Hey y’all! Sorry that this is so late, but here is my blog from Christmas that my team and I were able to have.
What is Christmas? Is Christmas a time of year where we all gather around a fire, drink hot chocolate, and be merry with one another? Is it a time of family, food, and in some cases, football? Is it a time where spend so much time and effort into making trips to the mall or wrapping presents? Is it a time where a family will gather together to celebrate with one another our Jesus’ birth?
Christmas this year looked very different for me. Normally, my day would have been spent with my family, opening presents, watching classics, eating tons of food, and celebrating Jesus’ birth. The build up to Christmas has always been watching the 25 days of Christmas on abc Family with my little sister, doing snow dances so we could have a white Christmas, making a couple trips to the mall for shopping, and even baking cookies. This year looked a little different for me.
I have been living in an orphanage that holds 42 precious kids. The Lord placed it on our hearts to set up Christmas for these kids by brining in some of our family traditions. We pooled all our money together, but then realized that we had to step back into one thing that I never wanted to see again… fundraising. We set the limits very low, which made it a little more enjoyable, and The Lord totally provided for our every need, and even gave us extra so we could go the extra mile. We had enough money to buy every kid, yes even our 2 month old baby, at least one present and fill their stockings, and even have a food budget for Christmas Eve.
The build up to Christmas wasn’t anything like back home. Instead of going to the mall a couple of times, I ended up going almost daily for present shopping. Instead of having a white Christmas, we cut out hundreds of snow flakes, taped them all over the room, and had Christmas in 75 degree heat. Instead of sneaking down with my little sister to see the stockings, I stuffed them full and even wrote letters to each of the kids, yes even our 2 month old baby. Instead of waking up to the smell of cinnamon rolls or quiche, I pulled an all nighter by starting pancakes early in the morning, and making whipped cream by hand. Instead of opening presents, I was able to see the joy on all of the 42 kids faces as they opened their presents. Instead of drinking hot chocolate, I drank ice cold water. Instead of being surrounded by my family back home, I was surrounded with my team. And do you know what the craziest part of it was? This Christmas has probably been the best Christmas I have had.
This year, I was able to pour myself out for these kids, and I was able to expect nothing in return. I cut snowflakes galore, did mall trips out the yin yang, wrote who knows how many letters in a day, and pulled an all nighter by decorating our room and making breakfast. I expected nothing in return, but God gave me one of the best gifts I could have asked for that morning.
I received the gift of 42 children running down the stairs to see the presents and the room we decorated. I received the smiles and good morning kisses. I received all the excitement and anticipation that each kid had. I received all the hugs and joy and watch each kids face light up as they opened their presents. God granted each person on my team with the “well done” award. We were able to see fruit of the hard work that we put in. My team and I were able to make this years Christmas one of the most special Christmases that these kids have had.
Being away from home during the holidays was really hard. It was so hard seeing all the excitement on Facebook, and remembering all of the family traditions that my family was doing without me. It was hard having to step away from the “childhood” Christmas and be the one that made it happen for the kids. It was hard not being in the “normal” Christmas. But my Father was so faithful, and He made this last Christmas the best one for me. He helped me realize that the holiday isn’t just about the presents, traditions, and even the food. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s honestly about spending time with the ones you loved. And this year, my Father placed in a home with my new family.
