What a day! We had hundreds of children show up for fun, games, food and their most anticipated moment....your donated Christmas Gifts!!! This blog will be mostly pictures since they will speak for themselves. First, here is exactly what was inside every gift bag for boys and girls.
We had to rent a truck to put the gift bags, speaker system, and food we had bought to feed the children and their parents during the presentation. The place where the children were waiting for us was called Malacate. It is a small town with no electricity and an extremely high number of less fortunate families.
Since the town was an hour away we loaded the truck early this morning and hit the road.
I chose to wear a Batman costume because a friend had given it to me and thought the children would like it. Most of the volunteers from Generacion Magnificat wore a costume because we thought it was something the children would enjoy. We were right! We arrived to Malacate and began setting up the speaker system and arranged the gifts. We had to keep shooing the children away as they were ready to grab and go...
Once the gifts were situated Generacion Magnificat put their costumes on and the show for the children took off. It was magnificently orchestrated by the volunteer group. Their performances had the children clapping, jumping, laughing and dancing. I could sense that the children couldn't wait to see what would come next.
There were several plays and sing along performances Grupo Magnificat had planned for the children as seen below.
After the performances were over the children were separated into different groups where they colored, drew and wrote "thank you" notes for anyone who can made a direct monetary donation to
Project Genesis or Christmas for Guatemalan Children or in some cases both. The children actively participated in this project as they were very grateful people in the US remembered them this Christmas. See for yourselves.
Next, we prepared rice atole (sweet beverage popular in Guatemala) and chicken mole tamales. There was so much food to go around there was enough for the parents too. Santa walked around and posed with the children as they filled their tummies.
With their bellies full it was finally time for the children to receive their Christmas gift bags. Boys lined up on one side and girls lined up on a different side. Everyone could feel the children's energy of excitement as they struggled to stay still in line and get their gifts. It was touching and replenishing to see the smiles on their faces and their eyes light up as they received their Christmas gift bag. I want to pause for a brief second...if you donated to Christmas for Guatemalan Children this is you, the donor, causing a direct effect on the lives of hundreds of children. It's not fantasy or make believe. It's real. Savor these precious moments captured in time and be proud of yourselves for the willingness to give of yourself to these children. I can't begin to express my gratitude for your trust in me and bestowing me the honor of bringing Christmas to Guatemalan Children. Thank you donors!! Happy Holidays!
No comments:
Post a Comment