Try this indio viejo recipe from Nicaragua … mmm!

CFCA serves more than 10,000 sponsored children and elderly in Nicaragua. Our staff members there sent us this tasty recipe for “indio viejo,” or a corn-based, slow-cooked stew!

The Nicaraguan people are experts at making a variety of food dishes based on corn. This is a culture inherited from their ancestors.

In rural communities, corn-based meals are consumed daily. One of them is indio viejo, which is usually served as the main dish with rice, fried plantain and coleslaw salad. Sometimes, however, it is served as a secondary dish.

This recipe is for five people.

Ingredients:

• 1 and a half pounds of chicken breast or beef
• 1 pound of corn flour or “masa”*
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 bell peppers
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 roll of spearmint (needed for flavor, although you can use cilantro as a substitute)
• Chicken or beef seasoning (approximately two bouillon cubes)
• 1 bitter orange (you can use lemon as a substitute)
• 4 ounces of butter
• Achiote or annatto (needed for coloring, although you can use sweet paprika as a substitute)
• 6 garlic cloves
• Approximately half a gallon (2 liters) of water

*This item should be available in any Hispanic grocery store.

Cook the chicken breast or beef with the chicken or beef seasoning, garlic, one onion and one bell pepper.

When the meat is soft, shred it. Save the water to be mixed with the corn dough.

Cut the tomatoes, onion, spearmint and remaining bell peppers in small pieces and fry them in the butter.

Add the water to the corn dough and add the fried vegetables. Mix it all together on medium heat. Add achiote or annatto to make the corn dough look slightly red.

Once the corn dough is cooked, add the chicken or beef shreds, as well as bitter orange, and let it cook for another 5 – 10 minutes.

Serve with rice, fried plantain and coleslaw salad.

Related links

• Nicaraguan mothers group works to help others

The doors open at 6:15 p.m., and a dessert reception will follow. We hope to see you there!

Tickets are now available at www.hopeforafamily.org/tickets.

Although the premiere is free, we ask that you reserve tickets as soon as possible so we know how many people will be attending.

As just a taste of the great things to come, we’d like to share this Q-and-A with Paul Pearce, the film’s executive producer and CFCA’s director of global strategy.

What was the inspiration behind making “Rise and Dream?”

The idea was to capture how people living in poverty can be an inspiration for the rest of the world, through their perseverance and hope despite their daily survival struggles.

Many times people living in poverty are treated as if they are in a great abyss, with nothing but their need to offer the rest of the world.

We wanted to make a film that dispelled this myth. We wanted to challenge ourselves and others to truly give the poor a voice — to give them the microphone for once and let them share what they think and feel.

Why did you choose the Philippines and the Zamboanga community in particular as the location for the concert?

We chose to feature the community in Zamboanga because not only do they have poverty to deal with, but they live in the middle of a conflict zone in the southern Philippines.

This conflict zone is one of the oldest active conflicts in the world. Zamboaguenos are proud of the community that they strive to create in a diverse and economically suffering region.

Paul Pearce

We wanted to take the audience to the front lines where the struggle for unity is larger than the struggle for division.

Who would you say is “the audience” for this film? Do you want to reach any particular type of filmgoer?

I think there is a broad audience for “Rise and Dream.” Those who want to see that the human spirit is alive and well, and is continuing to overcome countless obstacles in the world, will be drawn to “Rise and Dream.”

Those who care about families living in poverty, I think, will really be encouraged by watching this film.

Persons who care about education and young people who doubt if education is worth the hassle here in the United States, I think, will be inspired by these Filipino youth.

Parents who want to help their own children to see how other kids around the world live, work and study hard will find the film to be a great resource.

I think those interested in music and its ability to keep cultural significance alive will also take heart in the film.

What is your advice to other nonprofits wanting to share their stories through feature documentary films?

I encourage them to seek a story that represents their core values, beliefs and uniqueness as a nonprofit.

That way, viewers can come to know their mission to a reasonable depth and discover nonprofits that line up with their own value systems.

The film is very motivating. After seeing it, how can someone get involved and help other kids like the youth in this movie?

They can sponsor a child or young person waiting to enroll in our program.

If a person is moved by what they see in the film, I encourage them to go to www.hopeforafamily.org where we have about 1,000 youth waiting for a sponsor.

We can’t offer these educational and other life-changing opportunities without people stepping forward.

It really happens one by one. We are trying to get the resources of this world in motion in favor of families living in poverty, in true partnership with them.

Sponsorship is a commitment, but it is a doable commitment.

Now is a great time to help youth reflect on the need to take proper leave of those who have enriched their lives as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.

Larry Livingston, CFCA director of church relations, has created a simple exercise to help young people recognize and more deeply appreciate the important relationships in their lives.

This exercise can be used to complement a classroom lesson or parish youth gathering, or be part of an end-of-the-year group retreat.

Download the activity.

Related links

• Sign up for our quarterly Youth eLessons 

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

The sinsonte birds are singing their hearts out, welcoming the early rains. They also welcome 35 CFCA sponsors, their hearts ready to learn and to share.

Excited children, elderly and families lift their hearts in prayers of gratitude for their sponsors.

In nine different regions across Guatemala, a dedicated CFCA staff serves an estimated 89,000 children and elderly. More than 500 families wait in hope to belong to CFCA.

God knows this is sacred ground, made so by the sacrifice of countless martyrs and the daily sacrifices of humble, hard-working people.

We are here to listen. May we see much more than poverty. May we see firsthand the realities of our families.

May we remain open to learn about their heroic efforts to walk that path out of poverty, hand in hand with our sponsors.

Remembering the martyrs

We remember in a special way the testimony and martyrdom of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi 14 years ago: April 26, 1998.

Our attendance at Holy Mass at the Cathedral de la Asuncion Guatemala City draws our attention immediately to the thousands of names, mostly indigenous, etched for years into the massive pillars surrounding this historical structure, etched for life into our hearts.

This week, thousands of people of diverse faiths are ready to greet the world with messages of peace.

Here’s what the daily newspaper, Prensa Libre, had to say about the anniversary of Bishop Gerardi’s martyrdom: “We search for the Guatemala of Mons. Gerardi’s dreams …Reconciliation and pardon can come with knowledge and an accurate historical record…The causes of the internal conflict (1960-1996) still plague our country…among them inhuman living conditions, lack of job opportunities, violence, grave injustice.”

The time with our sponsored children and families is marvelous and humbling. I feel “enveloped” in their love.

They inspire and help us sponsors. Together we can share the yoke.

A mother’s blessing to the sponsors: “Each night we pray for you. May God’s love always be in your hearts.”

We were able to visit two sponsored friends and their families this afternoon. Dads were working. The mothers, Marisol and Sonia, expressed deep gratitude for CFCA in their lives.

We are captivated by the simplicity and grace of our sponsored elderly.

“Thank you, God. Thank you, sponsors. Thank you, CFCA, for our home.”

A mother speaks: “In my mothers group, I work with the families of 15 sponsored children. I visit their schools and check on their progress.”

Last school year in Guatemala, more than 2,900 young professionals graduated from CFCA. They can apply for work and at the same time continue their education on weekends.

Says Fr. John: “Our people regard the saints in heaven as friends of God and our friends, too. This week we celebrate the great contribution of Santo Hermano Pedro to Guatemala and to the world.

“He walked the byways of this country with his bell and a core of uncomely friends, the sick and the hungry. Now Hermano Pedro walks with us to give hope for each family.”

How hopeful when mothers and dads who have received special training in some trade begin to share their knowledge with other parents and families.

How wonderful to see a modest family with a well-organized home. A fuel-efficient stove becomes the welcoming hearth.

The father speaks: “The sponsor of my boy gave us a small pig. We raised the pig and purchased what we needed to start a small nursery of coffee seedlings in the patio of our home. Now when I can’t find work outside the home, I can still produce income for my family.”

Most of this day in the villages of Solola and with the help of the CFCA staff, we have been communicating in Kakchiquel, Spanish and English.

In every corner of CFCA, we see intelligent and dynamic young people. They truly represent hope for their family and community.

All photo credits in this report go to the communications team at the Hermano Pedro project.

Cristina Hentzen and I send our love and gratitude, as we prepare to leave for exciting days with sponsors in Medellin, Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia.

We thank you for your solidarity, and we ask your prayers for safe travel and meaningful experiences for our dear sponsors. God’s blessings.

Bob Hentzen
Guatemala
April 30, 2012

For many families we serve around the world, mothers are the light of the household and work hard to provide their families with the basic necessities they need to survive.

We’d like to highlight the importance of mothers by sharing this inspiring tale of a Nicaragua mothers group that is giving back to the community.

Through their united efforts, these mothers of sponsored children sold tamales door-to-door and purchased a food basket for a boy with special needs and his family.

And that’s just the beginning of their incredible story: Nicaraguan mothers group works to help others

Ever wondered how to wrap a sari? This video will show you!

The sari is a traditional dress worn by women in India for many centuries.

Its meaning comes from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, which means “strip of cloth.”

The sari is a one-piece item of clothing that fits all women regardless of figure and height.

Its length ranges from approximately 17 to 21 feet (5.30 to 6.30 meters). It is made from different fabrics such as nylon, cotton, silk and polyester.

The sari is worn with a blouse and underskirt or petticoat. It goes well with a fitted matching blouse with embroidery designs.

Editor’s note: In this video, Prameela, a CFCA sponsored youth, wore the sari on top of a T-shirt and jeans, which is not traditional. This was so that she could feel comfortable wrapping the sari in front of the camera.

My graduation is fast approaching and whether I like it or not, I will soon be leaving CFCA.

I will be graduating college and will step into a real world. Yes! It is a dream come true!

Nevertheless, I will never forget all the people who have helped me and supported me. People who sat beside me, walked with me, and praised me for every accomplishment I achieved.

Without them, I would never be what I am right now.

December 2003 is the time when I became sponsored through CFCA. I had mixed emotions of excitement, nervousness and happiness.

I even asked myself, what life awaits me in this sponsorship program? What changes will it bring to me?

I took my high school education in a public school. I had to walk about a third of a mile (500 meters) from our house to the main road to catch a jeep going to my school.

My money was always insufficient. My father is a farmer while my mother is a housewife. My mother always borrowed money from our neighbor when I did not have money for my fare.

It was hard – but my family never surrendered.

They wanted me to finish my education, and I wanted to finish my studies because my family and I would suffer if I just finished high school only, considering the limited job opportunities.

That is why I am very thankful to CFCA, which I will never forget.

With all the help extended, the words “thank you” are not enough. What great blessings I had with the CFCA family. It really lessened my parents’ burden.

After struggling through many obstacles, I graduated high school with distinction in March 2008, and I dedicated it to my family and CFCA.

After graduation, I worried whether I could pursue my college education.

I knew how important it is to be a college graduate, but I couldn’t blame my parents if they could not afford to send me there.

I took the college entrance exam and enrollment fast approached, yet my parents were still undecided. I even thought I should work first to earn and save enough money for my studies.

However, every time I prayed to God, blessings knocked for me.

My prayers were answered through the CFCA Scholarship Program. I became a service scholar, and it is a great privilege to be one.

The scholarship covered my tuition and lessened my parents’ worries, so I could focus more on my studies.

Beyond that, being a scholar gave me the opportunity to interact with younger sponsored friends and assist them in writing letters and other activities.

I felt more like an older sister to them rather than a scholar, and it is very satisfying work.

Soon I will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in office administration.

I extend my unending thanks, first to my sponsors Aunt Billie and Uncle Bob, to all CFCA Legazpi staff, to the other sponsored friends and fellow scholarship recipients.

Above all, thanks to the Divine Providence, for giving me all these people behind this program. In many ways of my life, they are always there to help and comfort me.

Though the time comes that I will be leaving, the memories will remain in my heart.

With so many families brimming with potential but in need of help, how does CFCA select prospective sponsored members?

Nicole Miller, who works in CFCA’s child services department, with pictures and family profiles of children awaiting sponsorship.

With so many children and aging waiting to become sponsored, it can be difficult to determine who needs sponsorship the most. The CFCA projects in the 22 countries where we work determine who is eligible to participate in the Hope for a Family program.

Families learn about the CFCA Hope for a Family program through friends or CFCA’s presence in the community.

Our field staffers approach the families and determine whether their children or aging family members are eligible for the program.

Some of the criteria that project staffers assess, besides economic need, include the family’s willingness and commitment to actively participate in the program and work toward becoming self-sufficient.

If the family meets the criteria to participate in the Hope for a Family program, the CFCA social worker will compile a family profile for the child, youth or aging person to be sponsored.

The complete information then goes to the CFCA office in Kansas.

Every child, youth and aging person accepted into the CFCA sponsorship program is living in poverty and in need of sponsorship, and we determine who is in the most need based on who has been waiting the longest for a sponsor.

We have two waiting lists: one for children and one for aging members.

When a sponsor asks us to find them a child or aging member who is in the most need, we turn to these waiting lists.

Marcia Willman

The typical length of time someone will be on the waiting list varies depending on how many new records we receive from the projects as well as other factors.

“Ideally children would be given a sponsor and begin receiving sponsorship benefits as soon as they join the program,” Marcia said. “Realistically, a typical wait of four to six months is common. Occasionally, children wait more than a year to be sponsored.”

Children or aging persons who are new to the program are generally sponsored at church presentations across the country, or their profiles are placed on our website to seek out new sponsors.

However, there are also children and aging persons on the waiting list who had a sponsor at one time, but are not currently sponsored.

Those who have lost their sponsor are placed at the top of each waiting list.

Individuals who have lost their sponsor will still receive all of the sponsorship benefits that CFCA has to offer. CFCA will continue to support them until we find another sponsor.

When a sponsored friend leaves the program, CFCA allows sponsors the opportunity to choose their new sponsored friend.

Heidy, a child sponsored through CFCA in Guatemala.

Want to help us find sponsors for those still waiting?

It’s easy to help us find sponsors with our “Tell a story” campaign. Through the campaign, you can be a voice for a child in poverty.

CFCA sends information to you about a child who is waiting for a sponsor. You share the child’s story with people you know and try to find a sponsor.

No matter the outcome, you can be assured that you did your part by telling a child’s story. You gave a child a voice.

Learn more about our “Tell a story” campaign.

Leah, 72, sponsored through CFCA in Kenya, has learned how to make beautiful jewelry from wastepaper. She also weaves baskets for a living.

At 72 years old, Leah is loving life – enough to learn two whole new trades.

Leah has been sponsored through the CFCA program in Kenya since 2003. Recently she has taken up basket weaving and making jewelry out of recycled wastepaper.

“This work keeps me so busy that I forget any problems I might be having,” she says. “You know when you are busy, you don’t fall sick.”

It wasn’t always this easy for Leah. She has seven children, three of whom have passed away, and 18 grandchildren.

Leah’s husband died in 1977, leaving her to take care of the seven children.

At that time Leah worked as a hospital cleaner, and her earnings were not enough to provide for her family.

“My neighbors saw my plight, and they introduced me to the CFCA Hope for a Family program,” Leah said.

Once she was sponsored, Leah received nutritional food and other sponsorship benefits such as clothes and bedding.

After she retired from her work as a cleaner, Leah learned the art of basket weaving and making jewelry out of wastepaper.

Sometimes well-wishers will give Leah the wastepaper for free, or else she buys it at a discounted rate.

Today Leah’s new skills help her earn income and complement the financial support from her sponsorship.

Leah with one of the baskets she made.

“I hope to share my art with the young people so that they can at least make an income, because getting employment in Kenya is difficult,” she said.

(Editor’s note: The unemployment rate in Kenya is estimated to be around 40 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. Go to this website and scroll down to the country “Kenya”: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2129.html)

Leah also has some good advice for young people.

“Keep yourselves busy and work hard,” she says. “Do not go for high-paying jobs that are hard to find. You can make use of the talent God has given you.”

Joji, 76, sponsored through CFCA in India.

Joji, 76, has been sponsored through the CFCA-Hyderabad Hope for a Family program in Nalgonda, India, for more than two years.

Joji now lives in a home for the aging where he offers his knowledge to others by spending his free time visiting the sick and lending his ear to anyone who needs someone to listen.

What is your secret for long life?

I feel God is with me and keeps me going. For God a thousand years is like a day and one day is like a thousand years.

Living each day keeps me going. Sin corrupts the body and also affects society. Leading an honest life and remaining truthful helps to live in peace.

What advice do you have for young people?

Lead a truthful life. See God in their parents. Be sincere to the values and avoid a superficial life. Love people genuinely and learn to forgive.

What is the most important thing your mother taught you?

She taught me simple faith in God and discipline in life. We were made to say a night prayer every day and rise up on time every morning.

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?

I like to visit the people who need me, who have no one to talk to.

What’s one thing that has changed from when you were young to the present day?

My perception of the world was very limited when I was young. I learned many things as I grew and experienced struggles and suffering in life.

What’s one thing that has remained the same?

I was a disciplined person.

What do you like most about CFCA?

I see the hand of God in CFCA. Through this, CFCA is able to give love to the aged who are deprived of love.

God has inspired some sponsors to help the aged, which is great work.

Although we call them centers, which sound like a big operation, they actually consist of one or a few local staff members. They help us find and feature stories from our sponsored children and aging friends.

Harrison Garcia

We’d like to introduce you to each communications center liaison, starting with Harry in Colombia.

CFCA has changed the life of many families. This is how CFCA changed my life as well as my family’s.

My name is Harrison Garcia, and I am 27 years old. I am the CFCA communication center liaison in Bogota, Colombia.

The story of my family at CFCA started when my sister Carolina, now 35, got sponsored in our little school 27 years ago.

The benefits that she received through CFCA at that time were a great help to my family as my mother was a single mother with three children.

When I was 10, I got sponsored, too, and it was a great experience for me to share letters with my sponsors during three years.

Carolina, Harry's sister

I graduated from the sponsorship program as my family’s economic situation improved.

My sister, Carolina, studied to be an English teacher and started to work with CFCA.

Carolina helped CFCA translate letters from sponsors and sponsored friends, and I wanted to learn English, too, to be able to have a job like hers.

We both decided to work with CFCA to bring back all the support and love that our sponsors and staff brought to us when we were younger and in need.

I studied English in La Gran Colombia University and started to work with CFCA translating letters, too.

From left are Mabel, Carolina's mother, and Carolina at her graduation day.

Today Carolina is the mail specialist in our Bogota project.

“The constant communication between my sponsors and me was the best as I knew that in the U.S. was a family who wanted to help me and my family and they loved me despite the distance,” Carolina says.

“My sponsors brought me love, and they encouraged me to get ahead in life.

“My favorite benefits were the school supplies, special gifts and the groceries. The sponsorship was a great support to our family.”

My favorite part of sponsorship was the loving relationship with my sponsors and all the benefits that I received.

These benefits and my sponsors’ support were so useful for my personal formation and for making me the person that I am today.

CFCA staff members in Bogota, Colombia.

Mahesh, a CFCA sponsored child in India, has huge hopes and dreams!

He wants to become a doctor to look after his parents and provide care to others living in poverty in his community.

Having grown up in difficult economic circumstances, he fully appreciates the value sponsorship provides in helping his father afford his education and school fees.

“There is no doctor in my village,” he says in this video. “I will become a doctor and build a hospital here. I will not take a single dime from the poor.”

From left are Juanita, Dave Asher and Antonia on a mission awareness trip to Guatemala in August 2010.

Dave lives in Texas and has sponsored both Juanita and Antonia since 2008.

To submit your photos to be included in our Facebook album, simply email a .jpg photo file (the higher the resolution, the better) to socialmedia@cfcausa.org.

Include your name and your preferred form of contact (phone, email, etc.) in case we have any questions about your submission.

Thanks for your support!

CFCA continues to champion girls’ rights to an education by raising awareness and encouraging changes that reinforce the importance of a girl’s education.

Isabel Santizo

CFCA communications liaison Luis Cocon interviewed Isabel Santizo, CFCA coordinator of the Patzún region in Guatemala, about some challenges that girls face to obtain an education and how CFCA helps support their dreams.

Related link: Read about Ortencia’s dream to graduate.

What is your name and how many years have you been with CFCA?

My name is Isabel Santizo, and I have been part of the CFCA family for 13 years.

Why are families reluctant to educate their girl children?

Parents [mainly fathers] believe school is not important for girls because they don’t see many graduating from college or high school.

In the region of Patzún, I dare say that only 20 percent of our sponsored girls will go to college and maybe 45 percent will go to high school.

Parents see education for girls not as an investment for their future; they see it like an unnecessary expense.

The fact that they are girls is a disadvantage in our culture. Parents give preference to boys. I have met fathers that don’t remember the names of some of their daughters.

What social factors discourage girls from attending school?

First, I would mention the lack of support from the father as we have already talked about.

Then there is the economic factor. Families do not have enough income to send all of their children to school, and so they prefer to provide an education only to the boys.

Finally I would mention safety. Girls are at risk when traveling from their communities to school. They can be raped, robbed and even killed.

So parents decide not to take this risk and prefer to keep their girls at home.

How is CFCA helping to promote the education of girls, and how does educating girls benefit the family and community?

Our CFCA social workers are constantly in touch with sponsored children and their families, and this has strengthened their relationship.

They have worked hard to build trust with families, and they are now at a point where families believe in them and also in CFCA.

Social workers are trained to raise awareness about the importance of educating their children, especially girls. Eventually the results will depend on the degree of trust that each social worker has achieved with the families.

Educated girls can correct many things in their family and in their communities. They will be able to contribute to the economy of the family.

They can help their younger siblings with homework; and they will have a chance to break the cycle of poverty in their family.

Are you on Pinterest?

If you’re involved with this social media site that’s described as an online pinboard, we’d love to connect with you on there!

So far we’ve created seven boards, and we’re extremely open to other suggestions. Let us know whether you have other categories or photos you’d like to see on our site.

Thanks to all of you who have already followed us and repinned the pictures of our work around the world!

See CFCA on Pinterest

Through Hope for a Family sponsorship, children are given the opportunity to attend school and break the cycle of poverty in their families.

Virtually every sponsored friend in our program has a life story full of obstacles countered by hope through sponsorship.

Here’s the story of Gladness, a sponsored youth in Tanzania.

Tell us about your family’s life before you were sponsored through Hope for a Family?

My family did not have enough income because both my parents were unemployed.

My mother used to sell vegetables (she still does) and my dad used to depend on odd jobs to earn an income (her dad is now a truck driver).

The source of income was very low. My parents could not afford to meet the basic needs of the family.

For example, it was difficult to get food, clothes and school uniform.

What is your family’s situation like today?

Through the sponsorship program I am able to continue with my studies.

