Saturday was a very exciting day as we received two letters - both from our LDP students! We hear from David regularly, but we have only received a couple letters from Cilia and both appeared to have been written before she received our letters. We were excited to see proof of this new relationship being established. We began sponsoring Cilia after Kevin returned from Honduras last May. We had requested an LDP student in the field of medicine before his trip, but none were available. When he got home, we got a profile for a couple LDP students and one of them was Cilia - studying pharmacology (Kevin's field).
First of all, check out the paper....don't you love it? The letter was printed over her beautiful photo - both sides of the letter looked like this.
I want to thank you for writing me and sharing about your life with me, you have such cute babies. It is very exciting to know that you like to go out for walks and to know that Jill is a music teacher. I love to play the guitar, although I'm not too good at it but I try. Kevin, in you I see a great role model. It is a great blessing that you came to visit my country. I encourage you to come back and I will be waiting for you with my arms wide open.
God willing, through the Leadership Development Program and through my church working in me, I will become a servant leader in the Lord. This month I had the great opportunity to go to Quimistan, Santa Barbara which is about 8 hours away from Tegucigalpa. We went to make arrangements for community service. Seven LDP students traveled and we were in charge of that great event that will mark the lives of many people there and I know that we will rescue youth from that place and they will be marked for Christ in the name of Jesus. I know they will be. We will carry out this activity in January with all 79 LDP students.
I say good by with many kisses and hugs and you are always in my prayers and in my church's prayers. We trust that God is working in your lives and pouring thousands of blessings on you every day. I ask you to pray that I can be better every day for the glory and honor of God...I love you very much. Cilia
And from David in Peru (we have been corresponding with David for 1 1/2 years and I was able to meet him in August 2010)
Dear Jill, it is a joy for me to receive this precious letter again.
I give thanks to God for your lives, for considering me your friend and especially for your prayers for my life.
I got good grades in my last semester and I praise the Lord for this. Without Him and a bit of hard work, the results would have been different.
Concerning my three goals, I am going into a good direction with God's help. I have started my pre-professional practice in a prestigious company where I am learning a lot. This month of November I finish my CCNA course. Then I will take another reviewing course to take my certification exam in December. By God's grace I have also started another certification course which will help me a lot in my career.
The LDP workshops were a great blessing. God worked with my life. I learned many important lessons especially in the devotions. Particularly, in the last day we learned about a young person and hi commitment to being pure for God. All of us LDP students made a pact of holiness. It was a time of ministering and prayer. We also had a time of sharing, games, challenges, team competitions and a wonderful bonfire in the last evening. It was a time to thank God for being so good to us and for restoring this first love in us to do everything with excellence in our courses of study, families and churches.
Thank you once again for each of your letters. You teach me so much with your personal and family stories. It is a joy to know you. Thank you also for the precious pictures and especially for your prayers. I say goodbye to each of you with a strong hug, wishing you all the blessings in your lives. Your friend, David.
I love how these letters illustrate the work and ministry of Compassion's Leadership Development Program.
It is so neat and encouraging to see how God is shaping these young men and women into true servant leaders through Compassion's ministry.
