The Great Christmas Share

This past Saturday our church had an event called "The Great Christmas Share."  It was quite incredible.  Here is what it was: Over the last several weeks our church collected canned goods, boxed food, toys, blankets, and clothes, and some gave money to pay for the food and other items to be given to families in our area.  On Saturday morning some church members got up early and began preparing meals for over 500 people, others organized all the donations of food, clothing and toys that would be distributed.  We came together and each family was in charge of taking a hot meal and age appropriate items to one family in our community.

Our family was given a family that consisted of a woman and her elderly mother.  We picked up two hot meals, blankets and canned goods and headed out.  We prayed for the two ladies before we got to their home and we asked that the Lord would help us meet a need and be a blessing.

Wow.  Were we ever blessed.
Doesn't God always work that way!?

As soon as we unloaded all the items and the boys out of the car we were invited into the home.  We were able to visit a while.  They kept remarking how cute our boys were, and how much they loved watching our children talk and play.  They even asked if they could keep Asa, "Because he is soo adorable."  ha!  Then they insisted that they would like to keep all of them. 

Kenneth prayed for the family before we left and in the middle of the prayer tears were streaming down the older woman's face.  She just kept saying "Thank you."

I wanted to tell her, "No, thank you."
I love that the Lord always seems to bless us abundantly more than the people we are supposed to be blessing.  When we set out to give even just a small amount, it always comes back ten fold.  Jesus talked about that, didn't he?  We have experienced the truth of that so many times in our family and this was no different.

The blessings continue for me.  Each time we drive past the road that we had to take to get to this house, Noah yells "Hey!  That is the way to get to Pam's house!"  Then he will sometimes ask Kenneth, "Does Pam love Jesus?"  Kenneth will say, "I am not sure."  Then Noah will say, "Well, you need to ask her.  Did you ask her?"  Convicting...

My children were touched by The Great Christmas Share.  Noah and Aiden are only 4 years old, and it left an impact on them.  It blesses my heart that my children were able to experience giving to others, particularly in a season where there is so much focus on what you are going to get.  The point is not to receive, but to give.  And in the giving, we receive.  Although that is not why we do it.