Immanuel Lutheran students meet pen pal

For the past two years, students in Sue Domeier's seventh-grade homeroom class at Immanuel Lutheran School have written letters and cards to special members of the congregation at Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee.

Occasionally, recipients would reply with a letter of thanks. A few letters would be exchanged throughout the year before the correspondence petered out. Most of the recipients are shut-ins who do not have much contact with people outside of their homes or hospital rooms because of illness or age.

The students had never met one of their pen pals.

But on Thursday, Bruce Hall made a special visit to the school's gymnasium to surprise the seventh-grade class and the student who wrote him a letter, Ronnie Thompson.

"I think what they are doing is just wonderful," said Hall, 74, of East Dundee. "When I read the letter, I got a lump in my throat that I could hardly swallow. When I read the letter to others, it brings a lump to the throat of everyone that a child these days could come up with something like this."

In his letter, 12-year-old Ronnie introduced himself and shared his favorite Bible verse, John 3:16. He told Hall of his summer vacation to his grandparents' summer home in Missouri and inquired about Hall's hobbies and encouraged him to continue his faith in God.

Ronnie said Hall's visit was a great surprise.

It means a lot that "he had the time to come out and see us and stuff," Ronnie said.

Ronnie's classmate, Satchel Hudson, received a card from Margaret Hansen earlier in the day. Others said they were hoping to hear back from the people to whom they wrote. Students said they try to write letters once every six weeks or so.

Domeier, who is in her third year of teaching at the school, said the letters not only help the students with their writing skills, but also help the recipients feel connected to the outside world.

"The big thing is it helps bridge the generations," Domeier said. "We pray every day for the shut-ins who don't get out. It bridges the gap and also reminds people that they belong to a community."

School Principal Ken Becker said he sees first hand how much the letters and cards mean to those who receive them.

"When I make shut-in visits, I can't tell you how many can't wait to show me the letters," Becker said. "Some of them don't receive letters very often. These letters are in a prominent area on display."