As this project draws to a close, my last two are two things that are thankfulness concepts God has been working in me for quite some time. It's really been quite amazing the journey he is taking us on with these issues and I'm so excited to see where He will lead us in the future!
Day 29: I am so thankful that God has given our family a vision to reach out to those less fortunate.
Now...I realize that might sound cliche as many people make efforts to reach out to others during the holiday season. What I'm thankful for is that God has given me a passion for this work. It's difficult and draining to serve meals on Friday nights (you can read more about that here), it's uncomfortable to drive around downtown and trying to figure out who is homeless to talk to them, and it's not popular to give your Christmas money to someone else. However, these are things that my husband and I have felt are very important for our family.
That means, that this year we will take what we would have spent on gifts and use that to bless others through organizations like Compassion International, Gospel for Asia, Samaritan's Purse, and OK Foster Wishes. We will still get one gift for each child and we make gifts for one another. We buy presents for our 2 nieces and do a children's gift exchange with parts of our families, but we aren't buying for adults this year. I want to say right here that this doesn't mean that is what is right for your family or that you don't care about others if you don't do/feel led in this way. This is just what works for us and what we feel called to do with our family...and it has been such a blessing to change what Christmas looks like for us! [There is more to this story than I care to share on here, but if you are interested in the journey that got us here I'd be more than happy to talk to you about it!]
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