Bringing Christmas to Paraíso

Engadi Ministries welcomed long-time partners Anderson University back to Guatemala on Saturday afternoon. We are grateful for their yearly December trip to serve with us. One tradition the team continues yearly is to bring Christmas to Paraíso with an annual children’s toy handout. This year, the team came prepared with hundreds of dolls, stuffed animals, and other toys to give to kids who likely will not receive anything else for Christmas.

To start the afternoon off, families lined up around the block in Paraíso to wait their turn to pick out a toy. Each child was numbered while the team set up “Santa’s Workshop” in a nearby house. While the crowds of people waited, the opportunity was seized to present the Gospel message and the true Christmas story to those standing in line. People were told of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection to pay for their sins, and the hope that they can have through placing their faith in Him. Afterwards, a prayer was led allowing people time to pray for their children, thank God for the gifts, and surrender their lives to Him.

The team form Anderson worked together with the boys in Engadi’s Derek Program and each child was allowed to pick out a toy or two to keep. Parents were also provided personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, floss, and deodorant while children selected toys. The children greatly enjoyed the time of fellowship with the team from Anderson University, and Santa even made time to make an appearance at the event! All in all, toys were provided to 379 children, and families were presented with the Gospel message of salvation, making for a very merry Christmas in Paraíso!
#engadi #brotherhood #hope