Last year was a success! Here are some pictures of happy children receiving boxes of gifts. We had four parties on Dec. 28 at which we gave away your gifts and others we bought for the occasion.

Bethlehem Ministry is on the way to an even better 2007. Some churches have already started making up gift boxes - you and your group are invited to do the same. The list of suggested gifts on the second page comes from Madame Bruno - have some fun picking and packing gifts for these wonderful children. Remember, they live in small houses with large families, no electricity and usually they have very little in the way of toys.

The container: a shoe box or a box about that size. Plastic containers are even better as they can be reused in so many ways. (Walmart and other discount stores have a plastic container called a "Shoe Box".)

Directions:

1. A few nice toys, not lots of small toys.
2. Do not seal the box - we may need to rearrange contents to equal things up.
3. Mark each box according to sex of the child and age range (3-6, 7-9, 10-12).
4. If you have a scholarship child and want that child to receive your box, clearly label the box with the child's name.
5. Ship shoe boxes in a container which is not too big. Big, heavy containers break in transit, and the contents are damaged.
6. Please include $5 to help with shipping. Please send this to Bethlehem Ministry along with info on your shipment (We can use this to track the shipment). Thanks.
7. Deadline: Boxes must arrive in Tallahassee by Nov. 1, 2007.

• Shipping Address:
• Bill Grow
• 3012 Brookmont Drive
• Tallahassee, FL 32312

Girls

• Dolls, Baby dolls (soft) and young girls like Barbie (all colors: Black, White, Asian)
• Kaleidoscopes
• Inflatable Animals (you can look at Orientaltrading.com to have an idea)
• Beach Balls Visors and Baseball caps (with animals or smiling faces designs)
• Visor crowns
• Ponytails and barrettes
• Jump ropes with handles
• Lego
• Animals (for example: Care Bears)
• Coloring books & crayons, watercolors
• Punch Balls
• Sets of decorative beads to make bracelets and necklaces
• Music boxes
• Kitchen sets & makeup dressing set
• Nice church socks with lace, other fun clothes
• Beauty sets, tea sets.
• Extra batteries for toys that need them

Boys

• Camouflage Outback hats
• Beach Balls (with smiling faces or at least colorful ones)
• Kaleidoscopes
• Baseball caps (with animal faces)
• Soccer balls and Basketballs
• Trucks, cars, boats, planes, motorcycles (plastic or metal, not too small, if possible with red lights)
• Plastic Flashlights
• Lego
• Beaded jump ropes
• Games: dominoes, marbles, crayola
• Binoculars.
• Tattoos
• Little pirate set (plastic sword, etc.)
• Music- Xylophone, flute, tambourines (for boys and girls)
• Extra batteries for toys that need them.
• Bar of soap (small) and washcloth.

What Not To Include

• Used items
• Liquids, including shampoo, liquid soap, lotion, bubbles.
• Perishable food items.
• Chocolate or any type of candy (it is HOT in Haiti).
• Medicines: vitamins, cough drops, ointment, etc.
• Breakable items: mirrors, snow globes, etc.
• Animals which "grow" when placed in water. (These often come in candy shaped capsules which children like to eat!)
• Anything requiring water - which is in short supply