St. Nicholas....

As the years go by I find myself more and more interested in the history behind our traditions and celebrations.  I think of God's commands to His people in the Old Testament to remember and celebrate on a yearly basis and see the God-ordained value in regularly reminding ourselves of who God is and what He has done for us.

On and off through the years I have heard bits and pieces of the history of St. Nicholas.  I am sure that differing sources will lead to different versions of the story, but I believe it's agreed upon that the third century St. Nicholas is the original person that the stories, traditions, and legends of Santa Claus are based on.

Regardless of whether or not you incorporate Santa Claus into your Christmas celebrations, I think it is very note-worthy that St. Nicholas was known as a defender of children.

Contrary to the popular notion of him giving gifts to "good boys and girls", he was about helping and defending those in need!

One source says:

His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.  Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.  He dedicated his life to serving God and was made a bishop while he was still a young man.  Bishop Nicholas because known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.  Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned....  Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds.  These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as a protector and helper of those in need.

Santa Claus is based on a man who loved Jesus, suffered for his faith, and spent his life assisting the needy, the sick and especially children!

Just recently I listened to one of my co-workers share of the beautiful, sacrificial faith of our World Orphans church partners around the world who give even out of their own physical poverty and physical need.  They give, trusting the One who supplies all things, knowing that ultimate hope is in Him.  They give and love sacrificially to see that children cared for and hear of His love for them.

This Christmas I find myself praying that my family will learn from our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world and enjoy giving sacrificially to reflect the most sacrificial love ever of The Baby who was born in Bethlehem.  May we boldly look to Jesus and remember the cloud of witnesses, like St. Nicholas, and let our lives, including our Christmases, be about spending ourselves for the least of these.

Approaching Thanksgiving...

I wish I was in the mood to reflect and be thoughtful about Thanksgiving....because I love setting aside time to remember the history of our home and to focus on being grateful.

BUT....I'm in the process of finalizing a draft of a chapter that World Orphans is contributing to a book project, which I'm super excited about.  But at the moment, fried on writing.

So bullet points it is :)  These are the significant days we have approaching:

• Thanksgiving
• Black Friday
• Cyber Monday
• Giving Tuesday!

What is Giving Tuesday, you ask?  Read HERE. 

Want to give to World Orphans?  Click HERE.  

Win a gift!

As the end of the year rapidly approaches, I realize what a poor job I've done about communicating with my friends and family about my ministry with World Orphans.  My summary thoughts about that are:

On a heart level I enjoy keeping in touch with people because I love staying connected.

On a professional level, I know that being in a support-raised position, it's important for me to communicate what I'm doing.

I know I need to find a better system (just something that personally works better for me so I don't put it off) so I can send pictures and updates more regularly (via email and blog, with links on Facebook, of course).

As I thought about it I realized that I want to hear from YOU, my friends and family who actually read what I write :)  What do you want to hear about?

So....fill out this short survey and be in a drawing for a free gift from the World Orphans store!

I'll take submissions until the end of November, and don't worry, it's only a few questions :)  It will only take a minute  - thanks!!

Family Visits...thoughts on short-term missions and church partnership

My husband, daughter and I are in the middle of a summer filled with family visits.  Neither of our families are local, so visits are always special and we are loving our time together.   And the truth is, they spoil us.  They take us out to eat, buy things for Jazmine, pay for our groceries, and buy us Starbucks....just to mention a few.

BUT...that is not why we enjoy the time.  What we enjoy and ache for when we say goodbye....the conversations had over coffee, walks to the park, books read to Jazmine, cooking together, eating together, laughing together, crying together.  I know we are where God has us to be and we love our community here in Tennessee, but I just wish Jazmine had more time with her grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins.

So that is the backdrop for my thoughts.

Our home church just got back from visiting our World Orphans church partner in Kenya.  It was a sweet time filled with the churches spending time together and ministering alongside one another.  Were there gifts and treats given?  Sure.  By now there are  deep friendships and thoughtful gifts are given both ways.  Are there finances involved in the relationship?  Yes.  The US church helps fund some of the ministries of their church partner.  BUT...this is why I love the World Orphans model of church partnership...the money is a part of it, but not what the relationship is about.  The yearly (or bi-yearly, quarterly...however it goes) short-term trips are part of a much bigger context of relationship.

So just as we are grateful for the gifts our families give, the churches are grateful for the gifts from their church partner.  But, because of the long-term commitment and real relationship, I believe that like with my family, that what I love, miss, and long for is the time together, that is what is at the heart of a true church partnership.

So I don't think we need to be afraid of the gift-giving aspect of church partnership and short-term trips.  We have to be wise and thoughtful, just as we do within our families.  But just as our families love to give gifts as an expression of their love, I believe there is a healthy place for gift-giving within short-term trips and church partnerships.  The key is the context of relationship.

I am so thankful for the way our families care for us physically....but what I'm longing for and waiting for is that next visit when we can spend time together.  And it's beautiful to watch those types of relationships grow among our World Orphans church partners...to hear accounts and read trip reports that speak of growing, deep, and abiding friendships.  There is gratitude for the gifts and the funds, but the longing is for the next time of fellowship.

I miss knowing she's praying...

Over the past few years I had the privilege of getting to know a woman I had heard about for a long time.  She was the mother-in-law of one of my mom's cousins, so I would hear family members mention her and I had been introduced to her, but never spent any time with her...until we moved to New Jersey in 2009.  She was a member of the church we attended while living in Rutherford and I was in bible study with her, so had the opportunity to spend time with her weekly.

She was one of those people who makes you think, "Lord, I want to be like that.  I want to walk with You like she walks with You."  

She loved praying for people, she loved serving people, and most of all she loved sharing Jesus with people.  She had a story for everything and it always ended up being about God's goodness and His faithfulness.

In 2011 she committed to be part of my financial support team with World Orphans.  The $15 dollars a month that she gave was like a million dollars to me...because I knew she was praying.  I know she spent hours a day praying, and it was an honor to know she was praying for me, my family, World Orphans...

She went home to be with the Lord last year.  She had lived a long, full life and was certainly ready to be with her Savior who she had walked so closely with in this life.  Her funeral was a celebration of her life, feelings of thanks that she wasn't suffering, yet full of grief for all those so sad to say goodbye.

As I get settled into this new year I find myself missing her.  We don't live in New Jersey anymore so I wouldn't be seeing her regularly, but I miss knowing she's praying.  I feel so very honored to have known her and I desire to serve, love, and pray for others like she did.

Particularly as I think of the children being cared for through the ministries of our church partners, children who know deep loss, pain and suffering.... I long for those children to know the touch of someone to faithfully love and pray.

Wrapping up 2012

Sorry this is late....here's the LINK to our end of 2012 newsletter...click HERE.

Happy New Year!