SHOPPING!

One of the common factors of Christmas now a days is SHOPPING!

Well, we have spent the last few days doing a lot of that.

To get prepared for Noche Buena takes quite a few shopping trips!

Fortunately, many of the  things we need we can order in advance, the food for the dinners, the accessories we need, i.e. tables and chairs, bus, servant shirts, band, sound equipment, etc. etc.

But, that still leaves a LOT of things we need to go out and get! 

FULL!

 A couple of days ago we went into Zona 3, we try to buy in the areas we are serving to help the community in that way also, to buy gifts for the children.

We bought over 150 gifts, to go with the 50 or so we already had.

We also bought LOTS of wrapping paper, tape, candy and more candy to make candy bags for each child.

We bought desachables for over 400 people! That's disposable stuff, plates, cups, forks, napkins, garbage bags etc.

Unloading lots of goods

 Yesterday we went to CENMA, which is like a huge goods distribution center.

Produce and goods from all over Guatemala come there and are sold wholesale in bulk etc.

We bought most of the goods needed to make 60 "Canastas de Viveres". 

These are baskets filled with basic goods to give to each family on Noche Buena.

The baskets will contain: rice, beans, pasta, oatmeal, soup, juice, cooking oil, incaparina (a nourishing drink like a thin oatmeal) coffee, sugar, salt, a couple of tracts and something I'm forgetting right now..... 

Guest room is occupied

It is a lot of work, but is so much fun! 

Our guest room is sort of full right now, and will get filled even more over the next few days also.

Over the next week and a half we will have several all day activities with our youth group to put all this together. They will wrap all of the presents, package things up to make the canastas. Put the canastas together. Make decorations. Spend an entire day baking and frosting 1,000 Christmas cookies!

We will also be practicing all of our Christmas Carols, and learning a skit to perform for the children Christmas Eve!

There is much more I'm not including here, but keep checking this blog over the next few weeks and we will keep you updated on what's happening!

Please keep all of these things covered in prayer, the purpose of it all is that some of these people, the poor and brokenhearted, would truly know they are loved and see Christ through His servants.

These are the people that hold a very special place in our Lord's heart, and should in ours also.

Thank you all so very much for your love, prayers and support of these efforts!