Christmas 2024
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas to all of you. For Action for Children Zambia, Christmas is a big event! It starts in July when volunteers pack and ship the barrels and doesn’t end until our football (soccer) tournaments are over on the 26th. Most of the kids that have grown up with us are home for Christmas, along with their spouses and children. Christmas has become steeped in traditions that have helped to make us into a family and are passed on to the next generation.
Thanks to those barrels, we make gingerbread men, sugar cookies and many more yummy treats to eat. The entire week before Christmas, we sing Christmas Carols at the top of our voices and prepare for our church celebrations. On Christmas Eve, all the little ones become angels, shepherds, sheep and goats, and we put on a wonderful Christmas play before Mass. On Christmas morning, every person will find a present under the tree with their name and we open them before church.
This year, we will be baptizing 33 people, young and old, and welcome them into our congregation. Then we have a feast fit for kings and all the villagers come. Christmas has become an annual event in the Chamulimba community, and I am so blessed to be able to offer it. After lunch settles, the youth take over with chess and football tournaments that end with the finals on the next day. It’s our time to put away those cares and worries, relax and have fun!
We have 17 new kids who will be celebrating their first Christmas with us. Generally, this means that they have never received a Christmas present. If you could see their eyes by the end of Christmas day, you would never stop smiling! It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. And always, know – it’s because of you that we can do this. Without your generosity and goodwill, none of this could happen. Our heartfelt gratitude isn’t enough to express how thankful we are for you. I pray your new year is filled with peace and blessings.
May God Bless You on Christmas and always,
Carol and the children of AFCZ