December arrives, and many letters are written that begin with "Dear Santa Claus." However, for the past five years, underprivileged children from a home for minors in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, have been writing letters, with Colégio Adventista de Porto Alegre (CAPA) as the recipient. This year, 65 letters arrived in the hands of Daiane Rebello Havemann, a second-year elementary school teacher. Each letter was adopted by her students and families to make these children's Christmas dreams come true.

The project "From learning to affection" came about as a result of an activity in the children's study book, the purpose of which was to set up a piggy bank to learn about the monetary system. A simple piggy bank sparked an altruism project in the second-grade classroom. The students started to save money in these containers in order to buy presents for the children. What is collected doesn't always reach the amount needed, but the parents contribute to buying the gift requested in the letter.

Havemann gave the letters and piggy banks to the families, and they, along with the students, embraced each request. She admits that the parents put their hearts into this project as if each child was their own family, going beyond what is requested in the letters. "This year alone, seven children asked for bicycles, and others went further, asking for skateboards, rollerblades, and so on. I have to confess that when I read a letter asking for a bicycle, my heart starts to ache. But the day comes, and the child gets what they asked for," Havemann says.

A Project for the Family

Fernanda Resena Zin is the mother of eight-year-old Davi. She and her family are used to taking part in social projects with children. However, she confesses that each experience is unique. "I knew I wouldn't leave the same way I arrived. My heart is overflowing with joy," she says.

For Zin, this year was more than special, as her son not only understood the project but also got involved by donating a brand new boot he had won. According to his mother, the most incredible thing was to see this decision come from him: donating a gift he had just won. As well as the boot, the family also adopted a letter from a child who only wanted one present and ended up getting four. "When we choose to give a gift, we donate time and love. I went around the center of Porto Alegre looking for the best present for that child and found four," she says.

Ediane Junges and André Valadares also took part in the project this year with their seven-year-old daughter, Maitê. The idea of setting up a piggy bank was great for the little girl, but finding out that the money would go to another child wasn't very encouraging. Then the letter from a six-month-old baby arrived, and the little girl's mind was completely changed. "Understanding how much we can make a difference and the importance of this act in someone else's life made Maitê very excited," Junges confesses.

The family got together to choose the gift and even the packaging, with a lot of love and affection. And when they arrived on the day to deliver the presents, the love and joy overflowed. "It was a very happy afternoon, in which the unity of everyone who embraced this project by teacher Daiane together made a difference in the lives of many children, but especially ours, because we had the opportunity to experience what no money can buy: the love and joy of others," Junges adds.

At the Netto family home, even Victor's brother, a pupil of Havemann, was inspired by the project. Joice Cefrin Pinto Silveira Netto and Alencar Silveira Netto are Pedro and Victor's parents, and they say that for Victor, from the first moment the project was launched with the piggy banks, he already felt motivated by this great mission. When they received a letter from a child asking for a bicycle, Victor knew the coins he had collected wouldn't be enough to buy that gift. However, determined to give what was asked for in the letter, Victor decided to donate his own bicycle.

"Victor loves cycling, and he wanted the boy in the letter to have a present as nice as the one he had. His bike still looked pretty new, as the rush of the year hadn't allowed him to use it as much as he would have liked. It would be a perfect present," says Joice.

When Pedro, Victor's older brother, heard that his brother would be giving his own bike to the boy in the letter, he promptly offered his bike to his younger brother. Joice and Alencar couldn't contain their happiness at seeing the act of both their sons, so small but with such big hearts. "As parents, we can see our children learning the lesson that it is better to give than to receive. We are grateful for the privilege of being able to take part in this social action movement, which I see as Christian service," Joice concludes.

Changing the World, One Child at a Time

The letters were written by the children from the Dona Cristina Social Institution foster home, and the presents were delivered to the same place by some of the students, parents, CAPA teachers, and Havemann. The "From learning to affection" project achieved its goals once again for the fifth year running, and Havemann has nothing but love in her heart when she thinks about how it has made a difference.

"It's a blessing to serve others. My biggest goal within Adventist education is to go beyond teaching. God, in His infinite goodness, always puts people in my path who are always ready to help me do good to those who need it so much. Serving and seeing the joy of those who receive is priceless," says Havemann.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.