The girl has a big heart

Our church is participating in Operation Christmas Child, where you fill a shoebox with items for a needy child. I thought this would be a great way to introduce Chloe to serving others, so we decided to make a box for a little girl and headed out to Target.

I explained to her that some kids don't have any mommies or daddies to buy them Christmas presents, so we were going to buy the presents for the little girl. Chloe picked out so many things that I knew she loved for herself, but never once asked to have them. (She doesn't know it, but she's getting a lot of them in her Christmas stocking, since she was so good and didn't ask for anything!)

When we were all done, Chloe said how she was going to give the little girl all the presents and that she had lots of extra pillows so the little girl could share Chloe's room with her.

And then she said that since the little girl doesn't have any brothers or sisters, Chloe and Luke and Audrey could be hers.

And then she said that Isaac and I could be her mommy and daddy.

And then she asked when we were going to get her.

I tell you, it actually hurt my heart to explain to Chloe that we couldn't get her, we could only mail the shoebox. She kept asking, "But what if she never has a mommy or daddy? Can't we be her family?"

Isaac and I have always thought that we would adopt a child someday, and it looks like God may be preparing the hearts of our children for that!