Experience Christmas in a Whole New Way
All the gifts have been wrapped and I am taking the OPEN sign down, we are closed for Christmas. I stop and stand before the Cross in the center of the store. What a Christmas season it has been! I have watched as dad’s have brought their children in to pick out the perfect gift for mom. I have listened to parents explain how buying a gift here helps others around the world. I have watched friends buy covert gifts for their friends who are in the store with them! Husbands have walked the store looking for a gift for their wife that they know she will love. An elderly gentleman coming in with only $4 to buy his wife a gift. We have wrapped thousands of gifts in the store and shipped out hundreds of gifts online.
While I stand in front of the Cross, I get to see Christmas in a whole other way. Jesus came to not only save us but to show us love. At The Marketplace, while the Christmas season is crazy I get to stand in the mix of it. I get invited into peoples lives as they show family that they are loved. I get to watch people read card after card on the products and become so moved by what they are about to buy. I get to be a part of surprising people with that gift that they thought we were sold out of! I get to share the stories of our artisans and how their lives are changed. As I walk through the quiet store, I smile because while it was crazy at times, I got to experience Jesus, His love for all of His children.
I can’t express enough how absolutely humbled I am that you chose to share The Marketplace with your friends and family this year. THANK YOU! On behalf of the staff of The Marketplace and our artisans around the world, we wish you tremendous love and a Merry Christmas.
0 comments