My family situation has improved. My family is now able to meet our basic needs such as food and clothing. My parents are building a house for us to live comfortably.

Currently we are living in a two-room house, which does not accommodate us comfortably. Since my education needs are met by CFCA, my parents are able to save for building materials from their own income.

How does sponsorship help you?

I use my sponsorship fund for school fees and school supplies. The school supplies include books, uniforms, pens, pencils and backpacks.

(Read more about how sponsorship helped Gladness’ family save enough for a new school uniform.)

Tell us about your school and what profession you hope to pursue.

My school is a good private school. It is a 45-minute walk from my home to school.

I am working hard and I hope to do well in the national exams due in October this year. I hope to be a lawyer.

What is your sponsor like?

My sponsor is a very good person; I appreciate the letters and photos that I receive from my sponsor.

I am so grateful for my sponsor’s support; I hope to continue with the CFCA Hope for a Family sponsorship in order to achieve my educational goals.

To all our sponsors, thank you for making stories like Gladness’ possible.

I am John Paul, 20 years of age. I have two sisters and a happy family.

I was born with nothing. My parents are farm laborers who found it really hard to send us to school.

During my childhood, I used to cry before I left for school because I had incomplete school supplies and not a penny to buy snacks. Every day the scenario remained the same.

One day while I was playing under the rain, somebody came to our house and said they were there to help my family.

They were recruiting young children in need like me for sponsorship, and I was one of the chosen ones.

When they saw me, my clothes were full of dirt and my hair needed trimming. They immediately asked a few questions to my mother, and it was my first time to hear the word CFCA.

Because of CFCA, my life was changed. Our family’s emotional and financial burden lightened.

I was given the opportunity to have new clothes, school uniforms, supplies, shoes, new backpacks and all other things I was deprived of before I entered this sponsorship program.

Due to this, I became more productive as a student. Along with perseverance and hard work, I graduated elementary school as valedictorian and secondary as one of the honors students.

Our family relationship has improved because of the continuous value formation activities sponsored by CFCA.

My parents were also equipped with additional knowledge on livelihood activities that would improve our economic condition.

During my college days, our family had to go through some struggles. My father was seriously ill and had to take a rest.

From that time, my mother had to wash laundry to support my father’s medications and acquire additional income.

To help my family and meet my needs in school, during weekends or non-school days, I engaged myself in construction work, drove a three-wheel bicycle (‘pedicab,’ a public utility vehicle) and sometimes sold vegetables.

Although I received a monthly college allowance from CFCA, it never sufficed; my family’s contribution to my education was still needed.

The burden on my back lessened when I became one of the CFCA scholars. Aside from the monthly grant, I had the scholarship allowance to sustain my studies.

I was able to manage my time helping my family and studying. I always been an active student and was constantly elected as officer in school organizations.

Fortunately, I graduated with flying colors. During that time, my father recovered totally. My parents were very proud of my accomplishments.

April 6, 2011, the most memorable moment in my life, was my graduation day.

Before I left the house, my parents and I were teary-eyed because finally I had reached one of my goals. Finally, I had reaped the fruits of my labor and sacrifices. I know, without my family and CFCA, I would not have been able to go this far.

I know my journey has just begun. I am very certain that with all the character development and activities I gained from school and CFCA, I will be able to have a good career with my bachelor’s degree in secondary education.

My challenges as well as all the people who helped me find my way to my dreams will continue to inspire me to reach my aspirations.

I always thank God for leading me to CFCA. Thank you so much, CFCA. I salute you, Sir Bob Hentzen (CFCA President), all the CFCA staff and my benevolent sponsors, Mr. Joseph and Mr. David.

I will forever be grateful to my sponsors that once in my life, you had taken me to be a part of you. You truly made a difference in my life.

A. While we can’t prevent a former sponsored child from trying to find and contact their sponsor via Facebook, we do encourage everyone to consider any potential risks that could happen from direct contact.

These risks may not come from your friend, but from other people within your friend’s community who learn about their direct contact with you in the U.S.

Some of these risks could include requests being made to you for ongoing support, or people trying to extort money from your friend or friend’s family because they are in direct contact with someone in the U.S.

For these reasons, CFCA does not facilitate or encourage direct contact between sponsors and their former sponsored friends.

We cherish the friendships that form between sponsored friends and sponsors through our program. Unfortunately, our ability to safely facilitate these friendships is only through the sponsorship program.

Please note: CFCA’s child protection policies do not allow current sponsors to be in unsupervised communication with sponsored friends, including social media such as Facebook.

To protect the privacy of our sponsors and ensure that all communications with sponsored friends are appropriate, our project staffs monitor all correspondence.

Related links:

• What happens when my friend leaves the sponsorship program?
• An explanation of CFCA social media policy

The mooing of cows, clucking of chickens and cooing of doves welcome you to this special home, which lies just a few miles from the equator near Nanyuki, Kenya.

Elizabeth and Dominic are urban slum farmers in Kenya. Two of their children are sponsored through CFCA.

As Dominic feeds the cows, his wife, Elizabeth, is busy making sure the chickens have enough to eat.

However, it was not always like this.

Dominic and Elizabeth, who live in a slum area, were struggling to provide for their five children. As a cook, Dominic was hardly earning enough to sustain his family’s needs, and Elizabeth was a housewife.

“We used to live in a one-room house,” Elizabeth said. “Food was hard to come by, not to mention taking our children to school. Life was unbearable; our neighbors were avoiding us because of our many problems. We felt like outcasts.”

In 2002, their life changed when their sons John and Martin were sponsored through the Hope for a Family sponsorship program.

The two boys could now go to school as sponsorship covered their tuition fees and school supplies. The family also got nutritional benefits such as rice from the sponsorship program.

With some burdens lifted off their shoulders, the family decided to save some money and start an income-generating business. Their passion for animal husbandry could now be put in practice.

CFCA staff helped the family get a farming grant through the CFCA livelihood program. The grant helped the family start a poultry business, raising chicken for eggs and meat.

They sell these products and make some money. This has greatly improved their livelihood.

They also bought a cow, which they milk. It does not end there; the family has doves that they sell as well as ducks and turkeys.

Elizabeth is a member of a CFCA mothers group, and she is the group’s leader.

Dominic and Elizabeth presented this 'Hope for a Family' cake to CFCA President Bob Hentzen during the mission awareness trip to Kenya. The family runs a small catering business.

“I have learned so much by interacting with other women. I have seen the importance of saving money,” she said.

Through the group, Elizabeth has received loans, which have helped her and her family as they strive toward economic self-sufficiency.

“I look back and see how far we have come as a family,” she said. “I am so grateful to CFCA for their support.”

The family also has a great passion for cooking. They have started an outside catering business, where they cook for people and special occasions.

“Other families can make it, too. It just takes hard work and patience,” Dominic said. “It does not matter how poor your background was; keep your eyes focused to the future. Do your work and God will make it flourish.”

John, who is sponsored, is taking a course in catering and hotel management. He said, “As a young boy I looked up to my father and I admired his culinary skills, and so I decided that I would follow in his steps. I thank CFCA for helping me pursue my childhood dream.”

To his sponsor John says, “If I could, I would cook for you the rest of your life, just to show you how much I appreciate your help towards me and my family.”

Our Kansas City staff traverses the globe to monitor and support our programs, and they put together this informal quiz about different cultures and their traditions.

Take time to answer each question before scrolling down to see the answer. Give yourself one point for each correct answer. There are 12 questions total.

We can’t guarantee that taking this quiz will increase your “cultural awareness quotient,” but it’s almost certain to raise your “enjoyment factor!”

1) People say that you “have a lot of weight.” It’s actually a compliment, though you may not feel that way. You’ve traveled to … ?

• Uganda
• Central American countries, and some African countries
• Pretty much any country outside the Western world
• Philippines, Ecuador and Mexico

Answer:

Pretty much any country outside the Western world.

In many countries, having a lot of weight is a physical sign of wealth. This holds true for a number of regions. We’ve noted this phenomenon in countries as diverse as the Philippines in Asia to Kenya in Africa (and South/Central America).

2) You’re meeting someone in India, and your first impulse is to shake hands. However, your right hand is not very clean. What should you do?

• Offer your left hand.
• Explain the situation.
• Wipe off your right hand before offering it.

Answer:

Explain the situation.

Offering your left hand is an insult in many countries, especially India. Your left hand is considered unclean, and offering it may convey disrespect. It may not be feasible to wipe off your right hand, either. Explain the situation and look for alternative ways to greet the person, such as nodding your head and saying, “Pleased to meet you.”

3) A woman whom you’ve only just met appears very curious, asking about your parents, siblings, children (if you have any) and even some members of your extended family. What should you do?

• Give short, general answers and inquire after her family.
• Politely evade her questions and change the subject to other matters.
• Tell her that she’s crossing some personal boundaries.

Answer:

Give short, general answers and inquire after her family.

Many people from different cultures see you as an extension of the family unit, not as an individual. To many Americans, this may seem strange at first. Often people are just being friendly. It’s best to respond politely and ask about your questioner’s relatives as well.

4) When ordering a hot dog in Chile or Brazil, you should be prepared for it to be …

• Served without a bun, but still on a plate
• Made from the meat of a guinea pig
• Topped with corn, peas and mayonnaise

Answer:

Topped with corn, peas and mayonnaise.

In several South American countries, including Brazil and Chile, hot dogs and even pizza are normally eaten laden with toppings such as chopped veggies and many condiments. Ordering a hot dog plain, or with “just mustard,” is met with looks of confusion.

5) After you make a purchase at a local shop in Botswana, the clerk prepares to return the change to you. What should you do?

• Reach out to take it with both hands.
• Wait until she has placed the money on the counter before going to pick it up.
• Tell her to keep a portion as a tip.

Answer:

Reach out to take it with both hands.

In Botswana it is considered polite to show both of your hands when receiving something from someone else. It is appropriate to take a gift, plate of food, or your change with one hand while cradling it, or your elbow, in the palm of the other. (Please note that CFCA does not have a project in Botswana, but we found this interesting and wanted to include it.)

6) At a restaurant in Costa Rica, you have finished your meal and are ready to leave. You still have not received the check, however. Why?

• You didn’t eat all your food and your plate is not clean.
• You are expected to settle your payment at the door.
• You never asked for it.

Answer:

You never asked for it.

In Costa Rica and many other countries, waiters usually bring your check only after you have asked for it. It would be considered rude to bring it before then, as you might think they want you to leave (isn’t that what most U.S. restaurants are trying to do when the waiter says, “Here is the bill … whenever you are ready”?).

7) After arriving in a Santali tribal village in Bihar, India, you are ushered into the village amid singing and dancing, seated, and your feet are washed by some of the villagers. Following this, the children form a line and, one by one, come to touch your feet. What is the appropriate response?

• Bow your head.
• Lift your hand over each child.
• Hold your hands together, palms up, and curl your fingers toward your body.
• Touch each child’s shoulder.

Answer:

Two right answers to this one!

Lift your hand over each child OR hold your hands together, palms up, and curl your fingers toward your body, depending on your gender.

If you are a woman, it is appropriate to receive the sign of respect by holding your hands together, palms up, and curling your fingers toward you or bringing your palms together.

If you are a man, you are to raise your hand over the child as a sign of blessing. (If the person is older than you, the actions are reversed: you bow your head or touch their feet, and the elder will either cup her hands or lift his hand in blessing.)

8) When eating at a restaurant in Mexico, you will likely be told “Buen provecho” by anyone who passes your table. What are they saying?

• How is your food?
• Enjoy your meal.
• Your food looks delicious.

Answer:

Enjoy your meal.

It is customary in Mexico and many Central American countries to say “Buen provecho” to your own table before beginning a meal and to anyone else you see eating. You might feel strange interrupting complete strangers, but it is appropriate to wish them a good meal.

9) If you need to park your car in Venezuela, what should you look for to identify a parking lot?

• A sign that says “Parking”
• A sign with a car on it
• A long line of cars. Surely they are all trying to park, too.

Answer:

A sign that says “Parking.”

In Venezuela and some other countries, the word parking has been adopted into the Spanish language. You might also find a sign that says “Parking Full,” and well, you know what that means.

10) If you are singing songs with your friends on a Videoke machine, which country are you in?

• Guatemala
• Chile
• Kenya
• The Philippines
• India

Answer:

The Philippines.

Videoke is the Filipino version of the famous interactive singing game of Karaoke.

11) Say that you are in Africa, and you need to get to a specific destination immediately. How should you communicate that to your fellow travelers?

• “We need to leave now!”
• “We need to leave now now!”
• “We need to leave just now!”

Answer:

“We need to leave now now!”

In some parts of Africa, time is so fluid that it has three categories: now (an hour or more – no one really knows), just now (maybe an hour or less) and now now (if you are not in the vehicle at this moment, it will leave you in the dust).

12) When you arrive at work at your office in Colombia, you should:

• Go straight to your desk. It is rude to interrupt people while they are working.
• Say a general hello to the co-workers you pass by and go to your desk.
• Say good morning to every person in the office/every person you see.

Answer:

Say good morning to every person in the office/every person you see.

In many Latin American countries a general greeting can be considered rude, so it is usually best to greet people individually.

The tally system

0-4 points: It’s possible that you may be offended at things that aren’t meant to be offensive. Try learning a little more about the culture you’re going to visit before traveling there.

5-10 points: Good job! You’re increasing your cultural awareness. There’s always room for improvement, though, so feel free to ask about experiences and things that have surprised you. You may find there’s a simple answer behind every previously mysterious gesture.

11-12 points: Congratulations! You’re quite the international traveler. We hope you share your stories with us about where you’ve been and what you’ve learned along the way.

Have you caught the travel bug yet? Learn more about our mission awareness trips!

“Ada — Friend of the Month” from CatholicMom.com

Lisa Hendey has graciously partnered with us by featuring a monthly invitation on CatholicMom.com to consider sponsoring a friend through CFCA. This month we chose to tell Ada’s story.

CFCA welcomes children, youth and other individuals living with varying degrees of physical and mental disabilities to participate in its Hope for a Family sponsorship program. Often people with special needs living in poverty have little or no access to health and rehabilitation services. This can make life difficult for them, and also for the family members who support them.

One of these children with special needs is 12-year-old Ada, who lives in Nicaragua with her family. (To preserve the privacy of our sponsored friends, we don’t share details about their special needs online.) Ada likes to paint and helps with household chores such as washing dishes and sweeping the house. Sponsoring Ada would help her family pay for her medical needs and support her education.

Read the full blog post here

Every Thursday the Like Mother, Like Daughter blog invites bloggers to post four pictures – pretty, happy, funny and real – and give a little context for each picture.

So here’s {phfr} at the CFCA blog:

{Pretty}

The depth of love shown by our sponsored friends toward their families is always a beautiful thing.

Karlin is sponsored through CFCA in Guatemala. She is hoping to graduate from high school with a degree in business administration.

“Without education I would have no hope,” she says. “After graduating I will come back to help my family. I want to work hard and share my success with my family.”

{Happy}

Aarthi, a child sponsored through CFCA in India. Her smile lights up the room!

{Funny}

Harrison Garcia Ruiz, our communication center liaison in Colombia, took this super cute picture of a horse and foal while on the road to interview sponsored child Diego getting his bicycle.

Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time!

{Real}

Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty for the children and families served in our CFCA Hope for a Family programs.

Rachel, right, is a child sponsored through CFCA in Kenya. Here she is in her new school uniform with her guardian and aunt, Lydia.

CFCA scholar Julio, 15, cultivates beets to fulfill his community service commitment. He works about eight hours a week on his garden in Guatemala. He clears land, plants seeds, tends the plants, and harvests his crops to sell and help pay some of his educational expenses.

Last week we blogged about the CFCA Scholarship Program, focusing on our project in Guatemala.

Today’s blog post explores the community service component, which is one of the program’s most important aspects.

Scholarship students provide valuable service hours to CFCA projects and serve as positive role models and mentors for younger children.

CFCA scholars in Guatemala must perform 30 to 40 hours of community service per month. The project offers areas where students can volunteer their help.

Education: Students provide this service at the CFCA office in their community by tutoring sponsored children in math or language.

Health: Students help at their community health center during vaccination campaigns, performing health surveys or providing educational talks on hygiene.

Environment: Students work with the local municipality or community development committee on reforestation projects, cleaning streets or collecting trash.

Office work: Students may work with children in their local parish or they can organize documents and records of sponsored children at the local CFCA office.

Agriculture: Students in Guatemala can also work on livelihood projects involving farm animals or crops to meet their service requirements. While not traditional community service, the project staff encourages scholars to engage in personal livelihood projects so they can learn new skills, work near their home, consume their products and earn extra income to help offset their expenses.

The CFCA scholarship does not meet all of the student’s economic needs. Families and students also help cover education costs.

“Besides the financial support, we work heavily on motivating these kids to enable them to focus on their educational goals,” said Jose Manuel Bajan Buch, who oversees CFCA education efforts in Guatemala’s Hermano Pedro project.

Click on any of the photos below to see some of the amazing projects CFCA scholars are doing in their communities!

“God is wonderful; he never gets tired of loving us.”

This is the saying that I will never forget. Because I knew and have proved that this saying is very true.

And did you know who taught me that? My sponsor.

Yes! I am one of the sponsored members of Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.

This foundation is the root of who I am now, and what I will be in the future.

Before I became a member of CFCA at the age of 8, I belonged to a poor family. I always heard my father and mother talk about money.

Because I am the oldest daughter in the family, I experienced many difficulties in life. Sometimes, I needed to give what I had to my youngest sister and brothers, even though in the end I am the one will have nothing.

Our home was very far from the town. It was very hard to walk half a mile to school every day, and when it rained, the road became so muddy.

I cannot help laughing when I remember that I always fell down, and I went home with a muddy bath!

I will never forget the time that I became a member of CFCA.

From that time, I always received so many things: bags, shoes, school supplies and school fees for my education.

From that time also, I was able to experience a birthday party, birthday gifts and the Christmas party.

Because of that, I gave more effort to studying hard. I was able also to attend many seminars that help me in terms of social aspects. I graduated as a school valedictorian. I am very thankful to this foundation for giving me the chance to share my talent and skills.

My high school life was a lot of fun. My parents were not so worried about financial problems, especially in terms of tuition fees and school supplies. I knew it was because of CFCA.

As I entered high school, I carried the lessons I had learned that can help me in real life. Most of it came from CFCA experiences.

They gave me all my needs not only for my education but for my family as well, so what more could I ask for?

In my four years in high school, I give thanks to God because I always ranked in the top ten of the class every year. I graduated with distinction.

During that time also, I was able to be a majorette in our school.

Because of CFCA I was able to achieve my dreams, and I am very certain that CFCA is the way of God to show his love to me.

Now, I am in the fourth year of my tertiary level of education, taking up a bachelor’s degree in biology. This is who I am now, because of CFCA.

They also give me another chance to show my determination to study, by choosing me to be a part of the CFCA Scholarship Program.

I don’t know where to start to thank them, but I will do my best to be a good example for others. I also want to share what I had learned.

Sincerely, I want to give unending thanks to the CFCA that made me a better person and to be well educated. Thanks to all the staff members that served as our mentors.

I would like to say to everyone: “I always remember the happy things that happened to me because of you. I will cherish those moments that you had helped me to learn good things … and I will be proud to tell anybody that I am part of you, CFCA.“

Leidy, a child sponsored through CFCA, and her mother pray at Mass in Colombia.

The majority of the families in the CFCA Hope for a Family program in Colombia are Catholic, and they participate actively during Mass.

Boys and girls attend Mass with their families, and they sit down and they listen to God’s Word and the priest’s reflection. The Mass usually lasts for an hour, sometimes 90 minutes.

Leidy is a child sponsored through CFCA for three years. She likes to attend the Mass with her mother, father and little brother Daniel.

“We attend the Mass on Sundays, and we sit down and listen to the priest,” she said. “My favorite part of the Mass is during the sign of peace because we shake hands and we hug each other. It is a happy moment.

“Also, I like the music during the Eucharist. My favorite song is ‘Glory Hallelujah.’ It is a happy song. …

“I pray with my mother and my family, and we pray to God for our needs and I pray to do well at school. I like to talk with God, and I ask God for our health.”

Ruben is another child who has been sponsored for nine years.

Ruben plays guitar outside the church.

He likes to help during the Mass through his music. Ruben has been playing since he was 4 years old.

His father is a talented musician and serves God with his talent during Mass.

Ruben wants to follow in the steps of his father. He has a band.

“I can play many musical instruments like the guitar, drums and the flute,” he said. “Most times I play the drums, and sometimes I sing.

“My favorite songs are the songs during Communion because these songs make us feel closer to God. One of my favorite songs is ‘I Praise You.’

“CFCA brings us closer to God because CFCA teaches us moral values to stay close to God.”

Related links:

• Celebrating Mass in the Philippines
• Celebrating Mass in Guatemala

If you celebrate Mass, in what ways does this sound familiar or different? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

Susan, Alan and Chuck on a mission awareness trip in Costa Rica.

Charles and Susan Proesel are longtime CFCA sponsors and volunteers. They have six sponsored friends and travel on mission awareness trips to visit them.

Here’s a wonderful testimony from Susan that illustrates the beauty of the friendships that have formed between the Proesels and one of their sponsored children, Alan, in Costa Rica.

In March, we were finally on our way to our long-awaited CFCA mission awareness trip to Costa Rica, “the land of eternal spring.”

This trip would be to meet our sponsored child Alan and his family. We were looking forward to a breath of spring after our long Midwest winter, but what we found was certainly not what we expected.

Costa Rica is a land of many climates, and the western part of the country that we traveled to was parched and hot as a result of the usual dry season.

We saw many flowers, but they were not the lush size that we had seen before on mission awareness trips to other Central American countries. We heard strange bird calls and eerie low hoots of howler monkeys.

In this unfamiliar landscape, we were happy to see the welcoming and smiling children in the CFCA program. And they were happy to see the groups from CFCA that represented their sponsors.

When we met Alan, our sponsored child for one-and-a-half years, we were greeted with warm hugs. His mother and CFCA social worker joined him, and we learned that he had traveled for six hours to meet us.

Alan, now almost 17, told us how he was studying at night to complete his education.

He proudly told us about his community and the beautiful Rio Celeste, blue river, that came down from the volcano. He said that yes, it was hot there too.

He fished, swam and played soccer. He expressed his gratitude for our sponsorship.

This Alan is much changed from the distraught child who couldn’t find the energy to go to school after his father left the family. He saw his mother struggle to raise her four children alone.

When his sponsorship began, they found hope.

We gave Alan gifts of school supplies, and his eyes lingered on the calculator. He was grateful but reserved.

Then we gave him the kite. Words were not necessary to convey the joy!

