so...these are letters written by elementary or middle schoolers. i've been going into classrooms the past few weeks and teaching a short lesson on africa and what i will be doing there. then i asked the kids to imagine that they are writing to someone in africa. what would they want to tell them about life here? we brainstormed ideas of what could be in the letters and then i asked them to write a letter and draw a picture. i'll take these down with me to africa and give them to people there. then, hopefully i can have people write a letter and draw a picture in africa and bring it back to show or give the kids here in colorado. i think this is a fun and awesome way for us all to be "connected through love." plus...it was so fun and i loved what they wrote and drew!
Dear friend,
My name is ***. I am 13 years old. I live in a house with my mom, my dad, my little brother, my cat, and my dog. My cat's name is Bananas. He does not like me! My dog's name is Murphy. He is a very strange case, that one.
I like to go to the movies at the theater and act in plays. I also like singing.
In school, my favorite subject is writing. It is very fun and educational.
After school, I like hanging out with my friends. We have sleepovers where we watch Barbie and speak in accents. We also wear footsie pajamas and scare the pizza guy with exfoliating masks.
5-14-10
Dear friend,
I'v been hearing about you, now its your turn to hear about me. But first I have 1 question what is your name? Mine is ***, you can call me *** for short. I'm 9 years old right now, I'm going to be ten soon, well I'm going to tern ten on June 14th. Have you ever seen snow its so cool, its wite and puffy. It's like a cloud but its on the ground. It's also really cold. I have so much to tell you about. But thats all I have time for right now. Bie!
Dear friend,
My name is ***, and I'm 10 years old. What's your name, and your age? My school is Wingate Elementary. It got it's name from the red rock formation outside. It's called the Colorado National Monument.
I live in Grand Junction, Colorado, in the U.S.A. Western Colorado is a desert just like part s of Africa. But we don't have cool animals like you see almost every day are caged up in a "zoo" so we can learn ab out them.
Dear friend,
My name is *** and I am in the USA and Im is 3 grade. Do you play football? If you dont I will tell you. You hick the ball if you run it you run tord's your tuchdown. If you throw it you throw it to your team mat and he run's tord the tuchdown like you ran tord the tuchdown. If you kick it you put your foot on the Ball and kick.
Dear friend,
Hi my name is *** I'm a 10 year old third grader in the U.S. A. How is Africa. Have you been to the Victoria Falls? If you have do you think you can tell me about it. I think it would be cool to know about them.
Dear friend
My name is *** what is your name? my favorit hobbey is playing football how we play football is you need a ball you need players and a field. there is two team captions and they get to pick players then they do rock, paper, sissors to see who kicks and who trys to make a tuchdown and the team captain chossis the plays.
Dear friend,
My name is ***, what's your's. I live in a house with my dad, my older sister, my cat, and my dog. I am 13 years old. I can draw really good, what is your talent because I think everyone has one. I hope that you write back.
P.S. I hope you enjoyed this.
Dear friend,
How are you? I hope that you're good. I'm supposed to tell you about my life in America, so I'll start out with my education. I am 12 years old and in the 7th grade. I am lucky to be learning math, literacy, geography, science, and music! I get to do many hobbies like hiking and skiing! You might not have heard of skiing before, but I don't have enough time to explain it (you should ask Carina.) I have to go now.
Dear student,
I would like to tell you about life in my town in America. It can get really hot here in the summer, but it can also get really cold. It can even snow! Snow is white, wet, cold and fun. To a point that is. This winter it snowed all the way into May! It usually doesn't and after a while all that white fluffy beauty turns into a dirty, icy annoyance. It's finally stopped and started to get warm for summer when I'll be wishing for snow because of the heat.
What sorts of things do you like to play with? I have many toys , but sometimes the most fun is a plain old stick.
I hope you live in a nice place and a good home.
Dear friend
hi my name is *** but I want to meet you in real life. But do you like hsharks? because I like sharks. I want to be a mereanbyolagest. A mareanbyolagest is a person who goes under water and studies sea life like sharks and fish and dolphens and whales.
SOOOO cute, good, insightful, and loving hunh!!! This was so fun! There are so many good letters but I wanted to post a hand full because, they are just worth sharing! I love what kids say!
Friday, May 21, 2010
just a few points why i'm passionate about it...
This stuff resonates in me as my truth as why I’m so excited and passionate about this stuff. Some Bible verses I really like that apply to my trip, and quotes from a book I just read (that my awesome neighbors in Fort Collins gave me, which ended up being so impactful).
