Sitting with a cup of tea in hand in front of one of the
electric heaters, all Hollis could do when she walked by me was giggle. It made me smile though, because it reminded
me of colder nights back home when my dad would make a fire in our wood-burning
stove. I would then sit on the ground with my hands right up to it snuggled in
a blanket. Generally as well, not two
seconds would pass without my brother meandering by, laughing at the site of me
in my spot on the floor trying to get all warm and toasty.
In thinking about these memories and so many others like it
this year, I have realized how blessed I am to have little reminders of home
this holiday season! One Christmas surprise that occurred this week was when Madeline
and I went to a Christmas party for a women’s Bible study that meets at our
contacts house. It was amazing! They
laid out the special China, ate Christmas goodies, and set the mood with some
Christmas tunes in the background. Being so far away this Christmas,
It was a little taste of home for me!
The decorations, Christmas tree, advent candles, and tasty
treats were all incredible, but it also wasn’t the focus of the afternoon! After the goodies were served, everyone sat
down in the living room and our contact started translating. One of the women began mentioning, last year
at this time individuals made lists of things they would ask God for in the
year to come. They put on this list,
requests they truly EXPECTED (in faith) God WOULD answer. The amazing thing though, was that it sparked
multiple women to pull out these lists (from the PREVIOUS YEAR) and begin to
give testimony after testimony of how God provided for them in 2009.
God DID ANSWER their prayers and was INVOLVED in their
lives: in health problems, financial struggles, school and job situations,
family trials, and so much more. It was
an amazing testament of God’s provision and care for this town, its people, and
all HE is doing here. It was an encouragement to me as well, and reminder that
God cares about the small minute details of our lives ( like whether we get to
go to a Christmas party over the Holiday season) and the big concerns and cries
of our heart (that we have been praying for, for months on end). He is a generous God who knows and cares
about our every need and it has been fun to see Him at work in Galilee this
Holiday Season!
