For as long as I can remember, I’ve been involved with Angel Tree. Angel Tree is a ministry that reaches out to the children of inmates and their families with the love of Christ by giving them Christmas gifts from their incarcerated mother or father. We buy, wrap and give these gifts to the children on their behalf. It seeks to transform the lives of these families and to reconcile them to their Heavenly Father and each other.
Angel Tree is something that really touches my heart because my father was once incarcerated before he gave his life to the Lord. It wasn’t while I was alive, but it does bring the reality a little closer to home. Now, my father works with Prison Fellowship and every Wednesday, even if he’s sick or if its Christmas day, my father holds a Bible study in the Monmouth County Jail. It’s true, the majority of the men and women who are in jail deserve to be there, but their children don’t deserve to feel the consequences of their parent’s actions.
“Every child has a story. For 1.5 million American children, that story is filled with the abandonment, loneliness, and shame that comes from having a mom or dad in prison. For many, it may also include following their parents down the same destructive road to incarceration.” (http://www.angeltree.org/)
My church, Long Branch Covenant Church, holds a Christmas Party for the children and their families where the gifts are given out. This year, Rob and I had the priveledge of not only buying gifts for two of the children, but also to photograph the event (again, I bet you can’t tell which pictures are Rob’s and which are mine!). I truly hope that through our photography you will be touched and maybe next year see how you can get involved yourself.
For more information, please visit http://www.angeltree.org/.
EnJOY and Merry Christmas!!
