CHRISTMAS SECOND SATURDAY

Well, another wonderful volunteer event happened on Dec. 13 and we were so blessed to be a part of it.  Our church hosted over 3000 kids and adults at the church campus and it was warm enough to have all the tables and most of the activities outside.  Families started lining up for the event as early as 6 a.m. so once the volunteers met and got organized at 8 a.m., they were able to serve hot chocolate and cookies to the ones waiting in line.

The format was the same as last year where the kids get to shop for free socks, underwear, shoes and a toy.  Everything is laid out according to gender and age and the volunteers help the kids choose their items.  I observed one lady who spent about 10 minutes on her knees helping a little boy try on different shoes until he found a pair that fit right.  He was so happy.

Stuart and I volunteered for the “grill” team which included cooking wieners for hot dogs and then serving them with chips, juice or water.  Stuart spent the whole morning at one grill and personally cooked 2480 weiners.  He had 2 young boys helping him by opening the boxes of wieners, putting them on the grill and then taking the trays of cooked wieners to the “bun” station for wrapping.

I helped with the setup and general organization and then took time to wander around taking photos and observing the interactions.  I had the opportunity to talk to a guy who had just been laid off without notice and he was so thankful to be able to bring his family here to get some Christmas gifts and a bag of groceries.

There were over 700 volunteers this year and it’s true that many hands make light work.  Here is the link to the video from the event:

http://radiantchurch.com/#/reach

We are in full Christmas mode now and are going to buy the turkey today.  The price is 99 cents a pound—such a good deal.  Tomorrow evening, we’ll attend the Christmas Eve service here at the resort and then have our traditional Christmas Day.

And here’s a Christmas special that was presented one Sunday at our church: 

http://vimeo.com/114717017