Our big event
This past July, we celebrated Children’s Day in Venezuela. What began as a dream that God put in our hearts, ended up being a bigger victory than we expected. After months of prayer, planning and great effort we were able to honor more than 2800 children in each of their sectors. During the event we had a series of workshops which included vaccinations, deworming, nutritionists, prenatal evaluation, hairdressing, haircuts, creation of puppets, face painting, medicine delivery, introduction of biblical values and principles as well as biblical studies and their meanings. We were able to distribute toys, clothes, food, and a lot of joy to each child in our dining rooms on this special day. But most of all, it gives us great satisfaction to know that we were able to teach them about God’s love, as that alone can bring true change to their hearts. As author and theologian Howard Hendricks said “The teaching that leaves a mark is not the teaching that is done from head to head, but from heart to heart.”
I would like to leave you with the words used by one of our pastors to describe what the children’s day was like. “Today we give thanks to the Lord because between jumps and joy our children were honored in each of their sectors. A moment full of color and emotion that only people as sensitive and humble as our children can experience. It was a great delight to hear them sing songs of love that speak of a better world. To hear them raise their voices asking for no more mistreatment, no more injuries. Seeing their faces speaks to us of hope. Let us educate our children and it will not be necessary to punish the man of tomorrow. Let us instruct the children with the truths of heaven and these will never depart from their hearts. How great are the children! I see in them the hope of a promising life. May values, principles and truths be sown in their lives. Tomorrow we will have pastors, teachers, evangelists, impact leaders, lawyers, carpenters, masons, responsible fathers and God-fearing men and women. God the father bless all our boys and girls…” -Pastor Marcos Garcia (Director of Hijos Del Sol Soup Kitchens)
What can we do to have a better world, and avoid so much violence? Let’s start by teaching God’s love to every child we have around, as they say, “small things can make a big difference”. Likewise if you would like to join all that God is doing through our foundation in the lives of these children, we would be honored to share these victories and each testimony with you.
References
3,200 Venezuelan children were diagnosed with acute malnutrition between January and April 2022/ REDHNNA / June 15,2022
https://www.redhnna.org/noticias/3-200-ninos-venezolanos-fueron-diagnosticados-con-desnutricion-aguda-entre-enero-y-abril-de-2022#:~:text=This%20organization%20reports%20that%20they%20also%C3%A9n%20presented%20delay%20in%20the%20growth.
Violence Against Children/ World Health Organization/ June 8, 2020
https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-children#:~:text=Data%20and%20figures&text=I%20calculate%20that%20up%20to%201000,%20of%20all%20the%20lifetime.
