This was definitely a Christmas to remember for Love The Children Foundation (LTCF)!!!  On December 28^th, Global Impact Orphan Outreach sponsored its 3^rd Annual Christmas Party for LTCF, an organization in Davao City, Philippines that takes in abandoned, abused, and/or orphaned street children.

The LTCF children, ranging from ages 5-18, were so excited that morning!  This is a day they look forward to all year!  We first started  the party off with playing the famous “picture” game, a game in the Philippines where the kids are divided up into groups and then told to dramatize a picture using their teammates!

Then the real excitement began! Smiles and big eyes were on each face as their names were called out to open their presents!  There were eight younger children who were given socks, jeans, t-shirts, briefs, belts, tennis shoes, soap dishes, bookbags, and notebook paper with a pencil holder!  They were so happy and ripped open the presents very fast! One boy, Jo Jo, started opening his presents before they were all even handed to him!  The older kids were given the same plus a wallet, sunglasses, gel, slippers, and a water scooper that they use for taking a bath! 

Sweetheart is one of the teenagers at LTCF and she received high heels as one of her presents!  She was happy because she had never worn heels before and she wanted them to wear for church! 

Then it came time for Cindy and Tony Chua, the directors of Love the Children Foundation to open their presents for LTCF!  The children also helped tear open the packages and were full of joy when they found new plates, cups, silverware, tupperware, a wok, a cooking pot, and ceiling fans!!!  

Cindy, Tony, and LTCF staff were surprised when each of them were given a 1000 peso ($20) gift certificate to a local mall!  Due to lack of funds, LTCF has not been able to give Christmas bonuses or pay raises, so most of the workers only make enough to get by.  One of the workers, who is a single mother, has been with LTCF for two years, and she was very excited to receive her gift certificate since most of her pay goes to her son and she rarely gets to spend anything on herself! Cindy told us that this worker went home and cried because she was so happy.

The largest presents were saved for last!  The children were handed a box and then told it was the last present.  They were a little confused when they found two big chains and locks on the inside, but they made a mad dash for the door when Cindy read them a note from inside the box that said the rest of that present was downstairs!!! 

 The children ran down the steps with anticipation and excitement as they saw something big in the corner covered with blankets!  They looked with wonder on their faces, and when the covers were lifted, it sounded like a wild stampede was taking place as they climbed onto two bikes that had a seat attached to the sides! It was a touching moment to see the kids so happy!  The bikes will be awesome for the kids to have fun with and use for transportation back and forth from the orphanage center to go to school.    

Then it was time for the biggest surprise of all!  Cindy and Tony were told that there was a present also waiting for them! As everybody entered the next room, mouths dropped open and eyes filled with tears as they saw a refrigerator and a stove that was provided by Inside Out (a California based youth missions team). Cindy and Tony were elated!  The kids were so happy as they saw how God had answered their prayers!!  They really needed a stove and fridge and were praying hard every day to receive one before the end of the year!!  They were also given over one hundred dollars for groceries!

Everybody then gathered back upstairs to eat Happy Meals from McDonalds!  The atmosphere was electric with happiness and excitement over what had happened that morning!

After arriving back home from the party, the children continued to play and enjoy their presents!  One boy was so proud of what he had received that he went outside and began showing off his shoes and bookbag to the neighborhood children!

It was an incredible Christmas this year for LTCF thanks to the love and donations of those who so graciously gave to the project!  Cindy commented, “God is so good!  We were amazed to see how the hand of God so faithfully provided our needs this Christmas!  It also increased the children’s faith by them seeing Him answer their prayers!  He went above and beyond our expectations!”

Thank you to all who made this event possible and helped to give the children of LTCF a Christmas to remember!   

  Written by Ronda Sponsellor

 

View the Christmas 2002 SLIDESHOW