God has been teaching me over the last several months – that if you look for it.…there’s a little bit of Heaven everywhere!
When women from our brand new Discipleship Group start coming to church – telling us that it’s only right they give it a “real try” – or tell us if we cared enough to reach out to them than maybe they should get to know “this Jesus we serve”…..Heaven.
When community kids can’t wait for Children’s Church, love to worship & sing about the BIG HOUSE, & are memorizing scripture like never before….Heaven.
When my kids tell me, “We need to do something special for the staff on campus” – like giving them little water jugs and filling them with candy so they can do a Special Christmas Delivery….Heaven.
When my shy girl Malaya speaks confidently & loudly while teaching the lessons for Children’s Church…Heaven.
When my wild girl Mikela settles down & organizes English Classes so she can teach the staff’s children several hours a week…Heaven.
When my sweet girl Rosie offers to do the dishes at our home & also help the orphan staff fold clothes….Heaven.
When I watch my boys play Frisbee with the orphan kids & offer to help us string up more lights as we get ready for 10 Nights of Community Movie Ministry….Heaven. (That’s 10 nights little kids have a solid reason to leave abusive homes & potentially go a night without being hurt).
When my kids talk excitedly about the lessons they are learning in school, hearing them memorize large passages of Scripture and seeing the A’s & B’s on tests….Heaven.
When teams are willing to sacrifice their time, money, and energy…..AND leave their homes and serve with us in this community we call home…..Heaven.
When I hear the orphan children sing as loud as they can – hymns that I remember when I grew up in a small church in Calhoun, KY……Heaven.
When my kids beg for family night – wanting us all to be together – excited about doing crafts together as a family….Heaven.
When my Women’s Bible Study Group tell me that learning about Jeremiah has given them clarity, encouraged them, challenged them, & gave them something deep to think about each week…Heaven.
When people sacrifice their money or fill in the financial gaps that often occur – just so our family can serve Christ in this country that we’ve been called to….Heaven.
My list could go on and on….because when I choose to look for it – when I take the focus off myself & see the goodness in others – when i look around my table and see that my children are healthy and every chair is full- that those i love & serve alongside are making real sacrifices for the Kingdom so they may be Light in Darkness…… how can you not see that there’s a little bit of Heaven everywhere!?!
I am SO excited for Christmas! We have so many things coming up in the next two weeks!
Tomorrow Night
Sunday night begins our 10 Nights of Christmas Movies! Every night until Christmas we will invite the community to our festive cafeteria/campus for movies and popcorn! This will lead up to the Christmas Eve Nativity Movie!
On December 23rd:
Jose’s family will be coming in the morning & that evening we will be hosting our mission staff party. The last week of November the staff drew names. They have had the whole month to do 3 acts of kindness for the name they drew without being caught. On the 23rd they will guess their Secret Kindness Partner. If they guess correctly then they win a prize. If they guess incorrectly then their partner wins a prize.
On December 24th:
In the morning our kids will be delivering their hand-picked gifts to each of the kids in the orphanage. This is a surprise for our orphans! I think our kids may be more excited than the orphans. They have asked us every day if they can deliver them.
At lunch we will be inviting 200 of the poorest street kids from the community for a Christmas Eve Feast.
In the evening our Church will be hosting a special Christmas Eve Service. We will be watching the Nativity Story & serving Hot Chocolate & Peanut Butter Sandwiches.
On December 27th:
This is the first year we will be hosting a team over New Years! We have 26 Americans that will be headed to the Mole on the 27th! They have SO MUCH planned the week they arrive! What will they be doing? Just about everything…..hosting two children’s conferences, visiting Preskul, doing outreach/street ministry, hosting a special Teens Ministering to Teens segment on the radio, giving away goats, hosting the orphan Christmas party, hosting special New Year’s Eve Services, & spending New Year’s Day delivering 600 bowls of pumpkin soup!….(to just name a few things)
“Heaven Everywhere”
I hear the bells, they’re ringing loud and clear
You can’t help but love this time of year
It’s Christmastime, there’s something in the air
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
Somehow there’s a little more of love
And maybe there’s a little less of us
Or maybe we’re just slightly more aware
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
[Chorus:]
It’s the smile on a man who has finally found hope
It’s the tears of a mother whose child has come home
It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
It’s funny how it takes a holiday
To show us how the world could truly change
If we all took the time to really care
There’d be a little more of heaven everywhere
[Chorus]
It’s the grace that we show to a world that needs hope
It’s giving our lives knowing they’re not our own
It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
[Bridge:]
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plain
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Hallelujah, halleljuah
It’s the joy that we feel and the love that we share
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
There’s a little bit of heaven everywhere
[Tag:]
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plain