Christmas Joys

It was a beautiful wedding ceremony.  I made it through without crying, although I came close a couple of times.  Over 100 friends and family gathered for the special event.  It was great seeing so many familiar faces.  Martha and Philip went on a Caribbean cruise.  After visiting my brother for a few days, I stayed at David and Andrea’s house for a week, eating chicken fried steak twice with Hannah, seeing where Jonathan worked (quite impressive), and enjoying Christmas lights with Sara.  I wish I could have stayed longer.

But I’m back in Iloilo where the weather is much warmer.  Tomorrow I leave all day to the western part of our Island to distribute Christmas gifts to our churches through the ministry of www.blessings.ph  Saturday I will be gone all day to the northern part of our island to do the same.  Then next week I will cover the eastern part of our island.  To the south is ocean where travel would be difficult for my aged car!

Christmas is a time when stores remind us of the abundance we enjoy in the U.S.A.  But the news headlines tell us that people in other countries, including the Philippines, live in a different world where needs are desperate and lives are fragile.  The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for missions is an important link to channel resources to places that need more than food.  They need to know about a Savior who came from glory, born in a manger, showed us God, carried our sins and died for them that we might live with Him forever.

I hope your Christmas is a blessed time with family and friends.  Enjoy the food, the delicacies, the decorations, the gifts, the joy, and the love.  And don’t forget the millions who can only dream of such things.  Share the meaning of Christmas with them, too.