Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Christmas Store

Today, Bill and I are going down to The Christmas Store, an outreach by our church, 1st Baptist, Leesburg.
Families who need help at this time of the year with providing a little something for their children, will come and get ministered the love of Jesus, then get to "shop" for presents for their little ones.
We will be in the wrapping area, and will escort the parent(s) to their cars with their packages, then walk over with them to get their children from the area where they've been playing and also being taught about the love of Jesus .
I am so blessed to be able to contribute a few hours out of my Saturday to do whatever the Lord leads me to do and/or say, to these families who need support and the knowledge that there are people out there who truly care about their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
In my favorite movie of all time, "Miracle on 34th St.", "Santa" says to Maureen O'Hara, "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a way of living".
That says it all to me - that we should have the same spirit of giving, of love, and of compassion year round, and put that into action each and every day.

UPDATE: We just got home, and I feel more blessed than the recipients of the gifts!
There were over 600 children registered to receive Christmas presents, and I got the pleasure of spending time with and helping probably 10 - 12 sets of parents pick out their presents for their children; some only had a couple of children, and then there were quite a few who had up to 7 or 8 kids!
Many were single moms, and you could tell how appreciative they were. It truly was a blessing to be able to minister Jesus in this way.
Each child received one large and one small gift, and the parents were given a Bible and The Jesus Movie, along with some literature explaining the plan of salvation through Christ.
A group of teen boys were eagerly helping take the packages out to the cars, and then escort the parents to pick up their children.
Have a blessed Saturday, and remember that Jesus IS the reason for the season.

1 comment:

Simply Shelley said...

What a wonderful thing this out reach is. I am sure the Lord will bless you both for your helping hands.....

Blessings,Shelley