Christmas Thoughts

I realized long ago that Christmas wasn't about gifts, yummy food, and spending time with my family.  Christmas is about Jesus.

But this year I realized something even more.  As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we forget all that He's done for us.  Yes, I know most of us remember Easter and the Crucifixion and the Resurrection and all that, but what about the transformation that Jesus causes in all of us?  Do we remember that His birth really is the birth of our new selves?

This transformation is very apparent and amazing to me in my own life.  Last year at this time, I had never been on a missions trip and going to Haiti was just a long-prayed prayer in my heart.  I honestly didn't care about specifics of the suffering and brokenness Haitians face every day.  I thought my eventually-maybe trip was going to be for personal edification and growth, without any major personal, lasting ramifications.

Boy, was I ever wrong.  Talk about God breaking down my pride and the walls in my heart.

Now, I am two months away from my second trip to Haiti in less than six months, and my heart couldn't be more joyful.  I can't wait to serve with friends new and old, to see Jesus in the faces of Haitian children with special needs, to pray for them and their families, and see God use me in big ways for His kingdom.  And yes, I am actually looking forward to working insanely long hours without air conditioning, battling massive cockroaches in the shower, eating goat and other Haitian delicacies, and blowing up ROHO air cushions with my own hot air.

One of the biggest challenges with this trip, I realize, is keeping my expectations at bay.  This trip will NOT be like my last trip, but it is God's plan for me.  The joys, challenges, and experiences will be similar but unique to this trip, as I continue to grow into the woman God has always intended me to be.
 
So, take some time to reflect this Christmas season on the new self you have in Christ - is it flourishing?  Loving others?  Serving?  Living generously and sacrificially?  Praying and growing in the Word?  How has Christ been born inside of you this year?

Current prayer requests for Haiti:
-Dawn will soon be shipping our equipment to Haiti for the preschool.  Please pray for continued donations and safe, legal arrival of the equipment for the children who need it.
-My friend Jhon Adams, who is in college in Haiti, for his studies and his family.  He is one of our interpreters.
-My dear sister in Christ Roselene in Haiti, who is working to study and get a student visa to study in the US.  This is a very difficult process that requires much study and perseverance on her part.
-For our team's individual support raising efforts...my own personal support letters hit the mail a week ago.  I'm really putting God under pressure to generate the support ($1800) in a relatively short time period (but He can do it!).
-For God to prepare each person on our team to serve, love, and be God's hands and feet before, during, and after our trip.
-For a continued revival in Haiti of the Church, to transform the broken lives of Haitians and give them hope.