MOST RECENT LETTER FROM MARIANO DATED OCTOBER 20. 2020

---

Say hello to Mariano Mendez Jimenez, our sponsored youngster through ChildFund International.  Mariano turned 15 in January, 2019, and is the cousin of Damian Cruz Martinez who First Congregational Church sponsored for approximately ten years.  First Congregational Church became Mariano's sponsor in February, 2012. 

Mariano lives with his aunt in a one-room house (along with a kitchen and a bathroom) in Petalcingo, Mexico, a small town of  6,274 residents located in southern Mexico not far from the Guatemalan border.  His mother, Aurelia, and father (Carlos) and three siblings live nearby.  He participates in the community organization, Sakubel K'inal, A.C., which is located in his town. At Sakubel K'inal,  Mariano participates in their education, nutrition and health programs, and learns how to care for his personal health as well as the value of eating healthy.  Mariano's favorite game is football (soccer) and he likes to bead.  His favorite subject in school is math.  Mariano helps his family by doing house(hold) chores.

Mariano is in the third year at his local junior high school.  Besides math, Mariano also loves history.   In his latest Progress Report, Mariano was asked to complete the following: "If I had a superpower, I would like it to be ..."  His response: "that there be peace and justice in the whole world."  

Child Fund International is inspired and driven by the potential that is inherent in all children; the potential not only to survive but to thrive, to become leaders who bring positive change for those around them.  The heart of ChildFund International remains the one-to-one connection made between a child and his/her sponsor.  Child Fund International began in 1938 with an effort to build orphanages for the children who had been left without homes or families in the wake of the second Sino-Japanese War.  These orphanages were funded by individuals in America who “sponsored” an orphaned child in China. This approach continues today.  What began as a modest effort to build and operate orphanages, has evolved into a global force working for children encompassing the globe. Child Fund's area of excellence and great strength is their deep understanding of children’s experiences of deprivation, exclusion and vulnerability, and our dedication to placing those experiences at the center of our policy and practice.   For more information on Child Fund International, please visit their website: http://www.childfund.org

Letter From Mariano Dated January 29. 2020

Dear Sponsors of the First Congregational Church,

I send loving greetings and hope you are in good shape. Thanks for the birthday card you sent to me. I am excited about it and thanks for keeping my birthday in mind.

Thanks for the Christmas card and 2 bookmarks too. I liked it all. I hope you had a great Christmas just as I did. My family and I spent time together. Happy holidays to you all!

I take the “growing without violence” workshop and we learn about respect for others and bullying. We played games and did crafts with paint and other materials. We made color-paper flowers with scissors. I hope everything goes well with the Christmas services.

The bookmarks will be useful for school. I attend High school #67 and this is my first year. I close now and send warm hugs to the whole congregation. I hope to hear from you soon again.

See you soon,

Mariano Mendez Jimenez