"For to Such Belongs the Kingdom of Heaven...."

After drying off from a morning in the waterfalls, we got back into our cars and started off to the next village. When we pulled in, the children of this church were already there waiting for us. There were lots of them, too! It was magnificent to hear these precious ones sing - they sang with all their hearts! Their voices echoed through the building, really an unforgettable sound!

Waiting to get the service started.

Devora and myself with the little girls. They were adorable! I tried to talk to a few of them but they wouldn't say anything. Slightly bashful, yes, but they were probably more perplexed at this white girl speaking Spanish. I guess they thought I looked a little funny....

I love that little girl near the middle in the back laughing and covering her mouth! They all just giggled the whole time!

The little boys lining up for a picture with Brad and Jonathan.

After pictures and songs, Jonathan shared a message with the children. The kids always listened so intently to Jonathan. They probably thought he looked a little funny, too. Then we gave out the gifts.....

Because there were so many children here, we opted to take a few items out of the bags for each child. There were a lot of other churches awaiting our arrival, and we knew this church would have wiped us clear out of the back packs! So, we created a large goody bag, and I had the privilege of choosing a couple things for every girl. We had to do this on multiple occasions because the churches had so many little ones! What a blessing!

Really, I liked it this way. We were able to choose things specifically for a certain child. It's pretty obvious that the tiny princess in the fluffy dress and sparkling head band really isn't that interested in jacks and a bouncy ball. No, she would be much more pleased with the lipgloss and glittery flip flops at the bottom of the bag. And this way, we got to see the children's faces light up when they saw what we chose for them! It brings tears to my eyes to just think of it.

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" 

Matthew 7:11

Bradley got to do the same thing for all the boys! Looks like the little guy with the frisbee is pretty excited!

Pondering all these things in my heart,

~Abby