“I found the baby!” the shepherd cried as he reached into the makeshift manger, picked up the sock baby we had made, and waved it in the air.
“Give the baby back!” I called through the uproarious laughter in the room, “It’s Mary’s baby!”
Handing the sock back to Mary, he looked at me, wondering what to do next. I continued the narration: “Then the shepherds went and told everyone in the town what they had seen.” To act it out, he went over to the rest of the room and told his audience, “I found the baby!” And everyone continued to laugh.
That was the high point of one of our Christmas parties this year! At that and one other large party, we taught our Asian friends some Christmas songs, told them the Christmas story, and had THEM act it out. It was hilarious both times!
All together, I’ve been a co-host of five Christmas parties, two large and three small. After five parties, I can definitely say that the season has been a busy one for my team. However, God has made it SO fruitful. Enrique and Buckeye are meeting with a few guys who are very hungry for God, and Sydney and I finally have girls for a Bible study! Praise the Lord! We were also able to see hunger in some girls we don’t know too well but invited to a party anyway. Next to do is getting this Bible study up and running, and going deeper in our friends’ lives. Please be praying for post-Christmas energy for all of us who are over here, and for continued growth in our relationships with our friends. We will also need boldness from God to go deeper with them this next month.
I have been doing really well recently! I’ve finally been able to trust God with what He’s doing in my friends’ lives and now I realize that it’s not up to me to convince them of Him. I sometimes feel inadequate for the task at hand, but He’s showing me that His strength is best shown in my weakness and He’s given me everything I need to forge ahead. It’s so great to be able to see how He provides for me financially as well! Thank you to all of you who’ve helped me out this month –– you’re all fantastic and a real blessing!
I’m looking forward to hearing from you! Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year!
~Cozy!