"Suffer The Little Children"

We had our first shift for Christmas lights last night, and all I have to say is WOW. What an amazing experience. My companion and I covered the area around the shepherds camp, and there were so many people. Some were anxious to talk to us, and others weren't interested in the least. There were a ton of families that we met visiting from several different places. I was in awe the whole night of the spirit of Christmas and the power it has already to bring people together.

 

I really enjoyed talking to the kids. I spent a lot of time on my knees next to them, pointing at the sheep and explaining why the shepherds were important. At one point, I had about 5 kids all around me, asking me questions about whether or not the sheep could walk, or explaining why Christmas was important to them. I told them that the shepherds were the first person to know about Christ's birth, and as I finished explaining, one of the kids popped his head up from the back and asked, "Is that why Christmas is so important?!"

 

Without hesitation, I agreed. A few minutes later, after the other kids had gone to be with their parents, one of the girls stayed behind to keep talking with me. She asked me about my Book of Mormon, and I explained to her what the Book of Mormon and the Bible were. She went on to tell me all about losing her teeth (random, but kids can only pay so much attention), and then told me that her favorite part of Christmas was the candy and getting presents. The rest of our conversation went something like this...

 

Me- "Did you know that God gave you a gift?"

 

Girl-"...God gave me a gift? What is it?!"

 

Me- "He gave you your family!"

 

Girl- (in wonder) "...God gave me my family?"

 

Me- "Yeah, He did! And did you know he gave you another gift, too?

 

Girl- "He gave me something else? What is it?!"

 

Me- "He gave all of us Jesus Christ!"

 

Girl- (again in wonder) "He gave Jesus Christ...to me?"

 

Me- (by this time, I'm choking back my tears) "Yes, He gave you his son so that you could come back to him someday!"

 

After that, she had to run to catch up to her family. I'm not sure she'll ever know how much she touched my heart. I love children. They are so close to heaven, and for good reason. They were there not to long ago. I've posted a video here about Christ and his love for children. As you watch this, look for how happy it makes Christ to be around the children. Think of ways that you can help your own children understand why Christmas truly is important. God has given us the greatest gift of all, and I am so grateful for the chance to be reminded of it every single day!