February 24, 2003
Mom turns kids' obsession to aid
___ROUND ROCK--When Sarah Hodge noticed how many toys her children had accumulated, she thought, "What are we going to do with all this stuff?"
___And then when she saw her children, 9-year-old Colin and 14-year-old Caitlin, trying to win even more stuffed animals from a vending machine, she got an idea.
___"I decided we were going to start collecting stuffed animals for the children's home," she said, referring to Texas Baptist Children's Home in Round Rock.
___At first, her son didn't think that was such a great idea. He wanted to keep it all.
___"I told her I wanted the toys," Colin explained. "I didn't think it was fair at first. But then she told me it was for kids who didn't have much."
___Over the next year, every stuffed animal the children came across was placed in a bag destined for the children's home. In what seemed to them like no time, the family had gathered 30 brand-new stuffed animals.
___In helping others, Hodge wanted to teach her children a lesson.
___"They need to learn to be grateful for all they have," Hodge said. "I want them to understand not everybody has their needs taken care of. That should be their biggest lesson."
___With each new toy they placed in the bag, the Hodge children's excitement grew. "The bigger the bag got, the more enthused they became," Hodge said.
___After receiving the family's donation in December, workers at the children's home applied the gifts to an urgent need across the border. The Hodge family's stuffed animal collection now brings joy to residents of an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico.
___"These kids need them more than we do," Caitlin said. "It makes me happy doing stuff like this. I know we will do it every year."
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook |