You can hear it in the children’s laughter and you can see it in a parent’s grateful smile. You feel it, too. Even though you’re there to help in whatever way you can, you still feel it and when you take a moment to pause, it gives you peace and warmth that little else can. What is it? It is love. As close a sense of His love as we can ever really have on earth.

We all felt it that Saturday morning. Just as so many others do when they are participating in Compassionate Ministries projects of all kinds supported by Montrose Church. This is the second year I’ve let Kim Villa more or less draft me into service, photographing children at "Breakfast with Santa" in Pacoima’s Hubert Humphrey Park. Nearly 100 volunteers from Montrose Church rose early on a mid-December Saturday morning to facilitate a pancake breakfast, numerous arts and crafts, photos with Santa, games for kids and adults alike, and a bingo game raffle that ended the day. By the time the doors opened at 9 a.m. there were families lined up for nearly a block. The children laughed and played games and the parents enjoyed a peaceful morning, free from the world’s many stresses, while the folks from Montrose cheerfully worked. It was a sight to see. You will no doubt recognize many in this image, capturing just a sampling of the volunteers.  

Even Santa himself was most gracious, in the midst of some challenging moments! Some of the children love being with Santa but many are scared to death.

This little girl was just as cute as a button.

But this little guy wanted nothing to do with Santa.

This little guy wanted to show Santa his list.

It’s nice to see that kids almost everywhere want the same things for Christmas. My favorite part of this note is the note on the Star Wars set that he wants the bad guys!

One mother gave me a hug and she murmured something that at first I thought was Spanish. It wasn’t until a moment later that I realized she’d just said, ‘Thank you for being our Santa Claus.’

These are the things I love more than anything else about Montrose Church: these practical, thoughtful, loving extensions of His love meeting real needs in our world. Thanks Kim, Gabby, Martha, Karren, Dave and team for making this a reality for those great folks in Pacoima and more, for us. For me, this is what Christmas is really all about. Oh, and thanks Cory for wearing that great elf suit!