He is home now and soon the rainy season will begin renewing the land.

We like to think of Alan dutifully going to school at night, but flying that kite joyfully during the day.

Like the land, renewed and growing.

Millicent worked hard to acquire birth certificates for her children Robert, left, and Ben, right, both sponsored through CFCA.

What’s in a name? Depending on where you live, it can mean a whole lot of difference, especially when it comes to government documents such as birth certificates.

Many sponsored children, aging friends and their family members in our Kisumu, Meru and Nairobi projects in Kenya do not have birth certificates.

The reasons for this vary. Sometimes parents cannot afford to deliver their children in hospitals.

Because there’s no one to notify the government when births occur at home, many of these children end up without a birth certificate.

A birth certificate is a copy of an official government document that proves you exist. It gives you an identity and validates your importance to society.

It can be difficult, if not impossible, for those without birth certificates to gain formal employment, open bank accounts and own property.

CFCA has undertaken an initiative to help families obtain official birth certificates. Through this initiative, we’re taking steps to empower them to take control of their futures and create a positive self-identity.

Read more about how Kenyans are obtaining birth certificates despite tremendous obstacles.

Eliakim, left, and his sponsor, Rebecca Shaneyfelt. Rebecca visited Eliakim on a CFCA mission awareness trip to Kenya in February 2012.

Great news, everyone! As of April 2012, we’ve sent $1 billion to the field in support of our programs to help sponsored children and aging friends around the world.

(Read our news report here: CFCA reaches milestone in supporting families)

We’re deeply humbled and grateful for the support of everyone in our community for making this possible.

As stewards of the money you, our sponsors and donors, entrust to us, we’ll continue our commitment of sending the highest reasonable amount of available resources directly toward program support.

We also will continue to honor our co-founders’ commitment to put the needs of those living in poverty first.

CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen put it this way at a CFCA board meeting:

“We want to promote a new view of globalization, one in which we put into international motion a true sharing of the resources of God’s creation. We want the resources and goods of this earth to favor unity, not separation. In our preferential option, we favor the poor.”

Because of their perseverance and the support from more than 628,000 sponsors who have “walked” with us, we’re the organization that we are today. We’re excited to see where the next 30 years will take us.

As always, thank you so much for your support!

CFCA scholarships help fill this gap.

Jose Manuel Bajan Buch, left, leads CFCA's education outreach in the Hermano Pedro project in Guatemala.

Since 2001, the CFCA Scholarship Program has awarded more than $22 million to deserving youth and young adults attending secondary schools, technical schools and university programs.

The scholarship program in Guatemala began in 1997 and supports more scholarship students than in any other country where CFCA works.

It operates similar to scholarship programs in other CFCA projects.

Here’s an interview with Jose Manuel Bajan Buch, who leads CFCA’s education outreach in the Hermano Pedro project in Guatemala.

Jose Manuel works with an education coordinator in each of the project’s nine regions. The local coordinators are responsible for administering the scholarship program in their communities.

Who is eligible for a CFCA scholarship?

Students in middle school and beyond, at least 15 years old. They must have limited economic resources, a commitment to improving their conditions, a desire to continue their education, leadership qualities and a desire to serve their community.

How does a student apply for a scholarship?

Students apply at the CFCA office in their community in October and November for the school year that begins in January.

Students must bring their school transcript, a resume, two recommendation letters, parent’s identification and a birth certificate. They must also complete the CFCA scholarship application form.

Cindy, who is sponsored through CFCA, applies for a CFCA scholarship. She dreams of becoming a teacher.

How do you determine eligibility?

The local CFCA coordinator analyzes each case and visits the student’s home to verify economic need, which is determined by the condition of the applicant’s home.

For example, we determine whether there is access to running water, electricity, a latrine; how many children are in the family; and total family income.

Other important factors are the student’s will to pursue an education and school performance.

We seek young people with a great desire to study, a positive attitude, leadership potential and a strong sense of service.

[Related link: CFCA scholarship students serve their communities]

How long does it take to review the application and make a decision?

It takes 30 to 45 days.

How many CFCA scholarship students are in Guatemala?

We have 2,555 scholarship holders: 2,500 in middle school and high school, 40 in college, and 15 mothers (of sponsored children) ages 35 to 48.

Are most scholarship holders also sponsored through CFCA?

About 75 percent of our scholarship students are also sponsored. CFCA in Guatemala currently gives priority to sponsored students.

With help from sponsorship and a scholarship, students receive significant support to pay for their education.

What careers are most popular for CFCA scholar students?

College-level students study auditing, law and business administration.

High school students take teaching, accounting, bilingual secretarial courses and classes to complete the program associated with a basic two-year high school diploma.

You can help! Donate to the CFCA Scholarship Program today.

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

Heartfelt greetings from this beautiful country.

We are excited to share these days with sponsored friends, their families, sponsors and staff — inspiring people on a very real journey.

The CFCA community in Costa Rica has made us feel very much at home. “We would like to live this mission awareness trip with a profound spirit of gratitude to the Lord of life.”

Note: Photo credits go to CFCA staff members in our project in San Jose.

In Costa Rica, we are honored to be able to work with over 7,000 families. Another 500 families have applied to belong to CFCA.

Costa Rica is considered a paradise for ecotourism. We are fortunate to experience many beautiful parts, but we also experience dramatic contrasts.

This trip is a real experience of pilgrimage, which implies joy, sadness, tiredness, pain and hope.

Greeting in English by staff: “We would like to express to you our deep gratitude and love for being here in our country, and in our very own CFCA project. This week is a symbol of our journey.

“Jim, Jerry, Bud and Nadine have shown us the way and are still with us. You sponsors are on this journey with us.”

CFCA community workers and sponsors are trusted by our sponsored friends and their families, including those living in very difficult neighborhoods.

In the process of mutual respect, when their key words become our key words, there can be trust and love.

God’s humble people reveal to us their true situation – unemployment, crime, domestic violence, fear – but at the same time hopes, dreams and profound pride in their country and family.

CFCA mothers groups

CFCA mothers groups are a great consolation and security for so many mothers, who have literally no choice about where they call home.

In their mothers group, they have voice and vote — many times for the first time in their life.

What an experience to walk some of the same roads and to visit some of the same families we visited on Walk2gether. The families remember a lot about Walk2gether, especially the excitement and joint celebration with other families.

Much like during the walk, two TV stations and one newspaper covered this return visit to Costa Rica.

With the background of Psalm 103, we reflected on CFCA’s role in living and promoting non-violence.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…”

We prayed: “May the darkness of stigma, labels, exclusion and marginalization be dispelled by the light of greater understanding, acceptance and respect for the dignity of every person. May the kind support of a family member, friend or CFCA member bring reassurance and peace.”

Home visits give us the chance to learn about some of the challenges of our humble families.

Frequently mentioned is the topic of very seasonal work. Admirable are the spontaneity and confidence the people have in the CFCA staff.

Sponsors, children and CFCA scholars planted a good number of trees and pitched in to paint the community center.

We had placed the cornerstone for this center two years ago on Walk2gether. Families in the community did the building.

A teca tree I had planted at that time in one of the homes is now about 25 feet tall. The family really treasures this tree.

Following the trip, we enjoyed having two days of formation workshops, one for mothers of sponsored children and one for all of our Costa Rican co-workers.

During these prayerful and inspiring days, Cristina and I send our love and best wishes.
May we all continue to grow in God’s grace and peace.

A prayerful Holy Week and a very Happy Easter to each of you and to your families.

Bob Hentzen
Costa Rica
March 28, 2012

In 2007 my wife, Jayne, and I began sponsoring Khain, then age 10. We enjoy a wonderful relationship through the letters we exchange on a regular basis.

Khain, Steve Taylor and Anjo on the CFCA mission awareness trip to the Philippines in January 2012.

I can honestly say I’ve never been so pleased about a reprimand. We loved that she looked forward to the letters, even enough to ask for them.

This gentle reprimand strengthened our relationship and made us think about Khain’s maturity and our interest in her future. We wanted to focus on her long-term future.

To match Khain’s maturity, Jayne and I transitioned our letters from general news to asking more about her goals and ambitions.

In addition to encouraging her to do well in school, we also determined we could help her with college or technical training costs after high school.

We decided the best way to communicate our offer was face to face during the 2012 CFCA mission awareness trip to the Philippines.

Now here’s the challenge. The day prior to visiting Khain and her family at their home, I was informed Khain had left home and dropped out of school for a month while only 14.

Fortunately, she returned home and is back in school. Now the long-term vision for college changes to ensuring she finishes high school.

The trip provided the opportunity to understand realities not described in the letters. We hope we never receive the letter stating she’s out of the program, unexpectedly.

We did receive a letter from Khain since returning from the trip, and it appears she is back on track and focused on school.

I asked Khain’s parents if they support her remaining in school versus having to go to work, and they said they do. Now Khain’s parents, Jayne and I will work together to encourage and keep her in school and reach the goal of a brighter future.

The encouragement we offered Khain was, “Determine your goals in your head, but put them in your heart … and then pursue your heart.

“We want you to know, your goals will also be in Ma’am Jayne’s and my heart. Now that we have met, I look forward to reading your letters, not as a sponsor but as a friend or even a grandfather.”

We hope and pray her dreams come true. We look forward to being there to find out.

Also as a result of the mission awareness trip, we are now sponsoring Khain’s brother, Anjo.

Here is an excerpt of a conversation our correspondent Natasha Sims recently had with Scheryn about their sponsorship experience.

Newton and Scheryn Pratt on a 2010 mission awareness trip to Kenya. The Pratts have sponsored Newton for six years

I heard you got to visit Newton’s home and school. What was that like?

It was very eye opening. He goes to the Buru Buru Art Institute, and it’s a college.

It’s very nice with a lawn and grounds and nice buildings, and we toured the school. And that was just like a typical college, but small – not big like in the U.S.

Well, his home is in a very poor slum. It is one small room for three people: his older brother, his mother and himself.

It’s crowded in the sense that there’s so little space and there’s very little furniture.

When I say one room, I mean 12×12 or 8×8, so it’s small. It’s on the third floor of an apartment building.

There was one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, but the power had been turned off so they had no electricity. The neighborhood is full of trash – you know, nothing growing, just mud and dirt.

It’s a long walk for him to go to school, but I felt that the school would be kind of like an oasis for him because it would be a place of friendship.

I was glad that he has the school in his life.

Did you get to see his artwork? What did you think of it?

Yes, we did in the sense that he gave me a wall hanging. I have artwork of his at home that he has sent me over the years. I have the wall hanging he gave us when we were there and another painting.

Also, CFCA had a cultural day and he had done this beautiful banner that was on display. He was specifically asked by CFCA to do this.

I think maybe the first one was this picture of Bob Marley. He drew this picture on just a piece of paper and told me it was painted with shoe polish. There’s just not a lot of money for supplies.

And then I got a couple of other paintings. These two were oils and I just thought they were outstanding, very beautiful. But again, just very simple – the paper, and the quality of the media.

Newton's artwork.

But he’s always so good about explaining the paintings he sends. And of course it’s just something he can fold up and put in an envelope.

But I was very honored to receive artwork from him while I was there because I could see how he doesn’t have a large accumulation of things, so to be giving them to me I felt was very meaningful.

I think [his artwork] is very personal to him, and I felt like he was sharing a really special part of himself with me when he would share his artwork.

Since I first started writing him he has told me his love is drawing and painting, so this is something he has loved to do. It’s a big part of who he is.

Newton is a wonderful correspondent. He is so polite. He is just … a dear wonderful person.

And not just him, all of the CFCA children, each one is just so unique. You just feel such a privilege to be able to be connected with them and to share something of their life.

You mentioned how you came back with a different perspective of your life?

I think for one thing you start thinking more of these children, because, instead of being just a piece of paper, which is a letter, they become real for you.

All of a sudden they become a part of your family, you pray for them, and you want to share what you have with them. They come right into your family circle.

You read something about Kenya in the paper and you become interested because it’s a real place with real people suffering or celebrating there.

I think you become less materialistic because you realize that your things are just so temporary and really kind of meaningless in so many ways because you see other people living without these things that you thought you had to have.

What has CFCA meant in your life as a sponsor?

CFCA is the connecting, that’s what makes it all possible. I am so impressed with CFCA. When we go on these mission awareness trips CFCA explains everything. They show you everything.

They go out of their way for you to meet their staff, to connect with your child. They explain all the usage of the money; they make it possible to do special things for your child.

CFCA is just the critical piece between you and your child. I am just so overwhelmed by what a wonderful organization CFCA really is and how much they care about these children, these aging people.

They’re tops. They’re just tops.

Read more about Newton and his sponsors, the Pratts, on our website.

Happy Easter! April is a welcome month because those of us who live in northern hemispheres know that the heavy snows are over.

April also brings the good news that Christ is risen. Easter celebrates life after death and proclaims joyfully that Christ is with us. Winter will never be the final season of our existence.

Easter means living in the light of the Resurrection. Over these past days, in private prayer and public liturgy, we remember the story of our salvation.

We remember the violence we did to the Son of God and the love Jesus returned to us in bearing it. We who fashioned the cross are now saved by it.

Easter reveals God to us as no other celebration has ever done. On that morning life triumphed over death. Christ rose from the dead and we too shall rise from the dead on the last day.

Belief in the resurrection is a doctrine that we are taught, but it is also an attitude that engages us on every level of our being. It is the work of a lifetime and the hope of eternity.

What does happen when our last breath slips out of our bodies? No spirituality can be complete without wrestling with the timeless and haunting questions of suffering and death and the transformation to which each of these calls us.

It would be so simple to live without the anxious questions of our own mortality and to believe that no eternal issues are woven into the fabric of our working days.

Because of the Resurrection we are assured that we are not alone or misguided in our last and perhaps most frightening stage of being born into eternal life.

To believe in the Resurrection is to know a simple gratitude for life. The message of Easter is concerned with things that do not die.

The bodily Resurrection of Jesus is the foreshadowing of what will eventually happen to us. One day each of us is destined to rise from the dead.

When God calls someone, it is to life. Astir in each of us is the intuition of wholeness and beauty, a glimpse of all of the shattered and misshapen parts of our lives lovingly gathered together into our truest and best self.

On the morning of the Resurrection, the women followers of Jesus set out for his tomb carrying the spices needed to anoint his dead body.

They found not the crucified body of Christ but an angel telling them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead. He is not here, but has risen.”

Mary Magdalene was urged to find Christ among the living, and so are we. The great truth of Easter is not only that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to be new here and now.

The hope of the Resurrection is lived in the present moment with profound implications for our daily lives.

Every gesture of forgiveness and reconciliation, every work of justice, is a share on the new creation that began with the Resurrection of the Lord.

The entire CFCA family is grounded in the hope of that new creation by offering hope and restoring dignity worldwide.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, life-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

I recently got the opportunity to help represent CFCA at the 2012 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim. The event is sponsored by the Office of Religious Education, a department of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and is said to be the largest yearly gathering of its type in the world.

Daniela in the CFCA booth at the 2012 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.

We regularly travel to national conferences to raise awareness of CFCA and our Hope for a Family sponsorship program, but having never attended this event, I was not sure what to expect.

Throughout the conference, the CFCA team interacted with clergy and staff members from various Catholic groups and organizations. We also met several vendors and others participating in the conference and discussed ways to increase awareness of CFCA’s work.

The best part for me, however, was meeting many current sponsors and hearing about the impact sponsorship has had on their lives.

One of these sponsors was Daniela Bradvica, a 19-year-old college student who has taken it upon herself to encourage young students to grow in their faith through sponsoring a child in need.

Daniela is trying very hard to launch a program for Catholic elementary schools to participate in sponsorship. It would encourage classrooms to sponsor a child in order to teach students about the Gospel call to serve people living in poverty, and to give them the opportunity to learn about a new culture through their sponsored friends.

Like many great ideas, Daniela’s has encountered some obstacles, but she continues to push forward with great enthusiasm and conviction.

I scheduled time while in the Los Angeles area to attend a meeting with Daniela at a local school to help promote her initiative.

Daniela was given less than 20 minutes to present her idea, and from the beginning it was clear that the school representatives had all but made up their minds that this program was not for them.

Despite this, Daniela remained energized as she described the impact that sponsorship could make in the lives of their students as sponsors of children in need in developing countries.

Although the school officials did not commit to launching Daniela’s program schoolwide, they did agree to present the idea to their faculty to allow individual classrooms to test it.

Having experienced Daniela’s contagious energy and passion for helping others, I invited her to join us at the CFCA booth in the last day of conference.

To see her excitement as I handed her an official name badge, you would have thought I had given her tickets to nearby Disneyland.

From left are Tim Deveney, CFCA preacher relations manager; Anne Ryder, CFCA board member; Carlos; Daniela; and Larry Livingston, CFCA church relations director.

When Daniela arrived at the conference, she had a huge smile.

Her smile got even bigger when she saw the photos and profiles of children waiting for sponsors, and she was ready to find a sponsor for each one of the children.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that these conferences don’t always result in many sponsorships, so I was glad when someone signed up only minutes after she arrived.

Daniela turned to me and lit up like a Christmas tree.

Imagine my surprise as the day progressed and vendors started to close shop, yet more people continued to sign up to sponsor!

Although Daniela did not speak to all the new sponsors, her mere presence at the booth seemed to have opened people’s hearts to our message.

My favorite part was when Daniela ran after someone she knew and convinced them to sponsor a child just minutes before the conference center shut off the lights.

In fact, we were still filling out the paperwork when the lights went off.

By the end of the day, a total of seven children and one elderly friend had found sponsors in less than four hours since Daniela arrived – more than the total number of sponsors we had found during the two previous conference days.

It was the perfect end to a great event!

Meeting Daniela was not just a highlight of the conference, but also a highlight of my time at CFCA!

If you know of any schools in the Los Angeles area that would be interested in learning about Daniela’s program, please ask them to contact Carlos Casas at carlosc@cfcausa.org.

From left are Harvey Correia; his son, Michael; Claudia, the Correias' sponsored child; Linda, Harvey's wife; and Timoteo, Claudia's father. This picture was taken at Claudia's quinceañera.

Last week Harvey Correia wrote a beautiful blog post about his family’s first mission awareness trip to Nicaragua, where they met their sponsored child, Claudia, and also sponsored two more children: Juan Francisco and Neyling. Here he recounts the story of how Claudia and her “family” from the U.S. got to celebrate her quinceañera,the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday and transition into adulthood.

We enjoyed visiting Claudia so much in 2009 that we returned on a mission awareness trip the following August so we could visit all three of our sponsored children.

We visited Claudia’s home on this trip and met her mother, a sister and a brother. Unfortunately, we learned that her father was quite ill and had been unable to work for nearly a year because of his ailments.

This obviously brought sad feelings, but we also had some new joys by seeing our children bond together while we traveled with CFCA for the next few days.

We treasure a photo of Claudia walking with her arm around Neyling’s mother.

During this trip we met a fellow sponsor, and through him we met more sponsors through Facebook contacts.

One of these contacts had photos of a quinceañera celebration for their sponsored girl from Nicaragua, and we decided to pursue helping our girl Claudia celebrate her quinceañera.

We just returned from our most recent visit to Nicaragua and had a wonderful time. We visited all of our children and had a wonderful time at the quinceañera Mass.

(This visit was arranged through CFCA, and a local staff member accompanied us throughout our time there.)

After the evening Mass, we walked a mile to Claudia’s home where we had a great celebration that lasted almost until midnight. We had dinner, danced, had cake and took lots of photographs.

Our Claudia is now a beautiful young woman, and her faith appears strong. She is doing pretty well in school, and we are encouraging her to work even harder to achieve her lofty dreams of being a doctor.

Her humble family is very grateful for the help we have provided, and their love has been a great blessing for our family.

We were able to help with some much-needed medications for Claudia’s father so that the family’s patriarch may continue to lead this loving family.

Neyling and her mother joined us at the celebration and we look forward to working through CFCA to prepare another celebration for her in five years.

The CFCA staff helped immensely in helping organize the celebration and even came the following day to help clean up and return chairs, etc.

The love shown by the staff is inspiring and helps assure us that our commitment to sponsorship is well placed.

We hope that sharing the blessings we have received from sponsorship will help encourage others to become sponsors or even sponsor more children or aging.

Related links

• Celebrating quinceañera with CFCA

Stephanie Angalet visits Juana, her sponsored child in Guatemala, in this photo.

Stephanie lives in Minnesota and has sponsored Juana since 2010.

To submit your photos to be included in our Facebook album, simply email a .jpg photo file (the higher the resolution, the better) to socialmedia@cfcausa.org.

Include your name and your preferred form of contact (phone, email, etc.) in case we have any questions about your submission.

Thanks for your support!

People in Nahuala, Guatemala, enter a church for Mass celebrations.

What are Mass customs and traditions around the world? In this blog post, CFCA explores how sponsored children, youth and aging friends who practice the Catholic faith in Guatemala celebrate Mass. Thanks to Luis Cocon, our communications liaison in Guatemala, for contributing to this article.

The official religion in Guatemala is Catholicism. We also have Protestants and those with indigenous Mayan beliefs. Freedom of religion is practiced in Guatemala.

“Mass celebration is to remember the sacrifice of Jesus for each one of us on the cross,” said Yesica, 9, a child sponsored through CFCA. “Mass is our bread for the road to eternal life. I enjoy every moment of Mass, but especially the celebration of the Word of God and the Holy Rosary.”

Musical instruments during Mass vary depending on the church. Sometimes youth groups will lead the worship.

Yesica’s church has a choir of six, and they play instruments such as the kena (wooden flute), guitars and drums.

Masses usually last for one hour, although it may last longer on weekends. Jose Manuel, 13, another child sponsored through CFCA, said the longer time is due to greater attendance and bilingual translations.

Yesica, a child sponsored through CFCA, attends Mass with her family in Guatemala.

“There are more people to receive the Holy Communion, and the word of God is read in our native Tzutujil language,” he said.

Jose Manuel sees most children staying with their parents during the Mass liturgy, but he estimates about 10 percent of the children, usually those under 4 years of age, are free to run around the church.

“Some of the more popular songs with the youth are ‘Alrededor de tu mesa’ (Around your table) and ‘Alegre la mañana’ (Happy morning),” he said.

Other favorite songs from sponsored children and youth were:

• “Gloria, Gloria, Aleluya“
• “Ten piedad” (Have mercy)
• “Santo, santo” (Holy, holy)
• “Santa Maria” (Saint Mary)
• “Vienen con alegria” (Come with gladness)
• “Juntos como hermanos” (Together as brothers)
• “Si yo no tengo amor” (If I do not have love)

During the sign of peace, people will shake hands with their neighbors. Some of them will hug one another if they have a close friendship.

