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| I know him! |
Those words ushered in, from the back of the gym, Santa Claus. Not only was Santa ushered but also a wave of emotion, tears and celebration as one by one the audience and cast realized that this wasn't just Santa.... It was Santa JOE MAYES! There wasn't a dry eye in the house or a more fitting conclusion to our story.
For weeks, the Mexican team had been mourning the fact that Papa Joe, as he's lovingly known to all of the children at the City, would not becoming this year due to health challenges. It just wasn't going to be the same without Joe. Videos were used in the skit to show Santa Joe as if he was calling in from a satelite location at the North Pole. It was an attempt to make Joe a part of our production and so we thought that's as far as it would go. (But we had no idea how far Joe and family would go!) So it came as a complete surprise when the real Joe walked into the gym escorted by his wife Ruth, his daughters Ginny and Carol and his son-in-law Bill. Neither the cast or the children of the City knew this would happen. It was a secret known to just a handful -- Skid, Melissa, Tom Begin -- the American Director of the Home, and Carol.
There is no way to describe the outpouring of love and thanksgiving -- how the children, one by one, came up to hug Papa Joe. One child didn't even wait for the skit to end. Another older, college-age young lady from the City of Children, even interrupt the night's devotional to stop in and hug Papa Joe. Such an amazing outpouring of love...and isn't that what Christmas is all about? Something that Satan...and his evil henchmen can never take from us. Here at the City of Children, Christmas just came early.
This is just a short note to give you a glimpse of what happened. There will be more details. More pictures and perhaps even a video of Joe in posts later in the day. But we just had to let you know.
In the words of Buddy the Elf: "Santa, you're here! You're here! I know him!
Merry Christmas everyone.
Wow!!! We are so proud of each and every one of you! Again, thank you for this blog and for all of the pictures you've posted. I've been brought to tears (happy and thankful ones) several times, but the picture of Papa Joe has touched me and our family more than anything. Thanks and praise to God for making Joe's trip and all of your trips possible and for doing all He's done during this week. You've glorified Him with your work, and there aren't words to describe how awesome that is. You all are blessings, and we continue to pray for you and for everyone at the City of Children. Love to all of you, and we can't wait to see you tomorrow night! God bless you!!!
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