Children's Christmas Service

Every year we hold a special children's service for Christmas. This year was a bit more adventurous than it was last year. Last year we were in the smaller building able to fit maybe 80 people total. This year, we didn't quite have as many chairs out as we could have, but there were many people standing. We packed in around 140 kids and numerous parents for the service. It was a blast to say the least, a little difficult to maintain order for those of us with the crowd control/security job.

The format was thus:

We opened the doors at 2 PM and Dustin and Britney, two other MA's serving in Macedonia, were playing Christmas songs.

The kids would enter a few at a time and get a plate of cookies and a cup of hot chocolate, then find their seats.

Then we started the service with some singing for the kids, lead by about 8 puppets and Brian.

Finally, the tradition at Shutka is to read and have some of the kids from the crowd dress up and act out the Christmas story from the Bible. We may have had between 15 to 20 kids involved this year so it was far more involving for the kids!

After the Christmas story, we had about 30 of the kids help perform a song. It was great, there was traditional dancing in a circle with the group of girls, some break dancing by the guys, and a couple of girls sang the song in Macedonian!

After all our activities, we passed out all the packets. After past experience, we waited 'till dark the night before and snuck in our van load of Christmas packets. It felt a little like Mission Impossible when we had to park the van at the top of the hill out of site and have me walk down (wearing my hood) and unlock the gate, then signal the van to come with a wave of my cell phone. The night watchman across the street wasn't even sure who was there last night until he asked me today if it was me! Any way, we got 150 packets for this year so it was a close call having 140 kids show up. Some of the kids left before the end of the program 'cause they still didn't know that we were giving the packets out! Praise God the word didn't get around this time! We gave a packet to every kid who showed up and stayed to the end, and we had only minor incidents with people trying to get packets after the fact, ranging to include one boy trying to jump the fence and ask for one when we were cleaning up. When we were passing them out, I stood guard at the door so once people went outside they couldn't try to come back in and get a second packet, and our pastor was outside at the gate holding the random other people at bay who thought they might be able to talk their way into getting an easy handout.

The kids loved the packets and enjoyed the service, it really was a great time. I think a lot of the kids really felt what is so special about Christmas this year. Thanks again to all who pitched in to help! It would have been so much more difficult without you!

New Year and Christmas Packets

The new year will obviously bring changes to my life as it will to most people, and as others surely are, I'm looking forward to it, but am also a little apprehensive. God's brought me a long way but I begin this year not knowing a lot about what God will have me doing and where I'll be doing it at this time next year. Hence the apprehensive feeling. I've recently had a conversation with a friend where I somehow had this philosophical thought that we need to be passionate about where God has us now, and I know I plan on doing that. Hopefully I will only minimally be distracted by what will be and be able to thrive in what is.

On another note, the kids in Shutka are eagerly anticipating their yearly Christmas packets that people have taken the time and love to put together and send to them from places all over the world. Many times they come from the states, other times they'll come from some other place in Europe like Germany or Holland. Nonetheless, they bless the kids in many ways each year. If any of you have ever participated as a church or VBS or children's camp in something called Operation Christmas Child, know that it really does make a difference in kid's lives. I've had the privilege of seeing both sides of this project. I've seen kids and adults take special care, love, pride, and joy in packing the shoe boxes and I've seen the reception the shoe boxes. I've seen the kids enjoying it's contents for months after they've received them. Wearing the winter caps or gloves, or enjoying a special stuffed animal. They're always joyful. Many of the kids I see wouldn't know what a Christmas gift is without it as they come from Muslim families, not to mention they're often very poor.

Thanks to everyone who gives to this specific ministry. You're really being a blessing and this ministry touches thousands of children and parents around the world every year.

Please keep us in prayer as we give the gifts out. I'm not sure yet when we will but we always see people crawl out of the woodworks looking for a handout when we do give them out. Pray that we will be able to give them to those that need them most and have discernment with those that only come this one time a year for their quick handouts. Pray that those that receive the packets are truly blessed and will be moved by the love of Christ, and that they'll come back to see and hear about the love of Christ. Pray that even one or two might make that commitment to Christ and begin to make an impact in their communities to start the change we so long to see in that community.

Again, thanks for giving to our ministry and blessing the kids.
To learn more about Samaritan's Purse and their Operation Christmas Child program, check out the following link: Operation Christmas Child. I'm glad there's people striving to do ministries like this.