Related links:

Celebrating Mass in the Philippines

If you celebrate Mass, in what ways does this sound familiar or different? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

Our CFCA colleagues in Bogota – Harrison Garcia Ruiz, our communications liaison, and Judith Bautista, project coordinator – worked on getting a bicycle for Diego so he wouldn’t have to walk such a great distance.

Harrison was there as Diego went with his mother to pick out a new bike. These pictures, along with quotes from Diego, tell the whole story beautifully.

In Diego’s words

Having a bicycle to me was a very difficult dream to reach. My family does not have the resources to buy a bicycle for me.

One day CFCA staff members came to my house to interview me and to ask me about my life and how I get my education.

I told them about the long distance that I have to walk to get to school.

My mother told me later that CFCA staffers called her, and she told me that the CFCA office wanted to buy a bike to me so I could have a better situation in life.

I could not believe it at first, but I thank God for having that visit from CFCA’s staff and to be able to tell them my story, and in this way I could go to choose my bike with my mother.

I was so excited that on our way back home I fell asleep holding my new bicycle and really wanting to ride it for the first time.

Finally, we arrived and I rode my new bicycle. My mother emphasized the importance of wearing my helmet and vest to be protected.

Here, I am riding on my bike for the first time on my way to school; I rode through the way that I used to walk.

Now, I am glad because I can save time and a lot of energy to get better grades at school.

I thank God, CFCA’s staff and the CFCA office in Bogota for making my dream true. I thought it was an impossible dream to reach. Thanks for everything!

Suppose you knew for certain that someone was planning to kill you tomorrow. How would you prepare tonight?

Would you flee as far as you could travel as fast as you can? Would you hide where you could never be found?

Would you stock up on weapons, train how to use them, and recruit a bevy of friends to fight for you and protect you?

Flight and fight are natural responses to a threat. However, there is nothing particularly human about them. Rodents and reptiles do the same.

In the Passion account in the readings for Palm Sunday, Jesus knew for certain that unspeakable forces were conspiring to kill him. He knew they had infiltrated even his 12 closest disciples.

In the face of certain enmity and violence, he chose neither flight nor fight. He chose a third way, the uniquely human way of nonviolent love for enemies.

When you imagine how you would respond to a death threat, you probably do not think of hosting a dinner party for your friends and enemies. Yet that is what Jesus did.

Yesica, second from right, receives communion during a Mass celebration in Guatemala. Yesica is a child sponsored through CFCA.

Instead of running away or preparing to fight, he freely accepted his death by sharing bread and wine – his body and blood – with the friends who would deny and betray him.

Every disciple who attended his Last Supper would prove to be his “enemy” that night, in the sense that they were all sinners in need of his grace and mercy.

The disciples slept and ignored his agony. Peter denied him. Judas betrayed him.

You can use the example of Jesus’ disciples to examine your conscience in how you relate to Christ in the poor.

Have you “slept” in ignorance of the real struggles of families living in poverty? Have you “denied,” like Peter, that you are even associated with the poor in one human family?

Have you “betrayed,” like Judas, Christ in the poor by benefiting from their exploitation in the production of the goods you buy?

After you examine your conscience, the readings this Palm Sunday offer good news.

Regardless of how far you may have ignored, denied or betrayed families living in poverty, Jesus in the poor invites you to his supper anyway. Jesus even dips bread with those who betray him most.

CFCA sponsorship offers a trustworthy means to reach across the divide that separates you from a family living in poverty.

Your sponsorship is a revolutionary act that is fundamentally different from traditional charity. A friendship made through Hope for a Family deeply recognizes the humanity on both ends and offers hope for the kinds of human connections that can heal our world.

The empire tries to turn friends into enemies. As Jesus demonstrates this Palm Sunday, “enemies” sharing themselves in communion with each other is the only way for life and love to triumph over death and violence.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, life-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]

Once the chief in the town of Lanet Umoja discovered that thieves were breaking into a neighbor’s house, he sent a tweet that local residents picked up through a free text messaging service.

Once residents surrounded the house, the would-be thieves fled.

Not only does this story show the power of a unified community, but it also demonstrates the reach of social media and cell phones in Kenya. The use of cell phones in that country has increased dramatically since 2000.

Janet Tinsley, CFCA project director for Kenya, said that cell phones have revolutionized the way that people connect there.

Even though landline telephones were historically too expensive for most families, cell phones have become more available as the government loosened controls on the telephone industry.

“A new, basic cell phone still costs around $100 in Kenya, far out of the reach of most of the population,” Janet said. “However, there are very vibrant used and black market cell phone markets operating in nearly every corner of the country.

“While a used phone can still be a bit costly, black market phones can be fairly cheap, making it possible for even families with limited means to own one.”

Before inexpensive cell phones were available, communities struggling with poverty were even more isolated. Now, at least, they have access to some form of communication.

Most of these cell phones are on a pay-as-you-go system that needs recharging from a card that can be purchased at almost any small shop or kiosk, Janet said.

Many people choose to send text messages instead of calling, as text messages use less of a phone’s credit.

CFCA social workers, for example, may inform mothers group leaders about important events through text messages, who in turn spread the word to those who don’t have access to phones.

“It is very common for CFCA social workers to communicate with, or get the news out to, families participating in the sponsorship program about meetings and CFCA events through cell phones,” Janet said.

The times, they are a-changing! What are some ways in which you communicate the latest news to your family?

Claudia, second from right, is sponsored by Harvey and Linda Correia, also pictured. This picture was taken in 2009 when the Correias and their son, Michael, left, visited Claudia in Nicaragua on a CFCA mission awareness trip.

My wife, Linda, and I began our family relatively late so when there was a CFCA presentation in our parish while Linda was pregnant with our only child, Michael, we liked the idea of expanding our family through sponsoring a young child.

We sponsored Claudia, a 17-month-old from Nicaragua, in August 1998 when our son was 6 months old.

Although we were not especially active sponsors in writing to our sponsored friend, we treasured the letters received, first written by an older sister and, as Claudia grew older, from Claudia.

We did pray for Claudia and her family in our daily prayers, and this helped strengthen our bond with Claudia as well as help teach Michael our beliefs in social justice.

The annual photos have been a great treasure and formed a great album showing Claudia’s progress.

We read CFCA articles about mission awareness trips and thought one day it would be nice to meet Claudia.

Claudia at age 1.

Claudia at age 9.

Finally, an August 2009 trip fit our schedule perfectly, so we registered for the trip.

We arrived in Nicaragua on Saturday and greatly anticipated meeting Claudia in a few days. Much to our surprise, God had more treasures planned for us, however.

Early in the trip we visited a small town where CFCA worked, and there we met Juan Francisco and his family who had been waiting two years for sponsorship.

Juan Francisco was a spunky 7-year-old boy who had very sad living conditions and did not attend school regularly since the family did not have money for a uniform or school supplies.

We knew we could not leave Juan Francisco and his family without helping and knew that God wanted us to share the blessings he had bestowed upon us, so our family grew that day.

Juan Francisco and his family now have much better living conditions, and our boy is doing very well in school.

A couple of days later we finally met Claudia, and what a joy.

Hearing her voice, receiving big hugs, holding hands, and sharing gifts created memories that will last forever. The experience went way beyond the “nice” we were expecting.

We spent a little over two days together traveling to a park and other projects. It brought lots of tears when we had to say goodbye, but we promised to come back again some day.

This picture of the Correias along with their sponsored children – Claudia, Juan Francisco and Neyling – was taken on an August 2010 mission awareness trip.

Although we had not considered sponsoring any more children, we were glad we had Juan Francisco in our lives.

Claudia also learned that there were others with even greater needs than her own, and she said she wanted to help the poor one day.

God had yet more surprises for us, and a few days later we met 7-year-old Neyling, who became part of our family that day.

Neyling is an adorable little girl with a big warm smile and full of constant hugs.

We returned home the following day but felt like we left our hearts in Nicaragua, where we now had three children and had the opportunity to meet many dedicated CFCA employees.

Harvey continues his story when his family returned to Nicaragua to celebrate Claudia’s quinceañera.

Perspicacity: Sustaining Sandra’s smile (A CFCA “Tell a Story” post)

Paula Kiger has joined our “Tell a Story” campaign by featuring Sandra, a 5-year-old from Guatemala who is awaiting sponsorship, on her blog. It’s a neat and personal way to tell a short story about a child in need and describe the child’s life, family and living conditions to anyone who may be interested in sponsorship.

Sandra and her family need the additional hope that a sponsorship gives. Please consider sponsoring her or shining a light on her situation by helping me spread the word!

Read the full blog post here

“Emili — Friend of the Month” from CatholicMom.com

Lisa Hendey has graciously partnered with us by featuring a monthly invitation on CatholicMom.com to consider sponsoring a friend through CFCA. This month we chose to tell Emili’s story.

The cost of sponsorship is less than the price of taking a family of four to the movies, and will make a huge difference in the life of Emili and her family, but also in your family’s life. During this season of Lent when we look for opportunities to pray, to fast and to give alms, connecting with Emili and her family through sponsorship could be a tremendous blessing to your family.

Read the full blog post here

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

We really had an “early-morning CFCA flight” out of Kansas City.

Twenty-eight students and faculty from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., boarded our same flight for Atlanta.

From Atlanta, Cristina and I went to a mission awareness trip to the Dominican Republic, and they are en route to a CFCA mission awareness trip to El Salvador.

Godspeed, dear friends. Thanks for keeping CFCA on the move!

At CFCA, we favor a culture of learning and listening.

Here are a few things I have heard this week in the Dominican Republic.

Sponsored youth Monica to her Puerto Rican sponsors, Beridiana and Rafael: “It has been many years. You are much more than sponsors. You are like my parents, and I love you.” (These sponsors have been with CFCA for 23 years.)

Sponsor: “Something I learned on the mission awareness trip (MAT) to Chile. Please keep in mind the elderly. Chile was my first MAT, but I’ll be going on many more trips with CFCA.”

Sponsor: “Since sponsoring this young lady, my life has changed.”

Sponsor Mirtie, a registered nurse, shared this idea: “The mothers group structure has so many possibilities. These groups can be places of influential learning with the encouragement of natural leaders.

“Mothers group leaders can receive orientation and capacity training in many areas like preventive health care: vaccinations, purifying water, care of newborns and first-aid.

“In turn, they can share this training with their local community. Simple videos are very effective for this communication.”

Some of Bob’s notes from home visits with families in the sponsorship program

• At age 26, Mari is a single mother of four precious little girls ages: 11, 8, 5 and 3. This loving family is the very picture of struggle and vulnerability.
• Dominga shared with a shy smile that she was married at a young age. Now in her 30s, she has returned to school and will soon graduate from high school. She hopes to go on to university. Dominga says she wants to be able to provide for Alexander, her 8-year-old stepson.
• Joselin is an admirable young mother of six children, from age 20 down to 2. She was abandoned by her husband. Her boy Jose is sponsored. He suffers from sickle-cell anemia. Fortunately, Joselin belongs to a CFCA mothers group, albeit in the initial stages of organization. In spite of many blows in life, including having to leave school early, Joselin has returned to high school. Her 20-year-old daughter Sofia has finished high school and would like to go on to college. The CFCA project in Santo Domingo is inviting Sofia to apply for a scholarship. Their simple home in a landfill area shows signs of budding dignity and hope.
• On one of our home visits, a father of a sponsored child asked the sponsors, “How do you feel in our neighborhood?” Our wish and our prayer is that sponsored friends and their families may come to see themselves as part of a worldwide movement — shared with their sponsors.

We really enjoyed our gathering with about 200 sponsored children and families from Pantoja. The Amico Sisters who serve this community hosted the afternoon event.

In spite of living in overcrowded and precarious conditions, the children were very well prepared for their participation. I (Bob) took everyone on a musical tour of the CFCA world.

Other notes

According to the World Bank, 25 percent of our people live in extreme poverty. Ten percent of the population controls 50 percent of available resources.

CFCA Hope for a Family is creating the base for positive and sustainable change in the Dominican Republic. We have about 6,000 sponsored friends as well as 105 scholars.

The mountainous area “up country” is quite cool and green. Tireo and Constanza are areas served by CFCA. This area is known as the “bread basket” of the Dominican Republic.

It is refreshingly cool, verdant and comparatively orderly. I find it also very fertile in planting, cultivating and growing the CFCA spirit.

In Los Almacigos, it was inspiring to see the relationship of the parish priest (Padre Jaime, or “Jimmy”) with the people of this rural zone. He seems to know everyone, even those in the more remote areas.

In Tireo, we were really tight in the little parish hall. The children were like the surf at high tide, edging inevitably toward the center of the stage.

As we were leaving, Maria Ortiz, sponsored aging, offered an enthusiastic farewell:
“Con esto, me despido y lo digo de corazon, con Dios y nuestros padrinos, tenemos mas alegria.”

Translation: “With these words I take my leave and I say with all my heart, ‘With God and our sponsors, we have more joy.’ “

Thank you, Mary, and God bless.

With joy and gratitude I share these notes before heading for Costa Rica. There Cristina and I will accompany the sponsors in their mission awareness trip.

After the trip, we will participate in an exciting few days of CFCA formation for families and co-workers. We call these days “Encuentros.”

Know of our love and thanks.

Bob Hentzen
Dominican Republic
March 10, 2012

Scenes after flooding in a community served by CFCA's project in Cali, Colombia.

Heavy rains in a community served by CFCA’s project in Cali, Colombia, caused a river to overflow in January, causing major damage to the homes of 17 sponsored friends and their families.

Many people from this community were evacuated after the Cauca River flooded. The river crosses more than 40 percent of the community and is the main source of income for residents.

Families in the CFCA sponsorship program often earn a living by extracting river sand for construction. That has not been possible since the heavy rains.

As part of CFCA’s outreach to those affected, staff members visited families in the sponsorship program who live in the affected areas as well as in shelters.

They also helped coordinate efforts with local authorities to rescue some of the families’ possessions and provide food and other items according to their needs.

Here are the thoughts and perspectives from two parents of sponsored children.

Carlos’ story

I was at home when the river began to rise. I had to go to work.

I warned my family about the situation and asked if it kept rising to call me. At 3 p.m. I came back from work; the river was already inside my house, so I put up all the equipment, jars and other utensils over bricks so they wouldn’t get wet.

I told my wife and children to go to a shelter elsewhere and I would stay at home, but none of them wanted to leave.

We borrowed a boat and stayed at home, asking God to lower the water level. The house remained in a very poor condition: the foundation was disintegrating, walls were cracked and the house was tilted. I had to put bamboo to hold the front wall of the house.

Laura (Maria Sotelo, CFCA staff member and volunteer coordinator) came to visit us, not inside because she couldn’t (laughs).

In these difficult times Bertha (Duran, CFCA project coordinator in Cali) and other staff members visited my house. That meant a lot; you don’t feel alone.

Just a prayer from good people counts a lot; you know that in the good and bad times they are there for you.

Laura does not leave us alone; she gives us words of encouragement and speaks to encourage us to move forward.

My children’s sponsorship is helping me with their future and because we are motivated to manage resources to improve our homes, in addition to all the sponsorship benefits received for my children. This helps us move forward.

Gloria’s story

(Before the flooding) we were told that the river was rising too fast. We placed a stick to mark the rise of water.

Scenes after flooding in a community served by CFCA's project in Cali, Colombia.

Half an hour later the stick was already covered. We began to worry at home and although we did not want to alarm our daughters, we began to prepare things because we did not know what could happen.

Around 9 p.m. the house began to rattle, the bamboos to sound. We couldn’t sleep.My husband decided to stay up and take care of our daughters while they were sleeping.

The following day we realized the water level was too high, and the stability of the house was very weak. With tears in our eyes we decided to evacuate our belongings.

There is a ranch in front of our house and the caretaker is a good friend of ours. He offered us a space to stay there.

We have received visits from CFCA staff members. The project coordinator came to us and talked to us. We can see their concern in this situation.

Laura visited us and talked to us. Ana Solarte (a CFCA volunteer) also has visited and given us words of encouragement to succeed. They have been good to us; we feel that helping hand.

Continuing challenges

Although the heavy rains have dropped in intensity, the community still faces challenges related to the flooding.

“Summer has helped the water level decrease, but now we are seeing more insects, rodents and dangerous reptiles from the flooding,” said Laura Maria Sotelo, CFCA staff member and volunteer coordinator.

Laura also said the CFCA project is working with the community and government to manage state resources to benefit the poorest families, especially to construct decent and safe housing.

This year I am trying to start my entire garden from seed. It’s more work than a trip to the nursery.

Fortunately my 4-year-old daughter is enjoying planting tomato seeds, and her small hands and fingers handle these tiny seeds much better than my mitts.

She waits expectantly for me to get home so we can put dirt in the cups fashioned out of newspaper, place two seeds, water and wait.

Wait for them to sprout. Wait for them to grow. Wait for the crisp cool mornings of late winter to give way to spring’s warmth so we can plant them in the garden. Wait patiently for the plants to bear fruit.

Our Lenten path, like our lives, is filled with planting seeds and waiting for them to grow and bear fruit.

The Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent includes Jesus using the imagery of a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies.

Parents of CFCA sponsored children in the Philippines take up organic gardening. Read more about their initiative.

It becomes a simple small seed that becomes a plant that produces fruit – a fruit that becomes bread.

Our prayers, sacrifices and Lenten penances can provide for us ways to open ourselves more deeply to God’s love.

We let these grains of wheat fall to the ground and die and, hopefully, let God in to bear fruit.

It is hard to do this, because it requires waiting and looking for where the fruit of God’s love is being born in and around us.

It is in looking for these small miracles that we find God’s greatest love, like the “dead” grain of wheat sprouting out of the ground, growing tall and giving us grain that becomes our daily bread.

I’m witnessing that with my tomato seeds, in my own personal sponsorship and in my visits to El Salvador.

I see these little seeds my daughter is adept at handling sprouting out of the soil and hopefully giving an abundant harvest of fresh tomatoes.

I read the letters from Solomon, the teenager my family sponsors, who over a period of seven years, has gone from a small boy drawing rudimentary pictures of flowers to a youth writing me in Hindi and English.

There are young people I have met in El Salvador who are walking out of poverty by going to school, finding meaningful work and providing for their families, because our sponsors, staff and families sacrificed for them.

This all takes patience and understanding that we may not see the end result. We wait patiently and are hopeful because we know that in the end, the grain of wheat is Jesus and in Him we bear great fruit.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, life-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

Communion during Mass celebrations in the Philippines.

What are Mass customs and traditions around the world? In this special blog post, CFCA explores how sponsored children, youth and aging friends in the Philippines celebrate Mass. Thanks to Gari Olavario, CFCA project coordinator in Legazpi, for contributing to this article.

Our mission at CFCA is to serve those living in poverty and recognize the God-given dignity of each person.

Most of our sponsored friends and their families in the Legazpi project are Catholic, and attending Mass every Sunday is their practice to praise and thank God.

Here are some of their thoughts about Mass:

Julie Mae

Julie Mae, 15-year-old sponsored through CFCA: “For me, attending Mass is the best way to thank God for what my family and I achieved and for the blessings that he showered upon us. I also ask for help by praying if there are problems we encounter.”

Elena, mother of two children sponsored through CFCA: “Sponsored children think that Mass is an important thing, a very precious gift from God. In attending the Holy Mass they encounter Jesus through readings and the Gospel and by receiving Him through Holy Communion.”

Eric

Eric, 17-year-old sponsored through CFCA: “Attending Mass is very important in our lives. Not only are we Christians, but it’s our obligation to remember how good the Father and Jesus are to us, praise God for his goodness and thank him for his gifts and for Jesus too.”

During Mass, many of the sponsored children stay with their parents if they are old enough. If not, they will go outside and play with their friends.

“I am usually seated in front and beside my mother when we attend Sunday Mass to intently hear the homily of the parish priest,” said Dianne, a child sponsored through CFCA. “During the Mass some people are standing because of fully occupied chairs or pews.”

Dianne

Rona, another sponsored youth, said keeping families together during Mass can strengthen their bond.

“Sponsored children prefer to stay beside their parents during Mass to feel the love and unity within a family through Christ,” she said. “One thing more is they can attend the Mass seriously because they are being guided by their parents.”

Mass services usually last for one hour, accompanied by music and singing. Usually the choir will sing, accompanied by instruments such as the guitar and piano.

Rona

Rona’s favorite songs to sing are “Heal Our Land” and “Lead Me, Lord.”

“It makes me feel as if there are no challenges in life that I cannot face,” she said. “It is very inspirational and touching to the heart.”

During the sign of peace, people will bow their heads, shake hands with their neighbors, and say “Peace” to one another. Children also hug and kiss their parents.

If you celebrate Mass, in what ways does this sound familiar or different? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

Many of you have already seen and commented on our new Facebook Timeline, which went live March 12. Thanks for your support!

Facebook recently announced that it was moving all brand pages to its new timeline by March 30, 2012. Among some of the changes are:

• The inclusion of a cover photo as well as a profile picture photo
• Applications (such as videos and photos) instead of page tabs
• Ability to add “milestones” to our organization’s history

How does all of this affect you, our sponsors?

Unfortunately this means that our strategy of using “Faces of CFCA” photos as our profile pictures will have to be revisited since the new profile pictures are much smaller.

However, we appreciated all your submissions, and you can still view the “Faces of CFCA” photo album anytime.

We’ll probably continue featuring these once a month on our blog, and you can continue submitting a photo for our Facebook album anytime. Simply email a .jpg photo file (the higher the resolution, the better) to socialmedia@cfcausa.org.

Include your name and your preferred form of contact (phone, email, etc.) in case we have any questions about your submission.

Additionally, after some research and revisiting our historical archives, we selected certain milestones in CFCA’s history that we wanted to share on our Timeline.

Please also let us know if there is anything you would like to see added to our page. This is very much a work in progress, so please bear with us as we make changes and improve our Facebook presence.

It’s humbling and awe-inspiring to see the journey we’ve taken in 30 years, but as CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen says, “The adventure is just beginning!”

Children in Costa Rica welcome visitors to their community.

Poverty and violence are often closely related and affect the lives of millions of children worldwide — including many here in the U.S.

The main focus of Christian Foundation for Children and Aging is on helping families in developing countries break the cycle of poverty. Violence prevention is an important part of our mission.

[Related link: Learn how the work of CFCA is helping many mothers in Hyderabad, India, break the cycle of violence in their families.]

This month, CFCA and the Rose Brooks Center, a leader in innovative domestic violence programs and support, will announce their Champions for Children partnership.

Through this partnership, the two Kansas City-based organizations will help improve the lives of hundreds of students in the Kansas City area who are struggling to overcome poverty, community violence or family abuse.

