Archives: December 2010

The kids all fell asleep watching a movie in the kitchen last night while we stayed up late to finish wrapping presents and stuff stockings. This morning, we all hopped into the cars to hand out presents to kids on the street. Each child had one bag of small gifts and a few things of their own they decided they no longer needed or wanted to give away. We drove to a nearby community so they could find someone their own age to hand the gift to. Giving gifts is one of their favorite parts of Christmas morning. After we got back, they were finally allowed to go upstairs and see what was beneath the tree! 

What did Santa bring?

Lots of gifts for each kid. Thanks sponsors and donors!

What's under the tree for me?

A skateboard!

Legos!

Trying out his roller skates with a little help from Oso.  

A gift from her sponsor.

Rachel gets presents too. Thanks family!

So much to play with.

Now on to the stockings.

And like that, many hours of wrapping are undone. 

Easily the most enthusiastic and entertaining gift opener. He's already put on his new outfit and one of his roller skates when his name gets called for another present.

Christmas is almost here and Love & Hope Children's Home is full of activity. The tree is up, the house is decorated, and we're getting ready to celebrate the holidays. Even though we're far away (and the weather is much warmer!) Christmas at the home is not all that different than Christmas in the States. The kids are excited to open presents, see their families and eat turkey. It's been a lot of fun getting ready these past few weeks. Here are a few photos and videos of Christmas at Love & Hope. 

We made some cookies, but they didn't last very long. Most of the batter got eaten before the cookies even hit the sheet. As soon as they came out of the oven, they were gone. 

We've watched a lot of Christmas movies. 

Our driver, Alberto, arranged for his church to come and give gifts to all the kids.

The house is full of Santa hats, reindeer antlers and all sorts of other Christmas themed headgear. Even Daysi the dog got an outfit.

The kids put together a live Nativity scene. 

Denise and some of our friends from the Union Church threw the kids a Christmas party with crafts, puzzles, cookies and presents. 

Even though we don't have snow here in El Salvador they still made some snow globes. 

A few of the kids created homemade ornaments.

And finally, a few Christmas tunes to help get you in the holiday mood.

Four of the children at the home completed the final Pre-School level this past school year and will start Primary School in January. On Wednesday the school held a ceremony to mark their graduation. They wore caps and gowns and did a performance of "Mighty To Save." Education is such an important asset for these kids, and we want to thank all of the sponsors and supporters who help make these milestones possible. Each year we need to raise quite a bit of money to send the kids to private schools, and each year our supporters have come through. If you would like to contribute to the kids' education this coming year, please email: contact@ame-intl.org for more information. 

Anyone who visited our old property in Nejapa is familiar with the wonderful murals on the walls. They were painted by Seth Weber many years ago during one of his visits to El Salvador. Seth, his wife Chelsea and their two children left today after spending two and a half months here at the home in Los Planes. We're sure going to miss them. Last week, Seth enlisted the help of several of the kids to put together a new piece of art for the home. It was a colorful, crazy time. 

There were only a few rules. One was to be crazy.

Once the kids had finished the background, Seth brought the painting to life. 

Finished.