Graceland

A rainy day in April saw my friend Stacey and I dropping some beautifully wrapped gifts at Graceland preschool in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch. The boxes were filled with gifts for each of the 44 kids who come from the surrounding farms. We asked members of the congregation to bring their gifts to church in the weeks leading up to Easter. Tracy sorting through some of the many shoeboxes..

Elizabeth the principal (above), was thrilled to have us visit and commented in gratitude for the gifts: "This preschool belongs to God and He looks after it."

We helped the teachers hand out a gift box to each child and then watched as chaos ensued. It wasn't too long before ribbon and wrapping were everywhere and the children were showing off their new gifts. They received toys, chocolates and some much needed clothing and toiletries.

As we left, the kids said a big 'baie dankie!' for the presents and sang us a sweet song about how special they are. I can't convey enough the excitement and happy faces we saw as they opened up their presents.To those of you who contributed and gave gifts, thank you so much for making this Easter a special one for these young ones.