Graduation

The Day Care's graduation ceremony was on Saturday November 24th. We have 14 children leaving us and going to school. The kids have been practicing songs, skits and poems for the graduation for months. Everything went very well and the children did a GREAT job on all of their items they were performing. There was only one part of the afternoon that worried me. In the middle of the play, the power went out! Since all of the songs were on CD, the graduation would have been a total disaster with no power. After 2 minutes of frantic prayer and hoping for a miracle, the power DID come back on and we were able to finish the graduation with no more hiccups. Thanks God for helping us. A typical blackout lasts HOURS. God is good.

The graduation began with all of the children on stage. They recited the Lord's Prayer and then sang several songs (Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus in the Morning, This Joy That I Have, and Clap Your Hands Halleluiah just to name a few.) After this, the Puppy class (2-3 year olds) showed off what they have learned by saying their colors, shapes, days of the week, months of the year and counting 1-10.

Next the Giraffe girls and boys (5-6 year olds) said nursery rhymes and sang a few songs. 5 of the giraffes performed a tambourine routine to "The Happy Song." This was such a hit, the parents called for an encore.

Then we started the play. The kids memorized lines and sang songs in this play. The worked so hard. Mary and Joseph were so cute pulling their 'donkey' behind them. The donkey was a plastic storage box with wheels and a horse head attached. The sheep, shepherds, wise men and miscellaneous other characters came in on cue, said their lines and looked cute as could be! The end of the play had the whole cast of the nativity on the stage as "Mary" said John 3:16.

After the play, the Elephant Class (4-5 year olds) sang 3 songs to give us time to dress the graduates in their caps and gowns. They marched in to "Above All" and looked so proud as they waited their turn to receive their certificates. Pastor Cheryl prayed for each child individually as they received their certificate. And each child also received a Beginner's Bible courteous of several churches in Virginia!

We finished the program with the song "He Reigns" which starts "It’s the song of the forgiven, rising from the African plains." During this song it was an amazing feeling to have all of the children singing at the top of their lungs "All God's children singing 'Glory, glory, halleluiah He reigns."

Finally, we passed out food and had some fellowship time. Everything went smoothly. The kids did a great job. The parents LOVED it. And Im glad its over!
Go to my pictures page to see some photos from graduation. www.flickr.com/photos/10765134@N03/