9/12/15

Saturday was our big Children’s Day event and I can confidently say it exceeded everyone’s expectations. God’s presence was clearly with us and smiles were in abundance.

Let’s paint the picture of what all took place. In total we had 15 games for the children to play. The games ranged from sack races, to Frisbee toss, to bowling and even musical chairs. All of the games were hand made for the event. Colorful table clothes were hung along the court fence. It gave the whole area a carnival type feel. We had grills setup in the court stands cooking hotdogs for all the kids and volunteers. All the Casa De Luz students were given shirts specifically to wear for the day with 1Peter 3:15 quoted on them. It was a sight to see and a visible sign of Jesus spreading in La Colonia through the efforts of Care4Communites.

Around 10am we turned the children loose and the fun began.

One of the more entertaining details was, we had issues playing music for the musical chairs so one of the student’s mothers started singing and clapping as our source of music to play the game. Talk about a committed volunteer! The court boys did a great job running our games. They seemed to enjoy themselves a lot. Especially Alex who really, really enjoyed beanbag tic-tac-toe. I think tic-tac-toe will continue to be played at the court for some time. Most of the games gave the kids an opportunity to win tickets. Juan tackled the massive task of running the prize table where the children redeemed their tickets. Prizes included markers, army men, marbles, bouncy balls, nail polish, school supplies, book bags and lots of candy. Let’s just say that the prizes didn’t last long and the kids where very focused on how they could earn the most tickets.

Lana and I really enjoyed ourselves as well. Lana spent much of the day capturing precious moments as out designated photographer. I had the privilege of painting faces. We had several options for the kids to pick. Some of the popular choices were hearts, ninja turtle masks, flowers and spiders.

Next God multiplied our hotdogs, somehow we fed 150 children and volunteers. After our lunch intermission it was piñata time. Nathalie and Emerson, who are two of our students, and their family made 3 beautiful piñatas. They had created perfect Shrek, Daisy Duck and Sponge Bob piñatas. Ron and the boys had hung a wire the length of the court with a pulley to raise and lower the piñatas, which worked to perfection. The kids had a blast taking turns trying to break open the pinatas. Soon we were watching 30 pounds of candy flying through the air and the kids did not miss picking up a single piece.

What a blessing it was for Lana and I to end our time in Roatan participating in this wonderful event. This was a day that Lana and I will remember for the rest of our lives.

Finally, we want to thank Ron and Jamie for their hospitality during our 1 month visit. We were blessed by the opportunity to serve side by side with them. It was amazing to see how God has used their hands and feet to do such good work in the La Colonia over the past several years. We pray that God continues to multiply their efforts as they show Christ’s love by example to the people of Roatan.