Resty and Chantal

Christmas 2010 through 2011

" Love and Joy came down on the earth on Christmas day to make us happy & cheerful. May Christmas spread cheer in your life."

Resty Nanteza to Chantal Durgana

Correspondence March 2010 through December 2010

My name is Resty Nanteza . I am 13 years old and a member of the Sounds of Hope youth program in Uganda. I am in the seventh grade and live with my parents, my sister and my brother. I share a bedroom with my sister and brother, all of us between thwe ages of 7 to 14 years old.

My chores at home include scrubbing the house, washing utensils and clothes, cooking, as well as fetching firewood and water. I walk one half mile to and from school five days a week. It is not very far to walk. I attend church alone each Sunday and my favorite hynn is Ntambula ne Yezu (I walk with Jesus). I hope to become a nurse when I grow up.

Reply from Chantal Durgana, Christians Under the Stairs, Deer Park, New York, USA

"Hi Resty ... My name is Chantal. I am 14 years old and I am in the ninth grade. I also have two siblings but, unlike you, I have two sisters. It must be interesting to share a room with all your siblings. I attend church regularly but, unlike you, I go with my family. It means a lot to my dad so I go for him. But it must be nice to go alone and to have time for yourself.

What I like most about youth group is the trip we take to feed the homeless through the Hope for the Future ministry. I like being able to connect with the homeless and give them not only a meal but our friendship.

(Back) Chantal, Daniela, Rachel; (seated) Julianne, Linda

My favorite hymn is "Here I am Lord" because everytime I hear it, I think of my dad. It is his favorite hymn. It was nice to get to know you. Love, Chantal"

[Note: At Hope for the Future we prepare for an on-the-street revival meeting by distributing a hot meal - note: served on the streets of New York City.]

Reply from Resty Nanteza, Sounds of Hope youth Group

Hi Chantal Durgana,

It is sweet to be Bible friends. My dad is Emmy and my mom is Stella. My dad died and my my mom is gardener. Playing games is what I learn from meeting other people.

My best subjects are science and English.

Comment and Challenge from Lindsay Ullmann, United Kingdom

Hi ... my name is Lindsay Ullmann. I started to write poetry when I was your age and it helped me to learn more about myself as a person. I grew to understand that I had to search to just find myself . I am in my 20's and now am a professional songwriter and singer. So if we turn our thoughts around into something positive we can accomplish almost anything - through creativity and spirituality.

Chantal and Resty, do you feel that you have had a wake up call in life like I had through poetry, when I was your age? If so, would you care to share? Would you agree that creativity and spirituality can help us and also those around us?

Reply from Chantal Durgana, Christians Under the Stairs, Deer Park, New York, USA

Hello again Resty.

It's so nice to hear from you again. I'm sorry to hear that your father has passed. But it must be great to have a mom that is a gardener! That must be a lot of fun, although i can't tend a garden that well. One of my best subjects is science, too.

Our youth group program is taking a break for the summer with a mountain hike the only activity and it is in August.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Chantal

Reply from Resty Nanteza, Sounds of Hope youth Group

Dear Chantal,

This is your Ugandan friend saying hullo to again. Should I believe that all is going on well over there? How is your youth group? We are in school time and we getting a lot of notes and we must read and understand them if we are to join other classes. Did you know that we participated in this year's International Bible Treasure Hunt for the first and we feel proud of the results we got because everything was new to us. Have you ever participated in any?

What is the name of your school? Is it located in New York? Do you get school fees from the government or your parents? During our youth gatherings, we share in Bible study, practicing Bible reading and other activities that we might have on the agenda of the day.

Tell your family that we love them all.

Resty,

Reply from Chantal Durgana, Christians Under the Stairs, Deer Park, New York, USA

Hello Resty,

Everything is going pretty well over here in New York, how is everything there in Uganda? The youth group is doing great, we just participated in Hope For The Future recently, I believe it was very successful. And always remember that although taking notes and doing a lot of work may seem tedious now, it will all be worth it in the end. Your education is the most important thing, because without it we are nothing. That's how I feel. I have participated in an International Bible Trivia hunt, it was fun.

Until next time,

Chantal