*There's a true story told about two servants of God who were visiting an orphanage in Russia. There were about a hundred boys and girls in the orphanage who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government run program. One of the missionaries tells the story of the orphans very first Christmas. The missionary writes, "We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem, finding no room at the Inn and how the couple had to go to a stable where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger." He went to on to say that throughout the story the children and staff sat in amazement as they listened, on edge of their seats trying to grasp every word. When they completed the story they gave each child three small pieces of cardboard to make a manger.

Each child was given a small paper square cut from a yellow napkin that one of the God's servants had brought with him because there was no colored paper available in the city. Following instructions, the children tore the napkin paper into strips to make hay for the manger. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn out nightgown were used for the baby's blanket and a "doll like baby" was cut from pieces of tan felt, again that the missionaries had brought with them. As the orphans were busy assembling their mangers, one of the missionaries was walking among them to see if they needed help. As he looked at one little boy's manger he saw not one, but two babies. He quickly called for a translator to ask the boy why there were two babes in his manger.

Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at his completed manger scene the child began to repeat the story very seriously. He related the story quite accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked if I had a place to stay? I told him I have no Momma and no Poppa so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, cause I didn't have a gift to give to him like everyone else. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so bad that I thought about something that I could maybe use as a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, 'If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?' And Jesus told me, 'If you keep me warm that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.' So I got into the manger, and Jesus looked up at me and told me I could stay with him, for always." This little orphan had found someone who would never abandon him; never abuse him, someone who would stay with him for always. 

Truth is, there are many times in life when we all need to be children again, times when we need nothing more than to just be held and loved. 

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