By Sara:
This month marked the end of almost two years of youth Bible study groups here in Soroti. We hear that kids are going back to school in January, so we decided to celebrate what God has done through these groups with a Christmas party. I told them long ago that I would have them all over right before they go back to school, so the kids have been looking forward to this for at least six months :)
I invited all of the members of the three groups over to my house for the party and planned the details with representatives from each group. I spent the day before baking lots of sugar cookies and preparing colored sugar and icing for decorating. A couple of the kids did the shopping for food, so I went to their home to pick up the things they bought as well as cupcakes and a cake some of them baked, and the juice others had prepared.
The morning of the party, some of the kids came early to help me set up, and to cook pilau (spiced rice mixed with small pieces of meat), while I cooked chaya.
When everyone else showed up around noon, they had a great time playing Pictionary (or at least a version of it that worked for them). The girls' team beat the boys, by the way - but just barely.
After that, we feasted on pilau and chaya. Once everyone was full, there was still more food - everyone got to decorate 4 cookies, plus they got a cupcake and a piece of cake. Decorating cookies was a big hit and a new experience for everyone except the kids who came over for a Christmas party last year.
We sang happy birthday to everyone, one month at a time. The person whose birthday was closest to the party (2 days before) got to blow out a candle on her cupcake.
I am very thankful for all of these people and the ways I have seen God work in their lives over the past two years. I will miss them when they go back to school!
