Elf on the Shelf

I mentioned earlier that this is our first year doing Elf on the Shelf, and we have enjoyed it so much. The kids love seeing where Ribbit is every morning and they get a big kick out of it. One morning Brad said "wow, how did he get there?" and Selah looked at him very seriously and said "It's just pretend, Daddy!" Ha!  Just in case me and Daddy forget....

We've done some silly stuff with our elf but we've also attempted to use him to teach the children and point them to Jesus. Day before yesterday they found Ribbit in our pantry. 

We talked to the kids some about how we have lots of food but there are some people that don't have enough to eat, and that we wanted to help them out. That night Selah prayed for God to put more food in the grocery store so people wouldn't be hungry. It was very sweet. It's hard for me as a mom sometimes because I don't want my kids to worry but I do want them to be thankful for all the blessings we have and to be willing to reach out to those who aren't as fortunate. 

So Thursday got the ball rolling with the food pantry idea, and this is what the kids found when they woke up Friday morning:

Our church actually has a food pantry, so that's where we headed to drop off the goods. I'm thankful to be part of a congregation that is so mission-minded!  Brad called our children's minister to let him know we were coming, and he was there to talk to the kids and guide them through the donation process. They were super excited!

Here they are meeting Bro. Donnie in the parking lot. 

They even got to help put it on the shelves!

They felt good about leaving food there for people who need it. Selah told Nana later that our church has a grocery store in it. Ha!  I hope this stirs their hearts to be the hands and feet!  :)