As part of the Champions for Children partnership, CFCA will help support the continuation of Rose Brooks Center’s Project SAFE, an innovative, school-based violence prevention and intervention program.

The funds provided by CFCA will ensure that Rose Brooks Center will be able to continue its vital Project SAFE programming in a local Kansas City-area school.

While CFCA’s focus is sponsorship of children and elderly in developing countries, the partnership with Rose Brooks is one way CFCA is contributing to and learning from the local community.

By working together, CFCA and Rose Brooks Center have a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the key role that education plays in breaking the cycles of poverty and violence we see in our community and throughout the world.

To learn more about the Champions for Children partnership, visit the Rose Brooks website.

I was very young when I started dreaming. I dreamed of becoming an educator, novelist and news anchor. Such huge dreams, weren’t they?

It never came to me to dream of being a nurse. It just happened unexpectedly; perhaps it’s God’s will.

I was the youngest and only girl in the family, but was not raised to pursue whatever I wanted.

I was raised by my mother who was always in a state of worry over everyday needs. Three children were in school and her two frail siblings (both now are with our Heavenly Father) needed to be fed and clothed continually.

I was 1 when my father died of an undiagnosed disease, and the enormous responsibility of raising all of us fell on my mother’s shoulders.

Thus, new clothes and buying two pencils at a time were only ways of extravagance for my family. Life was not that easy for us.

Like other children, I studied hard because of the rewards I earned from my mother. She would buy a piece of cloth from her meager income every end of the school year when I was a consistent honor pupil, and made it into a nice dress for myself.

I started believing that through studying, one piece of cloth could become throngs of fabulous dresses in a wardrobe. That a single pencil I had could be a whole box of pencils. And that we would no longer worry over everything within our house.

I remember going to school without a thing in my pocket. I only had a bottle of water warmed by the sun to satisfy my dry mouth.

I was in high school when I had to sell my mother’s homemade “biko” (sticky rice) to pay for school projects and some personal needs.

To keep from asking our mother for every little need, my closest friend and I used to sell peanuts, sandwiches and peas in school.

I was in the second year of high school when CFCA came into my life. It served as my mother’s partner in sending me to school and providing my needs.

I graduated high school and eventually chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. But the calling challenged us a lot.

Though I was enrolled in a government school, the fees were still too high, considering that I could not even have extra pencils during my primary and secondary school.

Fortunately, despite all the trials, I became a CFCA service scholar. I was able to obtain another two scholarships. I used the monthly grant from CFCA for my daily school expenses.

But still, I could not meet all of my needs. I had to go to school, then the CFCA office after class to complete the number of hours of service required, then tutor two children waiting for me at home.

Then I had to prepare my own homework, study for the next day’s exam until past midnight, and wake up early to go to school the next day.

It had been a cycle, and my body probably reached its extent. It was really hard, but I thought I had no right to complain.

In school, I was no head-turner. I usually wore my only two sets of school uniforms, which lasted all four years of college.

I also alternated between my newly brushed slippers and a pair of black shoes, which I only had in my third year.

That was because aside from not being comfortable wearing the shoes, I was afraid of damaging them, for I had no extra shoes if there were special events in school.

Also, I reached my fourth year without the books I needed in my nursing course, for they cost as much as my tuition fees. I borrowed books from my classmates.

Sometimes I could not complete my homework as I had no books. I had to cram for the exam once I got to school, and pass it late.

Now I have graduated college, what I had always prayed for night and day. I am facing a new world, the real one.

I know I am still very young. I have all the chances to dream, and I will focus on my calling. Who knows? God has a very special plan for me in this field. Moreover, someday, I will be able to treat myself to a box of pencils.

Before I end, let me be thankful for CFCA, which helped me reach this greatest goal of mine. I thank my former sponsors for being generous and kindhearted.

Let me end with a simple quote by Bernadette Devlin: “Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.”

There is a powerful message in the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. God sent his son into the world not to condemn it, but that the world might be saved through him.

The point of our faith is to help people, to save them. It is a point I find easy to forget, especially when I am caught behind someone at the supermarket check-out or the door bell rings when I am watching my favorite TV show!

Again and again Jesus teaches mercy, acceptance and inclusion, especially for the outcasts and those called sinners.

Who cannot be humbled by the incarnate son of God who steps in between the woman caught in adultery and the stones of her righteous neighbors? How disarmingly simple and clear are his words to her when they drop their stones and walk away: “Is there anyone left to condemn you?”

“No, sir.”

“Then neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Perhaps we simply expect it of God, but it is no small thing to choose to stand up for the condemned. We know this to be true from our own experience.

From left are Nakajjubi, mother of two children sponsored through CFCA, and her granddaughter, Monica, in Uganda. Nakajjubi is part of a CFCA mothers group that grows passionfruit to earn income for the mothers’ families.

We are, at times, the prodigal son who has wasted our inheritance, and Jesus invites us to hear the silent acceptance of the father who sees his sinful and repentant boy from afar, goes out to him and invites him to the feast without a word of condemnation.

If I am honest with myself and I were in that father’s shoes, I would have given the boy a good lecture.

But the image of God Jesus puts before us says not a word; his focus is squarely and fully on the fact that the boy has come back. His posture toward him is love and compassion.

It is the same for us surely. What we want — mercy, love, compassion — is what we are called to extend to others. Not just kind thoughts and moving words but in fact.

As Catholics we hold on to the mystery of the Eucharist as real presence. It is a hard theology but it is an important one, for our love too must be real.

Jesus said it so clearly, “If you say that you love God and do not love your neighbor I call you a liar.”

Or as I like to say, if someone tells you they love you but they never help you take out the garbage, do not believe them.

This is one of the many reasons I believe in the work of CFCA — it is real. It is so clearly Christ-like.

It is in simple and practical ways loving others without thought to their worthiness or whether they can pay us back. It is a simple way to live the unconditional love of a God who comes not to condemn but to save.

By taking $30 a month out of my pocket, I am in a real and meaningful way offering practical salvation for a sister or brother in need. No small thing. Indeed it is as eminently God-like as Jesus’ own life.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

The technological gap between students in developed countries is huge compared to students in developing countries. And the difference between those in cities and those in rural areas is big too.

CFCA scholar Venancia, 20, is studying English in the National University of El Salvador. She says computer skills are essential for academic performance. 'Most of the time we are given homework and (people without computer skills) cannot research for it, therefore they don't study, and if they don't study, they do not get good grades,' she said.

Those in rural areas have less access to learning about technology. Those who do must travel from their communities into the city and pay for Internet and computer access. Those living in the city can easily walk to a cyber café, for example.

At the same time, students who visit cyber cafés are exposed to many other risks. No legal entity monitors these businesses.

They are not created as an educational tool, but will offer any service that customers look for, including access to dangerous websites.

These places are visited by people who want to watch pornography, play online games where predators are connected, as well as those who really want to research or do homework.

Unfortunately, cyber cafés sometimes become a dangerous addiction for students rather than a tool for their education.

Students who live in rural areas are much more exposed to these problems because their experience with technology is less, as well as their understanding of these dangers.

This lack of access in the early stages of education creates great problems among students reaching higher levels such as high school or college because schools don’t take into account the realities where students are coming from.

They take for granted that every student can access the Internet and download assignments, research material or simply check on their grades.

Nowadays high schools and colleges use Internet-based platforms for their everyday work. For example, some universities offer online tests for new students.

Those who don’t know computers or have no Internet access are asked to visit a webpage and complete a timed test.

The students could have been very good, but if they don’t know about computers or the Internet, they can’t pass the test and enroll in college.

Challenges in accessing computers

You hardly ever find a computer available for children at a rural school. Those who have it might have one computer for every 20 to 30 students.

At schools in urban areas the numbers are better: one computer for every three to four students. In both cases computers are not available until 10th or 11th grade.

It is interesting to see how computer monitors are now flatscreen and wireless. There are laptops, smartphones and tablets, and in many of our schools children haven’t touched one computer. Those who have worked with computers may be using software from 1995 or even older.

A clone computer can cost somewhere around $400 or more. These computers have no legal licenses, which makes you unable to update your software.

Those who buy a computer usually get a credit at the computer store. A $400 computer is paid off in three to four years, with an average monthly payment of $30 to $40.

This is equal, for many of our families in CFCA, to 40 to 50 percent of their monthly income.

Home Internet can go from $10 a month for a very slow connection to $100 for a faster connection (128 kbps – 2 MB).

It is interesting that the Internet is not accepted as a tool by many parents. It is perceived as a useless expense. They don’t understand all the good it could bring into their lives if used well.

As technology advances, Internet-based platforms change every day. Such is the case with social media networks.

The gap between those who can access technology and those who can’t becomes greater. Many people living in poverty don’t know or use social networking. This is more complicated among young people because their friends use it.

How to address the technological gap

Rosa is the mother of Edwin, a 16-year-old sponsored through CFCA. The family has no computer at home, but Edwin took two computer courses through CFCA. 'At the beginning, I was ignorant about computers,' he said. 'Now, it has become something normal to me.'

In CFCA we are working hard to make technological education available for sponsored friends.

However, we have to educate their parents about the importance of technological education and the impact this will have in their children’s future.

We are making computer classes available for our sponsored members in rural, semi-urban and urban areas. We not only cover the course cost but also transportation, especially for those in rural areas, from and to their communities.

In 2010 we graduated about 140 sponsored teens. In 2011 we made a greater effort to make this benefit available for sponsored friends in rural areas because we want to strengthen their potential when they reach high school or college.

In our vision, the mother is a pillar because she needs to believe technological access is important in order to encourage her child.

When the vision of the sponsored child and family change, they see better job options in the future. The family’s overall self-esteem increases by the pride they feel when graduating one of their children.

They see how, in spite of their poverty and limitations, their children are being educated in this area of technology.

In rural areas, when a sponsored friend graduates from a computer course, it’s huge news. The family feels very proud, and the community feels a sense of progress by looking at one of their members reaching new goals.

Daylight saving time started Sunday, but adjusting the clock is something we do all the time as international communicators!

Have you ever thought about how CFCA is a 24/7 community? Because we work in countries around the world, CFCA staff members are usually awake in some place or another.

In the Kansas City office, staff members in our international programs department often start their workday receiving emails sent at all sorts of odd hours: 11 p.m., 3 a.m., etc.

These emails are from our colleagues around the world during their workday while we were asleep!

Of course, this makes coordinating live webinars and Skype sessions interesting. For example, we have monthly online conference calls at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. to accommodate our projects in Africa, India and the Philippines.

Here’s a great website to help juggle different time zones: http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Let’s explore a typical day in the CFCA world, starting in Kansas but going around the globe. For ease of comparison, we’ve highlighted just a few regions: Kansas City, Kenya and India.

7-7:30 a.m. Central time

1) K.C. – Employees filter into the Kansas City headquarters office. Financial and accounting departments are among the earliest to arrive, ready to process sponsorship payments and other contributions.

2) Kenya (4-4:30 p.m.) – Kenyan staff members have been working hard all morning and afternoon! It’s almost time to call it a day.

Sreekanth Gundoji

3) India (6:30-7 p.m.) – At 6 p.m. the workday has already finished. But every week in the CFCA project in Hyderabad, a few dedicated staff members will stay up late for touch-base meetings with our headquarters in Kansas.

One of these staff members is Sreekanth Gundoji, our communications center liaison in Hyderabad.

12-12:30 p.m. Central time

1) K.C. – Lunchtime! Every employee has half an hour to eat lunch in the community lunchroom or take their break somewhere else.

CFCA's Thanksgiving luncheon last year in the Kansas City office.

Often you will see a “lunch train” going through the building as people file down as a group (usually by department) to the community dining area.

2) Kenya (9-9:30 p.m.) – The workday has long since finished by now! It’s also not uncommon for families to be eating dinner around this time, too. Tea is taken around 5 or 6 p.m.

3) India (11:30-midnight) – The workday has usually finished by now, but we have many staff members in India who are often still up working at this hour, particularly CFCA project coordinators. The culture is typically to eat supper late and go to bed quite late in the evening.

4-4:30 p.m. Central time

1) K.C. – The workday is winding down. The office stays open until 5 p.m., but some people have a 7:30-4:30 shift that allows them to arrive early and also leave early.

2) Kenya (1-1:30 a.m.) – The workday has long since finished by now!

3) India (3:30-4 a.m.) – The workday has long since finished by now!

11-11:30 p.m. Central time

1) K.C. – The workday has long since finished by now!

Regina Mburu

2) Kenya (8-8:30 a.m.) – People are beginning to report to the CFCA project offices and prepare for the workday.

For example, our communications center liaison in Nairobi, Regina Mburu, has already begun checking her emails for story assignments. If she is going outside the office and interviewing sponsored friends for a story, she makes a note to charge her video batteries before leaving.

3) India (10:30-11 a.m.) – CFCA staffers in India have been getting a lot of work done! Our project in Hyderabad, for example, has been open since 9:30 a.m. (but will stay until about 6 p.m.). Often staffers will come into the office to find emails from Kansas, sent while they were asleep.

The key takeaway is that CFCA never sleeps!

Watch over thy child, O Lord!

A new sponsor to the CFCA community shares her experience, as well as a beautiful prayer for children everywhere.

I pray [this prayer] when my daughter sails out of the house each morning, but now I’ll include this sweetheart: Melven, the little guy we just sponsored through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. This is a fantastic organization, for which our former pastor now works; they spend their money wisely in the developing world, and the kids and elderly folks sponsored really do exist. Melven is 6, likes “maths” and dancing, and has a little sister and a dad whose income as a security guard “is not enough to maintain basic expenses.”

Read the full blog post here

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

What a joy to be back in Africa!

It’s so very encouraging to see the spirit of CFCA growing in this area. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude for the support and solidarity of our African sisters and brothers before, during and after Walk2gether.

(Please note: All photo credits in this report go to Regina Mburu, CFCA’s communications center liaison in Nairobi, Kenya.)

CFCA scholars

CFCA scholars in Kenya are dynamic, generous and very creative.

Listen to this poetic testimony of CFCA scholar Stephanie, this dynamic young woman from “up country.”

Stephanie has finished her secondary studies and is registered to continue her education, studying psychology at the University of Nairobi.

Once born, twice shy, so they say
But I change the “say” with CFCA
When I was born back in those hills
Beyond the mills
My fate was doomed, so I thought
I didn’t see any hope in my life boat
Searching for restoration and hope
Life was not easy to cope
Though I was always happy because I had God
Who made you and me …oh my Lord
Gratitude is what dwelleth upon my heart and soul
And each time I give my all
If not for you my, my sponsor
What can I conquer…
For you give me strength and courage
Each day I stand on this stage
To present my spoken word
Before the mammoth crowds
I look back at my journey and count blessings on me
And you are one of them
Because my life has never been the same
With you being part of it
And always providing unending support
To me you give me the thought that
Heaven is missing an angel.

Another inspiring story

Meet Samuel, CFCA staff member in our project in Nairobi. (Direct quote edited by Bob.)

“It’s a miracle to have come this far, as I lost my dad due to a quarry accident when I was 7 years old.

“On the burial day of my father, we were kicked out of our rental home. My elder brother was 10, and our small sister was 3.

“We ended up on the streets of Nairobi, after which we were taken in by a children’s home where we grew up.

“When I came to know of CFCA, I was desperate, and I was sure I wanted to die, as all hope in my life had come to an end. Everything around me was speaking in one voice, ‘End it.’

“I met with Peter, the CFCA project coordinator in Nairobi, who took me in and believed in me. At CFCA, they gave me hope to live yet another day. They helped me to advance in my education, and today I am making my life count in my nation and in my generation.

“In addition to my work as a project counselor in CFCA’s project in Nairobi, I am a third-year student at Life Bible School in the U.S., taking an online bachelor’s degree in Christian counseling and psychology.

“I am also a second-year student at St. Paul’s University in Nairobi, taking a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management.

“I am a gospel music writer and vocalist with a third album under way, due to be released in August 2012.

“I am working on a book, due to be completed in a few months. It is an autobiography, with lessons that I have learned from people who have played a major role in making me the person I am today.

“Thank you and God bless you, Bob, and my CFCA family. May God keep you to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Sponsors and families speak

“The day with our sponsored child and her grandmother was like a dream.”

“I can feel how much the staff loves my sponsored elderly friend.”

“They really need someone to say…I hear you.”

“I am humbled by their courage and faith.”

“The staff really works well together.”

“We feel your love.”

“It’s inspiring to see how you are holding on to your traditions and roots. Thank you for sharing them with us.”

“Your presence in my home means a whole lot.”

Most of the families we visited had three stones on the ground for cooking and no electricity. In their gratitude, they love to give the sponsors gifts of handwoven baskets.

Sponsored child Emma lost her mother early in life. Her father Aniceto raised his children farming 2.5 acres. He has a nice herd of healthy goats, which he attributes to a CFCA loan.

We wrapped up an afternoon visiting families in the Mathare slum. Impressive reality. We just visited a family where both Dad and Mom are HIV positive, living in one room with eight children and grandchildren. Their sponsored child aspires to be a pilot.

Andy is a special child who can’t walk, but he wakes up sometimes at 3 a.m. singing.

The wild animals we saw on an early morning safari drive live much better than many of the families we saw in the afternoon.

We express our deep gratitude for your solidarity and prayers. Cristina and I will be heading to the Dominican Republic with 28 sponsors.

Please know of our love and gratitude.

Bob Hentzen
Nairobi, Kenya
Feb. 29, 2012

CFCA sponsor Paula Kiger and her ribbon embroidery gift from a Guatemalan mother.

Thirty-eight people and I participated in a mission awareness trip to Guatemala in July 2011.

On our first full day in Guatemala, we traveled to the CFCA center in San Lucas (about a two-hour drive).

On the way, we stopped in Ciudad Vieja to get acquainted with the people who are served by the CFCA office there.

The people at that office went out of their way to give us a big welcome. There were songs, dances, presentations by project participants, and lunch.

At each of the places we visited, we were given mementoes of the visit.

At Ciudad Vieja, we were given samples of the candy that many of the mothers of sponsored children have learned to make and sell to tourists. This project allows them to provide for their families and to learn a marketable skill.

We also heard from the mothers who do “ribbon embroidery,” also to be sold in Antigua, one of the main tourist destinations in Guatemala.

I identified so much with each of the mothers who spoke, in Ciudad Vieja and throughout our time in Guatemala. They want so desperately for their children to have safety, an opportunity to be educated, good nutrition and adequate shelter.

Although the moms who are my peers in the U.S. put their wants for their children in different terms, the underlying desire is exactly the same: let my child be happy and safe.

As our time in Ciudad Vieja was winding down, I decided to give my rusty college Spanish a whirl.

We did have translators with us, but with 39 participants, and so many Guatemalan families to visit with, if you wanted to have a one-on-one conversation you had to give up on getting your verbs conjugated right and just talk.

Ana Lucrecia's towel with ribbon embroidery.

That is how I ended up approaching Ana Lucrecia, a mother and a leader at the CFCA office we were visiting.

I asked her about teaching the other mothers, about her own children, and about the work they do. She specializes in “ribbon embroidery.”

I don’t remember the specifics of the conversation except that I think she knew I was incredibly impressed at her initiative and how much she had clearly given of herself to younger mothers who needed a role model.

As our group gathered to leave, Ana Lucrecia handed me a piece of her work – a hand towel with detailed embroidery on it. She said, “con recuerdos,” which means “with memories.”

I was floored. I didn’t need a gift from Ana Lucrecia, but I will treasure it, and the connection I felt with her, forever.

Related links:

• A prayer for International Women’s Day
• Paula’s blog post about her Guatemala mission awareness trip

The first reading for the Third Sunday in Lent, along with the psalm, amount to “a spiritual GPS” for us: directing us on the right road.

Are we listening or stubbornly going our own way? Or, as we approach the midway point of Lent, is it time for us to “recalculate?”

It’s not too late for us to pray that God becomes our life’s GPS, our guiding force.

The reading from Exodus begins by proclaiming God’s clear and forthright introduction, “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.”

God is gracious and wants the best for us — reminding us that, indeed, God is on OUR side.

Before entrusting Moses with the Ten Commandments, God gently reminds the Israelites that they were already rescued from slavery once, at that first Passover.

A remote road in Nicaragua. Ramiro Zelada, manager of Sponsor Services teams at the CFCA headquarters in Kansas City, took this picture on a mission awareness trip in February 2012.

God doesn’t want the Israelites to forget that. Rather, God is trying to convince the Israelites that “This is really for your own good. Listen up!“

Of course, how many times have we heard “This is really for your own good” before getting a list of what we cannot do? But, like a GPS, in order to get where we want to go, we have to choose one path over the others.

God then continues with the expectations to be a faithful follower. These are spelled out in the two main responses God is looking for in the Israelites: devotion to the Almighty and care for others.

Devotion to God is covered in the first three commandments: by keeping God at the center of their lives, by honoring the name of God, and by dedicating one day a week to God.

The following seven commandments are all about caring for others. Interestingly, the scale seems to tip toward caring for others, and that’s probably why most of you are involved with CFCA.

Presumably, your life’s GPS is already set on God. Lent, however, is made for checking on that.

If your life isn’t anchored as firmly as you would like, you may want to “recalculate.”

Today’s psalm and response provide pitch-perfect accompaniment, “Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.“

The psalmist reinforces this theme:

The Law of the Lord is perfect.
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy.
The precepts of the Lord are right, and
The command of the Lord is clear.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, life-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

Irene, a child sponsored through CFCA

Easter is almost here, and many sponsors are thinking about sending a card or letter to their sponsored friend expressing Easter blessings.

Before sending your next letter, here are a few tips and recent changes we’d like to share with you:

1) Check new mailing rates.

This January the United States Postal Service introduced new mailing rates for international mail.

A 1-oz. letter will cost $.85 to Mexico and $1.05 to other countries. Larger envelopes or those weighing more than an ounce will cost more to send.

A full list of prices can be found here: https://www.usps.com/send/first-class-international.htm.

You will still need to visit your local post office to have the item weighed and stamped.

2) Consider eLetters.

We introduced new website features in August that gave sponsors access to a variety of new features, including eLetters.

The eLetters feature can be accessed from the “My Sponsorships” page when you log in to the website. This feature allows you to write an online letter to your sponsored friends, and you can choose from several different backgrounds that are updated to reflect the current season and significant holidays.

When you click on the submit button, we will email your letter as a PDF file to the project office that serves your sponsored friend, and the office staff can then print the letter.

Because the letter will still need to be translated and hand delivered, it may still take several weeks to reach your sponsored friend, but it guarantees the letter will reach the project and saves on the cost of postage.

