'Tis The Season

Well, it's official. Starbucks has declared that Christmas season is upon us, so here we go again!

Looking to do something meaningful this holiday season? I know I always am! The culture we live in has definitely high-jacked the true meaning of Christmas so I am constantly on the prowl for ways to remind my kids (AND myself!) what Christmas is all about.

Here are two great opportunities that your family may want to consider incorporating into your Christmas traditions this year:

Compassion International is an amazing ministry that Andy & I wholeheartedly support and believe in. Their mission is to "release children from poverty in Jesus name."

They have put together a Christmas gift catalog that allows us to donate various amounts of money toward a wide range of different projects. Some of the opportunities include:

• safe water for life for a child and family- $79
• equip a family with livestock- $280
• care for a babies medical needs for a year- $55
• provide garden seeds for an African family- $10
• give a child access to a safe playground- $35

There are a ton of different gifts available and you can even donate in honor of someone. That would be a really special present for one of your loved ones to open on Christmas morning...knowing that they were apart of helping a child in poverty! 

Click here to learn more and to give!

This one always sneaks up on me because the deadline is so early. Collection week for the boxes is November 12-19, so if you'd like to participate you gotta get a move on it! :-)

Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful program that provides a shoebox full of Christmas gifts to boys and girls living in poverty in 100 different countries. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief organization that shares the love of Jesus in tangible ways to people around the world in desperate need.

This is a really fun project where you can get your kids involved. I like to do a box for each of my children so, for example, Caedmon will help me pack a box for a 5-9 year old boy and Sammy will help me pack a box for a 2-4 year old boy. Then, we can follow our box online through the Samaritan's Purse website to see where our boxes end up!

Don't have time to go shopping, fill a box, and drop it off? No problem. They've also provided the option to build-a-box online!

Click here to learn more about Operation Christmas Child. Click here to find a drop-off location near you. 

'Tis the season...

...to LOVE like Jesus!