Isn’t God Good?

Two days after Thanksgiving, while most of us were still recovering from a turkey coma, we held our annual Community Christmas Party for the families out in Hudson Bend.

We didn’t quite know what to expect this year– we were in a new location, and the weather forecast was looking increasingly questionable for that day. So much so, Santa even messaged me the night before and was like, “Umm… this is an outdoor event, right?”

We were all watching it closely, but there was no turning back at this point– the food was already ordered, Santa was ready and the reindeer was booked, and there were hundreds of invites that went out all week.

We were already committed.

LIKE ONLY HE CAN

I can never sleep the night before an event because there is just too much going on in my head to turn off.
-Do we have everything?
-Did we order enough food?
-Maybe I should grab one more thing of coffee…
-What time do I need to get out there?
-Do we have enough for all the volunteers to do?
-Will people show up?
-What if people don’t show up?

So, while I was running scenarios in my head, Ang did what Ang does and prayed. She prayed specifically that the rain would hold off and that people would show up.

And God answered like only God does– with just enough.

You see, we didn’t need more people to show up than we could handle– we needed just enough to show up.
We didn’t need to have more food than we had people– we needed just enough.
We didn’t need the rain to hold off all day– we just needed it to hold off long enough.

And that’s exactly what He did, and in spectacular fashion as if it were a reminder– “See? See what I can do? I got you.”

The pancakes ran out as we served our last guest, the coffee and hot chocolate ran out just as the event was coming to a close, and the rain held out until EXACTLY the moment the event ended and we started cleaning up.

“See? See what I can do? I got you.”


A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS

Now, I know I talk a lot, but I wanted to share just two of my favorite moments from the event this year.

1. The Raffle

All the kids that came got entered into a raffle to win, amongst other things, a new PS5. The little boy that won it was the first family there that day, making the drive from Apache to come.

He and his brother were circling that prize table all day just eyeing up that PS5 and when his number was called, I think the older brother was more excited than he was!  He was hugging him, hoisting him up into the air… nothing but HUGE smiles on those two.

I found out after that he and his brother had been saving up for 2 years to buy one!  How cool is that? 

2. The Teenagers

This year we had a TON of teenagers come, which was a HUGE win!

We did a cookout this summer in this same neighborhood and there was this group of teens boys that would come up on their bikes, check us out for a minute, and then ride off. A little while later, they’d ride up again, check us out, and ride off. This would repeat four or five times until finally, right at the end of the event, they rode up, put their bikes down, and came up to grab a plate of food. And that felt like a win that day.

But not this time.

This time–
They didn’t just come to our Christmas event; they came in droves.
They didn’t just stop by; they stayed.
They didn’t just stay; they engaged.

They stuck around and ate.
They built Gingerbread houses and decorated cookies.
They took pictures with Santa.
They threw the football around.

They stayed.

ISN’T GOD GOOD?

These kinds of moments don’t happen by accident. They happen because people consistently and faithfully show up behind the scenes to create space where families feel safe, welcomed, and seen.

At the end of the day, this was far more than just an event; it was another big step in building trust and presence in this community. Their community.

It was a reminder that we aren’t in control of the outcome, and we don’t need to have it all figured out– we’re simply called to be obedient. When we show up with what we have, God is faithful, and God is always good. Even when we doubt, or question, or worry, God will always meet us with just enough, and He’ll use it to do far more than we could ever do on our own.

Isn’t He?

Merry Christmas, everyone! Appreciate you all.