Written by: Kuya Glenn Costales, President
Ate Lovely was a picture of enthusiasm and joy as her family and friends all finally arrived to spend the holiday with 25 kids from Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation (JLLCFI) in Pasig City. Despite the weather, a cheerful program awaited our kuyas, ates and kids to brighten up the otherwise lazy Monday.
The volunteers first lined up front and center to introduce themselves. After getting acquainted with the kids, the volunteers proceeded immediately to the day’s first activity with the Alphabet game.
In the Alphabet game, the volunteers made up 3-member-groups. Each group then had to creatively pose to form a specific letter. The kids then served as judges as to the most unique group to win a point. Some letters were of course easier to form than others. Nevertheless, it was a great way to shake off the cobwebs of the rainy and lethargic morning.
Soon enough, the volunteers were grouped with the young bundles of energy wherein they got even more acquainted with each other. After several engaging minutes, it was off to the day’s next game with Paint me a Picture. To spice it up a little, the game did not make use of the usual topics. Instead, to broaden the imagination of everyone, the category was all about travelling around the world with famous places and landmarks. From the Banawe Rice Terraces to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the teams had to get ingenious on how they would paint these sites and emulate their breathtaking sight.
One of Ate Lovely’s friends was next up to lead an activity set to make the day even more vibrant. Using a colorfully laced bracelet, she shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. The bracelet was a perfect illustration of how much God loves us, our sin problem, God’s solution and our appropriate response to His free gift of eternal life. As innocent and young as the kids were, this was indeed a seed that can be planted early in their hearts which they can nourish and grow into fullness as they become older.
It was finally on to the most awaited part of the event – eating time! The volunteers and kids enjoyed a comforting and well-loved children’s meal and some pizza. The whole group then posed for a group photo with their prizes from the games, as well as the gifts prepared by their kuyas and ates.
Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 “”Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Thank U! to Ate Lovely and her family and friends for being intentional in their time with kids. Aside from the material gifts, they truly gave the kids something more priceless and valuable.
