Saturday, June 16, 2018

Noah's Ark And Rainbows (For Younger Kids)


Not sure what to write in your next letter? How about a favorite Bible story? You can use the story of Noah's Ark on its own, or you can tie it together with a fun rainbow theme... after all, everybody loves rainbows!

I wrote this letter with my "littles" (3-9) in mind, but you can always adjust the text for an older child!

Dear (Name),
Today I want to share with you a Bible story that I really love. Have you learned the story of Noah yet? Today I am going to tell it to you.
A long, long time ago, there was a man named Noah. He was a very good man and prayed to God every day. One day, God was looking down from Heaven, and He was very sad because people were doing so many bad things: stealing, fighting, hurting each other, telling lies, and all kinds of bad things. God said, "Are there any good people left on earth?" Then He saw Noah, who was very kind and good even though people around him were all bad. God spoke to Noah with a loud voice and said, "Noah!"
Noah said, "Yes Lord?"
God said, "I am going to send a flood to the earth. I am going to wash away all the bad people and everything bad on the earth, and make it fresh and clean again. I want you to build a huge boat, so you and your family can be safe. I also want you to take two of every kind of animal, to keep them safe."
So Noah, his wife, his three sons, and his sons' wives, built a huge boat called an ark. They also collected enough food for themselves and all the animals. Then, they got into the ark with the animals, and God Himself closed the door. And THEN, it started to rain. And it rained, and it rained, and it rained! And it didn't stop raining for forty whole days and nights, until even the highest mountain on earth was underwater. But Noah and his family and all the animals... the lions, the elephants and giraffes, the goats and donkeys and chickens and all the others, were floating safely in the boat. Then, when God saw that all the earth was washed clean and all the bad people and things had been washed away, He made the water dry up. The ark landed safely on top of a mountain called Mount Ararat. Noah and his family got off the boat and set all the animals free. And the first thing Noah did, was to kneel down and thank God for keeping them safe. God was very happy that Noah remembered to pray and say thank you, so he put a special sign in the clouds... a Rainbow! The rainbow is God's promise to us that He will never again send a big flood to cover the whole world, and also that He will always keep us safe. When you get a little older, you can read this story for yourself in Genesis chapters 6-9.
Have you ever seen a rainbow? Look up at the sky after a rainstorm and you may just see one!
I will write to you again soon!
Love, (Your Name)



To accompany the letter, I made up a neat rainbow-themed poster with my children's photos, using PiZap!


I also included some photos of rainbows. Haven't got any good rainbow photos? Why not check out Wikimedia Commons... they have dozens of great rainbow photos and they're free to use!


Coloring pages always add an element of fun to a lesson! I found a great Noah's Ark coloring page from Mom Junction!


And Christian Preschool Printables has a great variety of Noah's Ark activities including puzzles, coloring pages, and crafts! You can print them, or download to your computer and send them online!


In addition, DLTK-Bible has some great printable Noah's Ark worksheets, including mazes and crossword puzzles!


But wait! If you're sending a handwritten letter, what could be cooler than rainbow stationery?! This page border is FREE to download with a watermark, scroll down the page to find out how.


And if you're like me and you have messy or crooked handwriting, you may prefer this cute Rainbow Lined Stationery! This stationery is FREE to download with a watermark, scroll down the page to find out how.



Have fun writing to your kids!

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Thursday, June 14, 2018

Letters Mean Love: An Introduction


Five years ago, my life changed in ways I could never have imagined. One small step turned into another, and then another, and yet another, and before I knew it I was running against the wind in giant strides.



Five years ago, I sat down at my desk and created a small lapbook. Made of folded scrapbook paper, I added tiny coloring pages, stickers, and a short note that said "Isimbi, have a nice day. I love you. Hannah."

Then I slipped it in the mail. Its destination? Rwanda, a tiny country located in the heart of Africa. The recipient? A little girl dressed all in orange, with a sweet, serious face. My precious Isimbi.



And I waited.

And like many sponsors, I wondered. I wondered if she would actually get my letter, if it actually meant anything to her, if she would actually write back.

She did.

A couple of months later, I held her very first letter in my hands. A thumbed, slightly crumpled letter that had made it through the hands of office staff, translators, mailroom staff, and finally to me, from all the way on the other side of the world.

"Thank you so much for the letter you sent me and the card of colors. It pleased me. Thank you for wishing me a happy Easter. I liked your letter. Thank you so much. Me and my family love you so much."

And I cried.

That was five years ago. Since that day, I have written over three hundred and fifty letters to ten children. That sounds like an insane amount, but really it's not. It's just a product of a commitment to write to each of my children at least once a month.

Why? Why are letters so important?

To many people, child sponsorship is simple... a monthly deduction from your bank account, and a little face on your fridge. But to the child you sponsor, your support is literally life changing.

I want to invite you to take a few minutes, eight minutes and thirty-three seconds to be exact, and watch this short video. The story of Jimmy Wambua, a young man from Kenya who was sponsored as a child by a young college student from America named Mark Hale. Please do have a few tissues handy.


There's something you may notice about the above video, and that is simply that there is not much mention of the monetary aspect of sponsorship. It's all about the words.

Words are powerful. They are reminders to a child living in poverty that they matter. That someone cares. That someone loves them. That they are not alone. That they can make it. Words that children who live in poverty simply don't hear.

I've heard it said time and time again.... sponsored children equate letters with love. When they have been sponsored for ten years but never received a letter, they wonder if something is wrong with them. Am I not good enough? Are my letters not good enough? Is it because of my grades? Why doesn't my sponsor write? Don't they love me?

And that's what this blog is all about. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what to say... what to write. What not to write. For me, writing to my children is serious business... I have the awesome responsibility and opportunity to speak into these young lives and combat the lies that poverty tells them: It's hopeless. You're alone. You will always be poor. You're insignificant. No one sees you. No one even cares.




I invite you to join me here as I share the letters, photos, coloring pages, games, puzzles, and stories that I send to my sponsored children around the world. I sponsor primarily through Compassion International, but whatever organization you sponsor with, you are welcome to find inspiration from the resources that I will share here at Letters Mean Love. I hope and pray that you will find yourself encouraged to pick up a pen, or reach for your computer or tablet to jot off a quick note to your sponsored child today.


Note: Compassion International offers a wonderful opportunity... for those who can't afford to sponsor a child financially, or even for those who do sponsor but want to do a little bit more, they offer the chance to be a correspondent sponsor, a "word sponsor." A chance to write to and build a relationship with a precious child, totally free of charge. To find out more about the Correspondent Program or to sponsor a child, you can contact:


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