Christ is our hope!

Merry Christmas! Well, actually, to you it's Thanksgiving, but here in Namibia, we celebrated Christmas today at Kwakwas Primary School. Tomorrow is their last day of school before break for holiday (their summer break and Christmas break are on in the same here) and they will not return until the second week of January! (I will write soon about what I have planned during this holiday...God has provided some great opportunities!)

What a blast it has been preparing for this day with the kids. They were so very excited for their part in the program. I also had some incredible opportunities to share about the real meaning of Christmas with them, and why it's a holiday I am so excited about. What a sweet reminder it has been for me as I am teaching them... Christ is our hope, the long-awaited Savior. During our Christmas assembly today, the kids repeated the phrase "Christ is our hope" in Afrikaans...it was a great moment, of knowing that Jesus was being celebrated above all else.

Thanks to your incredible support, I was able to use some of my ministry money here to buy each child at the school (80 in all) a Christmas present! There are also a few organizations who sponsor the children at this school who sent presents as well, so the children had a really special celebration.

Some of the kids opening their presents... airplanes for the boys and hair accessories for the girls!


The grade fours getting ready for their part in the Christmas program. I was SO proud of them...they were the only grade who did their part in English. Quite an accomplishment!

The staff of Kwakwas and Father Christmas (who was really just our cleaner, Elizabeth!) Too funny!

Making all the Christmas preparations...including our very own Christmas tree!

I had the grade four class act out the Christmas story in preparation for our big celebration. These are the angels singing "Glory to God in the Highest!"

The grade four class with me on Christmas Day at Kwakwas! I love these kids so very much.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I pray that you are finding your joy in Christ today as you share time with family and friends. I'm so very thankful for your support and love... God has blessed my life through you all.

Much love and gratitude on Thanksgiving,
Kristen