In the Spirit of Christmas

Steve and I were hoping we could find ways to keep Christ in our Christmas celebration while we were away from our traditional celebrations at home and spending time at the beach. We were able to attend a local church service on Sunday where we sang Christmas carols and heard wonderful messages delivered.

Steve had arranged, with a colleague of his, to help with a service project on Christmas Eve. We drove to a nearby township, which was originally a squatters community and now a neighborhood set apart for the local people. Frygrond, meaning free ground, was land given to the people by the government. The lifestyle of the people living there is so far removed from anything we have seen. The homes, if you can call them that, are made of sheets of tin, plastic, cardboard, or wood. Many don't have windows, electricity, or running water. The nicer ones have a cement floor and have been painted and fenced in.

Many of the adults are addicted to alcohol and drugs. Abuse is rampant. Unemployment is very high. Although most children receive early education, it is not likely that they will attend secondary school.
We went there with a couple who work with a nonprofit organization whose cause is to help the people help themselves so they can help others. After a tour of their trailer which housed a library, computer center, community center for teens, and an office, we toured the community garden.

We then helped them move donated furniture and other items into a home they had quickly built for one of their volunteers who desperately needed a place for herself and her children, one of which was four days old. It was a Christmas present for her. It was like an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition on a small scale. The home was dedicated with prayer and all the glory was given to God and His mercy. It was wonderful to be a part of it. Later in the week we returned to the township with some books, toys and clothes that we weren't going to fly home with and gave them to the center. Even the worst of what we have would be a bounty for most of these people. It made us feel fortunate and so grateful for our many blessings.