Thanks to the help and support of hundreds of people at partner churches in the US, every one of the Cadaniño students received a Christmas present, as did children living in orphanages in Guatemala.
The students in our youth missions club also gave Christmas gifts to over 80 children they teach Bible classes to every month.
In total, over 400 children received Christmas gifts this year.
For families of limited means, there is often little they can do to provide for their children, even at Christmas.
Our ministry focuses primarily on the spiritual and academic formation of vulnerable children. We have a nutrition program that ensures that students receive nutritious meals. Beyond that, there isn’t much that we give to children physically.
Most of what they receive through the Cadanino after-school programs is intangible teaching that benefits their mental and spiritual development.
But we have seen something incredibly compelling about gift-giving as a representation fo the Gospel.
God gave us the ultimate gift of eternal life through salvation in Jesus’s death on the cross.
Giving gifts to others is a powerful reflection and reminder of it.
As part of our family strengthening program, we often give emergency food to families in crisis. Thanks to generous donors, every family we serve received a Christmas food basket with necessary staples and Christmas treats for the children.