Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Busiest Week of the Year

It's Wednesday of the busiest week of the year for the ministry at Charlotte Correctional Center. Special programs are scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night. Preparation is ongoing for one our biggest events annually, the Angel Tree Christmas Party to be held Saturday during the inmates' weekly visitation with their families. This will be the eleventh year we've held this event. We will feed nearly four hundred people and provide Christmas gifts for about one hundred twenty children. For many of them, this will be the only Christmas they get as their families struggle during their daddy's incarceration.
All of this means I am running in every direction at once, wearing many hats, and trying to keep it all organized and headed in the same direction. But I really don't mind. Not if we accomplish our purpose this week. Actually, it's a two-fold purpose:
  • We want to lift up Jesus for all to see. He really is the reason we do all that we do here. This week is about pointing the inmates and their families to the Savior, plain and simple. No game-playing or pretense. It's all about Him.
  • We want daddies to begin to think and act like daddies. Take responsibility. Realize that their children desperately need them to be clean and sober and at home to provide for them and to love them instead of being locked-up.

If a plate of food and a few gifts can help to accomplish that, well then all of the running around, and buying, and organizing, and just plain hard work will be worth it, won't it?

If you think of it, pray for us this week.

3 comments:

Emily Burger said...

this is my first year in eleven years not being there...thats kinda sad!

Tom Burger said...

Yes it is. I'll miss you, but that's kind of how it is when you grow up.
That's okay. I love you asd hope you have an awesome trip.
Go Mountaineers!

theStovers said...

Have fun! And then hopefully mom will let you come home and eat some Christmas cookies to relax on Saturday!