Our annual Christmas Festival is held the first or second week of December. We need teams to come and help us with this very special ministry every year. During the week, we celebrate Christmas with our pastors and their spouses, Abuelitos, Happy Tummies, cooks, teachers, and workers. It is hard to tell who looks forward to this week more, our staff or the ones being served!
One-by-one, Monday through Thursday, each group is invited to join in a delicious meal, hearing the story of our Savior’s birth read from the Bible and/or acted out with their participation, carols, and games including a piñata. They are invited to participate in the sharing of the Bible story so that they will better remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Everyone arrives with a great spirit of excitement and anticipation. Faces glow with ear-to-ear smiles and laughter often echoes through the rooms, buildings, and mountain-side.
Each child is given 1 small toy such as a beanie baby-sized stuffed animal, marbles, balls, jump ropes, hair accessories, matchbox-sized cars, etc. This is often the only gift the children get for Christmas. The Abuelitos are given a small gift such as a warm blanket, night light, etc. The pastors and their spouses, cooks, workers, and teachers are allowed to pick out items (towels, clothes, crafts, shoes, etc.) left by teams throughout the year to provide a Christmas gift for themselves and their families. For many of these adults, what they choose here will be the only gifts for themselves and/or their families.
The piñatas provide fun and sport for all! Each group has the opportunity smash piñatas filled with candy. This time is so much fun for everyone and good-sportsmanship is shared so that everyone gets a handful (or more!) of candy.