“Mary!” she exclaimed as she drew her close. “Dear Mary! What are you doing here?”
“Elisabeth!” Mary hugged her and at the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elisabeth gasped and clutched her stomach. In a loud voice, she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.” Mary’s eyes widened in shock. Elisabeth knows? How could she know? “But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elisabeth asked, cupping Mary’s cheek with her hand. “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. You are blessed my child, because you have believed everything the Lord has told you.”
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![]() Mary greeted the animals as she opened the gate to the pen behind their home. The sheep bleated a response, and she drew closer to have a look at the new baby. “How are you doing, Treasure?” she reached a tentative hand toward the new lamb and was greeted with a wet nose. She giggled in delight at the new lamb’s curiosity. “You’re friendly.” She scratched behind his ears and slowly withdrew her hand when his mother grunted her disapproval. “Come now, Anna! It’s just me. You know I wouldn’t hurt your baby for the world.” A nudge from behind her almost caused Mary to topple forward. When she turned to scold the animal responsible, she was filled with regret. Want to make a child happy this Christmas? One of the neatest traditions about Christmas is Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. Our church supports this program every year and I know many parents use it as a learning experience for their children. When my kids were little, each child was able to pick a box and send it to a child who was their age. We went out shopping and they each chose the gifts to put in the box and would send letters or drawings they made. When the day came to collect the boxes at church, each child was excited to take their box up to the front of the church and leave it in the collection. It was something to see all those boxes at the front of the church and to know that they were going to a needy child. But have you heard about Packing Parties? This is something you can do with your neighbours or friends that could become the start of a new tradition for you. Here's how it works:
Can't Get to a Party? Build a Box Online! I just did this and it was super easy and fun to do! All you need is a credit card. You have two options, Let Samaritan's Purse fill a box for you OR you can build the box with items you would like to add. Select as many boxes as you like! Press the button below to get started! National Collection Week is November 14-20, 2016 so get your boxes and your party started! |
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