The Pan de Vida, Levi Youth Group had a very special Christmas party to wrap up the year 2009. The leaders thought it would be a great idea to have a "White Christmas". Since we do not get snow in Querétaro and all but 2 involved in youth group have never seen snow in person, the leaders went and got lots of shaved ice for the activities of the night.
They had a snowman building contest using the shaved ice, slices of carrots and some beans. Some of the kids rounded up other materials to add to their creation. Then the youth were allowed, after specific instructions to rules since ice is much harder than snow, to have a snowball fight. The kids had a blast and as the "snowballs" burst, it looked so festive under the lights. Everyone involved got soaking wet from being hit so many times. They then had sled races. They took the donation crates and tied ropes to it as teams worked to pull each other across the auditorium. Then they were sprayed by Kike with the white silly string and had a piñata bust. For a snack they had starwberries topped with cream for the appearance of snowcapped in keeping with the theme.
They then had a photo slideshow that reviewed 2009. The kids absolutely love pictures. Elena then gave the message of the night from Psalm 51 that through the sacrifice of Jesus who died for our sins, he was resurrected to come and save us from our sinful nature and make us "white as snow". It was a true blessing for the kids to have the physical symbolism of the shaved ice to picture the purity and whiteness of the snow. Afterward, Paco led the group in a prayer of Thanksgiving to Jesus.
I am sorry my posts have been brief and far between but I have technical difficulties. In addition to not having regular internet service, both my cameras decided to be moody on me at the same time leaving me with few photos. The internet service is still "sketchy" but I was able to find a signal on the patio of the consturction site but being outside makes it hard to see the screen so I wanted to quickly add a couple of posts to wrap up the year.
The children of Pan de Vida auditioned for the Symphonic Choir of Querétaro to participate in the Christmas concert that was going to be held in one of the parks of the Historical Center of the city. There were 24 children selected according to vocal skills and dedication to practices to join the 300 person choir. During practices, there was much time spent on the tone of the voices along with posture and presentation.
We made sure we got to the park early so we could get good seats. When the kids saw us there, it really encouraged them and my heart burst when they came to the bleachers for positions and they would look for us and give us the waves to confirm they were so excited. The park was packed with people and there were large screens set up for people in the back to see along with it being aired on a local radio station.
The kids sang so beautifully. It was nice to hear the familiar Christmas Worship songs to our Saviour. After the concert, the children then had a special supper with the Govenor and all the organizers of the event. It was indeed a special day and it absolutely made the kids all feel special in what they were doing...as they should have...I wish you could have all heard it.
Let the parties begin!! The older youth of Pan de Vida took on the task of decorating the auditorium. It is really nice to have the lights, wreaths and tree to give special atmosphere to the season. Having come from Canada where we almost always have a White Christmas, it is exceptionally welcoming to have the decorations to give the feel of Christmas in 25-30 C (80-95F) temperatures. As I type this in our apartment above the kitchen, I can hear the kids in the dining room practicing for their Christmas Cantata. Another reminder that the day of our Saviour's birth is quickly approaching. Plus~ what is more angelic than hearing a choir of children sing for the Lord?!
Many local businesses and organizations have been hosting parties for the kids. Some come to the Orphanage and do puppet shows, games and always have piñatas full of candy. They also present each child with a personal gift. One business gave much needed toiletries like shampoos, deodorant, hair gels etc. Another company had "Adopt a Child" program. The employees received a picture of the child they were sponsoring and were also given the sizes necessary for clothes. We went to the business and they had organized for the kids to have a small snack lunch and be entertained. Afterward, each employee was able to give the gift personally to their child. In addition to balls, colors and other toys, the kids mostly received shoes, shirts and jeans which they can always use.
It is a true blessing for the kids to receive these gifts as they are things they can use but at the same time, we all anticipate Christmas Eve where we will gather for a special meal together and the children can perform their concert for us. That is the night where the true meaning will be revealed to us and that we will embrace so the kids will understand the significance of the gifts. In the meantime, we have 130 kids bouncing off the walls from sugar overload :)
The last couple of weeks Pan de Vida was bleesed to have some individual volunteers come and serve. The 1st week was a couple from Alberta, Ron and Jackie. They had been to Pan de Vida several times before with the last time being 7 years ago when the boys dorm had been built. While they were here, they built door frames and the doors themselves for Justo and Elia's apartment. They were able to get them stained and installed in their short time here. It was a real blessing for us to meet them and have fellowship. I love the way God connects us.
