Hello! My name is Teresa (Terry) Lane. I live in Lititz, PA (Lancaster "Amish" County). I just read your story about going to Honduras and looked at all of your pictures. They were so inspiring and heart-wrenching. They made me cry my eyeballs out. I am a single-mother with two children. One is grown (24) and lives in DE and my daughter (14) lives here with me.

I just began sponsoring Camila-andrea a few months ago. She lives in Colombia. I have sent her many letters and a few small gifts. I have not heard from her yet. I would love to visit her but there is a travel advisory on in Colombia right now. I just wanted you to know that I really loved your Childreach sponsor website. I will be creating one soon on my website www.terrylane.com  I hope that I can be as brave as you were when the travel advisory is dropped. I am also learning "quick Spanish" and trying to figure out a way to finance my trip. I live paycheck to paycheck too. Thank you for your wonderful story.

Teresa Lane - Lititz, PA

Learn more about Terry's girls.

Hello Leslie!

Thank you so much for your reply. First, feel free to post my letter on your website. I think that is a wonderful idea. Secondly, and I mean this, you have an absolutely "natural voice" in writing. You are a "natural writer" -- your writing is WONDERFUL and warm and genuine and, if I may get technical for a minute, organized, with logical flow, readable, perfect syntax. I would not have edited anything in your story. I doubt there is anything anyone could teach you about writing. Your warmth, love, and personality shine through. I am amazed by your courage and honesty and just loved your story so much. I actually think you should try to get it published. Pick up a "writer's market" in your local library and contact different women's magazines. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, talk to your local newspaper or regional magazine. Publishers/publications have editors to fix any foibles that writers may worry about, so a piece doesn't ever have to be perfect.

Your story made me cry, and I am sure women all over the country would rather read a story like yours than another stupid story about breast implants or how to alleviate those well-earned crow's feet. If you are ever coming out this way, please let me know.

Oh, by the way, your story touched me SO DEEPLY that I am now sponsoring ANOTHER girl. Silvana Chipana, age 11, from Bolivia. (photo included) I just signed up to be her sponsor yesterday. See? Your words have power!!!!! Who said, there is nothing mightier than the pen? Maybe Childreach should HIRE YOU!!!!!! I figured that I could forego 1 lunch and 1 movie excursion a month to pay for it. I need to lose weight anyway. All the best to you and your family (including, of course, your extended family)

Dearest Leslie,

I thank you kindly for your beautiful story and pictures. I have recently sponsored a little girl in Guatemala. We sent paper, crayons and colored pencils with our first letter as it was very close to her birthday. I have not heard a word yet and was wondering, how long did it take to hear from Dilcia?? I wrote in Spanish thinking it would cut down on correspondence time.

Anxious in WI - Gina Villa-Grimsby

I purposely kept my e-mail short in case you were flooded with correspondence. I lived in Granada, Nicaragua for a year when I was 16 and then went to Spain at 20 where I ended up staying for 15 years so my Spanish is native level. I have two boys, Gonzalo 11 and Rodrigo 8 who were born in Madrid. They are from my first marriage. SO, one day they were talking about a sister and I thought, "Here's my chance!" Days later we found Carlota on the web site. I let the boys pick. I am excited but as I said, I still haven't heard a word. Our first letter was sent in early March. It seems like it was AGES ago. I'll be in touch, right now, I've gotta run.

Gina Villa-Grimsby, WI

Dear Leslie,

Thanks for sharing your wonderful story about Dilcia. I just signed up to be a foster parent after seeing "About Schmit." I knew I had to do this. I was touched by your vivid description of your visit to Honduras. It was a delight to hear every detail about the trip to meet your child and her family. Reading what you've written has made me even more excited about this. One person can make a difference.

Thanks again,

Gina St. Jean - San Francisco

Follow up email:
Dear Leslie,
You absolutely have permission to use my email in your new website. I'm looking forward to checking your new site out. Just to update you -- I received the information on my foster child - a beautiful 11 year old girl named Limabani. She lives in Malawi, one of the most depressed countries in Africa (although I think it would be hard to quantify that statement on a continent as ravaged by AIDS, war and poverty as Africa on the whole). I have written her a brief letter introducing myself, but will be sending her another, more detailed letter very soon.
I'm hoping that a trip to Africa is in the cards for me someday soon to visit her.
In the meantime, good luck with your new website! Gina

Hi Leslie,
 
My name's Sandy. I read your story about your trip to Honduras and I Iooked at all the photos. I was very touched and inspired by your honest sharing. Thanks! 

