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 Christmas Day, 2007 Christmas Day was exciting as there were a lot of expectations from the children. We did not have a regular VBS session on Christmas day. But, rather we had a special party.
 My sister joined us on Christmas day. She did a wonderful health talk on Malaria and vaccination while another gentleman spoke about HIV. You may wonder why we were addressing these issues at a Christmas party. In Zambia, venues of this sort are also used to address serious health issues. It also seemed appropriate since we also provided a daily health lesson in our VBS.
Although there was a considerable delay, the Christmas party went very well. The children looked very nice. They sang and sang while they waited for the party to start. All the caregivers sat in the back. The black, wimpy, holey tarp provided a mild shelter against the rain. We put up crepe paper and balloons that we brought from the US. Altogether, we had over 250 individuals, including the spectators.
Derek, the leader of NAPS-Zambia arranged the program. He had three national newspapers drop by the party. Mark did the interviews and was pictured in the front page of one of the newspapers, the next morning.
 We were amazed by the hard work put forth by the NAPS team for this party. The women cooked all night for the party in an outdoor kitchen for over 200 guests. The men assisted with the party setup. NAPS-Zambia is a very dedicated organization. The young people are very enthusiastic about serving their community. They proudly don their NAPS tshirts as they execute their mission. They are involved in variety of programs in Zambia: VBS, feeding programs, building churches, and etc. Their motto is to deliver assistance with TLC. They have demonstrated that in our program. These young members have also suffered their own losses. Everyday, we heard wonderful praises and laughter. The highpoint of the program was the handing out of the gift bags.
 The kids appreciated their gifts. In each bag we provided clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, pencil, candies, a little toy, and Bible. Thanks to all of you who donated the resources, both the party and the gifts were possible. As we spent rest of Christmas day with my sister, we felt happy in knowing that we made a difference. We did not realize till later that we were answers to prayers of the Orphanage Board Members. They have been praying intensely for means to provide gifts to each child. We were all part of the Human Race. Christmas took a new meaning for us. We felt the presence of Jesus among these vulnerable children on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Nellie & Mark About Us | From Pastor's Desk | Ministries | Adventurers | Pathfinders | Calendar | Photo Gallery | Online Worship | Online Giving | You Matter | Contact Us | Members Page | Devotional Blog | Home |
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