Children's Day Fiesta

We had 420 children bussed to the Day Center on Saturday for our annual Children's Day Celebration.  About 80 volunteers in all showed up to help with the days events, including a Chinese-Brasilian Church that lent a helping hand by sending 45 volunteers and supplying all the end of the day prizes for each child.  The children had their own special "red carpet" type of an entrance into the church and they rarely were caught without a smile on their face.  We had two separate sessions for the kids that came from 5 different favelas.  First they enjoyed a program, much like our regular program during the week, Agita.  They dance, sing worship songs, play games, watch a skit and listen to the message at the end.  After the program, they were split up by age group and sent to one of three stations:  Lunch, which consisted of 2 brasilian-style hot dogs, brasilian soda called guarana, and ice cream for dessert;  Crafts was necklace and bracelet making.  While the girls went fashionable with colors, the boys strictly stuck to their favorite soccer team's colors;  Games was outside with a trampoline, fooseball, a game like fooseball that I've never seen before, a ball pit, and it was highlighted by a surf machine (which is much like a mechanical bull)...the kids loved it!

*One special note is that Raphaelly is a little girl you will see in these pictures a few times.  She is the grand-daugther and niece of two of our staff members.  She has a rare type of lukemia, and a week and a half ago things were very scary as she was in the ICU for about a week.  A few days ago she was transferred to a regular hospital room after her body's reaction to the treatment improved.  She was allowed to leave the hospital for a few hours to come celebrate her day with the other kids!  God is so Good!  Please be in prayer for her.  If you want to read more about her story and latest updates, you can find it at Restoration Ministries' blog: http://restorationministriesbrazil.wordpress.com/2009/08/