Celebration
April and May usher in a time of many celebrations. Abraham´s and my wedding anniversary is April 29, followed by the Mexican Children´s Day on the 30th. This year our church and school kids were celebrated three times. First, they enjoyed gifts, games, and pizza provided by a relative. That party was on Tuesday.
Even the little ones skated
On Saturday, a friend of ours invited our school kids to join other groups of young people for two hours of ice skating and then pizza and playing in a nearby park in Puebla. A donor pays the entrance fee for the skating rink. This was the second year our school went on this outing, and this year the kids practiced with roller blades to be ready for the rink.
Steadier adults and teens helped the more wobbly kids. One of our more adventurous boys tried fancy jumps and twirls, even though it was his first time on ice skates. He fell more times that we could count but always got up laughing. Right near the end of the skating, I suffered a dramatic fall when the girl I was helping fell right in front of me. Unable to steer away from her, I tripped and slammed into the wall, nose first. Happily, although there was a great deal of blood, I was not much injured.
practicing the mini drama of Jesus blessing the children
On Sunday, for the children´s class, we divided into two groups. Each group read the gospel accounts of Jesus blessing the children and then took 10 minutes to plan and practice a drama of the story.
After the church service we had snack time and the kids free played as usual. We then gathered for a photo treasure hunt, taking advantage of the fact that the older boys stay attached to their phones at all times. The groups had to figure out the clues and photograph themselves with the object or person of the clue. Everyone received a prize of candy after the game ended.
The celebrations did not end with Children´s Day, because our son´s birthday is a week later. We started May 6 as a regular school day, but then friends arrived in the afternoon for his Mario Bros themed party. Again, the kids enjoyed games, food, and fun.
pin the mustache on Mario
May 10 is always Mother´s Day in Mexico. The church kids printed their hands with acrylic paint on tee-shirts for their moms and also made rubber stamped cards. While I took the kids home in the afternoon, Abraham and our children prepared food for a potluck with extended family at my mother-in-law´s house.
All these celebrations are fun but not only that. They show the kids we have a God who loves them and joyful enters into our special moments. In these times, the kids and teens can experience parties free of the questionable music and alcohol that usually accompany festivities around here.
