In December, as Advent progresses and it gets closer to Christmas, the excitement grows in the Parish House. Of course, some of it has to do with Christmas morning Who isn’t thrilled to receive a gift? That’s not what it is all about with these children. Watch their faces as they sing “Silent Night” during the Pageant or make the Christmas cards for the baskets. Christmas is about Love, and these children get it. Please spend some time with the children of St. Paul’s at this time of year and watch their beautiful expressions and their earnestness as they create objects of love for all of us to share. Look past their extra “wiggleness” this season, and see the beautiful gift God has given all of us the children here at this parish. They are a gift, and I feel truly blessed.

Thank you to everyone who helped make December “just a little bit easier”. Thanks for the kind words and offers to help out. I would like to thank a few people who went that extra mile for the Church School. Thank you to all the parents and teachers who helped out for rehearsals and covering each other’s classes. It was a crazy month with lots of last-minute emergencies, but you stepped up to the plate at the last minute, and I really appreciate it. Thank you to Emily Burton for straightening the costumes after the Live Nativity. It wouldn’t be December without a thank you to the music men, Kevin and Buddy. You guys and your music are wonderful. The Pageant wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you to Katarina and Kelli Gillis for making the pageant crowns this year a job well done. Of course, I must thank my family for having the patience to step around costumes and donkeys through the month of December. Your support during it all is a blessing. Lastly, I must thank the kids for the joy they bring everyday to Sunday School. Seeing your smiles and watching your joy is the reason we do this on Sunday mornings. You really are a gift from God.

Recently, I was given an appeal for help from a mission in Haiti that we have assisted in the past. Like everyone, I have seen the news on the situation in what is known as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. To read this letter from Sister Jackie, I was again touched by the absolute horror that is happening in that country. She spoke of people dying and the terrible flooding that occurred in large parts of her community due to the four hurricanes that hit there this year. We’ve seen video clips on the news, watching people put dirt in the food to stretch what little they had to eat. The starvation is overwhelming, and people are dying daily. In the 11 years Sister Jackie has been with the mission, this is the worst it has ever been in the country.

After reading the letter, I felt that as a Sunday School we had to do something. In January, we will be doing a month-long educational program on Haiti. We will be having several speakers educate the children on the situation, and we’ll discuss how we can help. We’ll remind the children that God is always listening, and we can pray for the children and families that are suffering. The children’s offering that month will be going to the RJM Mission in Gros Morne, Haiti. The children will be reminded of the importance of helping others, not only at home (our focus for December), but elsewhere in the world.

Come join us on Sunday mornings and see how God is changing the world through these beautiful children. Sunday school is open to all children age 3 and up; registration cards are always available on the children’s snack table on Sunday mornings. Bring a friend.