Bible Crafts Day Wednesday, December 12, 2007

With the older Jeffersonville YF kids cooking dinner for the elderly and then raking leaves the following weekend, the younger ones probably felt a little left out. Not anymore! This past weekend, Jeffersonville YF kids ages 5-12 rolled into the Voice of God's back door with their Jesus Jars in hand. It wasn't long before the place was buzzing with kids and their parents. There were 87 kids in all! Each child was given a certificate that was signed by Brother Joseph as a way to say "thank you" for giving.

Brother Joseph told the kids that the packages that they were about to make would be put on a truck that would drive all the way to the ocean. From there it would be packed into a large container and be put onto a ship that is bigger than this whole building. The ship would take it all the way across the ocean, and it would finally arrive in Africa. Then the package will be delivered to little boys and girls just like them. These boys and girls are so poor that they may not have ever received a gift before; this may be the first thing that they have ever received from someone else.

The kids were then led into a room where three wise men awaited them. The wise men were in full costume while they told of a star that they had seen. The star shined brighter than all of the other stars. It meant something very special was about to happen. The kids really enjoyed the drama, but that isn't why they came; they were there to do something like their older brothers and sisters had been doing the past two weekends. They wanted to do something for someone else.

The kids lined up to get the Bibles that would soon be placed into a personalized box with bookmarks, pencils, stickers, and stuffed animals. The kids carefully decorated the boxes and placed their Christmas gifts inside.

When the kids were satisfied with the packages, they put them onto a pallet that will soon be shipped to Africa.

As the morning drew to a close, a colorful stack of boxes filled with Bibles, bookmarks, stuffed animals, pencils, and stickers stood proudly at the back door waiting to be shipped to some of the most needy people in the world. Tired kids and worn out parents left the building with huge smiles on their faces. The young YF kids had done it again...