping the ministry to pack backpacks for children.  We will be sending them to Honduras in December or January.  I packed backpacks for you and (names of my other sponsored children in their community) and chose special things for each of you.  I am also helping the group to pack some for children who don’t have sponsors.  This project is a huge blessing to me, because every time I look around my house and see all of the backpacks sitting there, which God has provided for His children, it’s like having the presence of God all around me.  I pray that you feel His presence when you receive your backpack.

Another new thing in my life is that next week, I plan to travel to the beach for a vacation with my family.  The ocean is one of my favorite places in the world.  I love swimming in the water and exploring the little shops along the boardwalk. I love sitting on the boardwalk outside of the hotel in the mornings, because it has 3 of my favorite things- flowers, coffee, and a view of the ocean.  I love to remember that God created the whole Earth just for His children to live on and enjoy.  I love to explore new parts of the world, like the ocean, and see some of those beautiful things that God made for me.  Where is a beautiful place that you like to visit?  

Recently, I became a teacher at my church for children ages 10-14.  I am very excited to teach them about God’s love for them.  

As I am sending this letter in September, it is almost the season of autumn in my country.  In autumn, the weather becomes cold and the leaves on the trees turn beautiful colors like orange and red.  In autumn, we harvest crops like pumpkin.  We make many foods that are flavored with pumpkin like pumpkin cake, pumpkin soup, and even pumpkin coffee!  We drink a lot of coffee during autumn and winter, because it keeps us warm.  Where I live, pumpkins are a symbol of God’s bountiful blessings, because He blesses us with an abundance of crops during this season.  In November, we have a holiday called Thanksgiving.  On this holiday, we have a special dinner with our families, including pumpkin pie, and thank God for all of our blessings.  In the bible, Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His loving kindness is everlasting.”

With this letter, I am sending you some pictures from the last time that I went to the beach and some stickers of pumpkins.  I hope you like them!  I love you very much and I will write to you again very soon.

Bible Marking Kits

These are the contents of the bible marking kits that I made for my Manna 4 Lempira sponsored children for their backpacks this year.  Each one contains 7 colored pens and an instruction page.  I have a friend who is a missionary in Mexico and is using this method for her entire children's ministry.  The idea is based off of the book The Old Testament Template: Rediscovering God's Principles for Discipling Nations.  The book talks about something that I have seen a lot in Honduras- people believing the Word, but not being transformed by it.  It color codes 7 of the ways in the Old Testament where God showed us how He can transform our lives.  The idea is to encourage the children to mark in their bibles where they see the different areas of God's transformation.  

“Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” –James 2:5

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your selves.” –James 1:22

God desires for His Word to transform us.  This transformation is available to anyone who chooses to become His child.  In the bible, God didn’t just change people’s beliefs; He changed their whole lives.  Here are some areas that the bible says God can transform our lives.  I labeled each one in a different color, and gave you pens in these colors.  In your bible, when you see an area that God can transform your life, mark it with the correct color.

Family: God says we can raise Godly families, even if we weren’t born into one.  He teaches us how to be Godly daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers- even if we didn’t have them ourselves.  Being a child of God means being a beloved member of His family.

Finances: When you have a personal relationship with God, you have a personal relationship with the Provider.  No matter what financial background you come from, being a child of God means having access to His opportunities.  Proverbs 22:2 says the rich and the poor have a common bond, because God made all of us.  It means we can have opportunity to do things like attend school and have a good job, because God is the one directing our paths.  Sometimes, God will do this by directly handing you something or teaching you to work for something.  Other times, He will use other people are resources, like sponsorship, to provide what you need.  He is a good Father who provides for His children.

Education: Similar to finances, when we have God as our Provider, He will give us the opportunity to be educated.  The bible says we have the mind of Christ, which means we have access to incredible wisdom.  And like we already talked about, He will provide financially for things such as schooling.  He will also provide us with churches to teach us about Him.

Science & Technology: When we have the wisdom of God, it can give us opportunity to learn, create, and discover things.  Our prayers can also impact science.  For example, when we are sick, prayer can bring God’s healing to our bodies. 

