We held our third annual “Christmas Party at the Greenhouses” on Dec. 20. The community of field workers and their families is suffering even more this year, as their work hours have been drastically reduced and power and water have been cut off to the barracks where some of them live.
Unlike last year’s event, nothing seemed to go well at the outset of this year’s party. But in the end, God used all of the setbacks for His glory, which made the day perfect in every way!
The first hurdle we encountered was a sudden change in venue. The greenhouse boss decided not to allow us to use the packing house facility we’ve used in previous years, blocking the road and even cutting off power to the facility. So we had to quickly decide on another location. We picked a flat field near the entrance to the community, which also happens to be the site of a new church plant! The day was sunny and warm, so the location turned out to be wonderful. A grove of trees provided the perfect spot for piñatas, and we were able to set up tables in a banquet style, which made the party feel more intimate. A gracious neighbor allowed us to run an extension cord to her house so we could plug in our sound system.
The second big challenge was an influx of families we had not expected. Despite our best planning efforts, we ended up with several families that we simply hadn’t accounted for. We decided not to turn any of them away, and ended up admitting about 200 into the party–including 92 children! That was a huge increase over last year’s numbers of about 150 overall and 60 children.
Our biggest concern about the large crowd was that there would not be enough food for everyone. We began praying that God would miraculously multiply the tamales, beans and pasta salad. We assumed there wouldn’t be enough food for the 20+ volunteers helping us with the event. But God came through, of course! Not only was there enough food for EVERYONE–there was more than enough. We served hungry guests thirds and fourths, we ate as much as we wanted and we still ended up with enough leftovers to bless a local Christian rehabilitation home. God was faithful and our faith was built watching the pile of tamales refuse to disappear!
When we admitted so many extra children, we were resigned to the fact that some of them would not receive wrapped gifts. But once again, the Lord had other plans. Thanks to our team’s efforts during the party (particularly Kristin Costello who was managing the gift planning) we were able to come up with gifts for every single child! One late-arriving family got overlooked but we delivered their gifts on Christmas Eve.
These miracles of provision and plenty made for a very special day. We felt that everything was part of God’s plan and under His control. The families enjoyed the activities, including raffles, piñatas and cake. There was much laughter. Our team of volunteers from Shoreline Church in Salinas and Loma Linda University were amazing. Everyone pitched in selflessly to serve these needy families. The local pastor and his wife even drove back to their house 15 minutes away to bring us extra tables.
This Christmas even wouldn’t have been possible without help and support from the following groups and churches. Thank you all so much!
- Mike and Julee Johanson and their group from Shoreline Community Church
- The PA classes at Loma Linda University (who supplied most of the wrapped gifts)
- Morningstar Christian Fellowship in the UK who’s generosity meant we didn’t have to hold anything back in blessing the greenhouse community!
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