Humberto: “I want you to know my dog.”

Nine-year-old boys the world over tend to share similar tidbits in their letters.

Almost three years into sponsoring, I’ve found most boys around that age write about games, friends and pets, which are the same themes my own sons would choose.

Humberto is a 9-year-old boy in Bolivia, and he and I have been sending letters back and forth for two-and-a-half years now. He was almost 7 years old when we started writing to each other, and being so young, he generally shares one or two details in each letter, often repeating those details several times over many letters. Over the years I’ve been able to create a picture of this faraway boy in my mind.

Humberto is one of the younger siblings in a family with eight children. He most recently became a big brother again last year, and asked me to pray for his baby brother just before the baby’s birth.

He tells me he loves to draw. Actually, he tells me that in almost every letter. He also loves to play with his friends.

His most recent letter held an unexpected gem, though. Humberto wrote, “I want you to know my dog.” And tucked into the letter was a photo of Humberto and his dog!

His adorable way of writing that made me laugh, but to see that photo of Humberto and his dog was quite a treat. I’ve never received an extra photo of Humberto, so I’ve only seen his growth progress through Compassion’s usual photo updates, which occur every 18-24 months.

Now that I know Humberto’s dog, we’ll have plenty to cover in our letters for years to come.