The other group consisted of 5 men from Manitoba. (Glen, Doug, Bob, Jack and Ron) The majority of them have been coming every year with larger teams for about 10 years and there was also one member for which it was his 1st visit. They had heard that Justo and Elia's apartment was almost ready except for some of the detail work but what they mostly needed was kitchen cupboards. After some discussion among themselves, they decided they would come down and build them with hopes that Justo and Elia could be in before Christmas. They will also be returning the last day of January with a team that has been scheduled to work other projects. Again, it is a huge blessing to Pan de Vida to have people willing to give their time and services to help progress in the ministry. It is especially meaningful when many come year after year to help in that growth.
As I shared in a previous post, several of the older children are attending Vocational School at a facility in a nearby community. Some are in cosomotolgy while others take cooking, carpentry or advanced English. Since these are classes that are taught through hand on demonstrations, the youth need to pitch in on the materials for those projects. These expenses can add up as there are over a dozen kids going and each need about $10-20 each week.
The girls have been cleaning apartments, washing cars, making jewellry, picture frames and gift boxes as a way to earn the money needed. The boys have started a piñata business. A home owner in the community is allowing them to used a delapitated facility but it works perfect for the space they need.
The girls business is a bit slower as they depend on volunteers to hire them for the work and teams to buy the goods. The boys have been making about 200-300 piñatas per week and estimate they receive about 9 pesos which is about 80 cents per each piñata. It takes them over an hour to make each one, so as a wage they aren't earning much but it is meeting the needs for vocational school so far.
Since most of the kids are so busy with academic school in the mornings and then voacational in the afternoon, some of the younger ones are pitching in to get the numbers needed. As Christmas approaches and fiestas involving piñatas is the popular and frequent event in December, they have been working hard to make as many as they can.
Pan de Vida started 14 years ago and most of the kids were 12 and under. Now many of the original kids are older and ready to move into secondary school and the Directors are working out logistics for scholarship funds in order to allow them these opportunities. We pray that the provisions for their education will continue.
Last week Children of Hope hosted a Retreat for the volunteers of it's Ministries here in Mexico which include Pan de Vida, Dulce Refugio, the Otomi House and many from the Canadian office. Lisa stayed in Canada to hold down the fort there so we thank her for doing that and allowing the others to come and minister to us. Lalo Paulin, who ministers at the Otomi House in Amealco was our guest speaker for this reunion.
We met in Guanajuato which is a city half way between the facilities and known for it's historical culture. Pastor Lalo ministered to us with three sessions and focused on the scriptures of Acts 1, 2 and 3. In addition to the message, he presented us with several group exercises that gave us life application examples to work with.
In one of the exercises, we were divided into groups of 3 with various sections of assorted scriptures on individual pieces of paper and had to come up with the complete verse by taking from others and no talking at all amongst ourselves. Each member took a role in doing this and during the exercise we realized we could not do it on our own and needed the cooperation from others to complete our task. In the end, all the small groups were working together as one team in order for everyone to have the completed scripture they were aiming toward.
There were also several other group activities that brought lots of interaction and sharing. Outside of the sessions, we enjoyed wonderful fellowship around mealtime and browsing throughout the city. We took a tour of an old hacienda and the mines of Guanajuato. It is such a beautiful city with so much history and architecture. It was truly a time of revival as we were able to enjoy these 3 days together and ignite as we approach another year of ministry together.
Pan de Vida, being a member of Christian Education in Mexico and through it's ILMES Bachelor of Pedegogy program, hosted this years IAPCHE (International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education) conference Nov 13-16. The event had speakers, teachers and guests not only from Mexico but also from the United States, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
The conference was aimed toward topics on what Christian education really is and how to apply it in the classroom. It is more than saying prayers to begin the day and memorizing scripture. The speakers emphasized the importance of using Christian and Biblical application in the classroom involving all aspects from evaluation, discipline and activities to the cirriculum. The goal is to show and promote love to the students that will equip them to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Since many of the ILMES students of Pan de Vida are graduates from the school in Pan de Vida, it was exciting for them to meet and work with other Christian Teachers who shared visions and testimonies of their own ministries.
With over 30 guests in addition to the Pan de Vida ILMES student and staff, lots of hard work went not only into the preparation but also into the daily activities over the 4 days. Pan de Vida had a great team from the registration desk to the Tia and girls who prepared the meals. All and all the conference ignited everyone involved and we now pray that flame will be spread to the students and other Christian Institutes in Mexico.