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion is taking care of orphans and windows in distress and keeping oneself unpolluted by the world.
“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Mother Theresa
“…All men live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves but by the love for them that is in other people…it’s by love for others that they really live.” –Tuesdays With Morrie
I’m pretty sure I wrote this after reading The Power of Serving Others (thanks Megan) last summer while still waiting for the right time to go to Africa. My purpose: Starting with what I have now (the little training I have, the little money, the little knowledge) opening my hands and my heart to give what I can right at this moment with the most resources and love I can muster. (Not waiting for money, or a facility, or more education, or more people. But by making the first step and possibly helping answer someone’s prayer through where I am led by God and going.
From Scared by Tom Davis (from Mitch and Cristy) Page 79: (In Swaziland. Pastor Walter talking about how he was teaching at church, and after a child had died while “sleeping” in the back because of starvation.) “It was a wake-up call for me. God’s goodness didn’t just happen because I talked about it. I realized that I had to act. So I started to pray, ‘God, send me people who have the ability and the finances to help us.’ And you know what God said to me? He said, ‘Walter, what’s in your pocket? Start giving to these children out of what you have, and I will take care of the rest. And that’s exactly what has happened. There were many nights when my own children went hungry because other children in our community would die without something to eat. Maybe my kids were a bit skinnier because of that, but we kept other children alive.”
Here are just a few other passages or lines from this book that I liked:
Pastor Walter talked about Jesus’ church – where everyone shared with everyone else. Not only food, but homes, money, everything.
Tagoze, you are God’s answer. You can only say yes to His plans for your life, and you don’t always know how He is working. You have to trust.
In this place, Stu, God has a way of bringing people down to the essence of who they are.
Brother, you are God’s vessel. You, my brother, are the hands and feet of Christ, the hope of Christ to the people.
She said that it tells us sorrow is a part of life, but our tears can leave us with clearer sight, if we look to God.
Matthew 16:23-25 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Job 33: 4 & 6. “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life…Behold, I belong to God like you: I too have been formed out of the clay.”
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion is taking care of orphans and windows in distress and keeping oneself unpolluted by the world.
“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Mother Theresa
“…All men live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves but by the love for them that is in other people…it’s by love for others that they really live.” –Tuesdays With Morrie
I’m pretty sure I wrote this after reading The Power of Serving Others (thanks Megan) last summer while still waiting for the right time to go to Africa. My purpose: Starting with what I have now (the little training I have, the little money, the little knowledge) opening my hands and my heart to give what I can right at this moment with the most resources and love I can muster. (Not waiting for money, or a facility, or more education, or more people. But by making the first step and possibly helping answer someone’s prayer through where I am led by God and going.
From Scared by Tom Davis (from Mitch and Cristy) Page 79: (In Swaziland. Pastor Walter talking about how he was teaching at church, and after a child had died while “sleeping” in the back because of starvation.) “It was a wake-up call for me. God’s goodness didn’t just happen because I talked about it. I realized that I had to act. So I started to pray, ‘God, send me people who have the ability and the finances to help us.’ And you know what God said to me? He said, ‘Walter, what’s in your pocket? Start giving to these children out of what you have, and I will take care of the rest. And that’s exactly what has happened. There were many nights when my own children went hungry because other children in our community would die without something to eat. Maybe my kids were a bit skinnier because of that, but we kept other children alive.”
Here are just a few other passages or lines from this book that I liked:
Pastor Walter talked about Jesus’ church – where everyone shared with everyone else. Not only food, but homes, money, everything.
Tagoze, you are God’s answer. You can only say yes to His plans for your life, and you don’t always know how He is working. You have to trust.
In this place, Stu, God has a way of bringing people down to the essence of who they are.
Brother, you are God’s vessel. You, my brother, are the hands and feet of Christ, the hope of Christ to the people.
She said that it tells us sorrow is a part of life, but our tears can leave us with clearer sight, if we look to God.
Matthew 16:23-25 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Job 33: 4 & 6. “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life…Behold, I belong to God like you: I too have been formed out of the clay.”
ok, so i think i'm going to africa...what?!!!
Friday 5.21.10
I’m about to leave. Less than one week I will be in Africa! It’s crazy and exciting to imagine. All I really need to do now is pack (ha). I’ve been having so much fun spending time with friends and family before I go, and doing a little journaling and other prep.
