It started this morning 9am with handing out of gifts - all the kids got a little gift bag which had been bought from money raised by the children of the Valley Brook Community Church, CT and I helped Jessie hand out the gifts to the Tias, Tios and their kids.
Then we headed down to the church for a live nativity play which was organized and performed by the visitors.
It was great, really well done - they even used a real horse to take Mary to Bethlehem!
After the play, all the Iris kids and missionaries went to the refectory and enjoyed a great chicken lunch. It was family time, and it was really nice.
Then the real fun and games started - feeding all the villagers...
Over the past 3 years our strategy for keeping things organized and calm has evolved into a system that works very well! It has taken some time refining it, but I think we finally have it down!
From the front gate they were let in in groups of 20, holding hands and then via the church they made their way to the refectory - all the while being led hand in hand!
At the entrance to the refectory porch their hands were checked for a purple mark, and if they were un-marked they were let in.
At the door to the refectory they were filed in single file, handed a coke/fanta and a plate of food then directed to a seat.
As soon as they were done eating they joined the 'exit' line, where they were searched for food and plates before being let out. As they exited their palms were marked with a bit of gentian violet and each of the kids got a toy or some candy.
(Gentian Violet is used in wound care, and leaves a nice purple stain which lasts about a day or 2 before it washes off, so it was great to control who had already eaten)
Then they made their way back down to the front gate and went home!
We fed 2500 people today, all in just 2 1/2 hours!
After it was all done, the missionaries got together for a BBQ at John & Margaret's, where we ate and chatted till late!
And for dessert Jessie baked a cake, and as an homage to the cold American christmas she was missing, I decorated the cake!
Then Jessie, Bala and I went to Maringanha and lay on the beach looking at the stars. It was gorgeous!
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas also!
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