The Holiday Season is almost upon us, yikes! Time has just flown by for us this fall. As Christmas approaches, I find myself thinking of Christmas presents and yummy treats and evenings spent togther with family and friends. Before that happens, our family is going on a missions trip to Juarez, Mexico(www.ifmus.org) where we are going to visit and play at an orphanage ( Caileigh is planning a tea party to have with the little girls - which is a first for these little girls), feed a colonia that has been hit hard by the floods earlier this year and put on a health fare. This has been a real growth area for all of us as we've had to agree that Christmas is going to be smaller and our budget a little tighter as we try to raise the money to go. I'm hoping that Christmas will mean so much more when we understand that the real gift of the season is Jesus, not things.
One of the things were doing is making up shoeboxes for children who might not have any presents over Christmas. Normally we do this through Operation Christmas Child (for more info go to www.samaritanspurse.org ) but this year our church is packing them to send with us to Juarez. My kids save money all year to be able to make the best boxes they can for children who might not have a Christmas present. They find such joy in combing the store to find just the right things to go in their boxes. They pray over their boxes so that the children who recieve them know that they are loved by Jesus and by us. We are blessed by giving to others and helps reinforce that we need to put Jesus first then others before ourselves. Before the hustle and bustle of the season find a way to give to others, it will be one of the highlights and will help teach your kids the J.O.Y (Jesus, Others, Yourself) of Christmas.
Categories: parenting
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