This spring, in celebration of the 1,000th episode of Adventures in Odyssey being aired, Focus on the Family Canada held a contest giving away an Adventures in Odyssey prize pack. Mauricio and Christin were one of over 4,500 entrants and won!

“We found a package had been delivered to our front doorstep, so I brought it in and I called the kids because I knew what it was and I was excited,” Mauricio recalls. “I called them and said, ‘Guess what! Your prize package from Focus on the Family Canada arrived!’ The kids came running and we got some scissors and opened up the box. They were just so excited – it felt like Christmas morning.”

Inside, the kids kept pulling out more and more goodies, including T-shirts, the new Adventures in Odyssey puzzle, books, stickers, magnets and bookmarks.

“It also made me think of Mary Poppins and her bag when she pulls out one impossible thing after another, and you just wonder, How in the world did she fit all those things like a lamp in her bag?” Christin explains. “It was amazing how much this little box held, and the kids were just very excited and also very thankful.”

Mauricio knew about Focus on the Family when he worked for another ministry, but it wasn’t until Christin started listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly and the kids started enjoying Adventures in Odyssey that they really got into the resources as a family. They’ve had the online Adventures in Odyssey Club for over a year – and now won a free year with the prize pack – and the kids love it so much they have to be reminded to turn it off.

“Sometimes we actually have to tell my son that he needs to turn it off because we just need a little break, a little quiet in the house after having already listened to two or three episodes in a row or because he needs to read or do his homework,” Mauricio explains. “For us as parents it’s just so encouraging to know that all he’s listening to is good solid content. We know we can trust Adventures in Odyssey to share biblical truth in a really engaging and meaningful and realistic way.”

Adventures in Odyssey has been around since 1987 and has been helping children and parents alike learn how to live out their faith. As beloved characters in the town of Odyssey face real-life scenarios, families are learning how to lean on God through trials and difficulties.

“I just love knowing that my kids are learning what it means to follow Jesus, and my hope and prayer is that they are internalizing those important messages and will continue to put it into practice as they go about their lives,” Christin adds. “Adventures in Odyssey has become a daily part of our family’s life and the characters feel like family to us. The kids are always so excited to listen to new episodes and new albums when they come out and follow along with these characters that we’ve come to really love. We enjoy following the developments in their lives.”

Because of the generous support of our donors, Focus on the Family Canada is able to provide families like these with trusted, biblically based resources that point children to God’s love for them.

Mauricio explains it best:

“Adventures in Odyssey definitely supports us in this hope because as I mentioned above the episodes always direct the listeners to God and his Word and biblical truth, and they present it in such an engaging way that the stories are memorable, and the kids can learn from the experiences of the characters in the episodes. I love that at the end of each episode, Chris brings in a Scripture verse and gives a bit of an explanation as to what the character has gone through and what they have learned through the experience. I know my kids are picking up on these truths, which is wonderful. Also Focus on the Family Canada’s children’s books are great and we have purchased a number of them. I just appreciate so much that I know I can trust that these books are presenting biblical truth in a way that my kids can understand and can learn in an age-appropriate way.”