Restoration Ranch: Toy Give Away

In a previous post I told you pretty much all I know about King's Day. Today you get to read what we did about it! As I wrote Thursday, we are blessed with many wonderful friends. This year some of those friends invited us to be part of something they have been doing for quite a few years, taking toys out to poor children who may not have been given anything else during the holiday season.
Euri and Zinayda Cabral and their daughter Cheizi started this tradition one year by just taking the older toys that Cheizi and her sister had and giving them away in a needy area where an employee lived. The following year some people added their own toys, and now has grown to the place where businesses donate the toys. In the great tradition of our Lord Who is always more than enough, this year there were more toys than they needed for the area where they work. The Burge family suggested an orphanage in La Romana, and we suggested some poor villages closer to the Haitian border. Thus began two days of joyous ministry. The youth group from our church went along, most of them dressed as clowns. We were impressed with the organization. While the set up team was getting everything ready, the 'clowns' were painting balloons, flowers, hearts, and cat whiskers on the faces of the kids. What a fun way to keep them occupied while things are being readied. The youth, led by our friend Maria Tinedo, had songs, dances, and puppet skits prepared. Everyone had so much fun - those being entertained and those entertaining them! And then came the gifts. Something special for each and every child. There are few things more enjoyable than watching kids at Christmas.