Christmas

Hello everyone, since I've been lazy I have a lot to catch you guys up on. The week before last was pretty quiet, a little calm before the storm I guess you could say because we had 6 Christmas parties to attend this week. I got to do some manual labour which felt good. I helped a friend with some cementing, and a little 'framing'. You would understand the quotations if you saw what we were doing. I also helped build some game boards for our Church's Christmas party and I built a 'wheel of fortune' that I was pleasantly surprised with. On Friday 11th, we a evening service for our Church that very well and on Saturday 12th a youth event that went well too but could have been better if more kids showed up.

Then on Wednesday the YM Team went to a Christams party at a partner Church here in Metro Manila which went well. The Church had their own program and our team just added to it. With our skit, songs and gift giving. There were about 100 kids plus mothers. Then on Thursday we left the city again, which of course was awesome, for 2 parties. They were about 3 hours away. One was in the morning which was good, there was about 100 people all together at that one. They had their own program and we just added once again. The one in the afternoon was a little more special I thought. It was way out in the country, no building to see in any direction and the scenery was beautiful. Everything about the Christmas party was the same and there was about 150 kids plus others. The thing that made it special was that their Church building was destroyed in one of the Typhoons and now they are worshiping in a makeshift contraption at the moment. Besides all that 15 people were baptized in the river near by, very powerful experience. Then on Friday we had the Christmas Party for our Church and it was incredible. We had a normal service but then after we had 2 re-enactments of the Christmas Story. One by the workers of the Church and the other by the mothers in the Church. It was very encouraging to see everyone wanting to be involved. Then we played some games and gave out gift, just a great night altogether.

Then on Saturday we had 2 more parties, the one in the morning was for the children in our community put on by our Church and the YM team. We ran in the street and it was a little carnival with bean bag toss, mini putt, plinko, wheel of fortune, sack race, balloon darts, ring toss, ice cream, chocolate fountain, and cotton candy. So much fun. Then a group of kids put a dance routine for us and it was so sweet. Then the YM team did our thing of the skit, gift giving and food hand out. There was almost 300 kids plus the parents who came. It was so awesome. Then in the afternoon we had the party for the youth group of our Church, 25 of us were there. We took them to Mall of Asia, which I'm pretty sure is the biggest mall of all of Asia. It is so ridiculous. I'm pretty sure it was the first time for most of them to be there, so it was a pretty big deal and they had so much fun. The main thing we did was go to Mcdonalds and share a meal and it consisted of fried Chicken and spaghetti, yes they serve that at Mc Ds and the kids like it better then the burgers. Yes I don't believe them either.

It doesn't feel like Christmas here becasue I am sitting here sweating in my shorts and t-shirt and no chance of a white Christmas. Although the funniest part is that they have adopted the American Christmas songs such as jingle all the way, frosty the snow man, etc.. and there has never been snow in the county.

May God Bless you in the Christmas Season. Thank you again for all of the support you have given me, it is such a blessing. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Jared