Christmas Packing Party

Kid’s Club Haitian Christmas Packing Party

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2007 6:00 pm

New Hope EFC Sanctuary

The kids are almost ready for the packing party, having completed crafts for giving a gospel message through the colors of faith ornament and a gift tag for each of the Haitian children.

We would encourage you to sit down with your child and write a special letter telling their friend something about themselves, their love of Jesus, and their hope for their friend to know Jesus as their own personal friend as well. The letters can be translated by Krissie and Jean Jean and read to each child.

Following are some final needs we have in preparing for the packing party. Please bring donations to the church and deposit in the box placed by the mailboxes at the church entrance.

DONATON REQUESTS:

6 boxes of Ziploc 2.5 gallon Jumbo Bags
Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
Soaps and Other Toiletries
Band-Aids or First Aid Items
Small Penny Candies (no chocolate…it might melt in shipping)
Packing Tape (2-3 Rolls)
Scotch Tape (for Krissie)
Duck Tape (for JeanJean)
(excellent for Bible Repairs)
Twine for additional gift tying.
Large Sterilite storage containers for packing and shipping gifts in. (They are useful after presents are distributed.)
Offerings for mission gift to Wilson’s ministry with HAFF


SUGGESTED GIFTS FOR HAITIAN CHILDREN:

Clothing 2 sizes smaller than their age for children ages 6-12
No battery operated toys.
(They won’t be able to replace the batteries.)
Clothing for younger children are closer to their age but larger is always good for growing into.
Flip Flops or croc type shoes.
Deflated soccer balls are a favorite toy.
Rain Jackets.
Ribbons, beads, & hair ties for Girls
Colored Pencils and Coloring Books

Everyone is invited to participate in the packing party and share our Christmas party with the children of New Hope as an all-church event. Even if you have not adopted a child, your help would be appreciated, as there are plenty of ways to come alongside the children and help with the packing and shipping process. You may also come just to enjoy the social experience with children!

Please bring a Christmas goodie to share with the group. If you can’t bring a goodie, come anyway!

Cinderella

We had a great time with Rebekah's Parents. We enjoyed having Mark and Lisa visit us so we could honor them as parents.

Kids: We are finding that honoring our parents is no little thing. Some of the ways we honor our parents are by obeying, respecting, loving and spending time with them. This week we explored yet another way we can honor our parents. Rebekah told us how when there is a storm she feels at peace because her parents are around. She even shared with us that when there is a tornado warning her family, just like our family, camp out in the basement until the storm is passed. We also talked about how Rebekah learned to ride a bike. Her dad held the bike upright just until the right time when he knew she could stay up. Then he let go and she was able to stay up. In all of those events Rebekah was showing that she trusted her parents. This is another way that we honor them. By trusting them we show that we know they want to take care of us. They love us and we put our faith in them to care and protect us. Some of the ways we can trust them is by listening to what they say and then following what they say. Trusting and obeying kind of overlap. We obey our parents because we trust that they want the best for us.

Parents: Our children trust us. All through their lives there will be times when our children will come to us for support, advice, encouragement and love. As parents we need to be there for them, to be available, ready to do the things that say "you can trust me". I want to share with you an email that I received last week. I receive some great encouraging emails from the Familyman Ministries, started by Todd Wilson. I am attaching one of his emails and then a link to a great song by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Dads, follow this link http://www.familymanweb.com/newsletter to signup to receive the newsletter. Moms - If your husband doesn't sign up to receive this newsletter go sign him up yourself!! Todd has a heart for men being great dads and husbands. His weekly emails are an encouragement and his website has many resources to encourage dads to be the best husbands and dads they can be.

Here is the email:

You know, there’s just something very pink and tinkerbellish about girls. Sure,
there’s also a ton of unbridled emotion and changing of clothes that goes hand
in hand with having a girl, but there’s just something wonderful about
daughters. My daughter Katherine (10) has proven that to me more than once in
the last two weeks. The first time happened on a beautiful, fall night when we
were still able to eat dinner on our screened-in porch. We were halfway through
dinner when Katherine asked a question, and I responded in a fairly normal
way---I thought. Katherine was hit with a wave of emotion and burst into
tears. I was touched by her brokenness and in my softest, most fatherly voice I
said, “I didn’t mean it that way, Katherine. I’m so sorry---” Her tears stopped
and later that evening she walked up to me and apologized for her outburst, and
we hugged and talked. A few days later, I walked past her and she gave me a
funny look. "Dad,” she said, “can you dance with me?” I have to admit that I was taken back by her question---she’s never asked me to dance before. But without hesitation, I put my arms around her and swept her off her feet to giggles of delight. Then, last Thursday a tornado touched down just a few miles from our home. The radio blared its emergency test warning---but it wasn’t a test. Katherine was a mess---and she’s never even seen the Wizard of OZ. The entire night she clung to me and wanted to hear my words of assurance.
And lastly, she proved it to me again when our whole family went to the mall recently. As I walked to the pretzel booth, Katherine walked with me with her arm around my waist---like a teenager with her boyfriend. It felt a little weird, but it grew on me as we walked. In fact, by the time we got to the pretzel place, I was kind of bummed that she removed her arm. OK, so here’s the point, Dad. Our daughters find comfort, security, and love in us. They need us to sweep them off their feet from time to time, talk gently, and try to understand their emotions. If we’re not there for them---some other guy with baggy jeans will be. So, Dad, be there. Make the time to hold your daughter on your lap, ask her about her day, and put your arm around her waist like you’re a teenager and she’s your girlfriend---because she is.

BK Challenge

BK Challenge!!!!!

How many doors did God tell Noah to put on the Ark?

To answer the question:

Find the correct answer to the question.

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to enter your answer.

Come to Kid’s Club to see if you win the prize.