Jul 5, 2014 - SOLCA Sacraments

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Since we have been here we have been trying to get a foot in the door at the SOLCA Cancer Hospital, Children's Ward. It has been a long haul. We (our group of volunteers from Calvary Chapel Cuenca and some others who attend other churches, but do outreach with us) have been able to attend a couple of birthday parties for the kids and make balloon animals, face paint, etc. We have also been able to go to the hospital and take prayer blankets (provided by Lights Chapel Baptist Church, Greenbrier, TN) to the kids and pray with them, but not take pictures.

At our last birthday party three couples were asked if they would like to become god parents for some of the children as they received their sacraments. Yesterday we were able to meet our god children and today they received their sacraments.

This was really strange to me. I was raised as a Catholic but left that faith at the age of 30 . I had seen many sacramental services, but this was really different, to me. There were six children from about one to ten being Baptized; eight children from about seven to fourteen receiving First Communion; and ten children from about twelve to seventeen being Confirmed. All in one service.

They was even a marriage listed in the program, but I believe they held that later.

After the church service we all went to the auditorium for lunch with the children. Here we were truly blessed to be able to hand out the prayer blankets to all of the children and some of the volunteers and take all the pictures that we wanted. What a wonderful day.

We were also able to give Juliana, our god daughter, a knitted hat and scarf, provided by a friend of ours, Kim Pitt, in White House, TN.

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