Speaking of stress, Wednesday we topped off our last few days of classes with the traditional Cowman School Christmas Program.
A good chunk of MONDAY morning was spent next door, upstairs at Radio 4VEH, where there is a reception hall big enough to accommodate all the students and their family members. This was to be the locale for the program, so it was important to get the kids on stage there and test out the sound system and all.
The program consisted of Christmas carols interspersed with a few short skits illustrating how some of our favorite carols came about in the first place. Caleb (on the right) played the man who wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem and his buddy Jake Bundy played the man who composed the tune.
TUESDAY was our final day of classes and the kids showed up ready to learn!
Here's a great shot of Melissa, her class, and her aide, Miss Rose. They had a crazy busy day, finishing up crafts, unwrapping gifts and watching The Polar Express. Melissa was excited because we found a woman in the marketplace last weekend selling cute little resin Christmas trains for the equivalent of 50 cents each, so that's what Melissa bought her students. (You never know what you might find in the market!)
After school Tuesday was my final adult English class of the year and I had promised my students a Christmas party. Melissa and the kids - including the Bundys - had helped decorate them the night before.
My students went to town on those cookies. Even though the general consensus was that sugar cookies with icing are a bit too sweet for Haitian tastebuds, I brought home ONE cookie. One! We had a great time singing some Christmas carols together, too. A lot of fun.
WEDNESDAY was the big day - the kids were to start arriving at 1:30 with the Christmas program itself scheduled for 2:30. Some of us were tasked with keeping the kids busy outside while final preparations were made inside. It was supposed to be a quiet time of making crafts and playing some lowkey holiday games - parents and children interacting together. Instead, it was largely chaos. Kids were running wild in their dressy clothes. Parents sat inside in the air conditioning. And finding the right kids to organize costumes and prep for the program was nearly impossible.
But the kids had fun!
Everyone was dressed in his or her finest!
Including our Hannah - looking very mature for an 11 year old!
Melissa and Rose had their hands full in herding their students and making costume changes. But the cuteness factor was worth all the effort.
Samuel's character was the sickly composer of "What Child Is This?" Everyone agreed he does the best fake sneezes. (He told me his secret - as if he'd given it a lot of thought - you have to say A-SHOO instead of A-CHOO.)
Waiting for the big show to begin...
Mary was ready for her big scene...
The "What Child Is This?" skit:
Hannah was narrator for the skit on "O Come, All Ye Faithful". And she did a lovely job!
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
The Big Finale: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas!"
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: Now we're in full-blown break mode and the kids have already enjoyed a couple of sleepovers and some family movie time.
(Tomorrow we are going to the beach - and that means I need to get to sleep soon. One needs to be as alert as possible while driving to the beach!)
We are looking forward to what surprises and challenges God has in store for us here during our first Christmas away from family. As always, we would appreciate your prayers ... especially for our kids. And we wish you and yours a very merry and meaningful Christmas!
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