Fall and the holiday season are upon us! At One Way International that means lots of outreach activity!
Teen Time students have already had a lesson on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Next week practices start for their second annual Christmas pageant for the apartment complex in which they live. The next five weeks, teens will either be practicing for the pageant, packing and delivering food for families, or presenting the Christmas pageant. Families in the apartment complex are invited to come see their kids perform, enjoy some community time together, hear the gospel message with an invitation to receive Christ, sing Christmas carols, and receive lots of door prizes. Our teens are excited. They love to serve. Pray that the message of the holidays will be reality for them as they live “the act of giving” and realize “the truth of the love of God” through becoming immersed in the story and meaning of Christmas. As they finish their fall semester and finals at school we will take them all out for Christmas dinner together. Another youth group has offered to pack bags of seasonal goodies and OWI Teen Time teens will take those bags door-to-door in their complex before going to dinner; serving once again. We are blessed by them!
Kids Club students will be learning the true story of Christmas, participating in an activity to show that it is truly a blessing to give, and experiencing the opportunity to be a blessing to their families throughout the month of November. Gifts of Love donations are being put together to make beautiful baskets for the students to choose from for their families. Craft packets are being assembled for the students to enjoy, gift bags for each student including a warm fleece blanket, a stuffed animal, and Christmas goodies have been put together and we are looking forward to a wonderful Gifts of Love celebration with the students we minister to at our after school Kids Club.
Winter coats and jackets are being collected for those who don’t have coats at the elementary school with which we work. Sizes needed range from children’s small to adult medium. Coats are given to students in grades Kinder through 5th. We request coats given to be new or gently used, clean, and ready to distribute. Texas is a place where we don’t usually experience snow and bitter cold, but for some children without coats, when the cold snaps occur, it can still be a bitter time. Please consider providing a coat, hoodie, or jacket for those who are in need. We will be accepting coats and donations to purchase coats and jackets from now through January. Thank you for your consideration.
Wishing you and yours a blessed and meaningful holiday season!