International Children's Day

Saturday, September 30, 2011 was International Children's Day and we took a field trip with 21 children from Samagama for a day of fun in Galle Park and Galle Fort. For many of our kids this was their first time to visit the park, with slides, merry-go-rounds, and other amusements. After lunch we walked over to Galle Fort, built in the 1500's by the Portegese. Through the years Galle was occupied by the Portegese, the Dutch, and the British. We visited a Dutch Reform church built in 1755, that still has a congregation that meets every Sunday. Today there are three Chrisitian churches, all dating to the 1700's, one Buddist Temple, and one Muslem Mosque, inside the Fort. The diversity of the Fort population is evident as we walked around the old narrow streets. Many of the old buildings have been renovated as shops and boutique hotels and guest houses. Our day ended at the beach where everyone enjoyed gathering shells, getting wet, and trying to get Donna & David in the waves! We survived with sand between our toes and semi-dry clothes!

Salvation Army Partnership

Five years ago we partnered with the Salvation Army to provide several of their programs they were offering to tsunami villages. One of the main programs was for the youth. They have continued to come to the village and work with the kids providing sporting events; song, drama, and dance programs; field trips; debate techniques and other educational activities. One day last month the children had a special program for visiting Salvation Army dignitaries. The program was organized and choreographed by two teenagers from the village. For about and hour the children sang and danced to everyone's delight. What made it special was that most of the songs were about God and His son Jesus! This has offered us opportunities to talk with several of them since the program about this man named Jesus!