Christmas Eve in the Village

Christmas Eve day found Dick, six of his boys, one "girlfriend", and me on the way to a small aldea outside of Tecpan, about an hour and a half from San Pedro. 

We joke that this is the "Aldea of the Marias,"  because we have long time friendships with five widows who live here, all of whom are named Maria (with another name accompanying it.)  Having visited here the previous weekend, and were stunned at how conditions had worsened.  A number of the kids told me they had no food in their homes.  

I couldn't imagine being barefoot up here.  \
The temperature was very cool, if not outright cold,
and the wind was wicked the day we visited.

Dick immediately felt called to play “Santa Claus” in earnest, and decided we needed to go back with some food for the families of the widows, (if I count right there are 23 children among them) and to have a Christmas party with the kids in the area.  

Samuel's mom couldn't stop crying and repeatedly thanked us for the single roasted children, dried food and blankets we had brought.  They had nothing to eat for "Christmas dinner" and were thrilled to have the special treat a chicken.  Samuel and his brother (ages 15 and 12) have quit school to work in the fields to help support their mom and three siblings.  Samuel earns about 30 quetzales a day ($4) a day, and his brother who is younger makes only about 15 quetzales ($2) for a day's work because he is younger.  That is, they earn this IF there is work.  Right now, the cold has curtailed the harvest and they struggle to survive.

The kids in this aldea seldom leave their small community, and even more rarely see or talk to "gringos."  It is always a thrill to see them come running to us yelling, "Dick" and "Paty."  They are just as excited to see us come when we only come for a visit was when we bring gifts (which is very seldom.  Food perhaps, but hardly ever toys.)

What do you do when you can't afford a Christmas tree?  Cut down a cedar branch, hang bottle caps on it, and call it good.

Cesar, one of “our” boys (he lived with me for a year to go to school, so I claim him, too), and his girlfriend Gema coordinated the games and activities for the kids, and the other boys helped out in various ways. 

Dick and I respected our age and watched form the sidelines.  This little girl was new to us, and somewhat shy at first.  After a short time, she became my "shadow" for the rest of the day!

We had great seats, sitting on the side of a hill, watching the girls and then boys play soccer in a rocky field.  We did have to move once, though, when the bull tethered near us began to think we were just a little too close.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Between games, we passed the time taking pictures, with the children learning about "selfies" for the first time.  The older girls brought these two little ones to me to photograph, saying they wanted me to save the picture to show it to the little boy and girl when they were older and getting married. LOL.  Even in poverty, romance exists among teenage girls!

The kids were very excited about the pinatas we'd brought--
one for the little ones and one for the older children.

While some of the children were initially a little hesitant,
this little guy had no trouble getting into
the swing of things!

And if you were just too tiny to reach,
tender-hearted Cesar was ready to assist.

After the games were over, we passed out cookies and juice with the help of Dick's boys.

Brian passed out cookies

Eber poured Pepsi

And I handled the juice.
We were surprised how many kids chose juice over pop.
Maybe it's because Pepsi is a common drink
 (it's cheaper than milk or juice)
in their homes

We finished by giving each little girl a small stuffed animal
and each little boy received a small car.
Praise God, we had enough that even the bigger kids received a Christmas present.

In all, we served over 50 children this day.

And I have to admit I was astounded
at how orderly and patient the children were
as they waited for their snack and gift.
They didn't need adults to enforce order.
The older children helped the younger be patient.

It was a great way to spend Christmas, especially when I had a chance to share with the kids and their moms why we had come. . .
because Jesus had come to love and save us. 

The hardest part was leaving--
especially driving out without any kids hanging on Dick or his car!

 I think this will become an annual occurrence, and I how to involve the guys at Casa de Esperanza in this project next year.