Today, I just finished up teaching a short lesson in a few classrooms. I wanted to do the whole “Connected Through Love” thing focusing on classrooms right now. I had the kids point out Kenya and Uganda on a map, and told them a little information about what I am doing. We talked about possible differences from our culture to their culture, brainstormed ideas of topics we could write about in a letter. The kids imagined writing a letter to someone in Africa, what they would want that person to know about about their life here. Some of the kids talked about food, animals, friends, their rooms, class, etc. Then they drew pictures. So, once I give those letters with pictures to people I meet in Africa, we will all be a little more connected. And I know that the people I give the letters to will learn and feel so loved and special that someone in Colorado made it for them!
Classrooms that are involved are: Mrs. Campbell’s kindergarten class (Dunn Elementary, Fort Collins), Mrs. Clark’s 2nd grade class and Mrs. King’s 4th grade class (Wingate Elementary), Mrs. Hanson’s National Junior Honors Society group of 7th and 8th graders (East Middle), Mrs. Ralston’s 3rd grade class and Miss Wagstrom’s 4th grade class (Orchard Avenue), and Mrs. Pitton’s 3rd grade class (Pear Park). Thank you SO much for letting me do this and to the kids who put their personalities into their pictures and writing.
In my Africa-prep, I feel SO loved and supported. I was nervous about the planning, the money, the timing, etc. and everything has worked out MORE THAN perfectly. I’ve prayed about it and trusted GOD/life with all of this, and I am so happy about how everything has fallen into place and worked out (though of course, a lot of it is not how I planned or expected it to go)! Thank you for your love and support. I cannot describe how special this makes me feel and I am SO blessed to have such amazing people in my life. It makes me happy! So THANK YOU!!!!!
I leave Wednesday and I’ll spend a few days in Cairo (cheaper to fly through there, and I’ve always wanted to go!) before heading to Nairobi, Kenya for training and then placement. All of June I will be doing HIV/AIDS work, and hopefully other work as well! I have no clue what to expect or how things will go so I’m just trying not to have expectations and am ‘planning’ on just going with however things happen (organized, disorganized, don’t know where I’m living, etc.) So, this’ll be an adventure!
I’m about to leave. Less than one week I will be in Africa! It’s crazy and exciting to imagine. All I really need to do now is pack (ha). I’ve been having so much fun spending time with friends and family before I go, and doing a little journaling and other prep.
Today, I just finished up teaching a short lesson in a few classrooms. I wanted to do the whole “Connected Through Love” thing focusing on classrooms right now. I had the kids point out Kenya and Uganda on a map, and told them a little information about what I am doing. We talked about possible differences from our culture to their culture, brainstormed ideas of topics we could write about in a letter. The kids imagined writing a letter to someone in Africa, what they would want that person to know about about their life here. Some of the kids talked about food, animals, friends, their rooms, class, etc. Then they drew pictures. So, once I give those letters with pictures to people I meet in Africa, we will all be a little more connected. And I know that the people I give the letters to will learn and feel so loved and special that someone in Colorado made it for them!
Classrooms that are involved are: Mrs. Campbell’s kindergarten class (Dunn Elementary, Fort Collins), Mrs. Clark’s 2nd grade class and Mrs. King’s 4th grade class (Wingate Elementary), Mrs. Hanson’s National Junior Honors Society group of 7th and 8th graders (East Middle), Mrs. Ralston’s 3rd grade class and Miss Wagstrom’s 4th grade class (Orchard Avenue), and Mrs. Pitton’s 3rd grade class (Pear Park). Thank you SO much for letting me do this and to the kids who put their personalities into their pictures and writing.
In my Africa-prep, I feel SO loved and supported. I was nervous about the planning, the money, the timing, etc. and everything has worked out MORE THAN perfectly. I’ve prayed about it and trusted GOD/life with all of this, and I am so happy about how everything has fallen into place and worked out (though of course, a lot of it is not how I planned or expected it to go)! Thank you for your love and support. I cannot describe how special this makes me feel and I am SO blessed to have such amazing people in my life. It makes me happy! So THANK YOU!!!!!
I leave Wednesday and I’ll spend a few days in Cairo (cheaper to fly through there, and I’ve always wanted to go!) before heading to Nairobi, Kenya for training and then placement. All of June I will be doing HIV/AIDS work, and hopefully other work as well! I have no clue what to expect or how things will go so I’m just trying not to have expectations and am ‘planning’ on just going with however things happen (organized, disorganized, don’t know where I’m living, etc.) So, this’ll be an adventure!
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