Holiday Blessings

ROGERS, ARK. – On the Sunday before Thanksgiving last fall, the members of the Rogers Seventh-day Adventist Church’s women’s ministries department teamed up with the community services team in order to organize and pack 60 bags with a variety of foods to share with the community for the upcoming holiday. 

All of the bags were then shared with those in need during the church’s normal “Monday Soup Kitchen” hours. What a blessing it is to be able to give something special to those in need and also to receive the thankfulness from those who received the bags. 

This was quite a time-consuming project, as our volunteers had to go to many stores in order to get the items that were needed to fill the bags. 

The Lord also provided through the donations of many and it was such a blessing. One donation came from a vendor who provided all the cake and brownie mixes that we were able to include in the bags.  

After the initial Thanksgiving giveaway, God supplied us with even more items. We were surprised with a large donation of about 60 plush toys, stuffed and adorable little animals, along with 25 children’s Bible story books and other children’s toys. 

We also were able to make up nearly 50 stuffed stockings for the adults in need. These were stuffed with fruit, Amazing Facts DVDs, spiritual books and snacks. These were nicely packaged to give to any adults who needed an extra smile and a hug for Christmas. 

One family with three younger children and a young teenager just beamed with delight as they got to choose the stuffed animals they desired. Their smiles were priceless.

All this was accomplished with a budget of less than $500 and the blessings from the Lord. 

It was a first time for the Rogers church to be able to give away both for Thanksgiving and Christmas. What a joy it was. We hope to repeat it next year.

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By Nancy Riedesel