But for the children at the Village of Hope it is a day of celebration.  Many here in the States have given presents for the children.  One Elder from Tulsa gives $300.00 annually so the children can have ICE CREAM on Christmas day.  Others sacrifice so that a special meal with all you can eat, great variety taste tempting foods can be served.  Soft drinks, a rare treat, are passed out to all the children.  Smiles are fixed on the faces and eyes are filled with wonder at the greatness of that day.

For seven small children who have known only fear, hunger, hard work, beatings, loneliness and rags for clothing it is a day of magic!

They don't know what to do.  They sit in their new clothes and continuously run their hands over them feeling the crisp, clean newness of them.  Their feet are a bit uncomfortable in their new tennis shoes, since they have never even had a pair of shoes on, but they refuse to take them off.  The shoes are their's and they will wear them until their feet learn comfort.  They see the food and a plate is handed to them.  It is full and even running over.  The only thing they can remember eating is Kenkye and yet they see before them such delicacies as fried chicken, roast lamb, fried and boiled yams, fried plantain and other things they don't even know of.  They look to the older Village of Hope children for guidance.  No one eats until a prayer of thanksgiving is said and the former little slaves do not even know about the good God they are praying to, but they like Him.  They are ready to praise Him, because He seems to be the reason they are sitting there with clean, new clothing and a full plate of food.  So they listen as the prayer is said and then shout a resounding AMEN! when it is over.

They dig in.  Their tiny little bellies have never held so much food.  They stick out and the children look down at them and rub their hands over the roundness and fear that they might wake up from that wonderful dream.  They are sure they could not eat another bite...  And then the ice cream comes. 

"Ice cream!" The older children are shouting.

"Ice cream?" The little ex-slaves wonder.  "What is ice cream?"

They are encouraged to take a bite and though they are already too full, they do.

Oh the joy!  The wonder!  Their mouths have never tasted anything so luscious, so cool, creamy, so... Oh it was just unexplainable.  Not one bowl, but two and some of them even went back for thirds. 

Could life ever get any better than that moment? 

Later that day, former slave Sarah was walking around with a black plastic quart sized bag.  Gladys Bulley, her house parent - a good, loving mother, whom I have known for almost fifteen years - asked her what she had in the bag.  Sarah told her that she had gathered some of the food that was left over on the other children's plates so that she could have something to eat the next day.

Gladys, who has seen it all, was heart touched and put her arms around Sarah and told her she didn't have to worry about that anymore.  "Tomorrow," she told Sarah, "You will eat and not just once, but three times.  God has provided the food and this place for you."

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