Most excitingly, Hazel's refrigerator has arrived! There was enough money left over after purchasing it for the family to also purchase some supplies for the business, and some school snacks for Hazel!
She sent a lovely thank-you letter:
Dear Sponsor, Hello! How are you? About us, we are doing good. I am very happy and thankful for the special gift you gave to me and my family. The refrigerator will help my mother a lot in her small business. As of now she is cooking food that we are selling in our neighbors. The left over food, we keep it in the refrigerator. We also bought snack items that I can bring when I go to school. I am now in grade five. I am enjoying school.
Thank you so much again for your big support in me.
Your Sponsored Child,
Hazel Ann
Next, I found two new photos of my girls when I logged in to my Children International account. One was expected ... one was not!
Maria's annual photo was the expected one. Her birthday is coming up in September; she will be twelve.
Joyce's photo was definitely NOT expected! Her last photo was updated in February, so this was definitely a surprise! Joyce's birthday is in just a couple days; she will be fourteen.
Then, I learned of the devastating flooding in Manila and Quezon City--all together, five of my girls live in these two areas. I logged online for the first time in the week, only to be confronted by images like this one:
Children International issued a statement, saying that their centers were closed due to safety concerns. They also said that they would contact Sponsors whose children are directly impacted by the flooding. I haven't heard anything ... yet. I am praying that no news is good news.
I just contacted CI through chat to find out about Cristine and they wrote this: The extent of the damage still being assessed by our staff, and in the coming days, we expect to receive frequent updates from our agency. Rest assured that if Cristine has been severely impacted by this disaster, we will contact you.
ReplyDeleteSo I hope we don't hear anything! ~Holly
Thanks for that update, Holly! I know they are facing incredible challenges in the wake of the disaster, and I'm trying my best to be patient. I've been very nervous since I learned about the flooding. In additon to just wanting to know my girls are okay, I'm also worried for Hazel's brand new refrigerator...
ReplyDelete