Christmas in Red Hill

Outside the Shelter

The Clinic in Red Hill

The past couple of weeks have been super busy for us. This past week in Red Hill we had two Christmas parties for the kids. It was such a wonderful time! Wednesday was our first Christmas party that Lumka, Kennedy, Nathan, and I put on. There was a lot of preparation that went into that day, but it was completely worth it. When thinking about what we wanted to do for the Christmas party we were all on the same page. We wanted to bring to life the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. We decided to turn the shelter into Jerusalem and the clinic into Bethlehem. The kids were broken into two groups and traveled between the shelter and the clinic to get the full story of the birth of Jesus. We decorated both of the places and tried to make each place feel like Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Lumka and Nathan were at Jerusalem and Kennedy and I were at Bethlehem. The party was mainly for our kids, ages 3-10, but our teens played a big part in the day. We asked them to play the different characters in these stories. They did a wonderful job. We had a Mary, Joseph, 3 wise men, King Herrod, and 3 shepherds. In the shelter Nathan talked to the kids about King Herrod and how the 3 wise men went and talked to him. He then explained how the wise men followed a star which led them to baby Jesus. At the clinic Kennedy explained how Mary and Joseph had nowhere to go the night of Jesus birth. He told the kids how the Savior of the world was born in a place where all sorts of animals lived. The kids thought this was very interesting. It was really amazing to see the kids so interested in the things that we were teaching them. They finished up the day doing a craft, getting their faces painted, and enjoying a nice meal. We were blessed to have help during this party. A team called Extreme Response was there with us helping us with all the different things that we were doing. The party was such a great time to be with our kids and remind them of the real reason we celebrate Christmas!

Nondera is excited about the Christmas party

Sweet Quantum Showing off his face paint

Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus

Saturday afternoon we had another Christmas party in Red Hill. We didn't plan this party though. The organization Children's Cup put it on for the kids. We were able to come and just help them with whatever they needed help on and to hang out with the kids. The Children's Cup mission is to change the world for hurting and forgotten children by giving them hope in the love of Jesus Christ. Their hearts are for children and making sure that they are shown the love of Christ. Greg and Angie, who work with Children's Cup, came to Cape Town to see if there was a need for the organization here. Keep them in your prayers as they are seeing where they can be best utilized. As you can imagine, the kids were so excited to be having another Christmas party! Greg brought a lot of volunteers with him yesterday to Red Hill and they were all All-Stars! They jumped right in with the kids and did an incredible job. A lot like our Christmas party Wednesday, we did a lot of the same things. They were told about the birth of Jesus, had a time for praise and worship, faces were painted, they were fed hotdogs, sang happy birthday to Jesus, ate birthday cake, and they even had a blow up jumping thing. As you can see, it was a busy afternoon, but the kids had a blast! When they left they received little red bags with Christmas gifts in them. They were all so excited! I'm so thankful that our kids were able to see the love of Christ through this group of people and here the story of Jesus' birth again!

Some of the boys after getting Christmas gifts

Looking back on this week I am so grateful for where I am and all that the Lord is continuing to teach us. He is present in all circumstances and his love for us is so BIG! This community is becoming more like family everyday for us. When we pull in everyday and hear them yelling our names and there faces light up is a feeling I can't begin to put into words. Even though I miss being with friends and family back home for this Christmas season, I am so grateful for the family we have in Red Hill and Cape Town. This is such a wonderful time of the year and it's so incredible getting to spend it serving such a beautiful community. Please pray for Red Hill during the next couple of weeks and that they will not lose focus on the things we have shared with them. Help them remember that Christ is why we celebrate CHRISTmas! As we know it's easy for our minds to get clouded with other things, but this is truly the most wonderful time of the year and our kids get that! You can see it in there eyes, smiles, and the way they hug your neck! They are the next generation of leaders and I'm excited to see the Lord continue to move in and throughout their lives! Thank you Father for your love and the way you use us everyday to make your name known here in South Africa!

This coming week is our last week before we have a couple of weeks off for holiday. This week is going to be super busy though and we would appreciate your prayers. We are doing Holiday Club this week in Red Hill. Club runs Monday-Friday and we will be doing kids and teens club everyday. Kids club will run from 10-12 and teens club from 2-4. It is going to be tiring, but we know the Lord is going to show up in huge ways! Please pray for strength for Lumka and Kennedy as they are exhausted. They have been fearless leaders who continue to serve and not miss a beat. Pray that we will be affective this week in the things we say and do and Christ would be the center of everything that we are teaching! Pray for the times we do get to rest that we will be able to sleep well and feel rejuvenated for the next day! Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we continue on this journey! We are so blessed to share our life here with all of you back home! We pray the Christmas season is treating you well and that you'll take a minute to remember how very blessed we all are this time of year!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13