Hope Church Christmas 2016

Christmas always comes a little early at Hope Church because so many people who live in Freedom Park travel back to Lesotho, or wherever they call home, for several weeks in December and early January. This year, on December 11, 2016, we were able to give gifts to 100 adults, 30 infants, and 265 children! The children also enjoyed McDonald’s Happy Meals. For many of our Hope Church kids, this is the only hamburger and french fries that they will eat all year. Many of them look forward to this meal all year long as one of their favorite things about Christmas! As they are walking home, we often see some of the children carrying the box, with half the burger and fries, for a parent or sibling that wasn’t at church and won’t have “nice food” that day.

The gifts are a combination of fun and practical. All of the gifts include soap and a face cloth. The adults receive a bucket full of much-needed groceries. The kids get toothbrushes and toothpaste. The older kids get some basic school supplies; younger kids get a coloring book and box of crayons. All of the kids get a few toys and some sweets. This year was the first time that we had gifts for infants, and they were very well received. Each of the babies received a handmade blanket, some snacks, and several items that their mamas will appreciate like wipes, vaseline, and other supplies.

We want to say a huge THANK YOU to so many friends and ministry partners who help make this party possible -blankets, toiletry and toy donations that teams bring over, or cash donations! We know there are a lot of places to spend money around Christmas time, and we appreciate the sacrifice involved in including the people of Hope Church on your list!

If you did not have an opportunity to donate yet this year, and you would like to get involved, please use the “donate” button below. Any funds that come in after the party are used to cover the shortage from this year or held for next year’s party once this year is covered.

Merry Christmas, and many blessings in this new year!