First Baptist Church

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How Do You Prepare for the Holidays?

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All this week, families and individuals will be preparing for Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, Christmas decorations, and the transition to one of the busiest times of the year. As time winds down on 2019 and we look forward to 2020, how do you prepare for all of this? How do you wrap your head and heart around being thankful, buying gifts, celebrating Jesus, looking back over the last year and making plans for the new year?

Formanychurches,groups, families, and individuals, the preparation includes giving to others. One powerful way to do that is through the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child. To participate in this over twenty-five-year-old ministry, a person gets an empty shoe box and fills it with toys, school supplies, toiletries, and even clothes. Many people will place a picture or personal note in to each box to touch the life of the child in a personal way. Once packed, the box is then dropped off a local drop off location. For our area, that is First Baptist Church of Walters, where all of Cotton County can drop off their Operation Christmas Child boxes. In addition to filling the box, there is a suggested donation of $9 to help with delivery to the many countries overseas where these boxes will be delivered in the coming months.

These boxes go to countries where children live in abject poverty and probably have never gotten any gift of any kind before or even had anything new to call their own. In addition to the gifts they receive in the box, these children also have an opportunity to hear about Jesus and be discipled by a local church. They are taken through a discipleship program called the Greatest Journey where they learn about Jesus, His salvation, and His love for them.

For those interested in participating in this ministry that is both non-denominational and international, you can pack 1 or 1000 boxes and drop them off at First Baptist Church in Walters between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM Monday through Friday of this week. Saturday the hours are from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Sunday afternoon, the drop off is 1 PM to 5 PM. Monday, November 25th, the hours are from 8 AM to Noon. The check for the $9 donation for shipping can be placed in the box. For multiple boxes, only one check needs to be written and then placed in one of the boxes in the group. You can also make your donation online at https:// www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/follow-your-box/. If you give this way, you can track where your box goes from the drop off to the country to which it is delivered. The website will give you labels that you tape to the top of each box. On this same site, there are many ideas for how to pack a shoebox. Also on this site, you can donate money and have a box built for you.

Why do people prepare for Thanksgiving this way? My family does as a reminder of all we have to be thankful for. God has provided what we need to feed and clothe ourselves as well as many of the things we want. This reminds us to give back as a way of saying thanks.

Why do people prepare for the Christmas holiday this way? As an antidote to the selfishness and greed that can so easily take over our hearts and lives by giving instead of just wanting to give. It is a way to celebrate the reason for the season and to be a part of God’s plan to let others know that Jesus has come.

Why do people prepare for the end of the year this way? For some, it is because they have looked back over the last year and realized they had great plans to be othersfocused, but had not yet followed through like they had planned. For others, since the donation amount is tax deductible, it helps them on their taxes. For yet others, this helps to set them up for the goals and dreams they hope to accomplish in the new year of telling others about Jesus and serving His Kingdom in a hands-on, practical way.

How are you going to prepare for the Holidays?