Advent Calendar Week 1

It is about the little things each day, 

which mold into the events in our week, 

which morph into the memories of our month.

It is December and every week I will recall for you what little things we did to celebrate this Christmas month!

Last year I made a super Easy Advent Calendar.  

This year it was even easier!  I just changed the sticky notes inside!

December 1:  We went to the Christmas Zambiza Garbage Dump Party.

"In June of 1997 the Extreme Response founders began working with the 300+ people that lived and worked right there in the trash. These people gleaned their living by digging through the garbage that flows out of the back of garbage trucks, living in small shacks made from pallets and other building materials they found in the trash. They survived on what they found to use, eat and sell."

Because of Extreme Response these people no longer live among the trash and are now taught about personal hygiene, have educational assistance, and work as sorters of the trash for what can be recycled.  Every year Extreme Response hosts a Christmas party for the Zambiza community.  They provide games, picture with santa, crafts, dancing, music, and lunch for about 1900 people!

Our little family plus a friend from our youth group and two girls from the German school were in charge of a game booth.  It was Toss-the-ring-onto-the-glass-bottle!  Once the people from Zambiza got 3 tosses they received a piece of candy!

Very common for the babies & toddlers to be strapped to the back 

of their mom, grandma, or older sister.

For more information about Zambiza Christmas Party click on the link.

December 2:  Husband and Wife went to a Live Concert

The concert was at our local church and performed by Jessa Anderson , her husband Jordan, and our friend Ricky on percussion.
Baby Z was sleeping in a tent downstairs.
This was such a blessing.
We don't get Christian artists coming to Ecuador- so it was so much fun to go to a concert!
(We brought Mosaic too!)

December 3:  Started working on a puzzle while drinking hot tea 

& listening to a sermon by one of our supporting churches.

December 4:  Watched Its a Wonderful Life 

while continuing to work on the puzzle (its a hard one!)

December 5:  Making homemade Apple Cider

 From REAL apples!  Recipe I am using here mixed and matched with this recipe here.


Sipping the delicious cider all gone,