“…Convey love to your family and friends. Don’t forget me and I love you very much,” scribbled Soniya Rani to Kaylie Duke, senior.

In December 2012, Laura Tarantino, senior, asked for the some of the WCA students to send Christmas cards to the Bhogpur Children’s Home in northern India.

According to home4children.com, the Bhogpur Children’s Home was founded back in 1945 when medical missionaries were asked by lepers to start a home for their children. Here they are educated and fed.

The vision of sending these children cards originated from a mission trip Tarantino went on with her father and church during her spring break in 2011.

During this trip, they visited this Home and befriended children whose parents or close relatives have leprosy.

Interests were spurred once Tarantino introduced this endeavor to the student body.

Soon after Tarantino’s request, eager freshmen, middle schoolers, and honors English juniors and seniors penned Merry Christmas cards to the Children’s Home.

Indian kids, ranging from ages four to nineteen years old, received these letters and were overjoyed at this simple act.

“The kids were thrilled when the box of cards and candy canes came! They all asked who the cards came from and were delighted that individual children wrote to them and introduced themselves. Several of the children have asked for paper to write back. (Since they don’t have access to very much paper unless I give it to them.) It was a big hit and the pretty hand-written cards made each child feel special,” said Audrey, a young American woman who works at the Home.

About two months later, letters from Bhogpur Children’s Home were delivered to WCA. They were soon distributed. However, some WCA kids did not get a letter because the child they had written to was too young to write back in English.

“When I got the letters back, it made my day. I had thought that the [Indian children] weren’t going to write back because it was taking so long! When I first read the letters I was shocked at how incredibly kind my pen pals were (I had two)! They both seemed genuinely happy to be writing to me and actually cared to know about my life!” said Duke.

Although responses varied, each child and teenager inquired about their pen pal’s interests, goals, family, and schooling.

One similarity emerged: each and every letter expressed joy to receive a thoughtful note from kids in the USA. Every letter from the children in the Home expressed a wish – to be written back.

Every letter had a pretty drawing or coloring on them. The content contained interesting details about them, their family, and their interests/ goals in life.

Manju Kumar, a senior, scrawled to Bekah Sharp, junior, “Our lives are so different in a lot of ways, but a letter always brightens my day so I hope it will brighten yours too!”

In these letters, children often conveyed that they will be praying for their pen pals across the world and for their studies. Their determination to love and be loved was evident.

“Also, they were very open about their faith and asking for prayer which made me smile knowing that the gospel is reaching places like where they live,” said Duke.

Although more than 7,000 miles comes between St. Louis, MO and Bhogpur, India, and cultural differences are evident, both group of kids realized they are similar in terms of interests and goals in life.

“It really touched me knowing that even a simple letter like that from one person to another in a completely different country – even if it wasn’t much – could mean something to those girls and I felt appreciated when they wrote back,” said Madi Koetting, eighth grade.

Koetting sent two letters to Poonam Dass and Aparna-shay, and in turn they wrote about their families and their passions.

On Friday, April 5, Susie Brown, upper school student services coordinator, collected letters from WCA students to send to their pen pals in India.

“I hope we continue a relationship with the Children’s Home. I think we have a lot to learn from each other!” said Tarantino.

Although the letters take a couple months to find its way to India, WCA is planning to continue sending letters back and forth.