Halloween Party

Last night the members of our group hosted a Halloween party for the Vienna missionaries' kids. There were about 15 children in attendence. It was so much fun! Everyone dressed up in makeshift costumes and showed the kids how the same kind of Halloween they used to celebrate in the States. They absolutely loved it! We had craft time where each child made their own Halloween bag, and then they went trick-or-treating down the halls of the rooms. The entire hall was decorated like a haunted house complete with a giant spider web, spooky candle light, and hanging bats. After that, we headed back downstairs for some more crafts. This included making ghosts out of lollipops and Kleenex. So cute! The kids were so eager to talk to the college students, and fought for our attention. Later on, the Swope family (the man who runs the Schloss Nuewaldegg, out "castle") put on a Halloween play just for us! We laughed and hooped and hollered for them and they were so encouraged. Their skit was adorable to say the least. My favorite part was the cupcake decorating. Chocolate icing and pumpkin shaped candy!

I could really see that this party meant a lot to the missionaries here. They worked really hard to provide costumes for their kids (they aren't on every Wal-Mart rack like in the States). One of the moms even made her daughter a sweet little cat costume. It was nice to do something for the missionaries and their kids. After having talked to them breifly, I can tell that adjusting to a completely different culture can be difficult at times. It felt good to bring a small piece of their home culture to them, even if just for one night.