Dec 23

For Christmas, Ana and I went to several different toy stores and different bakeries around town asking for donations for the children. We had an incredible response and over 200 toys were donated for children between the ages of 4 months to 12 years. We also had 150 small fruit cakes (a disgusting [when you don't like their fruitcake] Peruvian tradition) donated. Ana and I bought stuff to make hot chocolate (even here in the heat of the jungle, people know that you're supposed to drink hot chocolate for Christmas) and got help from two 'hermanas' in making it. The only difference in Peruvian hot chocolate and ours is that they like to put butter in theirs....not very good like that.
But the point is, the kids loved it! We had a darling little service on the 23rd of December in which we read Luke 2 and sang a few songs. You will be shocked (I was ) to learn that not even our Pastor knows the traditional Christmas hymns. In fact, they do not know ANY Christmas songs. Even though they are in their hymnal...they don't know them. So, I sang Silent Night (in Spanish) for them. After singing, and the Bible story, we passed out the fruitcake and hot chocolate. While they were busy munching we got out a suitcase full of toys, and allowed the kids to come receive their gift. It was truly an awesome experience...For all of us I think.