Father's Day

singing

Holidays away are always interesting. Especially when they are holidays that we have in America, but that are celebrated on different days and in different ways here. One of those is Father’s day. Father’s day here is celebrated on the King’s birthday because he is considered to be the father of the nation. Yesterday I watched as they set up the meeting hall with fake flowers arranged on the stage and six girls practiced a dance they would perform.

Today started like a normal day, devotions with the teachers, the students lining up for their morning assembly at the flag pole, and then they all filed into the meeting hall. After some singing, there was a short messaged by a respected older guy in the community. He basically shared a long story with the students that had a Father’s day message to it. After that, the choir performed a song for the King, and then the girls performed their dance.

the choir

The students were then each given a candle and the candles were all lit. I was a little nervous that we had a fire hazard on our hands with over 600 students all holding lit candles. While the candles were lit, they sang the King’s official song and the candles were blown out and collected. As far as I know there weren’t any problems, thankfully.

dancing

Then came the part that was hard for me to watch. All of the fathers that had come lined up on one side of the room and ten at a time went onto the stage. Then their children came up and knelt in front of them and the father’s prayed for them, or blessed them and hugged them. It was hard to watch for several reasons, one, it made me miss my father and knowing that I won’t be able to hug him or see him for two years being here. Second, I watched as the majority of the students whose father’s didn’t come had to sit and watch as those whose father’s came had this special moment with their fathers on the stage. I’m finding out more and more which students live in homes and which ones don’t have parents or whose parent’s gave them up. The one home I know is run by one or two foreign men who I would imagine the children consider to be father’s but those men didn’t show up either.

lighting the candles

my candle

As I watched, I found myself tearing up a little missing my family, and also for those students who will never have the love of a real father in their lives. However, one good thing about being at a Christian school is that I know that each of them are being taught about the love of a father far greater than one here on earth, Our Heavenly Father. I found myself silently praying to myself that each of them would be able to find that love in their lives and that God would show up in each of their lives and that they would accept Him as their lord and savior.

children with their father's

After all of the fathers had finished their special moment with their children, they called up 3 of the male teachers and those who wanted could go up and be prayed for by them. I was amazed at how few students chose to take advantage of this opportunity. I figured everyone who didn’t have a father come would want to go up, but maybe only 20 or so went up.

students with the male teachers

When they were finished, the ceremony was over. The students were released to eat lunch, and then to go home after cleaning up the school for half an hour. It was a beautiful morning, but also emotionally draining as are most holidays here.