Crazy Fun Christmas!

It's been such a fun season here at Give Hope 2 Kids!  

We started out before Christmas with a big gift for all the kids to share: a big trampoline!    We set it up at night and the kids were surprised to find it outside their homes in the morning.    This trampoline is busy nearly all the time.

Then we  crammed all 47 of us into our bus and went on a 15-hour Christmas excursion day!    We started at our favorite thrift store and each kid got to pick out several things for themselves.    Since  our kids normally don't get to choose many of their own clothes or shoes, this was a BIG DEAL.

  Next we took a picnic lunch of Honduras' favorite food -- fried chicken --  and went to  a  little zoo and park.    The kids loved playing and seeing all our local animals there.    

Then we  visited La Ceiba's big pier to take in the sites and enjoy another playground, dinner, and icecream.    We all got a little soaked in an unexpected downpour, climbed back into our bus, and drove the 1 1/2  bumpy hours home into the mountains.    It was  an exhausting day, but oh so much fun!

For Christmas  the ladies of our property made nearly 300 tamales and the kids baked Christmas cookies.  We then enjoyed  a HUGE dinner with the tamales, bbq pork chops, fried rice and more.    (It's amazing how much food some of our kids can put away!)      Then the kids got  a present of socks and underwear and a couple small fun things.    It was such a joy watching our new kids open  their gifts -- it definitely seemed like a first for them and their eyes lit up with each little item.

For New Year's Eve we brought pizzas from town, roasted marshmallows over a bonfire, and enjoyed some fireworks.

We've packed  so much fun into the last few weeks!   But even after all the holiday fun fades into memories, these kids still have a wonderful gift that goes on: they were abandoned or abused, and now they have a stable and loving family .    We will be a family for these kids for as long as they need us.

Thanks to Joel Haler and Brian  Hughes and their friends and family for helping to make this a wonderful Christmas for our kids!    We've enjoyed sharing these special weeks with you.