So different from our Christmas Eve's at home but interesting none the less. We traveled this morning to Hogar Mercedes orphanage with a group of senior missionaries. Knowing from our guards lives how poverty stricken some of these people are, we expected a similar type of facility.
What a wonderful to surprise to see children from 3 to 20 years old that were loved and well cared for. They make sure the kids have an education past high school that will enable them to support themselves when they leave. It is run by the Catholic Church and we met about five of the nuns that work there. They have their own school that professional teachers come in and teach in. The most touching part of the morning for me was seeing the tears on the faces of the nuns as their children were given presents and sang to. As we went through their living quarters I felt such a kinship with those Catholic sisters and an immense sense of gratitude that they have given their lives to help these children. Just the morning before a mother had brought by her two little girls - 3 and 5- and said she just could not take care of them any longer. So they just added more beds and the girls will stay there. It really is such a good place for these children. They have many more opportunities than our little "adopted family of kids". It was a choice experience.
I believe the two on the left are the ones that were dropped off yesterday. There are many children left orphans when their father kills their mother then himself or he is sent to prison and the kids have no one to care for them. Not that those kinds of fathers take care of the kids anyway! This happens often here. Such innocent little spirits exposed to the worst of the world when they have to fend for themselves. That's one reason you see very young. not even teenage, girls prostituting themselves at truck stops to provide diapers and milk for the babies they have had and have to take care of when they are just children themselves with no way to provide for them. It is heartbreaking to realize that so many young girls are raped and taken advantage.
On the way to Hogar Mercedes along the sides of the roads everyone had roasting pig stands. The dead pigs were laying on a table. Then they just run the pole through the pig, back to front, and roast the whole thing. It looks like you can buy chunks of the pig because there were just heads left on some of the poles. Worse was the goat roasts where they had the live goats tied to something until they were ready to roast them - and they looked so oblivious to what was going on! I put one of those pictures on yesterday so won't ruin someones Christmas by putting another one on here.
There must have been 10-12 different pig roasting stands. Pres. Bair said they bought some last Christmas off a roadside pit and it was really good.
We came home and Scott left to take Brother Yturraldie to Quisquea to do a service project and I stayed home to bake treats for Family Home Evening. The oven worked! He came back just as we were to leave with blisters on his hand from shoveling and ant bites on his arms.
The Christmas party at the Casa was awesome. Sister Cornish played the mandolin(?) with Sister Bair at the piano and it was amazing. I had never even seen the instrument.
Pres. Anderson and his son Spencer played their guitars and sang a "Tennessee Christmas"
Pres. Sivic sang "White Christmas" with his wife accompanying him. What a beautiful voice he has!
Don't know if he has ever seen a white Christmas or not though........
After many lovely musical numbers and the singing of Christmas hymns Reid lead the last song.
Just as we finished the missionaries from upstairs came in and sang some songs for us. What powerful voices and spirits they have!
This may not look like alot of ice cream but we figured there was about a quart in each dish and the elders who were dishing the ice cream finished theirs off with twice as much.
At the end of the Christmas Eve day we had been blessed to feel the Christmas spirit many times. To marvel at what the birth of Christ meant in our lives: to ponder how we could be more like Him.
I believe the two on the left are the ones that were dropped off yesterday. There are many children left orphans when their father kills their mother then himself or he is sent to prison and the kids have no one to care for them. Not that those kinds of fathers take care of the kids anyway! This happens often here. Such innocent little spirits exposed to the worst of the world when they have to fend for themselves. That's one reason you see very young. not even teenage, girls prostituting themselves at truck stops to provide diapers and milk for the babies they have had and have to take care of when they are just children themselves with no way to provide for them. It is heartbreaking to realize that so many young girls are raped and taken advantage.
On the way to Hogar Mercedes along the sides of the roads everyone had roasting pig stands. The dead pigs were laying on a table. Then they just run the pole through the pig, back to front, and roast the whole thing. It looks like you can buy chunks of the pig because there were just heads left on some of the poles. Worse was the goat roasts where they had the live goats tied to something until they were ready to roast them - and they looked so oblivious to what was going on! I put one of those pictures on yesterday so won't ruin someones Christmas by putting another one on here.
There must have been 10-12 different pig roasting stands. Pres. Bair said they bought some last Christmas off a roadside pit and it was really good.
We came home and Scott left to take Brother Yturraldie to Quisquea to do a service project and I stayed home to bake treats for Family Home Evening. The oven worked! He came back just as we were to leave with blisters on his hand from shoveling and ant bites on his arms.
The Christmas party at the Casa was awesome. Sister Cornish played the mandolin(?) with Sister Bair at the piano and it was amazing. I had never even seen the instrument.
Don't know if he has ever seen a white Christmas or not though........
Then we went into the kitchen for treats. When cleaning up the missionaries came in for their Christmas Eve treats:
At the end of the Christmas Eve day we had been blessed to feel the Christmas spirit many times. To marvel at what the birth of Christ meant in our lives: to ponder how we could be more like Him.
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