December 2, 2002

Greetings,

I thought I would share this invitation with you since I've often mentioned
the girls at the Hogar de las Ninas  in my newsletters.  I will be giving
swimming lessons to the girls again during the dry season (January through
March or April)  while school is out of session.   The author is Missionary
Sue Williams who usually lives at the Hogar with the girls, but is in the
States with her father for the Holiday Season.

Thank you for any donations you can make to the Hogar.  Have a wonderful
Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In Christ,
Mona Dresbach

>Dear Friends,
>
>Greetings from New Hampshire, this cold first day of Advent and of
>December! From what I’ve heard from the Girls’ Home, things are going well.
>I know they are about to start more training on the use of the computer
>with Vaughn.
>
>It is possible (likely) that some of you may receive this letter more than
>once. I apologize but having just in the past two weeks opened a Yahoo
>e-mail account, I want to be sure that everyone get this and I know that my
>address book is somewhat confused.
>
>School will soon be over, and quickly after the holiday season will come
>the Panamanian Summer (January through April) and the summer break from
>school. (School will start again in early March.)
>
>SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS
>
>WITH THE GIRLS
>
>FROM HOGAR DE NINAS DE LA CAPITAL.
>
>SEND A GIRL TO THE DIOCESIAN SUMMER CAMP AND HELP SUPPORT US AND
>OUR ACTIVITIES DURING THE SUMMER.
>
>Here’s how:
>
>Choose one of the options below as a gift for yourself or a friend. Send me
>an e-mail telling your gift choice and giving me the recipients regular
>mail address. Then send a check to me for the amount of the gift.. Checks
>should be made out to Saint Mary’s Church Panama Fund. (I will forward the
>checks to Saint Mary’s my home parish in Philly.) Checks should be mailed
>to:
>
>Sue Williams
>Box 865
>Hampstead, New Hampshire
>03841
>
>GIFT RECIPIENTS WILL RECEIVE BY MAIL A CHRISTMAS CARD HAND MADE BY
>ONE OF THE GIRLS AND A PHOTO FROM THE GIRL’S HOME.
>
>Gift opportunities:
>
>    Send a girl to camp (we have 20 girls now). This is church camp and the
>girl will spend about a week camping at the Bishop Shirley Diocesan
>Conference Center in Santa Clara. A lovely white sand tropical beach is
>close to the camp and the campers will swim there daily as part of the camp
>experience. Cost $55.
>    Summer Fun Package. This will provide a girl with a bathing suit, flip
>flops, pajamas, sneakers or other clothing item, and some spending money
>for the camp store. Cost $25.
>    Learn to swim. A trip for all the girls to the swimming pool in
>Paraiso, lessons (donated) by Mona Dresbach, a snack and juice drink for
>each, gas for the van, entrance fee (.25 or .50 depending on age). Cost
>$20. (We would like to go here 2 or 3 times a week during the summer
>    Keep us going. This option covers one basic salary for one week or
>needed maintenance (light bulbs, repair a door, fix a toilet etc.). Cost
>$65.
>
>Please consider prayerfully sharing these unique gifts with yourself, your
>family or friends.
>
>Blessings,
>Tia Sue

Your missionaries in Panamá,
Mona and Michael Dresbach
mgdbach@hotmail.com -Michael
mldresbach@hotmail.com -Mona

The Inn is always open; if you need a place to stay while visiting Panama, please contact us at the email addresses above.  If you would like to make donations or a monthly pledge to our mission, please contact St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, 408-292-7090.  Please feel free to check St. Francis' website at www.stfrancisepiscopalchurch.org which includes an archive of our letters and pictures of our mission.