Back to Back Celebrations

This is a continuation of the previous blog post.  On Thursday afternoon, we hosted a community celebration at Los Tambos Government School.  Many parents, younger siblings, and students participated.  We recognized high school students for their hard work and offered congratulations to the three graduates for the example they have set for the younger students.  Jessica Lopez, who is completing her second year of high school, spoke to the younger students about her love for learning and encouraged them to consider going to high school.  We thanked the community for the warm and friendly reception they always give us.  The children sang Father Abraham for their parents.  We served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, cookies, and Gatorade to everyone in attendance. 

Linda, Jacque, and Lyn serve refreshments

The youngest students delighted us with a very cool dance.  The boys wore white or blue shirts, and the girls wore colorful skirts.  They danced around a pole decorated with streamers.

Dance performance

An older group sang for us, and a third group performed a skit.  We really enjoyed their performances.

Wishing we could have stayed longer at Los Tambos, we tearfully gave our last hugs and loaded the vans to go the graduation celebration for Maria, Marvin, and Reynaldo that we hosted at the Mennonite Church where Mike and Vickie Coverdale serve in youth ministry.  Including our team, almost 50 people attended the celebration. 

Maria enjoys the slide show

Lyn opened with prayer and a devotional message from Jeremiah 29:11 about God’s plans for our lives and the hope we gain from Him.  Mefi Martinez, former principal of Los Tambos Government School, gave an inspirational talk, reflecting on the student’s younger days and encouraging them to continue their education.  Lily Reyes, current principal at the school, opened her remarks with a quote from Oprah Winfrey and encouraged the students to dream big dreams.

Next, we showed a slide show produced by the McDonough’s Just in Time Productions that featured pictures of the students from 2005 to the present.  The slide show was interspersed with scriptures and other words of encouragement. 

Reynaldo and Marvin enjoy the slide show

We gave each graduate some gifts that included a photo album with photos used in the slide show, Jeremiah 29:11 dog tags for the guys and a necklace for Maria, and wallets with Christian symbols for the guys and a change purse for Maria that had scripture on it about trusting in the Lord.  We concluded the celebration with fellowship while sharing ice cream, lemonade, and cake that was masterfully cut by Jacque to ensure everyone received a piece. 

Marvin, Maria, and Reynaldo

The students and their families really appreciated the opportunity to celebrate with us, and we greatly enjoyed spending this time with them…in a beautiful air conditioned church.

Montano Family

Garcia Family

Lopez Family