Doing good to all people

I am not, by definition, a Christmas person. However, there is a certain level of generosity that is shown at this time of the year, so I follow Paul's encouragement in Galatians 6:10 to use every opportunity to "do good to all people".

My serving started two weeks before Christmas, at the Christmas Village hosted by Open Bible. It provided an opportunity for small businesses to set up booths and sell items to those who visited to do their Christmas shopping, and listen to the gospel artistes who sang every night. ITNAC had a table and many people who stopped by learnt about the ministry, and some persons signed up as volunteers. We were able to sell some items and the funds used were sent to Haiti. These helped cover expenses for the team who went over there for Christmas to share God's love with the Haitians, especially those who were affected by Hurricane Matthew.

ITNAC booth at Christmas Village

One week before Christmas, a team from ITNAC joined with partners from Maritime to bless the community of Sobo Village in Palo Seco. This is an annual tradition that is eagerly anticipated by both the villagers and our volunteers. We are encouraged when we see the joy on the faces of the children who receive gifts, and the parents who receive hampers. We were also able to serve a hot meal to all who turned out, and it was a great time of fellowship for all.

The children got snack bags too

Very excited to receive her present

Time to eat!

Distribution of hampers

On Christmas morning, I woke up bright and early to meet with other ITNAC volunteers to pack breakfast boxes for the families we were going to visit. Thanks to our generous donors, each box contained a ham sandwich, a pastelle, an apple and some grapes. We also had hampers and presents for the children in each family. We decided to split up, with one team visiting families along the East/West corridor, and another team heading South.

Delicious breakfast lovingly made by our supporters 

The first house we visited was in Chase Village where a disabled woman lives with her friend and her brother. Her friend is currently unemployed and has a 9 month old baby, and her brother is losing his eyesight so it is difficult for him to work. The lady really enjoyed the Christmas carols we sang for her, and she even joined us in singing. She was very grateful and much cheered by our visit. Please pray for her friend to get a job. She is an excellent cook so she wants to start selling food; she hopes to get her food badge in January God willing.

Teaching the next generation that it is better to give than to receive

Our second stop was in Palo Seco where a couple live so close to a river that their house is almost situated in the river. Due to heavy rainfall in south on Christmas Eve, their clothes which were soaking in a tub outside, the baby's playpen and stroller and their gas tank washed away down the river. The water got into the house as well so when we visited the mother was in the process of cleaning again, because she had already cleaned for Christmas. They was very encouraged by our visit, and the hamper which they received.

One of our youngest volunteers sharing joy on Christmas morning

The last family we blessed lived in Gonzales Village, Point Fortin. The mother had not been working for over a year, because she broke her ankle really badly and had only just started back walking without crutches. She has 5 children that she takes care of on her own. The gifts we gave to her children were the first gifts they got for the season, so they were very happy to receive them. Please pray that she will find a job early in January 2017.

Praying with one of the families we visited

My prayer is that this spirit of generosity would not lie dormant until Christmas 2017, but that we would continue to look out for opportunities to be a blessing to those around us who are not as fortunate every day of the year.

Galatians 6:10 - Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.