After the success of the Easter Costume Carnival, Awakening Church decided to organize another family bonding event. November 26th is a date we will remember for something other than a sale at the mall.
        The whole event was organized (by our two resident missionary families and Sianie Puppet Theater) around the moral of a traditional Bulgarian tale called “The Three Brothers and the Golden Apple”. The heroes must protect the “golden fruit” of the family apple tree that blooms just once per year. An evil “hydra” comes every year and steals this “heritage” from them.
        The big idea (demonstrated via varied entertainment – riddles, folk music and a puppet show) was that our families need to stand together and fight against the worldly influences which strive to steal away the “golden fruit” of God’s personal blessing. By way of special invitations in the shape of an apple, we encouraged the children of Awakening Church to invite their unchurched friends to enjoy this unthreatening atmosphere with us. Along with them, we also invited the Seniors being fed via the Wholesome Life program at Care for All (staffed by members of Awakening). We were overjoyed to count approximately 1/3 of the crowd of 70 as visitors!
        Each family went home with a keepsake to remember the day by. It was a Christmas tree ornament in the shape of a small apple with a wish for each family in the form of a characteristic to cherish and strive to uphold throughout the year.