ABC Celebration in Montellano

The ABC Celebration in Montellano was a day full of festivities and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. I have too many photos to share all of them and too many stories to tell so I will try to and hit the highlights. I counted 16 buses plus trucks and vans that carried approximately 1,500 people to the celebration.

The first photo shows the temporary shelter that was built to protect people from the sun. It was a hot day but we were thankful for a slight breeze.

The second photo is of Manuela. She is talking to the crowd about how thankful she is for the ABC program. She has been sponsored since the age of 6 and she is currently 18 years old. She is now working as a dental assistant and has applied for dental school. She is a true success story for the program!

I met Tomasa Sanda that is being sponsored by Jeanie that lives in Morganton, NC. Jeanie attends the Church of Christ in Morganton and recently began sponsoring Tomasa. Maybe one day Tomasa will be speaking about her accomplishments and opportunities that she has had!

The children were given awards for their accomplishments throughout the year and each community had a bed and a chest of drawers to present to a student. The fourth photo is of Jose Luis in La Palma being presented with his bed. Many other students received awards for their grades in school.

Lunch was provided and considering the amount of people the lines moved rather quickly.

Buses, trucks and vans were loaded and the children were ready to return to their homes. The last photo is of one of the buses as they were preparing to leave.

Many thanks goes to the Guatemalan staff that organize this program and to the sponsors in the United States. Any missing link would prevent this day from being as successful as it was!

THANK YOU!