God the giver of all good things who Himself sets the example of Servant leadership saw the residents come together on a cool and pleasant evening of 30th December 2019 to give praise and thanks and to learn lessons from the Master. A very inspiring liturgy put together by Vincent Mascarenhas saw very tight and prayerful execution by the small organising team of Vidhyashri Veloo and MRWA President Renie Baptista led by Roydon Gonsalves. Hansel Baptista was the sheet anchor providing chords and rhythm with his guitar accompaniment. All the other participants Renie, Selma, Anjean, Canute, Benny, Kurt, Cynthia were clear, prayerful and on time. Thanks to the choir comprising Corina, Gina, Cynthia, Renie, Keira, Vera, Franci we were able to praise God in song . A birth in the village is taken as a blessing, as a sign that God will ensure that our village continues. A ray of hope that flickers in the sky… The thanksgiving for Births was celebrated by the Carol “When a Child is Born”, sung by Keira Barrett, daughter of Gayle Viegas and Douglas Barrett. Likewise a Wedding in the Village where the couple stays on rather than moving to a suburb or abroad was likewise celebrated with “Showers of Blessings”. Deaths are not the occasions to curse or question God but to rejoice at the ultimate healing and restoration to youth and perfection of the deceased in His Kingdom. In song we commended ourselves “Into his hands”. Finally we petitioned God for answers to Church, national, local civic, neighbourhood and legal issues.
A couple of rousing Christmas Carols took the gathering into the mood for fun and games ably conducted by Selma. A balloon and cup race had the kids struggling to battle the wind to make it to the finish line. The adults in their team game had as much fun puncturing cheese balls with toothpicks held in their teeth and transferring them to plates held by their team mates at the opposite end. And then there was a team game of Guess the Carol and Sing it with three teams competing to sing their carols loudest. Fuel for energy was provided by the ample snacks and soft drinks provided by the MRWA. Plenty of prizes, plenty of fun and the cherry on top were the calendars and spot prizes generously donated by Percy D’Souza.
With Inputs from Roydon Gonsalves
Photographs : Courtesy – Stanislaus Baptista
