The Christmas Store in Action – Volunteers helping and parents choosing gifts for their children.

As the weather turns colder in North Texas, and now with the Thanksgiving season behind us, the Mission Arlington^® family turns its heart toward the Christmas season.  This coming Saturday, December 10th, our free Christmas Store will open again to the public, and it will stay open every day (excluding Sundays) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through December 23rd.

Volunteers have been working all year long to get the store ready to go for this Saturday. Our community has been giving toys and bikes since December 26th of last year, and currently gifts are coming in every single day.  What joy there will be for children under the Christmas tree this year.

Volunteers in the Christmas Store wrapping gifts.

Today, something extraordinarily beautiful happened. A local company donated 150 artificial trees out back.  At the same time, more than 100 Christmas live Christmas trees arrived out front.  What was so wonderful is that, within moments, most of those trees were on their way to people’s homes. God had supplied the need at just the right time.  Groups have been coming through all day long. We finished late Monday evening with a local girl scout troop who had collected and dropped off a huge load of Christmas gifts.

One amazing part of the store involves the re-telling of the Christmas Story from Luke 2.  Last year, in response to that story, 368 adults began a journey with Christ, and another 743 people requested for someone to follow up with them about what they had heard.

Please pray with us about opening day – not just that we will have enough toys and bikes for the children, and that no child will have to wake up on Christmas morning without toys under the tree, but that all would know of our Lord’s great love.

One lady came into the Mission this afternoon, in tears, because of difficult, very tough, circumstances in her own life.  As we responded – not just with financial support, food, clothes, and more, but with personal care, the exclaimed “Thank you, Jesus!” on her way out.  We agree.

 Last year, more than 30 thousand (30,514) children received gifts, including 4,000 brand new bikes. Altogether, more than 7 thousand (7,351) families received gifts.