In roughly 4 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes, and 30-some-odd seconds, The Attic Student Ministry is going to be giving away a boat-load of toys to the under-privileged families of South Daytona and the surrounding communities. Overall, this is an incredible thing, but there is one thought that seems to be occupying the thoughts and hearts of the individuals and families that are involved: “But there seemed to be more toys last year.”
Ah, yes. I’ve dealt with this hope-sucking, joy-killing, cheer-squelching monster before. Too often we use the past as a measure of the future. Now, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes measuring against the past is a good thing. For example: If you ran a mile in 10 minutes last month, and you’ve been training really hard, you should be able to hope that you can now run it in 9 minutes (or even better), right? Right. That is, unless you’re now an amputee.
Ok, so maybe that’s a bit too strong of a comparison. But the point remains. Comparing with the past is ok, as long as outside factors are still comparable. As long as you still have two-legs, are in good health, and have been training, you should be able to expect to improve in your ability to run a mile from one month to the next.
For our toy drive, we knew going into this thing that the “recession” (which, if you’ve been paying attention is supposed to be over), has hit areas such as South Daytona particularly hard this year. Let’s just face it. These tough economic times mean two very specific things when it comes to a Toy Drive for the less fortunate:
- There are more people needing toys than ever before.
- There are also less toys to spare than ever before.
So how do we reconcile these two truths in the light of our mandate to help the needy? We do exactly what we’ve been doing. We collect as much as we can, and then, just as Christ commanded, we give everything away. And we bless as many people as we possibly can.
This is the first year that I’ve been able to be a part of this ministry, so I’ll be seeing things for the first time that some people have already seen. But here’s what I hope to remember this Saturday:
- Though we may not be able to give out as many toys as we might have hoped, we still are making a difference in the lives of the members of our community.
- On Christmas morning when a small child opens his gift, his smile will be no smaller because we had less toys that in years past.
- By performing this act of service to our community, we are showing others the love of Christ in a positive way (unlike some others that we’ve seen in recent past).
Of course, I would be missing an opportunity if I didn’t tell you that we still needed more toys. If you have some, please consider dropping them off at our church office which is located at:
1730 S. Ridgewood Ave
South Daytona, FL 32119
Or, if you have so many toys to donate that they can’t fit in your car (come on, I have to try, right?) and need someone to come pick up them up, please call our church office at 386-767-5470 to let us know where someone can pick them up.
And, if you don’t have any toys (like many people this Christmas), and you are in need, please consider joining us on Saturday. Doors open at 8:00am, but toys will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you might want to get there a little early.