I live in San Diego, CA, and became a childreach sponsor last month after I received a mail solicitation. My child is John-heider, a 3 year-old boy who lives in a fishing village off the Pacific Coast of Colombia. I am looking forward to receiving a letter from his mother who is my age (38).
 
I'm learning Spanish (just finished my first semester), so I requested a child from South America. Someday I would like to visit my sponsored child, as you did. (I have to admit, though, I am nervous about traveling to Columbia because of the political unrest.)
 
Anyway, I wanted to say hello and thanks for your website. Write back if you'd like, otherwise, best regards to you.
 
Sandy Kuntz

Hi, Leslie.

I just started the sponsoring process with Childreach.  I selected a child in Ecuador, a country where I lived for 3 months as an exchange student in 1985.  One of the best parts of my sponsorship was that my company will match funds, so another child will be helped as well! 

I lived in a middle class home in Ecuador, yet the neighborhood was surrounded by such poverty.  I have been asked before why I didn't sponsor children here in the US, and I explain that our poor at least have access to medical care and some assistance.  These poor souls have nothing, and the despair in some of the children's eyes haunts me to this day.  Although I am not rich, $24 a month means nothing to me - perhaps a shirt or a new pair of pants - but it is a fortune to those in need.

I loved your pictures - they did bring tears to my eyes.  And I admire your courage to visit a country where you barely speak the language.  Sounds like it was worth every bit of trouble. Someday I may return to Ecuador to visit my sponsor child Susan. Thanks for the great web page.

Laura Beckett

Dear Ms. Glass,

Dear Ms. DiPippol,

I read Leslie Glass's story on your website and would like to write to her. I also sponsor a child in Honduras and most of our family is in North Dakota, so we have a couple of things in common. I currently live in Portland, Oregon. I loved her pictures and text, especially the way her face beamed while being among those precious children. Would you mind sending her this email, as I would love to hear from her and perhaps exchange emails? I think she did a truly wonderful, brave and life changing thing, both for herself and those she visited in Honduras. Thank you so much for helping her realize her dream, and I hope you can help me contact her. You, we! are doing something that has unknown benefits to those we may never meet, but Leslie did!!! Thank you so much.

Sincerely, Renée Augustine - Portland, OR

Dear Leslie,

I hope you don't mind, I tracked your e-mail address down from your web page. I just wanted to share with you that I read your account of your trip to Honduras, and found it to be very moving and meaningful. I sponsor a number of children myself, but have not taken the opportunity to visit any of them. Your story has inspired me to begin looking into that possibility. I'd look forward to hearing from you if you are so inclined. In any event, I wish you continued joy as you watch your little Honduran child grow and hopefully prosper.

Sincerely,

Leana Bresnahan - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Dear Leslie,

I just finished browsing your Honduras photos, and checking out Gate's Ranch, too. What a great site!

I just discovered Childreach last fall, and I'm sponsoring four children from Nicaragua. One lives just over the Honduran border - what part of Honduras did you visit? I hope to visit Nicaragua, maybe next year, where I'd like to attend a Spanish school and maybe volunteer with PLAN too.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing is to invite you to an online discussion forum for PLAN/Childreach sponsors that my friend Anya and I started a few weeks ago. Anya is a PLAN sponsor from Germany who has visited Nicaragua twice. Meeting her online has been really great - we've become fast friends and we're always learning something from each other.

We started the group because we wanted to find a better way to organize resources for sponsors, to share ideas, and well, because we got sick of the other forums. You can check it out by visiting   http://forums.delphiforums.com/plansponsors/start

If you want to join in you'll have to register with Delphi Forums  Right now we're about half Americans and half Germans, and I'm enjoying the discussions. Hope you'll stop by to visit! Take care,

Karen Lowe - Boulder, CO

Leslie,
I am so amazed at you! Tears filled my eyes as I read your article. You are so awesome. What a wonderful life experience. Thanks for sharing it with me.
Lee Marshall - Arizona