69. Participate in Operation Christmas Child

Growing up I loved participating in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse with my family. Whenever the videos play in church of the children opening up their Christmas boxes, I tear up. Literally every single time! I wanted to put together a box this year, and Gabe thought it would be fun if we made boxes for two children together. It happened to be a little spender than we thought it would be, but I am so glad we have the means to give something to others. I know it is unlikely that we will get a letter back from either of the kids that receive our boxes, but I would LOVE getting a letter so much!

You should participate in OCC next year! http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

How to pack a box

Shopping away at Target

Getting everything ready to be packed

I got everything to fit :)  

Splendid!

86. Purchase gifts from Samaritan's Purse

I cannot tell you how long I have wanted to buy a goat for a family through Samaritan's Purse Christmas catalog. Today is the day. Gabriel and I jointly purchased a goat! I decided to buy a few other items for people as well such as clean drinking water and emergency life-saving food. It is nice to be able to bless others through the blessings God has bestowed on me. 

There are just so many good and needed gifts that it was very hard to choose the ones I  decided to buy. 

Sheet filled out, check written, and envelope ready to be sent!

84. Re-read Intimate Allies by Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman

During my sophomore year of college, I took a class called Relationships. In that class, we read Intimate Allies by Allender and Longman. This book was excellent, but I must admit I just skim some of the chapters the first time around. Therefore, I wanted to read it again, making sure to pay full attention to all the wonderful advice this book has to offer. While the book is geared toward married couples, it is still insightful to learn from the wisdom of those who have already lived and worked through so many experiences. I found myself underlining a lot while I was reading, and I kept telling myself that I need to read this book again every year, especially after I, Lord willing, get married. Below I will list some of the quotes I found to be meaningful and thought provoking throughout the book.

• "Marriage is a paradigm of God's pursuit, passion, and purpose in creating and redeeming His people."
• "To view our spouses from the lens of glory is to be overwhelmed by the privilege of being face-to-face with a creature who mirrors God."
• "Men and women are to rule in order to serve, and we serve through sacrifice."
• "Christians who are married should have a vision for a life of ministry together."
• "A Christian marriage should be the framework for a bold movement to bring God's beauty and salvation to a dark world of chaos."
• "We are most resistant to trusting God with our money and time because both expose our deepest vulnerabilities and our core inability to manage our lives as we desire."
• "After our relationship to God, our marriage relationship must command our deepest commitment."

Read this book and be blessed and challenged.