On Monday evening, we sat down as a team to wrap up the year before beginning our Christmas break. We couldn’t help but give thanks and praise to the Lord for guiding us through such a challenging, yet beautiful, year! These past few weeks we have been out in the villages delivering Christmas gifts to the mothers, and the joy that we encountered was truly wonderful. One of our volunteers commented on the fact that the name of this organization is so fitting- smile again! The Lord truly invites those that are weary to rejoice in Him, and I am so blessed to be a part of an organization that spreads this message of hope to those who desperately need to hear it. Below are a few photos of some smiling faces we were able to encounter!
We want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and your donations this Christmas season! With your help, we were able to bring a kg of soap and a Christmas meal to each mother and child, and Stella and I baked a cake for each village to share! What started out as a crazy idea (we had to bake 11 cakes in two weeks!) turned out to be such a great source of joy for the mothers. Back home, sweets are baked often throughout the year, and we definitely always have a few cookie baking sessions close to Christmas. However, here in a lot of the villages, cookies or a cake are a rarity- how I wish you could have witnessed the joy on the faces of the teenage mothers and their children! I am constantly learning that, at times, what seems like something simple in my mind, can mean the world to another person. What a beautiful reminder that, though we may feel like we do not have a lot to give, even the little that we do give shows these young girls that they are seen and loved. That love will go further than any amount of money ever could.The lyrics to the song ‘O Holy Night’ have been floating through my head constantly these past few weeks, specifically the words “long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt it’s worth”. Our mission here at Smile Again Families is to help broken teenage mothers discover their inner worth. As Christmas is quickly approaching, I am once again reminded that our Savior has already come and that our worth lies in Him alone. We pray that the Lord continues to lead and guide this ministry and continue to invite you all to do the same. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and we pray that your souls may find rest in the Lord this Christmas. May we all rejoice together in the birth of our King!