Feliz Dia de Mama

Mothers' day in Peru is a big big deal! The shops go crazy selling mothers' day merchandise, most schools will put on an extravagant mothers' day concert as well as taking lots of time to make cards and presents. This is interesting since Peruvians do not send birthday cards or Christmas cards. People give presents and greetings to their friends who are mothers to celebrate this important occasion too!

This was the first mothers' day that the Williamsons celebrated at El Puente, the previous 2 years we were travelling since the mothers' day weekend marks the start of Jess and Sam's mid term week off school .

To mark this important cultural event we had a mothers' day celebration in church, the kids sang to the mothers and recited a poem, we then gave all the children (whatever their age) in church the opportunity to publicly thank their mothers, we prayed for mothers and thanked God for them and then in true El Puente style we had a special mothers' day cake! The children in church had made keyrings for the church mums and they were also presented with little boxes of choclolates !



We tried to be sensitive to the fact that mothers' day can be a hard day for some people who don't have a mother and we spoke of the importance of family, church family and the fact that we are adopted as God's children. We especially think of little Roxana in our church who lives with her grandmother and encouraged her to give the special gifts to say a big thankyou to her grandmother who cares for her.