I remember very specifically the year that my mom got involved in the Angel Tree ministry of Prison Fellowship. It was in the early years of the Angel Tree project, and she was the coordinator for her women's bible study. Back in those days, we hand delivered the presents to each family. What a powerful experience for a child to be able to see the people who are reached through this ministry of love. We decided that this year, Trevor was definitely old enough to take an active role in this ministry to help children less fortunate. It has been difficult for him to gain perspective when he is so blessed by presents in past Christmases. Trevor chose the angels from the tree, as I read to him whether it was a boy or a girl and the age and what the child had requested. He finally decided on 6 and 8 year old boys. He was very excited when I told him we would go to the toy store to choose toys for the two other little boys. We walked through the store, and his eyes got big as he saw so many things that "the other little boys would like to have." I don't think he even once asked for aything for himself; he was on a mission. He put the presents into the gift bags all by himself, and filled the tops with festive tissue paper. Today, we will deliver the presents to our church. I hope that as we reinforce this with other ministries and service opportunities throughout the year, we will begin to foster in our children a heart that seeks to serve God by serving others.
Jesus says in Matthew 18:5 “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."
1 comment:
Trevor I am so glad you were able to participate in Angel Tree this year, I know the boys you chose gifts for will be so happy when they open them. Was it hard to choose just one right present? You can think about them on Christmas morning opening the gift and you can pray that they will learn about Jesus. Love, Nana
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