A Friendship Begins
This is an awesome story: In 1976, two 12-year-old girls were connected by a pen pal organization and began a long-distance friendship through writing letters — a connection that would become a true pen pal story spanning decades.
Making a Documentary
Now, the two women, one from Sweden and the other from the US, are preparing to meet for the first time. With funding from a Kickstarter project, Melissa and her son Sam are creating a documentary about this remarkable pen friend relationship — a unique story of international friendship kept alive through traditional letter writing.
“Why are we making this film? Because no one writes real letters anymore. Because Lena and Melissa never stopped writing and 36 years is a really long time to keep a letter-writing friendship alive…”
Melissa and Sam have reached their funding goal and, so far, it looks like they’ll be heading to Stockholm this summer to meet Lena and begin filming.
Why Handwritten Letters Matter
Melissa explains what this long pen pal relationship has meant to her in a personal essay on her website. The whole thing is very much worth reading for anyone interested in writing letters and building lasting pen friend connections.
“Thirty-six years of letters from a girl living in a very different land gave me a worldview lens I otherwise never would have had… I am absolutely certain that it shaped the contents of my character and fueled the flame that would later send me out onto many a journey.”
TheLocal.se also did a lengthy article on the pen pals and their upcoming meeting. According to the article, they’ve tried other means of communication, like email, but just didn’t find it as satisfying as writing letters by hand.
Do Pen Pal Friendships Still Exist?
It’s always heartening to see these childhood pen pal friendships and pen friend connections survive into adulthood and continue to thrive, despite the existence of Facebook, Twitter and Skype. I wonder if there are any flourishing long-distance friendships now that will last into the decades ahead. You can also explore more pen pal stories and tips at Pen Pal Letters.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are still several organizations that exist to help connect pen pals from around the world. If you’re interested, or have a child who is, check them out below. (Of course, always follow these pen pal safety tips when meeting new people online.)
Recommended Pen Pal Services
- InterPals – Free service
- Students of the World – Free for students and teachers
- International Pen Friends – Paid service
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