On Saturday we celebrated the day of the child here with a big party. This is the second year that Shalom Covenant Church has organized a party for the children in its community and this year they opened up the doors to other churches and social ministries for more children to participate. The dedicated team of volunteers planned everything and received the children with enthusiasm and surprises. The church was set up like a movie theater and the children were given candy and popcorn. Many of the children present will probably never have the experience of going to a movie at a theater so this was particularly special for them. After the movie, Jailer, Gloria and Emanuel put on their clown show. The children laughed at everything. Even our Sam thought it was absolutely hysterical. There were over 50 children present, along with family members and church volunteers.
After the party, the celebration continued during a special worship service that was lead by the children and focused on families. A gifted group of children led the congregation in song and worship. The boys from Casa de Paz (a home for at-risk boys), shared a song/poem they had learned, the girls from the church up in Santo Domingo shared an interpretive dance, and the 3-6 year olds acted out the story of the good shepherd. After a teaching time that focused on parents and the example of faith they are called to be for their children, everyone was invited to pull up a chair around a table and decorate cookies. With the help of some friends I made 150 sugar cookies for the evening. The families had fun sitting together and decorating the cookies. It was a special time for everyone involved.