Government: When we hear the word government, we usually think of the politics in our countries and our presidents and leaders.  This is one example of government.  We can see God’s transformation in our government by praying for our leaders and obeying the laws.  However, the word “government” can also mean governing yourself, or having self-control.  The bible says that when God fills us with His Holy Spirit, He gives us the ability to control ourselves, so we never have to sin if we don’t choose to.  That is self-control, or self-government.

Communication: When you are a child of God, He is always with you, so you always have someone to talk to.  You can be open and honest with Him about anything.  He wants you to tell Him exactly how you feel, even when your feelings aren’t good.  Also, when we obey God by fellowshipping with other Christians (in church and small groups), He has the opportunity to use us in each other’s lives, to encourage each other.  In the book of Genesis in the bible, God says it is not good for people to be alone.  Because of this, He always provides people in our lives to listen to us, so we will always be heard and loved.  He also teaches us the proper ways to communicate with those people.

Recreation: The bible says that God likes to give us time to rest.  It also says that He speaks to each of us differently.  It is amazing to see how He uses each of us and gives us unique desires. 

Books for Sponsored Children

With Manna 4 Lempira backpack season in full swing, I wanted to share a complete list of my suggested books to send in backpacks.  To the best of my memory, this list contains every book I've ever given to my sponsored children.  With each one, I have provided a link to purchase, a short description, and age recommendations.  All of the links are for the Spanish versions of these books, but they are all available in English too.  Comment below and let me know your favorite books to send in backpacks!  I plan to continue editing this post as I find more.

A Young Woman After God's Own Heart: A book about Godly living for young girls.  I'd recommend this for ages 10-14.  This author, Elizabeth George, has several different books for girls and women of all ages.  Her books close each chapter with journaling questions and space to write.  So far, I've also purchased A Girl's Guide to Making Really Good Choices, You Have a Friend in Jesus, Live Your Faith, and one other I can no longer find about how to read the bible.  Her husband, Jim George, writes similar books for boys.  You can find all of their books by searching their names along with the word “Spanish” on the Christian book website.

The Jesus Storybook Bible: A storybook that goes through the bible and points all of the stories, both old and new testament, to salvation in Jesus.  So beautiful.  I recommend for ages 10 and under.

Redeeming Love: My absolute favorite fiction book, based on the bible story of Hosea.  I've only given this to my girls 18+, because it deals with the subject of redemption from prostitution (just like the actual bible story.)  No awful details, but still something I wouldn't be comfortable sharing with a child under 18 without parental permission.  My 19 year old girl who graduated from the sponsorship program last year says this is her favorite book too.  She is currently reading it for the 3rd time.

Children of the King: As I was recently re-reading Redeeming Love and obsessing over the beautifully symbolic theme of redemption, I wanted a way to share this with my younger children who aren’t old enough for the mature content of the book.  I found Children of the King, a beautiful story of unconditional love, told through the story of children being adopted by a king, rather than a romance story like Redeeming Love.  I’d recommend this for ages 6-10, maybe even up to age 12.

The Princess and the Kiss: A parable about purity for little girls.  Very much G-rated and adorable.  I recommend this for ages 10 and under.  They also make a boy's version called The Squire and the Scroll, but I haven’t found it in Spanish. 

Jesus Calling and Jesus Calling for Kids: This devotional has a page for each day of the year.  I gave this to my Estefani and bought a copy for myself, so we could read "together" every night from a distance.  The adult and child version coordinate similar themes each day.

His Princess and His Little Princess: A devotional of love letters from God, all about being His daughter.

God's Promises for Little Girls: A book of verses and promises.  They also make one for boys.  Good for ages 10 and under.

What Happens When I Talk to God?: A book about prayer for young children.  I recommend this for ages 10 and under.

My Pretty Pink Purse of Prayer: A cute little book about how you can talk to God anywhere.  Good for ages 6 and under.

The Circle Maker: I am in the process of reading this book right now and have already given it to two of my older girls.  It is about standing strong in the prayers that God has put on your heart and praying them into existence.  I recommend this for ages 15+.

Missionary stories including Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, and Corrie ten Boom.  These are true stories of missionaries and Christian heroes, written for kids.  I recommend these for ages 10-14.

