Cougar Christmas at the Arrow Project
Saturday, December 16, 2006

Cougar Christmas was again a huge success! Around thirty of our high school students spent an afternoon throwing a Christmas party for the needy and deserving children of The Arrow Project. This year the bar was raised when NCS students donated to the foster kids 70 Wal-Mart Gift Cards valued at $15.00 each. NCS then provided all the supplies for the plethora of exciting stations, games, and activities, which were available for the children to enjoy throughout the afternoon. There was a bounce house, four-square, story time, ornament, stocking, and cookie decoration, face painting, and most impressive of all was the spread of holiday grubs and an abundance of jolly music, compliments of the NCS Jazz Band.

Our students were naturals with the children. There's something about teenagers serving children which just seems right. Children just gravitate towards their older peers. Some of our young ladies were face painters, and they were creating works of art on the children's faces (I think I may have seen the Mona Lisa painted on the face of one young girl J). I was moved by a few of our young men who were clearly letting the kids beat them in four-square. My highlight was reading one of my favorite children's books, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie , to an eager little man who could not get enough of books being read to him. I ended up reading about half a dozen books, and if not for his foster mother telling him it was time to go home, I may still be reading.

It's so hard for me to imagine not knowing if I have a home or not, or more importantly, if I have parents to love me or not. Certainly Jesus understands what it means to not have a permanent roof over your head. Jesus also understands what it means to feel rejected. After all, all of his followers, except one, deserted him when he hung on the cross. Certainly these kids need to continually be reminded of the unconditional and endless love Jesus freely offers. I can confidently say on this day our students showed this kind of love and absolutely made these kids feel what they don't normally feel, honored and accepted. Praise the Lord!