Sunday, December 25, 2011

the party


We changed things up a bit from last year
and had the birthday cake for breakfast.



Once again,
we read from Matthew 25 to find out what gifts Jesus would like.
Without knowing how much money we were contributing,
each kid dug deep into their piggy banks
(which are really just sad wrinkled envelopes)
so they could give too.
Then
we passed out envelopes of homemade cash in assorted bills.


There was an extra envelope with a glittery pickle on it.
A few years before she died,
Granny started the pickle tradition:
She'd hide a pickle ornament in the tree
and whoever found it 
got an extra gift.
we found a pickle just like hers
and decided we'd carry on the tradition.
with a twist:
the pickle finder would get an extra $50 
to spend on birthday gifts for Jesus!




 Jeremiah found it! 


I grabbed a stack of envelopes
and a piece of paper.
As Tony determined where to buy what,
I quickly wrote it in a chart.
As people decided what they wanted to purchase
I'd stick the money in an envelope
neatly labeled with the item, how much it cost
and which charitable organization we'd buy it from.


From Compassion, we bought Jesus
1 cow
3 goats
a swingset
and
a skilled birth attendant for 1 birth
(guess who chose that ;-)

We purchased
5 chickens
(I also ordered their book!)

From  Samaritan's Purse we got
bees for a family, so they could start a honey business
and Lily and Lexi got food for a week for 9 hungry babies
or their nursing mommas.

We kinda hit the jackpot with World Vision.
We gave $73 for clothes and that gift will be multiplied 
11 times - providing $803 worth of warmth!
Our gift of $21 for emergency food will be quintupled.
I kinda wanted to specify the food go to Haiti,
since that's where the Hendricks are,
but the money would only have been quadrupled,
so it seemed wiser to just give to the global food crisis.
We also got mosquito nets for 2 families
and gave 50 bucks to the Maximum Impact Fund,
so World Vision could use the money where it was most needed.

This Christmas, all together,
wait - I've got to add it up.....
Oh, YAY!!
All together

(I feel like it seems like I'm bragging,but that really isn't my heart!
I just want us to be able to look back later and see what we gave,
 as encouragement and also as a challenge to live even more generously)

Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Thank-you, God, for giving the unimaginable gift,
Your Son. Your only Son.


4 comments:

  1. I really must do this!! and I love the glitter pickle!

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  2. that is amazing!! good for all of you! I know that blesses Jesus !! and He will bless all of you for your giving hearts !!
    really great!!

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  3. that is unbelievably awesome! We're planning on doing something similar next Christmas, after feeling so convicted about it this year. Thank you for being part of our inspiration!

    ReplyDelete

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