What it's all about

So, I wasn't going to post anything else until after Christmas so everyone would have a chance to see our Christmas letter when they read my blog, but something took place yesterday that I just have to write about....you know, it's my therapy!


Yesterday my family and I (along with 2 other amazing women) met at our church to distribute gifts to the single moms at our church. These 2 women are on my branch of the Care Team at church and in less than 2 weeks have pulled off what I would call a Christmas miracle. They found out needs of the single moms in our church and their families, they organized the needs, distributed them out (to our amazingly loving church) and then organized the gifts again to pass out to the moms. Here are the statistics: 13 families touched, over 170 gifts bought and given, $150 cash donation, over $500 in gift cards! Does our church rock or what?

So, yesterday morning we all met at the church to distribute the gifts. We were a shop ready for business and all the moms had to do was show up and get blessed! I took my kids so they could also be a part of blessing others. They got to play "elf" and carry the gifts to the cars for the moms.

It was an amazing morning. I heard "this is the best Christmas my children have ever had" and "this is enough to make us believe". My prayer is that their belief is placed in Jesus, who without HIM, we would never have had the opportunity to bless the mothers.

I have spent 24 hours thinking about how much this mission has blessed me. In my family's time of grieving, it is soothing (can that be the right word?) to help others in need.

I also remembered something about my father in law. Around 14 years ago, there was a young man that VT had come to know. He had only his mother and they were very poor. VT took him under his wing and organized getting their needs met several times over the years. VT treated him like one of his own children and was devastated to learn that this young man had Lou Gerrigs disease. Over the time this young man deteriorated, VT still took care of him and his mother. He took him to the doctor, made sure they had food, and even fed the boy when he no longer could do that for himself.

As VT lay dying in his hospital bed, of all the things he could have been telling us (about his successful business, his home, his cars, his money) he CHOSE to talk about that young man. You see, VT believed this man knew Jesus before he passed away from that horrible disease. And VT was HONORED that he had played a key role in helping him find salvation.

So, my prayer is that these mothers saw Jesus through us yesterday. What an honor I would consider it if Jesus used me in even the smallest of ways to show his love.

Merry Christmas everyone! Let someone meet Jesus through you this season!