The Answers Book for Kids: A children’s book from the creators of Answers in Genesis and The Creation Museum, answering questions about science and the bible.  Reccomended for ages 8-12.

The Chronicles of Narnia: This is a classic series that children in Honduras have gone crazy over!  I've given this to kids ages 10+ if they can already read well.

Miss Rumphius: A fictional story about kindness.  I'd say this would be good for ages 10 and under.

American Girl books: The two I can find in Spanish right now are Josefina and Luciana.  These books teach about different times in the history of the United States and have dolls you can buy to go with them.  I like teaching my kids about my country in a fun way, while sharing my favorite books from my childhood.  I recommend these for ages 8-14 due to the fact that they have serious historical subject matters, while still being simple enough to be marketed for young girls.  Currently, these are the only two characters I can find in Spanish.  I have previously found Maryellen and Grace, but they don’t seem to be available now.

Charlotte's Web: My favorite teacher in elementary school gave me this book to encourage me in reading; and I'm pretty sure that gesture impacted me more than the book itself did.  Still, it has made me want to share it with my kids when they are around the age I was when I read it.  I give this book to my 10-12 year olds.

Kira-Kira: This book deeply impacted me when I was 12 years old and is still one of my favorites today.  I was shocked to find it in Spanish; especially because it is loosely about Japanese-American culture.  I recently purchased this for my 12 year old, Estefani.  The book does contain one swear word (the English version does anyway; not sure about the Spanish) and deals with the subject matter of sickness and death of a close family member.  If you are looking for a gift for your sponsored child and don't know their family well enough to know if this would offend or upset them, please skip this recommendation.  I sponsor Estefani independently, not through an organization; so I talk to her family constantly and know this is okay for her.

The Nutcracker: This is another fun book and tradition to share with the kids at Christmas time.  They make different versions of the book for different ages.

Eloise at Christmastime: I loved the Eloise books and movies as a child, because they show the magic of Christmas in NYC.  When I found the Christmas book in Spanish, I had to share it with my kids.  I typically recommend this for ages 10 and under, but my 12 year old still says this is her favorite book.  It is currently only available used, but may be worth it if you’re an Eloise fan.  

Engineering Feats & Failures: I am sending some engineering-themed gifts in backpacks this year, and this book went perfectly with my Marcos' gifts.  If you search "Kids' engineering books in Spanish" on Amazon, there are many others like this.  I recommend for ages 10+.

Peter Pan & Wendy: This is a bit of a random suggestion.  I really only chose it because I sponsor a girl named Wendy and thought she would love to see her name in a fairy tale.  I loved Peter Pan when I was younger, so I bet others would like it too.  I haven't read this specific version to know what age range it is good for, but I liked it around ages 9-11.

Manna 4 Lempira Backpacks 2018

Sponsoring a child with Manna 4 Lempira means not only sending letters and financial support to be a tangible reminder of the love of God in a child's life, but also getting the chance to send a backpack filled with school supplies and gifts every year to encourage their God-given potential through education and the simple joys of childhood.  I love watching my sponsored children learn of the possibilities that they have as children of the King.

I intended to make a full backpack packing guide showing every single item for each of my 11 backpacks like last year.  I really did.  The lighting in my house wasn't cooperating, I kept changing my mind about which items went to who; and honestly, my heart was just more excited about choosing and praying over the gifts than I was about photographing them this time around.  More than anything, I want to glorify God.  So, I followed this prompting.  I did still want to share my excitement and share ideas with others who are packing; so I took a few pictures of my favorite items grouped together and wrote out the best tips that I've learned over the past year.  Feel free to contact me if you would like to know where to purchase anything in this post.

For starters, each of my backpacks contain the required items: 8 one-subject notebooks (I did 2 composition and 6 spiral; but any combination is allowed), 20 pencils, 10 pens (only required for older children), 2 packs of crayons or colored pencils, 1 sharpener, 1 ruler, 1 pair of scissors, 2 glue sticks, extra erasers, 2 tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, a wash cloth, a hair brush or comb, and deodorant (only required for older children.)  I also chose to include knee socks and under shirts for their school uniforms, photos from our last visit, and a bible marking kit in each backpack.  You can view the contents of the bible marking kits here.

