Hi friends and family,

Welcome to 2010!!! May the Lord richly bless you and your family as this year unfolds with it's many turns, twists, smiles and surprises!

I am sending you the long overdue letter about our huge Christmas celebration we held for 1,500 kids last year on the 18th and 19th of December. Red Viva "Viva Network", an organization led by Anja, my best friend house mate, has the vision of networking between ministries, businesses, churches and individuals in order to better assist children at risk by covering all the bases together!

As Dulce Refugio "Sweet Refuge", we have been working in several different areas together this year and joined them to finish off the year with an amazing Christmas party! So, if you want to read about all the juicy details and how we saw God at work during those special days.. this describes it all. I've included pictures just so you can get a little glimpse of the first big day!

I will be doing some personal e-mails yet to respond to those that have written me.. i absolutely love and really appreciate hearing from you all individually!
Blessings and muchos cariños! Wendy

Twas a very Merry Christmas celebration the afternoon of December the 18th, 2009. As children gathered in the park, the anticipation mounted and excitement grew. The stage was set, as were 10 stations ready with games, music, puppets and of course stocked with plenty of candy for the children as they ventured from one activity to the next. Viva Navidad was underway, hosting 900 children in the celebration of our Saviour's birthday. The kids loved participating in the different activities being offered simultaneously throughout the park. That was followed by a session of Christmas songs, clowns, presentations and dramas by kids from the local ministries, and a short message of the true meaning of Christmas from the pastor of the neighboring church. It was precious to see so many children laughing, dancing, and playing; enjoying time with friends and family and encountering God's love.

It was what we as a team had been envisioning and working towards for a whole month. Who is that team? Red Viva, a ministry who's vision is to reach the lives of children at risk through networking with churches, ministries, organizations and individuals, came up with the plan to celebrate Christmas together. So, Dulce Refugio joined together with 3 other ministries and we began to brainstorm and work on putting together what we nominated Viva Navidad. There were 7 churches that also joined in with their full support and a couple other ministries that joined in the action.

But nothing that we could have planned, talked about or put together would have been enough to pull off what we experienced that Friday afternoon. The fingerprints of God were all over the entire event and it was beautiful to see how the leaders of various ministries and churches pulled together to bless each other.

Dulce Refugio children came from all over the city to participate in the community celebration, the weather was gorgeous, we managed to find 1,500 gifts and get them all wrapped in a matter of days - the list of miracles goes on. The volunteers did an amazing job of guiding the children throughout the different activities. It gave us goose bumps to see how they gathered the children at the end of the program, had them hold hands a make a long chu-chu train and come singing and dancing up to the tables where they got their food and presents! I don't think I have ever seen that kind of distribution done so peacefully with 900 kids and their parents all anxious to get their gifts!

With one victory behind us, we packed up our things, cleaned the park and fell into bed only to get up early the next morning to do the whole celebration again! That's right, Saturday morning, in the simple and cramped property of the Christian ministry Emanuel in the slum-area of Botanico, we had the same party for about 450 kids and their mothers!! Don't ask me how we managed to fit while having fun with 5 rotating activity-stations, singing and gathering to hear a message brought through a puppet show and a visiting children's pastor, all in that cramped place. All that was accomplished with the help of 50 excellent volunteers, plus many staff, interacting and watching over the very happy kids. It was amazing to see!!

This group of kids is specifically a part of the Emanuel ministry and come every Saturday to participate in Bible based activities and eat a healthy meal. It is the only place where they learn that they can live to higher standards despite the reality of their surroundings. You should see how they sing, dance, and respect each other. We finished with serving a meal of baked chicken and rice salad on tables set up under the trees, after which they filed out, receiving their gift, hug and Christmas bread at the gate on their way out.

So yes, it was a very merry Christmas for us as we came to see the faces of so many children light up with joy through the opportunity we had to bless them. We pray that the lives of the children that were touched through God's love would continue to be impacted and filled with hope in these years to come.

As for us...
"Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God" (2 Cor. 3:5, Bible in basic English)

In God we trust!