Today is Abraham's birthday. And even though we haven't spoken to him in a while, i still like to remember the birthday's of our highlighted kids. He is 14 years old as of today. I remember when I first met him. It was in June and even though I knew it was after his birthday, I still recognized his birthday. He had just turned 13 and that is a big age to turn. He went from being a kid to being a teenager. And I found out from Compassion he is expected to graduate October 1, 2017. So I will be able to communicate back and forth with him for 5 more years... God willing. He has really grown up since I first met him. Allot happens in a year, and I know that he will have an amazing birthday. I can't wait to be writing a Travel Log for his 15th birthday. Oh and then his 16th birthday! That will be so cool! To see how much he has grown look at his pictures in our Bolivia Spotlight its amazing.

This is what he looks like now:

We went to the Philippines last week, and we were able to speak to Mark's mom. One of our spotlighted kids. He wasnt there the day we visited them, and the conversation we had was very informative.

She started telling me about her and her family. She said Mark has a sister named Gen Macas and she is 9 years old, and his mom's name is Levilita Macas and she is 44 years old. His father's name is Gregorio Macas and he is 46 years old. She was telling of his favorite things. She said that his best friend is named Janjle, and he loves the color yellow. She also told me his favorite food is fried chicken. She said that when he is at church, his favorite song to listen to is "God is good to me" and his favorite game/sport is biking. He loves playing with toy cars, and he loves horses. I think the next time i visit, i will bring a picture of a horse for him to have. I think he would love that. I was blown away when she told me that his biggest dream is to become a soldier. I was really amazed. Not many kids want to be a soldier when they grow up. I might also bring some pictures of soldiers as well for him to have. He would love that. He said he weighs 24.6 KG (54 lbs.) and is 124 cm tall. (4' 1") She said that they live in a rural town/village.

Then we were able to talk to his mother more in depth and this is what she had to say:

"Dear Kimberly Warren,
Have a nice day to you. Mark is so fine and thank you very much for being his sponsor. We live one of the provinced in mindanao, it is in lanao del norte. He have only one sister her name is Gen Macas. She is coming 10 years old this coming July 6, 2012. And my name is Levilita Macas and my husband's name is Gregorio Macas. Mark will be in grade 4 this coming opening of classes this June. Like you, Mark also loves playing with his sister and friends. You know what theres a lot of fun here in my home country Philippines. Once again, thank you very, very much for being so kind to us. May God Bless you and your family always. Havea nice day to you and your family.

Love,
Levilita macas
Mother
Mark was kind enough to us to draw a picture for us. it was a picture of 2 trees, 2 people, and his house. It looks think the houses my friend, Wally, saw when he was in Thailand. I thought itwas really neat. And in top of the letter he wrote Philippians 1:3 "I thanic my Gode evrytime I remember you." It made me cry. I love it! I cant wait to have the opportunity to meet him again!

This is the second travel log for our trip. We were in Bolivia recently, and we had met up with one of our Bolivian spotlighted kids named Brayan. Well, we were going to have a conversation with him but there was no translator, and the transcript of the conversation wasnt completed. So, I had to send the transcription of the conversation back to headquarters to have it finished. And they said that they were sorry that they didnt have a translator available, but that they invited us back to Bolivia in 10 weeks when there would be a translator and the transcription of the conversation would be available for me to pick up. Its a bummer to have to do all that, but, I am excited for it to be returned to me.

Hello fellow passengers! This is the first travel log of our trip. Most recently, we went to the country of Bolivia. The country of Bolivia is breath taking. With its lush and vibrant culture, its definitely a sight to see!

We spoke to one of our featured kids named Brayan. He is 6 years old, and he lives with his mother and father. We asked him a few questions, and through the help of his sister, Sandra, this is what he had to say:

Hello dear sponsor Kimberly Warren,
We greet you with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I'm his sister, Sandra, and I help Brayan write his letter
Brayan is happy and grateful for the sponsorship that you give him
Brayan is doing well at school and he has many friends called: Luis, Jose, Cristian, and Melani.
Brayan likes playing soccer and tag, his favorite food is baked chicken. 
He wanted to ask you questions. What food do you like eating
best?
We'll say goodbye with much affection, may God bless you.
Sandra (sister)

It was very interesting hearing of the experiences of a 6 year old in a country that just begs for help from a loving sponsor. I was able to talk to him and explain to him my favorite food is sushi. And it was nice to explain to him what it was.

If you feel compelled to sponsor a lovely boy like Brayan feel free to use a free laptop, as provided by this airline, to go to www.compassion.com to help a needy child just like Brayan.