(If you haven’t created a username and password yet, just click on the “Register” button from the “Manage My Account” page to get started.)

3) Plan mailing times.

For sponsors wanting to send Easter greetings, birthday cards or any other type of mail that might be date specific, it is important to keep in mind normal mailing times.

Items by regular mail can take six to eight weeks to arrive. If you are running short on time, using the eLetter feature is a great way to get your message there faster.

4) Check letter size.

We ask that sponsors send nothing larger than an envelope 9 by 12 inches and more than an inch thick. We also ask that it weigh a pound or less. This is still considered a letter size by international mailing guidelines.

Anything larger may cause the project to be charged high customs fees, which would reduce the amount available to help their community. CFCA projects are instructed not to accept mail with high customs fees.

While this means you can’t send teddy bears or soccer balls, many inexpensive items can easily fit into a 9 by 12 envelope, such as paper dolls, coloring books or calculators. Sponsored friends have also said they love receiving photos of their sponsors.

If you want to send something truly unique, try a recordable greeting card and let your sponsored friend meet you through a recorded message.

Questions? Feel free to call Sponsor Services at (800) 875-6564 or email mail@cfcausa.org.

Today we conducted a Twitter chat about natural disasters:

Read the highlights: “Responding in the face of natural disasters” on Storify

We’re grateful for all the participation and engagement during this hour-long chat. If you haven’t had a chance yet to join our Twitter chats, we’d love to see you next time!

Diego, a child sponsored through CFCA in Colombia, walks 80 minutes one way to go to school.

Many children in the rural areas of Colombia have to walk long distances to get their education.

One example is Diego, 13, sponsored through CFCA. He must walk an hour and 20 minutes one way to attend school in a town outside Bogota.

Every morning Diego wakes up at 4:30 a.m. He takes a shower, dresses in his school uniform, eats breakfast and starts walking at 5:30 a.m.

He starts classes at 7 a.m. and finishes at 1 p.m. Sometimes he walks all the way back home, but occasionally his mother has the money to give him to take a bus to come back home from school.

Even when Diego takes the bus, he needs to walk 30 minutes to get to his house.

Some of the biggest challenges Diego faces are the rainy season and frosts during the early morning.

Diego changes his boots for school shoes once he arrives.

The streets are not cemented, and Diego has to wear boots for the mud. He keeps his school shoes in his backpack.

Diego loves to study. His favorite subject is English, and his favorite sport is soccer. He wants to be a professional soccer player someday.

“I am so thankful and glad for the school supplies that I received at CFCA and for the formation and support CFCA brings to my mother,” Diego said. “In this way, my mother is able to teach me good moral values, and she helps me with my homework.”

Diego also credits his mother with helping him focus on his education.

“I help my mother with the chores at home, and she helps me to understand my subjects better and to do my homework,” he said. “We work as a team!”

Diego’s mother, Maria, said she is thankful for her son’s sponsorship. The family’s income from growing and selling flowers is not enough to pay for all their needs.

From left are Diego, his mother and little brother.

Maria attends mothers group meetings at the local CFCA office, and there she receives support to overcome the difficulties she and her family face.

“Thanks to CFCA, we get motivation to finish our education and to teach our children how important it is to get a good education,” Maria said. “We discover our skills and our children’s skills, and we develop these skills.”

Also, she can check her children’s school grades, and in this way CFCA staff members encourage mothers to help their children learn how to get good grades in school.

“I feel that CFCA is with me, and I feel the support of the CFCA mothers groups,” Maria said. “I am learning how to have a better communication with my family. I feel glad because CFCA teaches us how we have to teach our children and how to understand them better.”

Author’s note: The CFCA project in Bogota is in the process of getting a bicycle for Diego so he no longer has to walk to school.

From left are Diego's stepfather, his mother, Diego and his grandmother.

Para servir mejor a nuestros amigos que hablan español, ¡ahora tenemos una versión en español de nuestro página web! Para tener acceso, simplemente visite nuestro sitio en www.cfcausa.org.

En la parte superior de la pantalla hay una bandera que indica el idioma. Haga clic en la bandera para elegir “inglés” o “español”.

Si usted tiene un navegador en español, la página web detectará el idioma y mostrará la versión en español de forma automática.

CFCA tiene una fuerte presencia en América Latina con más de 183.000 amigos apadrinados sólo en Centroamérica y América del Sur. También, un 3 por ciento de nuestros padrinos hablan español.

Y no es raro que muchos de nuestros padrinos, amigos apadrinados y personal de CFCA hablen dos o más idiomas.

En nuestra página web en español, puede manejar su cuenta de apadrinamiento en línea, hacer donativos, escribir eCartas a su amigo apadrinado, así como ver la foto de su amigo y su fecha de nacimiento.

Esperamos que nuestros amigos que hablan español encuentren muy útil esta nueva versión.

¿Tiene preguntas? Por favor, comúniquese con nuestro personal de Servicios al Padrino al (800) 875-6564 de lunes a viernes de 8 de la mañana a 5 de la tarde tiempo central o por email a info@cfcausa.org.

English translation

To better serve our Spanish-speaking friends, we now have a Spanish-language version of our website! To access, simply go to our website, www.cfcausa.org.

At the top of the screen is a flag indicating the language. Click on the flag to choose “English” or “Español.”

If you have a Spanish browser, the website will detect your language and display the Spanish version automatically.

CFCA has a strong presence in Latin America, with more than 183,000 sponsored friends in Central and South America alone. We also have 3 percent of our sponsors who are Spanish-speaking.

And it’s not uncommon for many of our sponsors, sponsored friends and staff members to speak two or more languages.

On our Spanish-language site, you can manage your online sponsorship account in Spanish, make donations, write eLetters to your sponsored friend and view your friend’s photo and birth date.

We hope our Spanish-speaking friends find this new feature helpful.

Questions? Feel free to contact us at (800) 875-6564 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time Mondays through Fridays, or email info@cfcausa.org.

In this picture Jimmy, left, meets with his sponsored child, Yulisa, in Guatemala.

Jimmy is from Nashville and has sponsored Yulisa since 2008.

Want to submit your photo for the next “Faces of CFCA” profile picture?

To submit, simply email a .jpg photo file (the higher the resolution, the better) to socialmedia@cfcausa.org.

Include your name and your preferred form of contact (phone, email, etc.) in case we have any questions about your submission.

Thanks for your support!

Every Wednesday throughout Lent we will post a reflection on the upcoming Sunday readings. We hope these help you on your own Lenten journey. This week’s reflection was written by CFCA preacher Father Jeff Kirch, C.PP.S.

Thirty eyes gazing at you in utter confusion. Fifteen blank faces staring at you as if you had just spoken a foreign language.

Anyone who has ever attempted to teach young people knows what “utter confusion” looks like. Seemingly everything is going fine and then suddenly a corner is turned and the world has been turned upside down.

This is true in mathematics, chemistry, English and life.

The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent offer us two glimpses of confusion. Abraham, our father in faith, was chosen by God and received the promise. But suddenly everything seems to be in peril as God asks him to sacrifice Isaac.

Peter, James and John, the closest of Jesus’ friends, walk up the mountain, experience the Transfiguration, and then suddenly are told that Jesus must suffer and die.

I am sure Abraham, Peter, James and John were utterly confused. Their lives, in fact, their very futures were in jeopardy.

There are countless times when that same feeling comes over many of us. Times when we are not so sure what God has in store for us. Times when nothing seems to make sense. Times when we are groping for answers to the perennial question, “Why?”

Shera wonders which person her family should sponsor at a 2011 CFCA weekend presentation. The family eventually chose Risper from Nairobi, Kenya.

It is in the very midst of that question, “Why?” that we need to be reminded of these scriptures.

Abraham, Peter, James and John surely asked, “Why?” but they didn’t stop with the question. They went the extra step. They continued to place their faith in God, despite the contradiction they were witnessing.

In writing this reflection, I’m reminded of the many people I encounter during CFCA weekend presentations.

Dozens of people crowding around a table, encountering the children and aged whom we serve. Families in Iowa, Indiana and New York who are invited to walk up the mountain with CFCA.

No doubt that some of us wonder why poverty exists. We wonder why children around the world go hungry far too often. We wonder why the poorest of the poor suffer.

And yet, in the midst of the confusion, CFCA gives each of us an opportunity to be part of the solution.

The season of Lent is our time on the mountain. When we have been called up the mountain, when we have witnessed incredible events, when we are in utter confusion, our response is faith.

Faith in a God who keeps God’s promise. Faith in Christ who, even though he was crucified, rose on the third day. Utter confusion becomes utter amazement.

Related links

• Preparing our hearts for God’s wonder [1st Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, live-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

Veronica receives a warm welcome on her mission awareness trip to South India.

I arrived at the Kansas City airport Jan. 21 to embark on a mission awareness trip to South India, unaware that I would soon be forever changed.

I work in Sponsor Services at the CFCA headquarters in Kansas City, which means if you call our toll-free number, there is a good chance I’ll be on the other end of the line.

Most of my work involves helping sponsors with any questions and helping make the sponsorship experience a positive, rewarding one.

I enjoy speaking with our sponsors and was looking forward to meeting many of them face to face. Although I was looking forward to this trip, I was also experiencing a surge of anxiety and panic.

I, like many Americans, have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and experience panic attacks on a regular basis.

Anxiety and panic come from a fear of the unknown, and traveling halfway around the world to another country was the ultimate unknown for a normal, routine girl like me.

My doctor suggested that this trip would be a good opportunity for me to learn more about myself and of what I was capable. So I packed my bags and headed to the airport, prepared for the worst.

The first few days in India were a culture shock. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw, and what I was feeling.

Trash littered the streets, and I had never witnessed poverty to such a degree. However, despite all of the hardships the people experience, they were so joyful and full of life.

We visited a family in their home, and I was truly humbled by what I saw. We removed our shoes before we stepped into the small area. This house was one room and was around 7 feet by 7 feet, in which four people lived.

The same day, we visited another home where one sponsor was able to meet her sponsored friend for the first time.

Children and youth who met Veronica on her mission awareness trip.

We were greeted by the family, and they showed us the pictures and letters that Aneta, her sponsor, had sent to her sponsored friend. The young girl and her mother were very proud and happy to see their sponsor.

As they were happily talking, a staff member pulled me aside and explained to me that the child’s mother was too sick to work because she had ovarian cancer.

It felt like a ton of bricks hit me in the face. I looked at the child and her mother, and everyone looked so happy together.

It was then that my years of anxiety and fear melted away. I realized that all my fears and worries were so trivial and meaningless.

I thought about all the times I complained and how I worried about things that didn’t really matter. I have plenty of food. I have clean water. I have a safe home. I have clean clothes.

I knew I was growing and developing a new understanding of the world around me, and I was so grateful for everything I was experiencing.

I remember leaving India thinking about what others at work had said about their mission awareness trips, that “it is a life-changing experience.”

Before I left, I didn’t think that would actually happen to me. But after experiencing India, I realized the trip did change my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

I took many photos while in India, and I printed and framed some of these photos. I placed these framed photos of the Indian landscape, and the children sponsored through CFCA and their mothers, right beside my front door.

Now, every day I can remind myself of the positive effects that CFCA and our sponsors are having in the lives of others and how grateful I am for everything I have.

“Social groups are critical in helping women recover from the trauma of domestic violence. Social groups rebuild that lost sense of self and create a supportive, open forum in which to heal.”

This quote is from Susan Miller, chief executive officer of Rose Brooks Center, which provides domestic violence services and programs for families in the U.S.

At CFCA we value mothers groups, or small groups of mothers of sponsored children, as a valuable support system.

Not only do these groups help women find ways to improve their economic circumstances, but they also empower women to address present challenges – including domestic violence, among other issues.

Read more about how CFCA mothers groups are addressing domestic violence.

We were thrilled to receive such great feedback about the “thank-you” video that we posted last November.

There were so many powerful messages of gratitude and hope in the footage collected by our communication correspondents around the world that we wanted to find a way to repurpose those endearing moments caught on video.

We used the footage to come up with a cute, 30-second promo to help spread the word about CFCA.

Take a moment to share this short video with your friends and family. Just 30 seconds could make a difference in the life of someone waiting for sponsorship.

“Rise and Dream,” our documentary film, won the audience choice award at the Thin Line Film Fest after its world premiere in Denton, Texas.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended the premiere and showed us such great support over the past few weeks. We’re excited to see where “Rise and Dream” goes next!

Read our news report: CFCA documentary film wins festival award

The readings for the First Sunday of Lent offer some powerful images of cleansing. First we have the story of God’s covenant with Noah following the flood that cleansed the earth.

The second reading, from the First Letter of Peter, follows on the Noah imagery and connects it to the cleansing death of Jesus on the cross, while the Gospel offers Mark’s simple and direct account of Jesus’ purifying trek into the desert before he began his public ministry.

This cleansing motif makes me recall the times when, as a kid, I would find myself sentenced to cleaning my room.

My usual pattern would be to spend a few minutes pouting over the sheer injustice of it all, and then start figuring out ways to hide the mess so it would look as if I had actually straightened up.

But, of course, my mother would inevitably look under the bed or in the closet and I’d be busted.

I know now that it would have taken half the time and energy to actually clean my room as it did to create the illusion of cleanliness, but as a kid there was no room in my brain for such logical nonsense.

Santiago, CFCA sponsored child in Guatemala.

It really isn’t all that different from how some folks approach the season of Lent.

Instead of taking advantage of the Lenten invitation to do some meaningful cleansing of some of the things that distract them from loving God and others, they stuff those things into the closet until Easter while patting themselves on the back that they were able to give up some minor comfort for 40 days.

It isn’t that our small Lenten disciplines aren’t meaningful – for they certainly are – but the uncomfortable and indispensable truth is that only a heart truly free of worldly clutter can embrace the wonder of a God who loves us enough to die for us.

That kind of heart-cleansing is hard to do and, truth be told, most of us never completely get the hang of it. So it is a good thing we have Lent to hold our feet to the fire.

It is also good to have examples in our lives of people who manage to live relatively clutter-free, and this is one of the blessings of belonging to the CFCA community.

Our sponsored friends teach us much about the difference between need and want and, by the simple dignity of their lives, provide a valuable lesson in uncluttered living.

My prayer for each of us during this Lenten season is that we can unclutter our hearts just a bit more, and that we might cross paths with people who can help us do it.

Wouldn’t it be good to arrive at Easter this year with hearts clean enough to hold the wonder of it all?

Related links

• Having faith even in the face of confusion [2nd Lenten reflection]
• Checking our spiritual ‘GPS’ [3rd Lenten reflection]
• Moving to meaningful, live-saving action [4th Lenten reflection]
• Waiting for fruit from the seeds we plant [5th Lenten reflection]
• Seeing Jesus in those living in poverty [6th Lenten reflection]

Going to the dentist can be something we take for granted in the United States, but it’s not always so easy in other countries.

John, a sponsored child in Colombia, gets his teeth cleaned during a dentist's visit to communities in the CFCA Bogota project.

For families living in remote areas, traveling to town to see the dentist can take several hours, even if you have a car. Many children walk through the mountains to get to school, let alone the dentist.

And for families struggling with poverty, paying for dental care is another matter entirely.

CFCA sponsorship benefits often include periodic dental checkups and treatment. An example is our project in Bogota, Colombia.

Right now Ginna Gomez, a dentist, is visiting almost 1,000 CFCA sponsored children in the Bogota project in an extensive 16-week process.

She sees and treats 60 children a week and will finish sometime in June.

“It is a beautiful process because the children get excited when we start their treatment and they also get excited seeing us at the (CFCA office) and near their houses,” she said. “They like to receive this benefit.”

One story Ginna has to tell is about a young sponsored child who fell when she was small and lost four of her teeth.

John, second from right, along with his mother, nephew and cousin.

Although she didn’t have the financial resources to pay for an operation, sponsorship benefits helped her family afford treatment.

“CFCA helped her to get her treatment to have a beautiful smile, and CFCA paid for her treatment,” Ginna said. “She got her four new teeth.”

Treating the children takes a lot of hard work. Ginna has to travel more than 93 miles (150 kilometers) to visit all the communities served by the CFCA project.

“The transportation is very difficult because it is a faraway place in a rural area, and the buses pass there every 40 minutes,” she said.

Along with treatment, sponsored children in the rural areas receive a thorough education on dental hygiene.

“We have to brush our teeth well three times every day. We also must brush our tongue,” said John, a 10-year-old child sponsored through CFCA.

“I like to attend the dental checkups to have healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.”

Jenny, CFCA sponsored youth learning more about dental hygiene.

Jenny, a CFCA sponsored youth and scholarship student, said the dental service was very good.

“I am so thankful for the dental checkup because it is a great benefit for me and all the other sponsored children because we can receive good dental attention near our houses as we live in the countryside,” she said. “The hospitals are far away from our houses.”

Gloria Romero, coordinator for CFCA in the community of Oasis, said this was the first time the dental service had been provided here.

“This community is located in a far place, and for that reason the children could not go to the CFCA office in Bogota to receive dental treatment,” she said. “For that reason the community is glad to have the dental attendance here because it is easier and near to their houses.”

Isabel picks coffee beans in El Salvador. She is the mother of four children, two of whom are sponsored through CFCA.

The coffee harvest is well under way around the world. Most countries harvest coffee from December to March, and it is a major source of income for many families living in poverty.

Here is an interview with Isabel, a single mother of four daughters in Ataco, El Salvador. She did not continue school beyond first grade, and coffee picking is her only livelihood to support her family.

Two of her children, Dayra and Fatima, are sponsored through CFCA. Isabel belongs to a CFCA mothers group, which has boosted her self-confidence.

Tell us about yourself.

I am the single mother of four children. I feel happy, because I have this huge benefit of sponsorship for my children. I am alone. I cannot hope for more help besides that from the project.

Thanks to Sister Guadalupe, my daughter entered the program in 2004, when she was very small.

At that time, I was experiencing a crisis in that I could not find work. There was no work at the plantation.

I earned $45 every 15 days. And one worries about buying food first. But the sponsorship benefits my daughter receives are great. They even clean her teeth.

Thanks to the generous heart of her sponsors, we can improve our lives. What’s most important is the struggle and the hope we have in the project.

No matter what I need for my daughter, whether a new set of clothes or a new pair of shoes, I tell her, “Daughter, here is what your sponsors and the project do for you.”

I live with my mother, my four daughters and my sister.

When my father died, it was traumatic. My sister was 10. My father was killed. We were left in shambles. We were living in different houses. We did not have a dignified house.

Sister Guadalupe came, took photos and accepted my daughters into the sponsorship program. My mother admitted she could not educate me because it was too big of a financial burden.

I am happy and motivated. I used to be very timid. It used to be hard to interact with the community. But now that I participate in the CFCA mothers group, I have improved.

I work in the fields from Monday to Saturday picking coffee. We depend on the health of the coffee trees, because if the trees are not producing, we don’t have work.

I do not have a school education. At least I am able to work in the fields. At least I can do something to take care of my responsibilities. I work for my daughters.

Did you go to school?

My mother and father had 10 children. And my father worked in the fields while my mother took care of us at home. He could not afford to educate us on his wages.

I finished first grade and left after that because of the economic situation.

Fatima, Isabel's daughter sponsored through CFCA, and another of Isabel's daughters.

What a blessing it is that God has put these good people in our path. I care for my daughters because it is my responsibility.

But the sponsors — the ones who provide nutrition, health care, shoes and education — it is a huge help.

I could not celebrate even my daughters’ birthdays. But I tell them to be grateful because they can celebrate a birthday party because of the sponsors’ generosity.

How long do you work in the coffee fields?

I work eight hours, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., during the season. The harvest begins in November, the first harvest. The harvest gets bigger when the fruit ripens.

How have the mothers groups helped you? How did you become less timid?

Because we received training, we shared and we learned things. They coordinate our meetings. We share the word of God in each meeting. They share information about the children. Now that I am in the group, I go to the office with my friend and feel included.

We share. We decide what our children need. The project encourages us to decide what we need.

Before, we received the sponsorship benefits as they came. Now with the group, we budget for what we need. We make an agreement between the community and the project. There is more trust. This has made me more confident, less afraid of speaking up.

They do a budget for the year and plan their work for the year. For example, she (Dayra) is in middle school. The budget indicates when the project will pay the school fees so she can continue to study.

Editor’s note: Fatima had a message for her sponsors: “I love you very much, and I would like to meet you in person, and may God bless you.”

Related links:

• Sponsorship support helps coffee-growing families

Priyanka, sponsored through CFCA in India.

At CFCA, we encourage education as one of the keys for families to build a path out of poverty. Priyanka’s story exemplifies the potential of hard-working people who will persevere with their studies despite tremendous obstacles.

My name is Priyanka. I am a post-graduate student studying for a master’s degree in psychology from Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh, India.

When I was in 12th grade my subjects were physics, chemistry and biology. I wanted to be a doctor.

My father was in private practice as a homoeopathic doctor, but he had an accident and he is paralyzed.

So our economic condition was not good enough for me to take an exam for my bachelor’s degrees in medicine and surgery.

I joined the bachelor of arts program instead, studying ancient history, education and psychology.

When I came to study psychology, I found it a very interesting subject and worked hard at it. As a result, I graduated with the highest score in the whole college.

Then I took the entrance exam for my master’s degree, and again I got the highest score among my peers.

My father’s economic condition was not good enough for me to continue my studies, but at this important time, CFCA gave me support to continue my studies.

With the help of CFCA, I could pay my college fees and purchase my books.

CFCA was an important support and the only support for my studies. Because of CFCA, I am here at this stage.

The whole college knows me as a good student, and my parents are proud of me.

CFCA gave me moral support and the courage to step forward. This was my life in short. That is how I could continue my studies after all these problems, with the special support of CFCA.

Raul, CFCA sponsored youth in El Salvador, writes a letter to his sponsor.

Whether the relationship between sponsor and sponsored friend lasts a short period of time or over many years, it is a treasured friendship.

Every day we are privileged to see heartfelt letters of gratitude and appreciation pass between these friends.

Unfortunately, that relationship must come to a practical end someday, though it continues for a lifetime in our hearts and prayers.

We try our best to send our sponsors a farewell letter from their friend leaving the sponsorship program, although this is not always possible.

Below are excerpts from former sponsored children in the Philippines writing their farewell letters to their sponsors. We hope you are as moved and inspired by them as we were.

Alfred

“There are already many gifts that I have received from CFCA. These will really inspire me also to help not just only my family, but also other people. …

“Being a teacher there are so many things that I can share to my fellow men, not only money, but also knowledge for survival.

“Thank you very much, my sponsor, for your support. You really make my dreams come true. I will always pray for you and your family.

