Christmas Party in San Lucas!

On December 1st, we were able to host a Christmas Party for all the elderly.

The party included a special dinner/dessert, music (with dancing!),
a mariachi band, and an individual gift for each person.

Transporting tables to the dining hall in the "Colonia San Gregorio"...

Wrapping 105 Christmas gifts for each elderly-

We made each elderly their own hand-woven napkin for tortillas...

(Note: don't mess around with Guatemalans and their tortillas!

Tortillas have to be fresh, hot, not soggy-

and delivering them in a cloth napkin

rather than a plastic bag is their preference!)

Buying the food the day before!

...45 pounds of potatoes, 25 pounds onions, 45 pounds of chicken,

not to mention the corn for tortillas, spices, and drinks!...

(Another note: there was no shopping cart, cars, or anything with wheels involved!

We had to carry this all ourselves!)

6 am....we began to cook!!!

Cakes for 110 people...YUM.

The chickens where freshly killed that morning-

(Another note: don't mess around with Guatemalan woman and their chicken!  

They know the best butchers in town who deliver the freshest & cleanest chicken!)

Christmas dinner: Pollo encebollado ("Onion Chicken")

with mashed potatoes and gravy...

served with a soda, tortillas, and chocolate cake!

Let the party begin! 

(Mariachi band singing in the photo above...dancing going on in the photo below...)

(Photos above and below:)

The elderly lining up to receive their gifts...

Our dear Apolonia was able to make it to the party

thanks to generous people in MN who brought her a wheelchair

this past August!

The cooking team...

All 4 cooks (with some of their daughters) and I-

We were exhausted by the end of the day, 

but our hearts filled to the brim in being able to live the Gospel....

to touch Jesus in the "least" of His brothers

and bring them joy, love, and the dignity they deserve!