Anticipation of a Party

Excitement is building around here as we prepare for a birthday party - a fiesta unlike these children have never experienced before!

Yesterday we had a prayer walk through a small barrio very near our hotel.  All 22 of us walked silently through the muddy, rutted streets of the  neighborhood praying for each home, each parent, each child.  Earlier that morning, I had visited the same barrio with the manager of the hotel we are staying in.  She showed me a casa, about the size of my dining room, wherein lived a family with eight children.  From another dwelling an elderly lady came out and talked with us.  Her dress was faded, torn and matted to her skin; I suspect it was her one and only.  Maria Louisa, the hotel manager, lives near the barrio as well - these people are her neighbors and friends.  I asked her if the people here were poor because they could not get work and she said oh no, they work!  They sell coconuts on the streets, do the cleaning and laundry for the tourists in the hotels, and an assortment of other manual labor jobs.  They work hard - very hard, but they earn less than a dollar a day.  I wept at the thought of the hard life they have: dirt floors, in single room homes made of plastic sheeting and rusted tin, no plumbing or indoor running water, working long hours for scarcely a dollar - day after day after day.  It seems so unjust, it's difficult to process.

But tomorrow, this same barrio will come alive and join us in our anticipation of this grand fiesta, for tomorrow, we will go and personally invite 50 children ages 5-10 to come to the party.  This evening our students hand made special invitations for the children - 50 of them.  They will personally deliver and invite tomorrow.  They can't wait!

We have been busy planning the party.  We will a full meal for the children, a cake, a pinyata, party games, decorations, music, puppets, clowns, presents, candy and more!  Some of our team will work in the kitchen preparing the meal, some will serve the food and some will clean up.  All will participate in party games with the children and just spend a few hours laughing, dancing and having a grand time.  Our friends from Generation of Light are coming with special music, drama and puppets also.  (Did I mention that Mitch has agreed to dress up and be one of our clowns?!)  :-)  I'll try to post pictures later.  And the best part of all, we will share the message of hope that we are all so anxious to share.  The message that they were each fearfully and wonderfully made - in the very image of God and that He loves them very much - so much that He gave His own Son to die for them.  And we will invite them to be a part of an even greater party . . .