Because most of our families have lots of children, Sunday School is always at maximum capacity. We have loved getting to know the siblings of all the children. Christmas morning was no exception. There were so many children in the Sunday School it was literally standing room only. There was no room to even sit on the floor...only stand. Luckily one of the young people from church, Criselle, had agreeded to help teach the kids!!
The children enjoyed celebrating Jesus' birth with a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party. After sharing the story of "The Crippled Lamb" the children enjoyed fun games of Jesus Bingo, Place Baby Jesus in the Stable, and Pass the Present. With each game the children won prizes. They had so much fun choosing small toys (that had been donated by one of our sponsors) as their prizes. What a special present these prizes were to the children.
While the children celebrated Jesus birth, the parents were reminded of the blessings we receive because God sent his Son. Our families have a hard life, but we often remind them through the trials there are many blessings! Its these reminders that we hope they take time to thank God for what they have been given and how God is working in their lives.
On this Sunday (thanks to a special donation from one of the sponsors), each of the families received a coupon for a "blessing". After church, the families redeemed their coupons from Gepher for ten pounds of Rice. The mothers faces were plastered with smiles as they would be able to use this to help feed their families. What a special blessing this was for the families.
Thanks to a special donation ("blessing") one of our sponors gave us, we were able to surprise our families with a delicious Christmas lunch. After service we shared in a special Christmas lunch of lechon (rosted pig), chicken adobo, rice, and fruit salad. While everyone ate their lunch, we showed the movie "The Crippled Lamb". The children gathered around closely to the laptop as they didn't want to miss a single second of the movie!
This Christmas is one we will never forget. Christmas is suppose to be about Jesus and the promises, blessing, and hope His birth has brought to us. This is exactly what this day was about for us and our families!! We are so very greatful to have shared this special day with these special people...people who often are forgotten by society...but people that God loves (and we love too)!!
