Baby Jesus Baby Shower!

Hello everybody! It's been a crazy month let me tell you! Christmas break ended and I started classes again at Chadron State College. I have recently started a new job and am still teaching 9th grade CCD!

Recently I did a service project with the 9th graders called the Baby Jesus Baby Shower. I actually got the idea from a family friend who does something very similar in my home parish. From the end of November though mid-January we collected baby items such as diapers, clothes, socks, hats, toys, bath soap, etc. We had two playpens, one in the church and one in the parish center to collect donations in. With the items that we collected, we made layettes for mothers and babies in need! We put together eight layettes, a bath gift set, and a layette to be used for an older baby. Each layette got a package of diapers, two or three sleepers, four or five onesies/outfits, wipes, blankets, and a few other miscellaneous items that were donated.

The kids were the ones who put the layettes together. Each layette got one package of diapers, two or three

sleepers, four or five onesies/outfits, a case of wipes, and some other baby accessories that were donated. They also decorated cards for each layette with a message of compassion! At the beginning of class I had the director who runs the BirthRight center here in Chadron come and talk to the students about what they do and why we stand up for life. I've always believed that showing kids what it means to serve others from a young age is always beneficial. It shows them what all they have to be grateful for, all the blessings that God gives us, and that to love God is to serve others! With this project I wanted to teach them that all life is precious and all people need to be served from the littlest baby up to the oldest person on the planet. All life, no matter the age, race, gender, occupation, location, interests, or faith is equally valuable and loved in the eyes of God.

As for the layettes, they are all going to families in Dawes county and in the areas around! Some of the layettes were donated to a local health clinic that serves low-income families. The rest of them are going to a place called Mercy Housing which is up in Rapid City, SD. We also had some leftover diapers that didn't go into layettes and we donated those to the local diaper bank! Thanks for reading and God Bless!