Quinceanera Reflections from a Salvadorian

Blog post written by Fryda Bogle
San Salvador, El Salvador

THE QUINCEAÑERA CELEBRATION - WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE AND PRINCESSES GATHER TO PARTY!!!

A quinceañera party is an event that ever girl in El Salvador looks forward to! All the girls from the different orphanages where we serve dream of being part of this party! This is the fourth year that Sus Hijos has celebrated the girls from the centers with the support of His Hands His Feet. This week I had the privilege of meeting the wonderful team of missionaries from His Hands His Feet and the beautiful ladies from Young Women of VIsion who came to my country to celebrate the lives of these girls.

The day of the party was beyond my expectations! And not only because the hotel was so amazing, or because the girls had a wonderful party, but because I was so moved to see the faces of these young girls at the moment of their celebration. They looked so happy with their dresses, they enjoyed being pampered by the team, translators, and staff from Sus Hijos. And they deserved it. I really loved seeing all the girls wearing beautiful party dresses, make up, and with their hair done like princesses! Seeing how happy these girls were at the party impacted me more than even the most spectacular flowers, cake, music or anything else that made the party so unforgettable.

When the girls were dancing I heard laughter throughout the room, to me this was a moment full of joy!! During the batucada drum performance all of the girls were dancing on the dance floor, and enjoying the moment. It was really amazing to see them so free and uninhibited! The food was delicious, and the cake was amazing. We took so much care for every detail of this party because we really wanted the girls to love their party, to always remember how wonderful their quinceanera was. Everyone who made this possible: His Hands His Feet staff, Young Women of VIsion mothers and daughters, Sus Hijos staff, and all the missionaries and translators WERE INCREDIBLE AND DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD to make this celebration incredibly special for the girls. And we could tell the girls loved it. We will never forget that day, filled with so much fun and lots of happiness!

Every Monday I have the privilege of visiting one of the orphanages to do a Bible study with the kids. When I saw the girls from this home at the party, I realized that no matter what a person has gone through in life, even if they have suffered, LOVE is capable of bringing happiness, hope, and value to anyone. Love was shown this night because the girls were treated like the princesses. Giving the girls an awesome party, surrounded by people who love and care for them showed the world that EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD, and He can do more than we dream or imagine. I thank God for putting the desire in every person who collaborated to make this party happen and for making the girl's dreams come true.