“Lately I attended my graduation ball. It is the final celebration for my success, and I received my certificate. I found it to be the most important thing in my life.

“When many years pass, this document will make me recall all the beautiful things I enjoyed in CFCA. I will never forget you until the end of my life because you uplifted us in our path away from poverty.”

Diane

“The time has come; finally I finished college. After 10 years of being [sponsored], I can say mission accomplished in the sense that I truly reached my simple goal for my family.

“I was so happy and glad to be one of [the] sponsored members. It helped me to be sociable and develop my whole concept of myself and life.

“Your kindness motivated me to pursue my goal and to finish my college-level degree. I know that it is not the end – it is just a beginning.

“Thank you very much for being part of my life, for being my provider when I tackled my way to reach my goal. … I hope that you will continue helping and providing light for the people who are in need.

“More power and God bless!”

Michael

“Thank you for supporting my studies until [my two-year vocational course in automotive technology]. …

“I can really see the happiness in my parents’ eyes. I know they are happy and proud for what I am now, and you are a great part of that achievement. I have been a better person because of the many formations of CFCA and because of your trust and care that have been extended to me. …

“You have been such a good friend to me. Thanks for believing in me; you never left me. Thank you for the eight years of friendship. My family is also very thankful and glad for your help.

“Once again thank you so much. May God protect you always and keep you away from any danger. You will always remain in my heart and mind, and be my inspiration.”

Jal

“It’s been eight years [since] I became one of the members of the CFCA family. It’s been a great opportunity having the CFCA in my life. It really inspired me to pursue my studies and achieve my goal in life.

“CFCA taught me to be a strong and a better person. CFCA gave me the privilege to socialize with different people in their unique characteristics. …

“To our teachers, parents, CFCA family and especially to you. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have endured for us to be able to go to school.

“Thank you for all the things that you have done for us. For making us the people that we are today. For guiding us into the right path. We are and we will always be grateful.”

Related links:

• What happens when my friend leaves the sponsorship program?
• ‘We will meet again’

In this photo from the CFCA archives, CFCA President Bob Hentzen talks with one of the youth featured in the "Rise and Dream" documentary film after the concert.

I’m confident that when the film festival votes are counted, we will be reaffirmed that “Rise and Dream” is a very good documentary. The spontaneous enthusiasm of all who see it speaks clearly that it is much more.

Everyone in attendance really gets into this story. At the conclusion of the film, we enjoyed such a lively dialogue.

The film festival staff had to ask us to clear the theater and continue elsewhere to make room for the next show.

The film’s executive producer, CFCA’s Paul Pearce, invited the entire audience to gather at the Sweetwater Grill & Tavern down the street.

We so enjoyed one another’s company and the film’s soundtrack harmonies of Barclay Martin and Rick Willoughby …”and let the afternoon unfold.”

“This film is connected to the essential elements of being human.” It is a statement of the deepest values affecting millions of people in the Philippines and worldwide.

On the today side, this documentary is timely, as the world studies the moves of powerful nations interested in deposits beneath the archipelagos bordering the South China Sea.

On the transcendental side, the film grabs us all with irresistible human beauty. Youthful energy bursts forth and rides the waves far enough to return. “Can you hear the songs of children all around?”

The natural harmonies of ancestral instruments held in young hands and felt in young hearts challenge and trump the harshness of one of the longest human conflicts of this century.

Barclay Martin and Rick Willoughby perform before the world premiere of "Rise and Dream."

“Sing like a soldier … Sing like a soldier of peace.” Conflict and peace meet and embrace. Islam and Christianity meet and embrace. Families living in poverty and those inspired by their hopeful struggle meet and embrace. This embrace resounds in new channels of hope for families around the world.

In a few months “Rise and Dream” will complete showings at film festivals and begin its musical journey into the lives of all of us who want to know about who we are.

Don’t miss the story of these 13 ordinary and inspiring CFCA Filipino scholars.

In the midst of serious economic challenges and armed conflict, they offer to us and to the world their vision, their hope and their songs of the ages.

Bob Hentzen
Denton, Texas, Thin Line Film Fest
Feb. 11, 2012
Quotes are from Barclay Martin.

Related links:

• ‘Rise and Dream’ resonates with festival crowd [CFCA news report]

This report from our project in Valparaiso, Chile, warmed our hearts with its timeless message of hope, dignity and love.

Alicia and Jose, both in their 70s and sponsored through CFCA, were suffering from loneliness.

Alicia was a widow whose children lived far away from her, and Jose was renting a small, windowless room with no access to natural light.

One day they met at the CFCA office. It didn’t take long before both realized they had found a special companion with whom to share the journey of life.

Read their love story.

Angel, left, is a CFCA sponsored child in El Salvador.

Last year we had a special initiative in which our project in Guatemala would plant a tree for every sponsor who signed up to pay for sponsorship through our Automatic Payment Plan.

This year we have another initiative!

Sign up, and CFCA will send $5 to your sponsored friend’s project to help meet urgent needs in your friend’s community.

That means if 100 sponsors from your friend’s project sign up, your friend’s project receives $500!

Right now two out of every five sponsors choose to pay their sponsorship using our Automatic Payment Plan. Here are some of the benefits:

• Save on postage and the time it takes to mail your contribution.
• Never miss a payment – your contribution is automatically processed each month.
• Reduce paperwork – electronic payment is environmentally friendly.

If you want to sign up online, go to https://www.cfcausa.org/SponsorsOnline/MyContributions.aspx. (If you haven’t already, you will need to log in to your online sponsorship account.)

Enter the amount of your monthly sponsorship payment and click “Make payment.”

A pop-up question will ask, “Would you like your sponsorship contributions paid automatically each month?”

Choose “Yes,” and your first monthly payment will be added to your contribution basket. You can adjust the amount and the frequency of your payment, if you prefer to pay on an annual, semi-annual or quarterly basis.

As you proceed through the checkout process, you will be able to choose which payment account you want to use (or add a new one).

Thanks, as always, for your support!

Family learns what it means to ‘love your neighbor’

My greatest hope for my two daughters was that they would grow up to be good people – to follow the commandment of Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Our Catholic social tradition teaches us that loving our neighbor extends to our global neighbors, and that we are one human family despite national, racial, economic and other differences. It also guides us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

How, though, do you teach children such concepts?

I have been blessed because my work involves me daily in the Church’s social teachings, and I am able to share this gift with my family.

Read the full blog post here

Wordle created at www.wordle.net.

Research has shown that almost every organization has its own internal jargon, or lingo. CFCA is no exception.

Here are a few terms we use at our K.C. headquarters that might not be readily understood outside our offices. If you ever drop by and hear these mysterious-sounding words, here’s a quick translation!

1) MAT trip

We’re proud of our mission awareness trips, which are great ways for sponsors to see their sponsored friends face to face and experience their culture and way of life firsthand.

Every year about 30 to 40 mission awareness trips are scheduled around the CFCA world.

Of course, just saying “mission awareness trips” is quite a mouthful, so these quickly became MATs, then (somewhat redundantly) MAT trips.

We realized this term has spread now that some of our sponsors are also calling them MAT trips!

2) eNews

The eNews is shorthand for our CFCA monthly electronic newsletter, whose full title is “Faces of the Movement.”

Of course, once we started sending monthly electronic newsletters for our documentary film “Rise and Dream,” that became the “Rise and Dream eNews.”

Which leads us to our third term in CFCA lingo:

3) “Zamboanga” as opposed to “Rise and Dream”

During most of the production process of our documentary film, “Zamboanga: Poverty, War, Music” served as our working title.

By the end of post-production, however, we thought “Rise and Dream” more closely represented the story and chose it as our title.

“Rise and Dream” is the name of one of the songs on the companion CD, and it is heard in the film.

The term also embodies the promise of the children we work with, as well as the hopes mothers and fathers hold for their children to find opportunities, fulfill their potential and achieve their goals.

“Zamboanga: Poverty, War, Music” is still the name of the 10-song CD we released in November 2009 as a companion album to the film.

The CD contains songs written and performed by the documentary’s composer, Barclay Martin.

4) HFAF or H4F

Acronyms abound at CFCA! This particular acronym, HFAF or H4F, stands for “Hope for a Family,” the name for our sponsorship program.

An important part of our work is to give voice to the families we serve, to tell the stories of their heroic struggles to survive and create a path out of poverty for their children.

To help us tell our story in a compelling way, we focus our message on “Hope for a Family.”

Many people also have trouble remembering our full name and the letters CFCA, which is why we added a web address: www.hopeforafamily.org.

5) RFRH

An exciting initiative we unveiled last year was “Raise Funds. Raise Hope.” Internally it’s called by its initials: RFRH.

This work helps U.S. church youth groups raise money by finding sponsors for children and aging people waiting for CFCA sponsorship.

Whenever a youth minister or other adult leader schedules this fundraiser for a parish community, we send folders with photos and family profiles of children waiting for sponsorship.

For every sponsor who signs up, the group earns money to support its local programs.

6) CC

Not to be confused with “carbon copy,” CC stands for the CFCA communications centers.

As of February 2012, we have five communications centers in El Salvador, Guatemala, Kenya, India and Colombia.

These centers are a great resource for helping us find and feature stories from our sponsored friends and their families.

Although we call them centers, which sounds like a big operation, they actually consist of one or a few local staff members.

We can’t say enough good things about these highly talented and dedicated staffers who are telling the stories of CFCA communities around the world!

CFCA sponsor Stephanie is pictured with her sponsored child, Juana, in Guatemala while on a mission awareness trip.

A CFCA sponsor, Stephanie, recently hosted a meeting with sponsors in her parish to let them know about two new features on the CFCA website:

1. Managing your account online, including payments and information specific to your friend’s local program, and
2. Writing eLetters. An eLetter is not an email, but an easy way for you as a sponsor to write a letter using your online sponsorship account. We then deliver that letter on your behalf.

Could you also help us by organizing a meeting in your church or parish to tell other CFCA sponsors about these new tools?

It’s our hope that at least 12 people will contact us at cfcaoutreach@cfcausa.org and say yes!

Other sponsors’ testimonies

Special thanks to everyone who has sent us feedback concerning the new website features. Here are just a few of your comments:

“Just a short note to tell you how much I like the CFCA website and the ability to write [my friend] with eLetters. Because of this it’s much easier to write him more frequently and I really appreciate having his photo on the screen in front of me. God bless you all.”

“Just want to say a thank you for a job well done with your website (in addition to the work you do with our sponsored children and aging friends). The website allows me to clearly see my sponsorships and educates me about their country/project and lets me see how they are doing. It is also very clear to see when my payments are due and whether my accounts are up to date. I also really love the feature of being able to write them letters twice a year (hope they do arrive to the sponsored people in time). All in all, I have never used a charity website that is so user friendly, transparent and informative. Very good job and I am happy to be part of your team.”

“I just registered for the Manage My Account feature of your website and have successfully sent my sponsored friend a birthday eLetter. This is a very nice feature, although I had to abbreviate my letter to fit your 1300 character limit. I also read about her project, its benefits and programs and services. Please extend my compliments to the people at CFCA who are responsible for these new features.”

We want to hear from you

If you’re interested in hosting a sponsor gathering, we’re more than happy to help. We’ll provide you support and materials, including a personalized insert to promote your meeting in your church bulletin.

Just email the outreach volunteer team at cfcaoutreach@cfcausa.org or call (800) 875-6564.

Thanks so much!

Related links

• How to log in to our new CFCA website (video walk-through)

A few months ago we wrote about Bhavani, who has been sponsored for more than 10 years by Barbara and Mary Rousis in Virginia.

Bhavani’s mother was so grateful for their sponsorship that she named her new retail garment store “Rousis Readymade” in honor of her daughter’s sponsors.

Well, the story attracted the attention of WSLS-10, the local NBC affiliate in Roanoke County, Virginia. They published a two-minute video featuring footage from CFCA! We’ve included a link here for you to enjoy.

Read the full story and watch the video

Yesterday we conducted a Twitter chat about love and marriage traditions around the world. It’s just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Read the highlights: “Love and marriage traditions around the world” on Storify

We’re grateful for all the participation and engagement during this hour-long chat. If you haven’t had a chance yet to join our Twitter chats, we’d love to see you next time!

The quinceañera, or 15th birthday, in Latin America is the day when a girl celebrates the transition from child to young woman.

Celebrating the quinceañera traditionally involves many components, including a Mass or religious ceremony, a reception and a choreographed dance, usually a waltz.

For many 15-year-olds living in poverty, however, celebrating a quinceañera is an unattainable dream. The celebration, including the dress, cake, music and food, can cost much more than families can afford.

Sponsorship can help make this dream, like so many others, become a reality.

CFCA recently invited 18 sponsored girls in El Salvador to celebrate their quinceañeras. Each girl received a beautiful, blue dress, and CFCA made arrangements for the Mass and reception afterward.

Many thanks to our talented team in Santa Ana, El Salvador, for putting this video together!

Cultural significance

The quinceañera continues in many communities in the U.S. In the Kansas City area, for example, Oscar Pedroza has found a niche photographing quinceañeras.

You can read more about him in the Kansas City Star:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/22/3382194/wed-like-you-to-meet-oscar-pedroza.html

1) St Henry II: Sponsoring

This wonderful, firsthand account of a blogger’s journey into sponsorship deeply moved us.

Reflecting on my CFCA experience, I knew that I would be a blessing to the people I sponsored, but I didn’t think they’d be such a blessing to me. Rajesh, Margaret, and Darweshi aren’t just random people; they are a part of my family. Getting a letter from one of them is the highlight of my week. I pray for them and I know that they pray for me, and I hope that Indira is in heaven praying for all of us. Becoming a sponsor is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made; if you experience it yourself, you’ll understand why.

Read the full blog post here

2) In the Heart of my Home: Teaching charity, hope to your children through sponsorship

Our thanks to Elizabeth Foss for publishing this guest blog post from Shanxi Omoniyi, CFCA web editor and writer!

One of my sweetest childhood memories is writing letters to my family’s sponsored child. My parents have a long history of child sponsorship, and they encouraged us to write to their sponsored children. We were maybe 8 or 9 at the time.

I remember looking at the children’s pictures, reading their letters and wondering what their lives were like.

Today I work as web editor and writer for Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. CFCA is a lay Catholic sponsorship organization serving more than 300,000 children, youth and aging persons around the world.

Read the full blog post here

Mothers of CFCA sponsored children in Costa Rica.

Heredia is a rapidly industrializing community near San Jose, Costa Rica.

It’s also home to several CFCA mothers groups who are making livelihoods for their families through sewing!

Before joining the mothers groups, many of these moms did not know how to sew. Their economic situations were extremely difficult.

They live in slums, and often their homes are near river basins or dangerous areas threatened by landslides.

Since 2008, these mothers have grown in unity and self-confidence by pooling their collective talents.

Once CFCA helped some moms learn how to sew and make money from their work, they in turned reached out to other moms and mentored them in their handiwork.

Today all 180 mothers in the Heredia groups can sew. They make uniform shirts and rain capes for schoolchildren, working from their homes.

“I feel very motivated,” said Maribel, a single mother raising two CFCA sponsored children. “The money I get (from sewing clothes) is an income for my children and me. This is really a great blessing.”

Read the rest of these mothers’ story.

James, 74, sponsored through CFCA in Kenya.

James, 74, has been sponsored for 10 years through CFCA in Nairobi, Kenya. He has seven children and enjoys exercise, especially bike riding. Sponsorship has given James a new lease on life.

What is your secret for long life?

I have always strived hard to maintain my health. I avoided taking alcohol frequently and I stayed off cigarettes.

As a young man, I was very active in exercising and I believe it has contributed to my long life. Being keen on the type of food that I eat has also added me some years.

What advice do you have for young people?

There is a saying that goes, “An empty mind is the devil’s workshop.” I would urge the youth to keep themselves busy with constructive work. They should strive to earn an honest living.

What is the most important thing your mother taught you?

During our days, young men did not spend time in the company of their mothers. Most of my time was spent with my brothers and father, herding the cattle.

My father was my hero, and I remember him telling me that I need to learn how to co-exist with people, because in life you always need others, you cannot do it alone.

He taught me that alcohol was not to control my life, and it should be consumed in moderation.

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?

I have always desired to fly on an airplane and go abroad. I would like to see how the white people live, what kind of food they eat and so forth. I have always heard that they are advanced technologically and I would like to witness this firsthand.

Tell us something special or unique about yourself.

I love taking walks and also enjoy cycling. I ride on my bicycle, and it is a form of exercise as well.

What’s one thing that has changed from when you were young to the present day?

One thing that strikes me as different is the attitude that the youth have toward the older generation. They do not listen to the advice they are given, disregarding the old people as old fashioned.

What is one thing that has remained the same?

Looking around, everything has changed. The kind of life we used to live before has been totally wiped out, customs and traditions have been ignored and instead replaced with a new way of doing things.

What is your favorite food?

Beans and rice.

What do you like most about CFCA?

I am very glad I got sponsored in the CFCA Hope for a Family program. I feel like I have a new lease of life.

The staff members are very friendly and I feel at home when I visit the office. I also get nutritional benefits; this has greatly improved my health. When I am unwell, CFCA helps me to get medical care.

CFCA tells the stories of people such as Aurellia, mother of sponsored child Herman in Tanzania.

We were especially interested to hear how Pope Benedict XVI used this moment to emphasize the role of silence, or the combination of “silence and word,” in today’s digital culture.

(You can read more about the pope’s message in this article from the Catholic Spirit.)

“Silence can be a vehicle of expression, it gives others the chance to speak and us the opportunity to listen, think and reflect,” said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

“In essence, it is in silence that I am able to give communication its correct significance, and to avoid being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication itself.”

As communicators of the work accomplished daily around the CFCA community, we face this great challenge and opportunity every day.

Covering the stories of more than 300,000 sponsored friends and their families in 22 countries is a great privilege, but it also takes time and commitment to process, edit and publish these reports (whether through print publications, website items or social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter).

We must work to find the silence we need in our lives to truly be in touch with ourselves, others and God – taking the time to be quiet enough to reflect and hear what our sisters and brothers around the world are saying.

What are some ways in which you integrate quiet time and silence into your daily life? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Nadine passed away around noon Monday, Jan. 30.

Read the CFCA news report: Nadine Pearce, CFCA co-founder, dies at 87

“We are so grateful for the gift that Nadine Pearce is for CFCA and for each of us – sister, mother, friend – accepting everyone just as they are and encouraging us to be our best,” said Paco Wertin, CFCA chief executive officer.

Nadine was a familiar face here in Kansas City. She knew many employees by name and was a weekly volunteer.

She was proud to help process and send about 1.4 million letters from sponsored children to their U.S. sponsors annually.

We commend Nadine to God’s loving care and support her family with our prayers. She died exactly two months after her brother and CFCA co-founder Bud Hentzen passed away.

Thank you so much for your support during this difficult time.

What do you think when you hear The Ark of the Covenant?

Do you imagine its contents and the presence of the Lord leading His people, giving them strength to accomplish what seemed impossible? The joy and celebration when David was bringing the Ark home?

In 2 Samuel 6:14-15 (NLT) we read, “And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic. So David and all Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with much shouting and blowing of trumpets.”

In this day of over-extended schedules that have the power to distance us from God, where could one ever hope to glimpse the joy of David worshiping the Lord? By the grace of God, He meets us when we interact with His faithful people.

His faithful people are everywhere, but for me it happened during a visit to Uganda on a CFCA mission awareness trip.

We were greeted by a colorful, joyful group of sponsored friends and their families singing and dancing. We experienced this at each destination.

We split into small groups and were whisked away in individual vehicles to witness the ways that CFCA families partner with us to make a difference in their lives and communities.

We completed our visits in the morning and reunited to share a meal in thanksgiving. At each stop we were greeted by smiling faces and curiosity.

We had completed visits at three schools, trying to take it all in and yearning for more time at each stop.

The morning passed quickly, but we had one more stop at the house of a grandmother of some CFCA sponsored children. We needed to abandon the cars and make this visit on foot.

We followed our CFCA guide faithfully into the Ugandan countryside where Nantume greeted us. Her greeting should have been my first clue that these moments would be filled with the Lord’s love.

Nantume welcomed us into her home with a grateful heart. My senses were greeted with a heavy earthy closeness as we sat on a mat covering a hard wooden structure that served as a bed.

Natural light streamed through the door and some of the gaps in the walls, providing our vision to take in our surroundings.

As we stepped into the second and only other room, we could see nothing but darkness. With the help of a flashlight we found ourselves in Nantume’s bedroom.

She told us the names and ages of her grandchildren and wanted to show us her handiwork and trade that filled her days. All for the love of her grandchildren so they could have a better life.

We followed Nantume to the place where she labored in love. She led us barefoot into the countryside, carrying the tools of her trade.

She makes charcoal for a living. She works cutting down trees by hand, cutting them to just the right length, stacking them, sealing them with mud and straw and tending a slow burning fire to make charcoal, not ash.

She works alone. She is approximately my age, and I could barely fathom the physical labor that she did day after day.

I glanced down at her feet, then at mine, and became distracted by all the ants covering the ground. There I was trying to find a safe place for my feet to rest to avoid an unpleasant experience with ants.

Yet there Nantume was in her bare feet, expressing her love and gratitude for CFCA. She was doing everything so she could partner with the sponsors helping her grandchildren go to school.

All for the love of her grandchildren, so they wouldn’t have to live the same life she did.

I was impacted by her story and had no words as I walked back to the car.

We returned to a home filled with many sponsored friends and their families and love overflowing. After we ate, it was time for cultural singing and dancing.

As I looked out over the sea of joyful faces, I saw Nantume dancing with joyful abandon, praising the Lord, perhaps just like David did.

No matter what had happened or was going to happen, it was all for the moment of praising the Lord.

The next time I find myself frustrated because I am waiting for the traffic light to turn green, the train to clear the railroad tracks, I will think of Nantume.

The next time I lie in bed at night, feeling the chill on a cold winter night and grateful for a warm bed, I will think of Nantume on her wooden structure covered by a mat and thank God for her.

The next time I start to feel sorry for myself, I will praise the Lord for Nantume showing me how to worship the Lord like David did!

Because of the amazing work by CFCA staff, the mission awareness trips are a successful way to experience God on a very personal level.

If you have been thinking about going on a trip but haven’t taken the next step, don’t delay another minute.

You never know when you might witness your own Nantume story, remembering to God be the glory!

Related links

• Cheri’s “God story” behind her latest sponsorship
• Cheri’s tips for writing letters to sponsored friends

Mauricio, 6, is a CFCA sponsored child in El Salvador. Here he displays his school supplies purchased through sponsorship benefits.

