In July 2008, I moved to St. Louis to start teaching in the city schools. By December, I had joined a Community Group with The Journey and was told that our group would be serving at Affordable Christmas. (I had no idea what Affordable Christmas was. If you don't know what it is, check it out here.)

As I prepare for my 4th Affordable Christmas, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to still be a part of this event. I now get to play a big part in inviting the families of kids I work with every week in the schools where we serve. I love a lot about AC:

• the chance to connect with families in a new way
• joking with parents as they decide which toys their kids will enjoy most
• watching volunteers and those attending Affordable Christmas connect in ways they probably didn't expect to
• seeing church members give of their time and resources to create a positive and dignifying experience for people they don't even know

I also can't help but be a little nostalgic. It was at Affordable Christmas that I first met the Mission: St. Louis Executive Director, Josh Wilson. After talking with him a bit, Josh asked me to email him about my experience at the event and the stories I had heard. Here's an excerpt from what I wrote to him about a woman I met at Affordable Christmas:

"Another woman shared so much about her life with me. She has 4 boys, ranging from 4-14. She is a single Mom working hard to support her family and the most amazing thing was that she never once complained about how draining and time consuming her life is. She works full time picking up extra shifts when possible and is raising her 4 boys, but instead of talking about how tiring it was she kept emphasizing how grateful she was to wake up each morning and have a job to go to. She told me this year has been really difficult, with the state of the economy and the difficulty of a one-income household. She dreaded the approach of Christmas and kept looking at the empty spot where she would normally have the tree, wondering how she was going to be able to give her kids a special Christmas like they were hoping for this year. Her case worker then suggested she apply for Affordable Christmas. She was so excited to discover such a thing existed and filled out her application immediately. She prayed and prayed that she could be a part of AC and when her case worker called to say she was the only one of her cases to be chosen, this woman knew God had provided for her family.

I can't explain it, but there was something really special about this woman. She clearly is facing a harder time than she ever has before financially, but she seems to truly trust that God will provide. She's grateful for the doors He has opened, like Affordable Christmas, and continues to work hard and have faith in the fact that He is God and He is in control...no matter what our economy looks like or how many presents she has for her kids. I don't think the Affordable Christmas program made Christmas possible for this woman, because it's ultimately not about presents and she really seemed to get that. She was so excited to go home and decorate the tree and put the gifts under there...I don't know, Christmas wasn't a shameful thing she had to avoid anymore or a painful reminder of how hard she is working just to get by...it was a reminder of a loving God who works miracles in simple and incredible ways."

I hope you have the opportunity to take part in Affordable Christmas this year. It will leave a deep and lasting impact...I can promise you that from my own experience.