This week, we’ll travel to the South American country of Ecuador for an usual Christmas setting—a mission trip! Instead of focusing on Christmas presents and other familiar holiday traditions, these adventurous families decided to serve. Your kids will see how this project gave volunteers new perspective on the meaning of Christmas, and what it means to “celebrate” it. They’ll also consider how they commemorate Christmas, and why service is an important part of the holiday.

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Pre-video Discussion Questions
- What Christmas traditions does your family have during the holiday season?
- It is always exciting to receive a Christmas present, but besides gifts, what are your other favorite parts of Christmas?

VIDEO
In today’s video, see how adventurous families celebrated Christmas in a new way by serving on a mission trip.

Post-video Discussion Questions
- Why do you think the volunteers had such a great Christmas, even though it didn’t feel like the normal Christmas they were used to?
- Christmas might feel like a time when it seems right to stay at home or be with family in familiar places, but the Christmas story itself is all about going somewhere else! The wisemen came from far away lands to find Jesus, the shepherds made a long walk from their fields to see Jesus, Mary and Joseph made the long trip from Galilee to Bethlehem, and God Himself came all the way from heaven to earth in the form of a human baby. If you could make a Christmas journey anywhere in the world to have a different kind of holiday experience next year, where would you go and why?
- How could you serve at home this Christmas to create a similar experience as the volunteers had on their mission trip?

Prayer Points
- Thank you for the gift of Jesus and the example of His life of service.
- Give us opportunities to serve wherever we are this Christmas.
- Ask kids what they would add to the prayer list.

Did You Know?
- Maranatha offers at least two Family Projects each year—one in the summer and one at Christmas. You can view our upcoming Family Projects at maranatha.org/family.