This was a big occasion for us because it felt like we were being considered a part of the community. A woman came to the M.E.I. Clinic Building to ask Ms Sheila to borrow chairs for her daughter's birthday party. She needed long tables, and many plastic chairs for the event. Through conversation I learned it was her daughter's 8th birthday and I told her my daughter is 10. She immediately invited us to come to the party as well. I calmly accepted, but on the inside I was ECSTATIC!! I could have done a little happy dance on the spot, but I kept my cool and told her that Zoe and I would be there. I couldn't wait to share the news with Zoe!! A party!! A girl party!!
Sheila was so wonderful to provide Zoe with some options for gifts and a gift bag. She allowed Zoe to choose from items that were in the storage room and I was just as excited as my little girl. The party was on a Sunday and we had plans to go to North Side for the Revival and hear Teddy preach. Ted is a part of the M.E.I. Team at the Clinic and he is native to Helene. He is a local Pastor that has been working alongside M.E.I. since their arrival many years ago. His church was hosting a revival and so we had plans to attend that morning. It was so wonderful! Along the way we encountered friends from Seco and I shared my umbrella with another young woman on the road. The sun was quite hot that day and umbrellas are a necessity.
The church service was packed! We were squeezed in like sardines, but it was a joyous occasion. 3 people gave their hearts to Christ that day and I had the unique experience of witnessing their baptism in the sea!! Seriously!!! It was so cool! The whole congregation walked to the beach singing praise songs and kept singing during their baptism. The people who were baptized went straight into the water with their church clothes on! It was just amazing!!! Praise be to God!!
We ended up staying for the meal following the baptism then we planned on heading back to the Clinic Building to get ready for the birthday party. I think I was more excited than Zoe. I sweat through my church clothes and so it was necessary to change my outfit AGAIN and it felt like the time ticked by so slowly until it was finally time to go to the party. Zoe and I headed down the road towards The Bite and along the way there were others that were dressed up and headed the same direction. When we arrived I was shocked! It was a big event!! I pulled up a chair next to the first inviting, smiling face and created the expectation in my mind to stay a long time. More and more people arrived over the next hour. Mostly moms and their children. Women of all ages, decked out and looking gorgeous. There were party favors and table decorations....the theme was Moana. Zoe just danced around and was her regular gleeful self. I smiled and just sat quietly in my chair. Smiling at all the little babies and toddlers. There were at least 30-40 kids no joke. And it was so wonderful!
I got a video of the some of the activity, but instead of posting the video I felt it in better taste to post a picture. It's important for us to display photos that honor the islanders and their children. We have to get permission to post their pictures out of respect. The islanders are no different than anyone else in that they want pictures of their children to show the love and care that they have for them. So photos of their kiddos in their Sunday best are most honoring to the families. This is why some of the pictures are limited. There were many people at the party and it would be too difficult to ask everyone's permission. There was a pinata! A Moana Pinata to be precise. And man did the kids attack the pinata! Moana did not survive and lots of kids got boom booms (suckers) and candies from her tragic death. LOL!!! It was so much fun!
I found out that Helenians LOVE pinatas and will have that at any event possible. Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, Birthdays, Anniversaries etc. There was also a game where the hostess carried a cake around to the tables and the ladies got a chance to guess what item was inside the cake. It may be a coffee filter, a toothpick, or other household or kitchen item. It was so much fun to listen to them compete and yell out their guesses. Whomever guessed correctly won the cake! Zoe and I stayed until the sun went down (about 6:30) and the party was far from over. The hostesses were passing out bowls of soup and slices of watermelon when we had to leave. It was just so so wonderful to see all of the women gathered together. I did learn that all the kids are invited. Boys and girls, so next time I will be sure to take my boys too.
If you get a chance to visit the island, it would be a treat to come to a birthday party and a baptism all in the same day! I definitely felt blessed by the Lord for getting to experience these two events!!
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