other weekend activities

So, every year our church participates in the Shoebox Project. It's a nation-wide program that sends shoeboxes filled with small gifts to children in other countries who wouldn't otherwise have anything to open on Christmas. Our church sends them to Mexico, to 2 little towns that don't have running water . . . well, they do have a creek of some kind . . . and the people live in tar paper dwellings with no electricity or pavement or anything. Whoever wants to participate takes a few shoeboxes home and fills them with hygiene products, toys, whatever and then we add in a Bible and a "plan of salvation" typed up in Spanish . . . there's at least one person in the towns who can read . . . and wrap them up in Christmas paper and label them for age and gender. Gennie always looks forward to shopping for the "Mexico kids" and this year we did boxes for 2 boys and one girl, all about the same age as our kids . . . makes it easier to choose things for that age group to enjoy when you have one that age.

We went to the dollar store to pick out stuff . . . not because I'm cheap but because we can get sooooo much more for our budget than at even Wally World (the baaaaaad place. Oh, for a Target!) We also found a sale at Kmart on summer clothes . . . $0.25 per item . . . and since NO ONE shops at our Kmart there was tons to pick from for both boys and girls.

Kev and Gennie packed up the boxes at home (top photo) then he stayed with Josiah so Gennie and I could go to the church and wrap them. Yes, I did her hair before we left. :) She helped with all the boxes by getting the Bibles into them and tearing off tape for us to wrap with.
I think total we got around 53 boxes done, and after the service where the elders prayed over them for the kids who would receive them, someone donated another $50 for the lady in charge to make up as many more boxes as she could.

Merry Christmas, Mexico kids!