yo
in
al
on
fo
"I'm glad for this opportunity that God gave to me
to be your child. I enjoy all the times we're together,
even though we meet only by letter. I love you."
had learned to play a guitar. "I'm very happy that
God gave me a talent like this and I sing, too, with
my brother." One year she wrote, "I celebrated my
birthday, but not with any food. But I'm very happy
because my whole family is here." A highlight of one
vacation was a visit to see an aunt and uncle. "We
stayed a few days, biking with my cousins. We sang
together and shared stories, bonding together."
to cry and when her friends asked her why, she
joked, "I don't want to ruin my make-up!" But she
admitted to us that in her heart she was sad at the
thought of parting from her school friends. "I will
miss them so much, the laughter, the bonding we
shared."
political unrest, she wrote, "By God's grace I'm fine
in spite of all the crises we are facing in our country.
At my age I don't understand what exactly is going
on. But I know God is watching and He is so good to
us." Once she was hospitalized with dengue fever.
After she recovered, she explained, "I thought I
couldn't survive, but I praise God for healing me. I
know I was healed because of my mother's prayers
and my faith." And when she began to think of adult
life, she hoped at first to become a teacher. Then
she began to consider other possibilities. "I can't de-
cide yet," she wrote, "but don't worry. We all know
God has a purpose for me."
and those she sends to us go through Salvation
Army territorial headquarters in Manila. The
process is agonizingly slow, primarily due to budget
constraints. When we read about floods or other dis-
asters in The Philippines, we often do not know for
many months whether she and her family are safe.
She cared so much about keeping in touch that she
visited an internet caf� to seek us out.
Each year one child in 12 dies before reaching age 5.
Children in poverty have a high risk of contracting dis-
eases due to unsanitary conditions. Many suffer from
malnutrition. Often, children are exploited and traf-
ficked, as well as becoming victims of violence. You
may wonder if one person can make any difference.
Teresa once said of her ministry, "We ourselves feel
that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But
the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
ping mall or occasional lattes--each sponsor helps
provide housing, food, clothing and education for the
child they support. In some cases, gifts go toward the
care of all the children in a Salvation Army home or
school rather than individual children. Either way, your
support will be life changing.