April
26
2012
Hi, my name is Davanne Piccini and I am a religious ed. teacher for St. Francis Mission. This means I work directly with the children who will benefit from Operation: Backpack. I would like to share with you one of my favorite stories from working with these children.
In early December 2011, I was teaching a class of 2nd graders about Jesus’ birth. I introduced the story by saying, “What is the big holiday in December?” I was met by a chorus of children exclaiming “Christmas!” I asked, “And who was born on that day?” The chorus then exclaimed, “Jesus!” One cute little girl then piped up and said, “Jesus is so lucky he’s born on Christmas. I was born on Dec. 8th.” Not bothering to hold my laughter in, I said, “Hold on. We call it Christmas because that’s the day Jesus Christ was born. If he was born on any other day, then we’d call that day Christmas.” In a moment of epiphany, another little girl exclaimed, “So, if Jesus was born on the 4th of July, we’d be shooting fireworks on Christmas?” I told her, “In that case, yes, we’d be shooting fireworks on Christmas.”
The curiosity and excitement displayed by these children is typical of all the classes we teach. I’m excited for Operation: Backpack because your generosity will supply us teachers with the materials needed to make this year’s Body, Mind, and Soul the best it can be for these children.
