Our annual Arm of Hope Christmas party took place the day after Christmas with 525 children riding to the venue on 4 buses.  Yes, that’s correct.  Do the math, and be impressed!  Coordinating an event of this size takes a lot of planning and organization, but it was pulled off beautifully thanks to our amazing director, Philip Darko.

The really awesome part about the whole day is that Philip was heavily supported by our Arm of Hope high school graduates and college students.  Our vision for Arm of Hope is to raise up leaders who will serve alongside of us, and that vision is now a reality!  Here you can see our college students, Chris and Azumah, organizing the kids.

And here are some of our high school graduates helping with the sound system.

While Philip was at the venue early in the morning preparing for the day, our student leaders were the ones who organized the transportation for over 500 children to attend the party.  We are so proud of their leadership skills and the way they have grown into examples for the younger children to follow. They even organized the children into teams like we do at camp so order could be better maintianed.

Bintu’s group!

Monica’s group!

Martha’s group!

The Christmas party began with prayer and lots of camp songs again led by our students.  It’s amazing that they can sing every camp song from six years ago up until now with the motions! And we keep adding songs to the repertoire each year!

Singing was followed by games and bouncing castles for all to enjoy!

Our course, the day wouldn’t be complete without a competitive game of football!

Christmas in Ghana is traditionally celebrated with new clothing, a visit to church, and a favorite meal.  This party was no different.  The children arrived in their finest Christmas clothes and after worshipping were all treated to a filling meal of rice and chicken.

Yum!

And of course, ice cream!

Thanks to Philip’s wife, Hannah, for helping to organize 600 meals distributed to the children, the helpers, and the staff at the venue who supported the event.  Extra meals were even sent home with children to bless their families.

All in all, it was a very successful day with everyone having a great time and leaving with a smile on their face and a full belly.

Thank you to all of our sponsors who provided for this day through your monthly financial support.  It is truly the highlight of the Arm of Hope year, second only to our camp. And now that Christmas is past, I know the children will be counting the days until camp 2020 is here!  Six months will roll around before we know it!

Cheryl Zimmerman