Updated: Dec 15, 2019
Our donkey, sheep, a few goats and chickens were a popular venue. But one night, at Sunshine Community Church the windchill was well below zero, and even Jake our Donkey was hunched over because of the severe cold. We promised never to travel again, and had no idea what was in store! I happened to have coffee with my neighbor, Bev, and she shared her scrapbook about her trip to Israel. I viewed photographs i'd never seen before, which was thrilling. This is where Jesus had lived, and the excitement began. We first displayed about 8 photos from her scrapbook and put some young children in costume, called it our Live Nativity, and people were happy to come. They would visit all of our animals, as well as peek at our humble setting, only to be drawn in by the photographs of Bethlehem. Over the years our collection of photographs is now on a 35' wall. Our entire farm is open for browsing, but the manger scene is the best. Music, live animals and characters backdropped by the sounds of the story, all make the moments in the barn reminiscent of the story we often hear.
Jake, our original donkey, is now 34 years old, this is the 20th season to host the Nativity at our barn. We have created a display of photographs from 7 scrapbooks, and with the help of "That the World May Know Ministries." The Nativity scene is definitely real, with actors, animals and an audio accounting of the story, read by children. But viewing the photographs and being reminded about the story, all goes along to create a most realistic experience. We wish you all a blessed Christmas!
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