by Marcelo Inga Bartra
From the warm lands of Tingo Maria, to the cold mountains of Ayacucho, faces filled with joy dazzling this great December, filled with Christmas. A laborious work was carried out in order to see big smiles on children and adults. The great family of Make a Miracle spread happiness through it's own students, who wanted to see a joyful atmosphere in different areas of our great Peru.
There are no words to describe the great humanity of my brothers who decided to go to distant places of Lima and to spread joy throughout many beautiful places of Peru, all for a great reason: to celebrate Christmas with children, teenagers, mothers and fathers.
What can generate happiness at Christmas?..... A warm hug, a hot chocolate, a delicious piece of panetton and a surprise gift. All of the above can be summed up in celebrating, sharing as a community, as one family, because this is what Christmas is all about. It is more than just a simple celebration, it is a dance that everyone wants to dance. What would Christmas be without the Chocolatadas (hot chocolate parties), for who can imagine Christmas without at least one Chocolatada?
Several of my brothers and sisters gathered to bring happiness to beautiful communities, long planning in between, without expecting anything in return. Great pure hearts, lacking selfishness with a great love for their fellow man. Bringing celebration in their hearts which explodes in a great ecstasy of satisfaction seeing the faces of entire families enjoying the effort, sacrifice and passion for unwavering love.
December united the Make a Miracle family on more than one occasion. One in which this writer was present, that inspired me to grab my pencil and devour page after page to share this glorious experience, was that Monday December 19th when we celebrated together with all our Make a Miracle brothers, an afternoon of laughter, of much jubilation, of being able to share as a big family united by various adversities and circumstances.
Since we come from different families, each brother carries a certain weight on his shoulders that I pray his proud back will never bend. One of the things that this Christmas taught me was fraternity, the feeling of union that we all have towards Make a Miracle who made us a home in it's heart. Our grateful hearts will always want to share such love with the people who need it, from building houses, to doing chores, to celebrating in favor of the communities.
Christmas shines like the sun, breathing with fervor, illuminating every heart, blessing every table of families with eternal love. I feel so much joy to be part of this family in the same way as my brothers and sisters. They are all an example of overcoming and motivation, the barriers you only put yourself, learn it is key to break the limits.
Marcelo is a 22 year old Make a Miracle scholarship student who is currently studying Human Resources.
MIRACLE STUDENT CHRISTMAS PARTY: December 19th our scholarship students gathered at our study center for their annual holiday party. The party was planned and executed by some of our new scholarship students who are working on their "leadership folder" requirements in order to start their degree. A fun time was had by all with food, games, dancing and a "canasta" or gift basket for each student.
TINGO MARIA: Tingo María is a city on the Huallaga River in central Peru, set between Andean highlands and Amazonian jungle. Several of our scholarship students traveled 15 hours each way by bus, fulfilling their dream of host Chocolatada parties for hundreds of children in this underserved area. Thank you Doris, Tatiana, Jans, Vasti and Sebastian!
STAR KIDS & STAR TEENS: On December 17th our Star Kids and Star Teens leaders hosted fun holiday Chocolatadas for the kids who a part of our two clubs. It was an amazing day, complete with a puppet show, a clown, games and of course hot chocolate and gifts for everyone. As always, Star Kids and Star Teens are completely student run.