Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Christmas Excitement

Christmas is always a special time of year at the House of Hope.  The house gets decorated, excitement builds as talk of Christmas gifts fills the air, practice begins for the Christmas program the kids put on, and songs are sung about the coming of God's gift to us -- Jesus.

It is especially exciting for the kids who haven't been at the HOH for Christmas before.  They hear all the stories from the experienced kids, and some days it's hard to contain all that energy!  This year has been particularly challenging as there has been so much rain, school has been cancelled a lot and Linda has to keep everyone occupied at home!  

Last week, former HOH kids St. Germain came back home to help direct the decorating of the house.  He is very gifted in this area, and together with the kids who are at the HOH now they did a beautiful job.  Here are some pictures...


One of our very talented and creative boys, Reginald even built a few fireplaces to add to the atmosphere:


Yesterday, two things added to the excitement in the house.  First of all, the Christmas presents arrived on the boat...
It might not look like much now -- but in these plastic totes are all kinds of wonderful gifts our kids can't wait to see!  We are so grateful to Grace Baptist Church in York, PA who sends these gifts each year.  They make our kids feel so special and loved.

The second thing that brought excitement... FOOD!  Yes, we received a shipment of food to fill up our food pantry ahead of the holiday season...

Receiving these food shipments are such a blessing and we are grateful to our friends and partners in Miami who assist us in shipping these supplies down to the HOH.  Supplying food for our big family is always a stress for Linda.  This shipment will allow her to relax a bit over this Holiday season.

But, before all the fun stuff of the season begins... 
  • There are exams to finish writing.  So, please be in prayer as they write their exams over the next couple of weeks. 
  • Pray also for one of our beautiful young ladies who is suffering from depression and some mental health issues.  It is difficult finding proper treatment and someone who can help her in our area of Haiti.  We need to try and send her to Port-au-Prince this week to get better help for her.  Pray for wisdom and decisions to be made in that area.
  • The kids and Linda are working hard on preparing a special presentation of the true meaning of Christmas through skits and song.  Many people from our local community are always invited to come.  Pray for them as they share the Best News Ever with those in our community.
  • Jenny starts her trip to the US to speak on behalf of the HOH in a few locations this week.  Pray for safety as she travels and good times with friends, partners and family.
We appreciate you all and want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas season...