“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).
Christmas is a time to celebrate the hope, peace, joy, and love that was given to us all in the birth of Jesus Christ. And as joyful as the season is, it could also be a time of sadness, shame, and difficulty. This is true for many of our residents here at the Christian Care Center Men’s Residence.
Even though they are giving their children the greatest gift in getting their life back free from the shackles of addiction, it is still hard. They don’t get to share in the decorating, the Christmas parties, the concerts, they are not there to watch the Christmas movies, or to sip a cup of hot cocoa together while visiting the Christmas lights.
One family saw this pain and the love of God motivated them to form a ministry that helps bring healing to the hearts of those struggling in our Men’s Program. Sally Vidal Gott and Cynthia Vidal along with their family reach out to our community every year for sponsors for each of our children whose dad is in our treatment program.
The father receives presents for each of his children so he can wrap them himself and hand them to his children on Christmas. For those who don’t get to see their children on Christmas they also have sponsors to mail these presents.
When I went through the program, I was able to see my son on Christmas for the first time in a year. But I had no money and was going there empty handed. This broke my heart, but still I was grateful for my recovery and my faith in God. God saw my heart, and someone blessed me with money to be able to buy my son a few presents for Christmas.
This is the gift of Love that comes down from God. These sponsors don’t just give presents to these kids they share the love of God through their generosity. And the love doesn’t end there either. The family also spends time getting sponsors and then making these wonderful gift baskets for each of our residents.
How good is our God! When the men received the presents this year they were in tears. Tears of joy, gratitude and love filled their eyes, and they had no other response but thank you God!! For all good gifts come from above! If you would like to connect with our Men’s Residence to find out ways to volunteer or donate, please email me at Jamie@christiancarecenter.org