I would like to thank everyone for making our Annual Meeting a time for celebration -- not only of the work we accomplished last year, but also for the faith in what we can continue to do this year and in the future.  I did manage to make it through the whole meeting without using the phrase "Stone Soup" but that is what came across to me.  

Linda Hank

Thank you also to the vestry members who are completing their terms.  All served with great dedication.  Outgoing vestry members are Joe Landry (Junior Warden), Paul DuRoss, Tim McLaughlin, and Warren Poor.  We would especially like to thank Joe for his leadership and care for our parish building and grounds for the last three years.  

Once again we had a successful  trip to Guatemala in early December.  Delta allowed us 12 fifty-pound hockey bags, although they made it clear this was the last time they would do this. I had sent 13 bags to Ohio to go in a container, and my daughter and her husband had taken four bags during the summer, so we had a lot of toys, shoes, soccer balls, baby blankets (made by Martha Wishart with yarn from the Bargain Box), and some vitamins donated by friends and a parishioner.

We did three distributions in remote areas and saw about 1600 children, many of whom walked for over an hour to get to the site. Yes, we do have police protection when we are in the remotest villages.  The children are always waiting in line for us and are so happy to have a toy.  My daughter came with us, and her son Jay made a great Santa for the second year.  He has the ho-ho-ho nailed. We gave out over 100 soccer balls and many were being kicked around immediately.

We next went to Guatemala City where Mama Carmen has seventy plus children living with her in a very poor area.  Many of them are former street children, and some with handicaps.  We took Mama shopping for $1,000 worth of groceries.  $500 was donated by the Bargain Box and $500 was donated by a generous parishioner. Many people donate various goods to Mama Carmen, but she especially likes this shopping spree when she can buy what is really wanted and needed.  She does her homework and most of what she buys is on sale.  I found out this year that marshmallows are to Guatemalan children what candy canes are to children here in the US at Christmas time.  So we made sure there were plenty of those.  Mama not only feeds her children -- homeless men stop by her door knowing  she will find something for them to eat.

We bought cookie packets and boxed drinks for the children, and not a crumb is wasted.  I also had small toys for all of them, and Ben took a picture of each child.  All in all a successful trip, and the smiles of the children were our best Christmas present.

Whether or not we go again, I am still collecting small toys to send to Ohio next August to go in the shipment.  You can donate them to the Bargain Box with my name on them.   

Judy Sands                                                                           

Christine Camper, Kevin Cellucci, Gerry Chagnon, Betty Fraser, Bernice Herrick, Linda Johnnene, Scott Johnnene, Thomas and Henrietta Kane, Debra Katt-Lloyd, Tony Lopes, Lynn McDonald, Rheta McKinley, Elsie Saunders, Bishop Thomas Shaw, Kevin Smith, Jake Torrisi, Ralph Ventola, Scottie Wagner, Stephen Wagner, and Nickie Zitoli.