For families living in poverty, however, school supplies can cost more than the families are able to afford. Usually the cost ranges between $50 to $60.

Families in the CFCA sponsorship program sometimes earn as little as $100 a month or less. That means buying school supplies would consume around half of their monthly income.

Here are two CFCA sponsored children in El Salvador, who obtained school supplies this year through sponsorship benefits.

Mauricio (interview with his grandmother, Antonia)

Mauricio lives with his mother, his two sisters and grandmother. His mother works as a security guard and is paid $180 a month. His grandmother sells vegetables and fruit and makes approximately $60 per month.

What does it means to your household budget for CFCA to provide these school supplies?

It means a lot, because it is expensive to buy something for the child. To buy what CFCA has bought for him, we would have to work so much and this is all good quality and expensive. Everything that was given to us, shoes, backpack and supplies are a big help. The child is already wearing the school shoes because he likes them.

What would you have to give up if you had to buy these items in the store?

Well, it would mean that he would have to use what the government supplies. These do not last long, and by the middle of the school year we would have to buy new ones.

What does it mean to Mauricio’s self-esteem to know he can attend school with the required supplies?

He is very happy because he is going to take his new shoes to school. He is already wearing them and the sports shoes, but I have put them away because I don’t want him to ruin them.

One day I saw him looking at himself at the mirror with his backpack on. Since the children chose their backpack, he chose the one with cars that he really likes.

He can’t wait to start school.

Jose (interview with his grandmother, María)

Jose, 12, is a CFCA sponsored child in El Salvador.

Jose lives with his grandmother and aunt’s family. His aunt is the household provider and works on a coffee plantation. She makes $110 a month.

What does it mean to your household budget for CFCA to provide these school supplies?

It means that Jose can go to school with all that he needs. I wouldn’t be able to give him all that he needs, but now he can go with no worries.

He is very diligent at school, and I know that he will do his best with all of this.

What would you have to give up if you had to buy these items in the store?

We couldn’t afford not to eat if he goes to school. Whatever he had would be enough for him, but we cannot give up food.

What does it mean to your children’s self-esteem to know they can attend school with the required supplies?

He was really happy when it was given to him. He feels complete; he has his shoes.

He wants for school to start on Monday so he can wear his new shoes and backpack. Thanks to his sponsor, Jose is able to have everything this year.

Related links

• School calendars around the world
• School starting for Indian schoolchildren

A. Whether through a current gift, will, trust, retirement fund or life insurance policy, you can support the ongoing work of CFCA and also provide for the continuation of sponsorship benefits, emergency assistance or higher education for your sponsored friend.

Planning today using our estate planning tools can make a lasting impact for years to come.

We are here to help with any questions you or your advisers might have regarding estate gifts to CFCA. Contact Michael Calabria at (800) 875-6564 or giftplanning@cfcausa.org, or visit hopeforafamily.org/estate for suggested language and beneficiary information for your attorney to include in your estate documents.

We assign the highest reasonable amount of available resources to directly benefit sponsored friends. See our financials and the consistently high ratings we receive from independent charity evaluators.

As a longtime CFCA sponsor, I had often read the invitations to join a trip to visit my sponsored child.

CFCA sponsor Laura Seyfang and her sponsored friend, Sophia.

While I felt committed to the CFCA mission and loved sharing letters with my two sponsored children, one in the Philippines and one in Kenya, I never felt able to justify the time and expense of such a trip.

This past December I was able to make it happen when I combined a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Trip with a visit to my CFCA sponsored child in Kenya.

I wasn’t sure CFCA would embrace my visit since it wasn’t one of their trips, but was very happy to receive overwhelming support to make this personal connection happen.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-denominational Christian organization whose goal is to provide decent affordable housing for all. This organization provides opportunities for volunteers to help build houses in nearly 50 countries around the globe.

During my trip to Kenya with 20 other volunteers, we were able to work on constructing four houses for families in an internal displaced persons camp, where they had been living in tents for almost four years.

It was a lot of hard work, but the results were extremely rewarding.

At the conclusion of the Habitat Build, I hired a driver who took me to Meru in northeastern Kenya, where my sponsored child, Sophia, lived.

It was a long drive into very rural countryside. The last 12 miles (20 kilometers) or so, I saw no other vehicles but lots of people walking along the roads, laden with baskets, goats across their shoulders or dead chickens swinging from their belts.

The driver told me it was market day and everyone was bringing their goods to buy and sell.

We drove to the CFCA office where a local staff person welcomed me and spent an hour showing me how they manage the 713 children who are sponsored in that region.

I was truly impressed with the thoroughness of their files: a copy of every letter Sophia ever wrote to me or that I wrote to her was in her file.

There was a budget sheet for each month she had been in the program.

The staff person explained that Sophia, 17, and her mother come each month to the office to review her progress and plan how my contribution will be spent.

CFCA sponsor Laura Seyfang with her sponsored child, Sophia, and Sophia's family.

First priority always goes to her boarding school fees, but Sophia has input in deciding how any leftover money is spent.

One month she bought new shoes, another month a dress. In November, the extra money went to her family to buy needed food and supplies.

I liked seeing Sophia’s involvement in the budgeting process, as it will be a useful life skill for her.

Then we headed out to Sophia’s home. The last mile or so was on foot since there really was no road, just a mountain path through corn and bean fields.

Every 100 yards or so was a cluster of three mud and grass huts, and after a 20-minute walk, we came to the cluster of huts that housed Sophia’s extended family.

It was such a moving experience when Sophia came running down the path and flew into my arms. We both were smiling through our tears as we stared into each other’s eyes and saw a person we already knew.

Sophia proudly introduced me to her whole family. My CFCA escort took lots of pictures and helped us when there were communication challenges, but mostly we were able to communicate just fine by ourselves.

Sophie had never touched blond hair before, so she spent a lot of time touching mine and holding my hand.

I had brought many small presents for Sophia’s family that they all graciously accepted but set aside to look at later.

While showing me their two goats, Sophia’s older sister asked me, “Can you carry a chicken?”

I really wasn’t sure what she meant by that, so I hesitantly said, “Well where I live, only farmers tend to have chickens, and I live in a city, so I never have carried a chicken.”

One look at the sister’s face made me realize I had not given an answer that made sense.

Then out of the blue (or from the Holy Spirit?), it came to me as I remembered all those people I had seen walking along the road carrying dead chickens.

I realized she was offering me to take one of their chickens as a gift (they only owned two).

I was so overwhelmed by the generous offer from this family who had next to nothing.

Not wanting to offend, I said, “I would be honored to carry a chicken from you, but unfortunately when I leave here I am going straight to the airport in Nairobi to catch a plane home, and they won’t let me carry a chicken on the plane.”

I could tell from her nod and smile that this was a good answer. Sophia then ran into her hut and came out with two lovely baskets woven by her aunt, which she presented to me as a parting gift.

Connecting like this with Sophia and her family was what being human is all about.

Some of the damage after Cyclone Thane in India.

Cyclone Thane hit southern India last December, damaging houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles. Forty families in the CFCA project in Chennai were affected by the damage.

Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison in India, recently traveled with CFCA staff members from the Chennai project to see how CFCA is helping these families rebuild after the cyclone. This is his report.

When I visited families in the CFCA sponsorship program who were affected by the cyclone, I observed that most of the families don’t have concrete houses.

Their houses are in the urban slums of Pondicherry.

Due to the cyclone’s severe winds, the houses of 23 sponsored friends in the Pondicherry area suffered damage to the roof and walls.

John Pierre, CFCA sponsored youth in India, whose house was destroyed after Cyclone Thane hit.

The homes of two sponsored youth, John Pierre and Jackline, are completely damaged. The whole roof is collapsed.

John Pierre’s story

John Pierre, 17, said the heavy winds came around 3 a.m. on Dec. 30. “We were afraid and went to our grandmother’s house,” he said.

The family left all their belongings in the house and wondered whether they would be able to recover them. Early the next day they went back to the house and saw the roof had collapsed.

All their belongings were soaked, but John Pierre found one piece of good news.

“Luckily my school books are in the cupboard, so they did not become wet,” he said.

John Pierre said his father is a day laborer at the nearby railway station and his mother is a housemaid.

The family’s limited income makes it difficult to bear the expenses of renovating the house.

Jackline’s story

Jackline, left, and her mother, Kasthuri, are clearing out the remains of their house after Cyclone Thane.

Kasthuri, Jackline’s mother, said her family also woke up on Dec. 30 because of the noise of the heavy winds.

“When we heard the cracking sounds from the roof, we started rushing towards the gate,” she said. “The minute when we came out of the house, the whole roof felt down.”

Jackline, 17, and her family returned to find many of their belongings damaged, including their clothing.

“Every day we are washing the cloths and clearing the things little by little,” Kasthuri said. “Right now neighbors are giving us shelter, and each one of us is staying in different houses at night. We have to manage like this until our house is repaired.”

Sarita Mendanha, the CFCA project coordinator in Chennai, said staff members are working with families to provide emergency assistance. They helped the families find temporary shelter after the cyclone and will also provide money for roof and wall repairs.

The families of John Pierre and Jackline will receive financial assistance for rebuilding their homes.

Jackelin

Jackelin, 11

“I would like it if they told me about their family, friends and their cat. Also I would like them to tell me about where they live, how the city and country are.

“I would like to personally know and thank them for all the things they have given me. I would also like them to send me lots of pictures.”

Kevin

David, 7

“I want to know what my sponsor eats, and if they eat what they like. I would also like him to tell me where he lives and to send a photo.”

Kevin, 7

“… if there are robbers where my sponsor lives and if his work is going well.”

Jennifer, 9

“I would like to know how my sponsor’s family and children are doing and whether he has all he needs. I would like for my sponsor always to support me in everything I do, and am grateful that he gives me much love. I work very hard and send him lots of hugs and kisses.”

Wendy

Wendy, 7

“I would like them to tell me how they are doing, if they live with the family and for them to send me a photo.”

Katherine, 16

“I would like to know how their whole family is doing, and how he is doing since I last heard from him, how it’s been going in the [U.S.] Air Force, what has happened in his life since he last wrote.

“Also, what food he likes, if he is sick or well, his birthday so I can send a card and a happy birthday greeting, how old he is, if he lives with his children, if his wife is still alive, if he is a grandfather, if he still has his dogs.

“I’d like to know if he has received the letters I sent with thanks for his support and help. But the most important for me is to know how he is.”

Related links:

5 great letter-writing ideas for your sponsored friend

Ticucos from Honduras.

CFCA serves more than 17,000 sponsored children and elderly in Honduras. Our staff members there sent us this beautiful recipe for ticucos!

This recipe serves approximately 6 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. corn flour or “masa”*
• 1 lb. cooked, small white or red beans (frijoles*)
• 1/2 lb. cooked kidney beans (habichuelas*)
• About 2 cups vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• Dry bouillon or seasoning to taste
• Dry leaves to wrap the corn dough (corn leaves or “hojas de tuzas”), or aluminum foil
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped chipilin* leaves or cilantro
• A large cooking pot

*These items are available in a Hispanic grocery store.

In a bowl, combine the oil, salt, bouillon or seasoning and flour until the dough is soft and uniform in texture. Then add the beans and dried chipilin or cilantro and mix together well.

Have the leaves ready. Drop a small quantity of the dough in a leaf, leaving enough room to be able to wrap the leaf around it. Then, fold over the leaf and tie the ends together with string or another piece of leaf. Or wrap the balls of dough in aluminum foil.

Cook ticucos in boiling water over low heat for one hour.

Serve ticucos with homemade tomato sauce or, if you prefer, with cream or butter.

Related links:

• Honduran eco-stoves help CFCA improve the environment

Edwin and Natali pray together in El Salvador. Both are sponsored through CFCA.

Sponsored children and aging friends around the world pray for their sponsors. At CFCA offices we pray for you, too.

Every day, in the morning and just before lunch, a bell rings at our CFCA headquarters in Kansas City.

The bell signals a call to pray, and a group of staff members puts aside work for a few minutes to gather in prayer for CFCA sponsors, sponsored friends and others in our community.

If you have an intention you’d like us to pray for, we’d be honored to include it in our prayers.

Simply enter your request at www.hopeforafamily.org/pray. Note: These prayers are offered in our chapel and are not shared publicly.

Thank you for being a part of our worldwide community of compassion and hope.

P.S. We have a weekly Prayer Partners email that features prayer requests for the CFCA community around the world. If you’re interested in praying with us, please go to this page to sign up: http://www.cfcausa.org/GetInvolved/StayConnected.aspx

We recently learned that “Rise and Dream” is an official selection in the 2012 Thin Line Film Fest, an international documentary film festival, which will run from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20 in Denton, Texas.

This will be our world premiere – the first time the film will be shown to the public!

If you live in or near the Denton or Dallas/Fort Worth areas or are in the mood for a road trip, please come and see the movie! We know you’ll love the film, and we’re hoping for a packed house to show support for the film and for CFCA.

Rise and Dream will be showing at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Campus Theatre, located one block west of the downtown square: 214 West Hickory St., Denton, Texas 76201. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to get tickets soon.

Do you know anyone in or near Denton or the Dallas/Fort Worth area? If so, please forward this information to them and encourage them to attend as well. This is our first film festival, and we really need your help in getting the word out.

A little context about “Rise and Dream”

“Rise and Dream” follows the story of 13 teenagers living with the challenges of poverty in a volatile region of the Philippines. The teens volunteer to learn the music traditions of their culture for a once-in-a-lifetime concert.

The film, produced by CFCA, is intended to give viewers a new understanding of the potential that exists within people living in poverty. We hope it will raise awareness about the heroic struggles of families trying to break the cycle of extreme poverty seen in developing countries — where many struggle to live on just a few dollars each day.

Please visit the “Rise and Dream” page on the Thin Line Film Fest website to purchase tickets and get more information.

Thanks so much!

Related links:

Rise and Dream website

More than 8,000 children have been sponsored through the “8,000 miles for 8,000 kids” effort inspired by Walk2gether, the 8,000-mile solidarity walk through Latin America led by CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen.

Related news report: ’8,000 miles for 8,000 kids’ meet goal

We cannot thank everyone enough for all the help we received in making this possible. This was a labor of love for so many people, and we deeply appreciate your support.

As Bob says, “For each of you who walked with us in fact or in prayer, this continues to be an exciting and humbling journey into the lives of our sponsored friends, their families and our CFCA colleagues.”

Thank you, CFCA community!

Clockwise, from top left, are eucalyptus leaves, orange leaves, anise seeds and ginger root. Maria, grandmother of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras, uses all these items for her natural home remedies.

In our ongoing series about natural home remedies used by sponsored friends and their families, we look to Honduras.

Maria is caretaker of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras. She has a vast knowledge of herbal remedies intended to alleviate discomfort from common ailments such as coughs, colds, fever and nausea.

Her practice does not discourage her neighbors from visiting doctors or hospitals. However, because of her vast knowledge in herbal remedies, neighbors prefer going to her first for a quick diagnosis and affordable treatment.

(Read more about how she uses herbal remedies to help her community.)

Here are some herbal remedies Maria recommends during the winter and flu season.

Note: This blog post is provided purely for informational purposes to shed light on the lives of CFCA sponsored children and elderly. CFCA does not endorse these remedies or encourage readers to try them.

If you do decide to try a natural home remedy, please check with your doctor first. Certain home remedies, particularly herbal ones, can interact with prescription medications.

Coughs

1. Anise tea – Anise contains many anti-inflammatory properties and works as a good cough suppressant. Half a teaspoon of dried anise is added to a cup of hot water, and the patient takes 2-3 cups a day after meals.
2. Verbena tea – Verbena can be effective in treating bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. One teaspoonful of dried verbena leaves is added to a cup of water for 10 minutes, and the patient drinks 2-3 cups a day.
3. Thyme tea – Thyme is a potent antiseptic, eliminating germs and reducing symptoms caused by fever. It can alleviate throat pain when the palate, tonsils or pharynx is inflamed. A tablespoon of thyme is combined with two tablespoons chamomile in about 33 fluid ounces (a liter) of water, then boiled until about a third remains. Once it’s sweetened, the patient takes 3 teaspoonfuls a day.

Colds

1. Eucalyptus tea – Eucalyptus can help reduce inflammation of the nasal passages and allow for better respiration. For making tea, a pinch (3 grams) of dry leaves are boiled for every cup of water. Cold patients take 2 cups of eucalyptus tea, sweetened with honey.
2. Ginger tea – Ginger is useful for alleviating nasal congestion and joint pains resulting from toxins produced by flu microorganisms. A teaspoonful of dried ginger root is added to a cup of water, then boiled and drunk as a tea. Maria recommends taking a couple of cups a day, adding the juice of half a lime to strengthen it.
3. Mint tea – Mint is rich in menthol, which increases sweat production and decongests the respiratory passages. These properties are used in treating flu and colds since helps lower fevers by evaporation and opening the respiratory passages. To make mint tea, infuse a tablespoon of dried mint leaves for 10 minutes. A couple of cups a day is recommended.
4. Verbena tea – see above “Coughs” section.

Fever

1. Elderberry tea – Elderberry flowers can help produce sweat, which contributes to healing. It is very useful against respiratory problems, especially to alleviate coughing or reduce fever. Approximately 0.7 ounce of leaves is infused for 10 minutes in about 33 fluid ounces (a liter) of water. The tea can be taken all day long.
2. Orange tree tea – The orange tree has medicinal properties that can help reduce fever. For making this tea, a whole orange is crushed with its skin and softened with sugar in a glass of boiling water. Nine leaves from the sour orange tree, with the veins removed, are infused for every cup of water. About 4-6 cups of tea are recommended per day.

Related links:

• Natural home remedies used in Guatemala
• Natural home remedies used in India

What’s your favorite natural home remedy? Feel free to share in the comments!

By Shanxi Omoniyi, CFCA web editor and writer

If you sponsor a child, have you ever wondered what kinds of games sponsored children play?

Despite the challenges of poverty, kids in developing countries often find joy in playing with whatever they have available. Many of these games don’t require a lot of items, but they keep children entertained for hours!

On a recent mission awareness trip to Chile, sponsors got to observe – and participate in – games popular among sponsored children. I was honored to be part of the trip.

We hope you enjoy learning and watching these games as much as we enjoyed playing them!

1) Balloon game

Before the game begins, all participants have a balloon tied to one of their ankles.

As a contestant, your objective is to stamp on all the other players’ balloons while protecting your own. Speed and agility are definite advantages here!

2) Catch the tail (atrapar la cola) game

Here’s the best way I can describe this game, which makes for one of my all-time favorite videos.

Contestants form two teams. Each team then makes up a chain, linked by one player’s hands on the hip of the player in front.

The goal is to keep your chain from falling apart while trying to link up to the opposing chain, before it links up to you!

3) Ball catching, stacking game

Participants get a stack of plastic cups, along with a handful of golf-sized balls.

The objective of the game is to bounce and catch one ball in every cup. It starts off easy, but gets progressively harder as the cups stack up.

4) Spinning top (trompo) game

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get footage of this not working, which you’d think happens more often than when it works.

Instead of just a normal spinning top, participants wind the top around a string.

These aren’t just ordinary tops, either. They come in solid wood adorned with a metal tip.

With a quick jerk of the hand, contestants release the string in such a way as to release the top so that it spins and travels along the ground.

5) Game of eggs on spoons

You may have played a version of this. Contestants balance hard-boiled eggs on spoons while walking as fast as they can to the finish line!

6) Emboque game

The Spanish word for these contraptions is emboques.

The objective of this game is to toss the top end of your emboque (a small wooden stick) into the air, then catch it in a hole inside the bottom end of your emboque (a wooden bell shape).

Sounds complicated? It is!

7) Target practice

You don’t need a lot of tools to make children play for hours! We saw many kids wait to practice their aim with a ball and hit objects invitingly displayed on a table.

8) Traditional dancing

Of course, no stay in Chile would be complete without some traditional dancing. This isn’t quite a game, but it was too sweet not to include.

Thanks to all the fellow sponsors and brave adventurers featured in these videos!

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

What a joy for Cristina and me to share this sacred time with 36 sponsors, their sponsored friends and families, and a great group of CFCA co-workers.

This New Year’s group of sponsors includes a good number of children and young people. They found a Guatemala in great need, but in the happy time of coffee harvest.

Students in Guatemala will be out of school until mid-January; coffee harvest involves the entire family.

[Related link: Read our story about families harvesting coffee in Guatemala.]

A new president, new congressional representatives and new mayors will take office on Jan. 15.

This is also the time of the “safra” – the burning, cutting and hauling of sugar cane. The air is filled with the distinct odor and falling ash of the cane. It is impressive to think that every stalk must be hand-cut by campesinos, darkened by the coastal sun and carbon, and cut and stacked. They are paid for by the ton.

I thank our communications team in Guatemala (Ricardo, Luis, Gerver) for their fine pictures and technical help.

Expressions I’ve heard this week:

• “I found out that there are two special children in Guatemala – one named after me, and the other named after my son Kevin.” ~Barbara, CFCA sponsor
• “Guatemala is a beautiful country, especially in the people.”
• “The music of the choral group (moms, dads, grandmothers, children, staff) from Patzun brought tears to my eyes. Such harmony amidst all their challenges.”
• “On this trip, we were able to experience the tierra sagrada (sacred ground) of the Quiche martyrs.”
• “In each of the CFCA projects we visited, we have been treated to great performances of what I would call true folklore.”
• Quote from Katie, one of the children on the mission awareness trip: “Mr. Bob is Grandpa to the world and his wife Cristina is Grandma to the world.”
• “What a way to start the New Year. I have learned so much about my sponsored family and about proyectos productivos [CFCA livelihood programs]. Sponsored [friends and their] families are learning to produce vegetables for their own family and for market sales.”
• From Alex, a youth on the mission awareness trip: “We hope to continue burning that candle of hope at home, and to continue walking with God’s people.”

Here’s wishing each of you every blessing in the exciting year just beginning.

Cristina and I ask for your prayers as we accompany our dear sponsors to India, Philippines, the Dominican Republic and many other parts of the CFCA world.

Please know of our thanks and love.

Bob H.
CFCA-Guatemala
Jan. 10, 2012

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 82,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

In 2011, there were 237 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 639 posts. There were 580 pictures uploaded. That’s about 2 pictures per day.

We appreciate all our blog visitors and subscribers for giving us such great readership in 2011!

Now imagine going to school with a badly worn, patched-over uniform because your parents couldn’t afford a new one for you.

Gladness, a sponsored youth from Tanzania, faced this situation every day. But no longer, thanks to some help from a CFCA social worker, her mother’s diligent budgeting and a tailor’s magic touch.

Read the rest of Gladness’ story.