Aside from the items that go in every bag, my goal was to be sure each child got at least one toy, one craft, and one book or learn-to-read activity.  Most of them ended up with more than this.

Out of all of the gifts in my backpacks this year, I was most excited about the bibles.  Two of my 12 year old girls, Wendy and Estefani, recently expressed desires to have their own bibles.  Estefani has been borrowing one from a friend and loves to read it with her family.  Wendy shares a bible with her sister and often uses it to preach in the children's services at church.  I am sending them each a pretty pink leather bound bible, as well as a bible for Estefani's brother, Marcio.  Manna 4 Lempira does provide each child with a paperback bible.  However, Wendy joined the program after the most recent distribution.  Estefani and Marcio are not part of the program.  I previously sponsored Estefani through another organization that shut down; and we now keep in touch independently.  The Manna 4 Lempira team lives close enough to deliver things to her.

Aside from the bibles, the books I chose were primarily engineering themed.  I love to get the kids excited about different career opportunities for the future and show them all the things they can do.  For this reason, most of my older girls are getting the new American Girl book about a little girl who dreams of being an astronaut.  My boys, Marcio and Marcos, are getting books about the history of engineering and technology.  I'm also sending some career and futuristic themed gifts- including an engineering Lego set, a plane building kit, plastic glow stars to hang in their bedrooms, and lip balm shaped like robots.

The other books I'm sending are A Young Woman After God's Own Heart for some of my teen girls (which has journaling questions at the end of each chapter), A Young Woman's Guide to Discovering Her Bible for my girls who are getting new bibles, The Jesus Storybook Bible for 8 year old Amy, and What Happens When I Talk to God? for 10 year old Ashley.  Amy is also getting some bilingual puzzles and a word search of her favorite cartoon character.  During our recent visit, Amy asked me to teach her English words.  The word search is in English- and I wrote the Spanish words below.  The few children who cannot read are getting Spanish flash cards.  I also highly recommend this Spanish picture dictionary that teaches how each letter sounds by showing words that start with that letter.  I sent these last year.  The few other books shown here (Kira-Kira and Peter Pan) didn't make it in due to space and will be saved for next year.

For toys, my newest girls, Wendy and Ashley, will be receiving their very first dolls.  I found this Hearts 4 Hearts doll on clearance at Target for Wendy, and it is the perfect size for a backpack.  Ashley's doll isn't shown here because I sponsored her after taking the picture, but it is the same size.  Amy, who has already received a bigger doll, is getting a plush mermaid doll that matches her backpack.  All of my other children, ranging from ages 8-16, have already gotten dolls and stuffed animals in previous years.  This year, they will be getting outdoor toys such as jump ropes, jacks, soccer balls, and footballs.  For crafts, I chose coloring books for most of the kids.  You can find regular coloring books at most dollar stores.  I also found some more challenging Lisa Frank coloring books for my older girls, and fashion design books for a few.  This one even matches Ashley's doll.  I added some scented markers and gel pens for my Carmen, who loves to decorate her letters.  The kids who are getting smaller toys are getting bigger craft kits- beads, nail design sets, and Fashion Plates.  My hope is that these gifts will both keep them entertained long term and teach them new skills.

Some necessities I packed as needed include water bottles, cups, utensils, solar lanterns, clothing, and shoes.   The water bottle and lantern were important for me to pack for my Carmen after seeing the crazy long hike to her house, which seems like it would be near impossible in the dark.  Cups and utensils were also something she listed as a need in her household.  Plastic shoes like Crocs or jelly shoes are helpful for wet weather and crossing streams.  And clothing just seems like a constant need.  My 14 year old told me that her favorite gift in last year's backpack was a dress.  The tennis shoes shown here didn't end up making it into the bag due to space, so they were donated to be used for a child who doesn't have a sponsor.  I have had a few children tell me they need tennis shoes to be able to play with their soccer balls.

My favorite part by far was praying over each item and how it would impact each specific child as I packed.  I still plan to add some charm bracelets and hair accessories that I pick up at the beach this summer; but everything else is complete.  Comment below and share what you are packing!

