Christmas

Hiroshi Kawashima

On December 11th, our volunteers at Helping Hands (a branch of The Family International) visited the Ibaraki Prefect Children’s Hospital to perform our clown show. Our clowns performed skits, sang songs, and played games together with the children at the hospital. The children were thrilled to be visited by our happy and energetic clowns. Read more about Christmas at the Ibaraki Children’s Hospital, Japan

Robert McNair

Every year at Christmas, our clown therapy team does visitation work at various institutions in our area and the Chiba Children’s Hospital definitely ranks as our favorite. In October the head nurse of the hospital called, asking us to please return this Christmas with our clown therapy team. So on December 17th, we piled all our clowns into vans, and off we went to bring Christmas cheer to hospital rooms filled with happily surprised little eyes and big smiles. Read more about Spreading the “Smiling Bug” at Chiba Children’s Hospital, Japan

Florence McNair Read more about Christmas Clown Therapy in Hamano, Japan

Stephan Larriva Read more about A Christmas to share in Morelos, Mexico

In late November, project manager Joanne Raveney contacted the director (Natalie) of CONIN, a center for malnourished children located in the heart of one of the most violent urban zones of Mendoza, Argentina. Joanne discussed with Natalie the possibility of helping with educational books for the children of their day school (approximately 250 children). Natalie was very appreciative and eager to receive the books for the school. They discussed plans for their Christmas show where our young volunteers of Mendoza Vision, who had formed a Christmas singing group, could perform. Read more about Christmas in Mendoza, Argentina

Joanne Raveney

December 8th marked the fourth year in a row that 45 children and mothers from our weekly soup kitchen came to our house in the countryside. We only live about 5 kilometers from their neighborhood, but it was necessary for us to find the help of a bus company to bring the children to our home. Read more about Neighborhood Christmas party in Mendoza, Argentina

Angela Anderson

In my village, large families share one bedroom in small homes with dirt floors. Chickens run through the house and either pigs or goats are right outside the door. The delicious smell of stew cooking in a large pot over an open fire in the yard calls everyone in from the farm or rice field to gather soon for dinner. My people in the village in Santana, in northern Peru are happy and peaceful, and what I anticipate most is my yearly visit to bring them all the essentials and help that I can provide. Read more about Christmas Joy in Santana, Northern Peru

Joanna Dimon

What better way to spend Christmas than at the City’s Children’s Hospital? Our visit came as a big surprise for the children of all different ages who where there for many different reasons. Some were terminal, some had been there already for months, and others only days, but none of them believed that anyone would remember they were there at all. Read more about Christmas Comes Alive - Part 1

This Christmas we hosted two large Christmas events for the poor in our area: one at the food kitchen where we have donated food for the last three years in the nearby Sierra mountains, and another for our local Bible study group in our little village. We’re very grateful to Activated Ministries for sponsoring the Christian books, posters, tracts, tapes, CD's and magazines that we distributed at these events.

Christmas at the free food kitchen Read more about Christmas in the Sierras

Emanuella Christensen

In Mexico, Children’s Day is thought of as the second most important festival after the Christmas holidays. It is a time to honor and remember children and an opportunity for children to enjoy a day of festivities, presents, and special attention from their parents and families. Read more about Making Children’s Day memorable for underprivileged children in Monterrey