It's hard to describe in a few words how absolutely amazing this Christmas Eve experience was. In a few words, this is the English translation of what was said to us by a father who we met in the park as we handed out gifts, "we have been praying for a miracle this year. There are many children in town who wouldn't have received anything for Christmas..." EVERYONE who donated and participated in this project made the miracle happen. I feel humbled to have had the opportunity to watch people from all over the world, donate wholeheartedly to these people here in Costa Rica. Thank you so much for your support! I will try and paint a little picture for you about how the evening unfolded. It was so wonderful...
The idea for Santa out of the truck came last year. Tom and I were making our deliveries on Christmas, and Brody had found some kids hanging out on the streets and offered them pop and chips. They were so stoked, and Brody remembered them in his prayers for months. We decided then and there, in 2010 we would go find the kids on the streets, and give them a little Christmas. Thanks to the help of our friends from here in Costa Rica, New Zealand, Hungary, Norway, Canada, and the U.S., we were able to make that goal come true this year.
After days of planning and shopping, and with one delivery day under our belts, we were anxious to pile the loads of toys and treats in the truck for delivery. Several of us spent part of the day baking goods to hand out as well. We had a hundred cupcakes, another hundred cookies, juice and bananas, and a bunch of candies. Martin (our friend with the truck and a heart of gold) gathered the kids together as he announced, "ok kids, everyone listen up to Caralee, she is going to tell us how this is going to go down today and what the plan is..." I already had my game face on, so I jumped right into it "alright guys, yeah. Here we go! The plan is.....I have no plan." I had a vision in my mind about how it was going to go down, but when it came down to it, I was super nervous that all the hard work and energy would be for nothing...What if we couldn't find kids? What if we gave the stuff to kids who weren't really in need, how could we tell??? I became a little anxious. All these people were depending on me. The people who donated, the people who were in need, my friends who were coming out to deliver and be a part of the experience. We had a few ideas of what town we would head to first, but no real plan in place. So we got in our cars and started to drive. I pondered my anxious feelings as we headed out. I felt impressed, nobody was counting on me, we were all counting on God. He was going to help us find each other. That's a huge relief!
We drove through a town that was pretty deserted. Ok, no, onto the next. We drove through another little town and around the center park...still nothing. Then Tom knew where to go. The back streets of a town called Cartegena. We drove around a bit, handed out a toy from the back to a kid here and there. The good feelings started coming and my anxiety started to fade. We passed a 'house' where an older man was hanging out. That's where it all really started. My friend Amy said, "we have to start somewhere," hopped out of her car, and went straight to his door to give him a cookie. He was soooooooo happy, it was hilarious. Then some kids turned up, and then more, and then more. We drove on. We found more kids and gave them toys and treats. They started coming out of the wood works. Getting their toys and running, no, sprinting away, to tell their friends and bring them back. And bring them back they did! They gathered on corners and outside their houses. At one point we came to a little park where there was a dozen or so kids gathered. Our kids played there for a bit and we handed out more toys and treats. We were getting through the pile! It was there the gentleman told us of the needs in that town, he was so grateful. That was the moment where I just knew, we had found each other! They were praying to be found, and we were praying to find them. I felt a great warmth, satisfaction, love, gratitude, humility, all of that. We headed out of town and the kids were gathered on the corners. We got through about 75% of our toys and treats, which was fine, because I knew we could find homes for the rest on Christmas Day. As we left they thanked us with hugs and smiles and laughter. Christmas Spirit doesn't get any better than that. Thank you to all those who donated and participated, making it possible for this Christmas to be cheerful and hopeful for so many!
Getting started...
A little corner gathering.
It was a lot of excitement, but no chaos. They were very grateful and courteous.
Tom helping one of the kids test out his new toy.
They look a little miserable with their homemade treats, but they all go straight faced for photos. lol.
Word got out, and they came a runnin'!
It was so easy for all the kids to be involved, even little Elle (2).
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