Take the Lead Devotion

A few years back, I attended a women's event held by my pastor's wife.  The event was called Take The Lead.  It was all about letting God take the lead of your life, as well as being a leader in spiritual maturity and stability.  I truthfully credit a large portion of my spiritual growth to the things I learned that night.  The event was themed with arrows; and we were each given an arrow bracelet to take home.  The church kindly gave me the extra bracelets from the event to take to women in Honduras on my trip that year.  I translated my notes from the event into Spanish and gave it to the mothers and Sunday school teachers of the children I worked with, along with the bracelets and some chocolate.  I loved getting to encourage the women who take care of my sponsored children every day, that they have the ability to be strong leaders in their families and be transformed beyond their surroundings- because they have the same God who I have.  One day when we took the children swimming, a group of women called to me from the pool and pointed to their wrists.  They were excitedly wearing their arrow bracelets.  Below is the Take the Lead notes I often send to my sponsored children's mothers, and to my sponsored girls who are 15 and older.  If you would like a Spanish copy, please contact me for the word document.

From the event in 2015

Praying with women in  Honduras as they received their bracelets

Take The Lead

When you receive Jesus and become a woman of God, He is the stability that will lead you to everything else you will ever need- your physical needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and your ministry to others.  Now that you are a child of God, He will take care of everything else and take the lead in your life.  Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Once you are a child of God, many attacks from the enemy may come to cloud your vision.  This devotion includes steps to recognize when the enemy is coming to cloud your vision, and how to let God take the lead in your life and lead you to spiritual maturity in these areas.  With the devotion, you are receiving a bracelet with an arrow on it.  This arrow is to remind you to rise up and let God take the lead in all areas of your life.

Things that may cloud your vision:

-Being too busy comparing.  When you compare yourself, your looks, your beliefs, your personality, or your boundaries to what you see around you, even within the church, you can forget to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, as it says in Romans 12:2.  It is very daunting to live with chains attached to what you see around you, rather than breaking free and letting the Holy Spirit inside of you transform you in all ways.

-Having negative or ungodly voices in your life, telling you things that are not the truth.  There also may be an overload of too many voices, whether good or bad, or an imbalance in the voices you listen to (listening to and putting too much stock into only one main person’s opinions, maybe a boyfriend or other very influential person in your life).  This can cloud your heart from putting the voice of Jesus above all else and believing Him no matter what.

-Having an unhealthy attachment to entertainment, media, or distracting things.  Things like phones, computers, and fun outgoings are all good things, but can be distracting or just exhausting if they are the main part of your life.  This can lead to ungodly thinking, or even just distraction.

-Losing hope.  Feeling disappointment, depression, or fear.  These things can put a fog in front of you to the point where you don’t feel like you can see the truth any more.  Disappointment can also cause you to question what you know to be true. 

-Forgetting Who you truly belong to.  When all of the above things are clouding your vision, you may get so caught up in them that you lose sight of the fact that you are a child of the King, an overcomer, who has already been given victory over the things listed above.

How to Let Jesus Truly Take the Lead in Your Life:

-Understand His true nature.  If you read His Word and learn Who He is and is not, what He does and does not do, and what He does and does not say, and then dwell on those things daily, it will be easier to recognize when something is coming to cloud your vision.

-Acknowledge Him.  If you automatically turn to Him and recognize His goodness in every situation, you will remember that there is an answer and resolution, even if you don’t know what it is.

-Trust His leading.  Automatically choosing to say YES to what He asks of you without hesitating or trying to find a way out with always lead to the quickest and best outcome.  You may be tempted to think, “What if this happens?  What if that happens?”…but, what if you trust Him?  What He has for you is, as the bible says in Ephesians 3:20, “immeasurably more than all that we can ask or think.” 

-Don’t give in to defeat.  It is perfectly okay to grieve, but do not get stuck living in feelings of failure.  You are an overcomer!  God has redeemed you and given you the capability to be mature and press on!  You can be transformed and be a leader!  For greater is He in you than He who is in the world and in your defeat.  You don’t have to understand the thing that hurt you to understand the greater One inside of you.

Your heart was made to belong to Him.