CHRISTMAS

Erin and I have had a wonderful Christmas. I will do more to recap what it was like when we get home, which will be Tuesday; we are leaving Serena's place tomorrow. It is hard to believe we have been gone so long.
The kids are wonderful. I will always remember each one of them, as they all are unique.

COOL MOMENT

Last night I was reading a book with a five-year-old girl named Pamela that had bible stories in it. One page had Jesus on the cross. She pointed and started singing "Away in a Manger." I thought it was awesome she associated the two.

Before we came there was over 70% chance of rain for everyday. It has only sprinkled a few minutes since we have been here.

HAPPY FESTIVUS

Happy Festivus to you and yours.

FIRST FEW DAYS IN HONDURAS

Our first few days in Honduras have been great.

The traveling was not fun. Especially the 4-5 hour bus ride on an old school bus down dirt roads.

Since we arrived to Serena's home things have ran smoothly. Serena has been an excellent host. The three of us (Erin, Jessica Wires, and me) want to make sure and serve her as much as she is serving us.

Today was beach day. The aforementioned trio took the 5 children to the beach. There was lots of futbol, playing in the sand, riding on my shoulders (seems to be a hit for the kids, not for my shoulders, though) and of course swimming.

Hope to keep you updated. Thanks for praying for us.

MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO ERIN

This is what I gave to Erin this year for Christmas. It is a water color painting that Dr. Tim Hacker created. He is very gifted and I am grateful that he was willing to do this .
Erin was very surprised and amazed I had my gift for her a month early.

DANCING ELF DUO

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

DANCING ELF

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A PEACE AND JUSTICE CHRISTMAS

I like this poem:

Have Yourself a Peace and Justice Christmas by Sojourners Staff

Have yourself a peace and justice Christmas,
Set your heart a-right.
Flee the malls and focus on Christ’s guiding light.

Have yourself a peace and justice Christmas,
Give your time a way.
Share God’s love, And serve “the least of these” today.

Here we are, as we pray for peace,
We’ll live simply and give more.
We care for those far and near to us,
Which brings cheer to us, once more.

God brings down
The haughty from high places,
And lifts up the low.
God cares for the hungry and the humble, so –
Forget the stress and let the peace and justice flow!

THE MOTHER SAINT

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 and died in 1997. During her 87 years she practiced religion that God our Father accepts pure and faultless. This is looking after orphans and widows in time of distress (James 1:27). Mother Teresa worked in Calcutta, India to care for many orphans.
It was not easy for Mother Teresa she wrote this in her personal journal about the hardships involved with her lifestyle of living among the poor:

"Our Lord wants me to be a free nun covered with the poverty of the cross. Today I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health. Then the comfort of Loreto [her former order] came to tempt me. 'You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again,' the Tempter kept on saying ... Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come."

Sainthood includes doing what needs to be done when it isn't easy. What a wonderful example of living for the dying and the forgotten. Mother Teresa truly was a mother because of the way she took in orphans. She was the mother of many. This mothering life came to define her. God bless saints who care that much for the suffering. I want to be one of them.

GOD BLESS SAINTS WHO FOSTER AND ADOPT

This is me and my favorite child at church. Her name is Halle. She is a foster baby currently being loved by Randy, Tricia, and Callie Lillard.
(Not to mention any number of Christians at Sycamore View on a given church assembly).

It makes me sad birth parents are put in circumstances to have to let go of precious gifts like Halle. It does make me glad the birth parents have chosen to give the child to a family who is more prepared for a child. It makes me glad that there are people like the Lillards who are willing to love a child for a short (or long) amount of time. It makes me glad that there are people willing to adopt children like Halle. I am sad that they are missing out on the very thing I am doing in this picture, though.

God bless saints who foster and adopt. I want to be one of them.

WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

"When the saints go marching in, I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in."
A famous line from a famous gospel hymn. While I want to join the saints on that glorious day when the trumpet sounds, I want to join the the living people who are displaying sainthood today.

I like the descriptions I have seen of the word saint. One being, "a human being who has been called to holiness." But my favorite being, "not just a believer but one who has been unusually transformed." I want to be that. I like seeing it in other people, it inspires me. In the next few posts I am going to bring to light some present day saints that I see in my life to go along with some saints that have already gone on.

I want to be in that number now and forever as the saints go marching on.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...

Friday night when Erin and I were deep in slumber I started pulling the comforter off the bed. Not just pushing it off me, or throwing it to the end of the bed. I am talking I was sitting up pulling it off, it took some actual energy to do this. Erin awoke and said, "what are you doing?" I answered something about I am having a dream that I was supposed to pull off the cover. Her response, "I don't care what dream you are having, put it back." I went back to sleep.

This has taken the place of the most memorable Justin half asleep moment. This is when I continuously asked Erin what a "cameo coat" was. I have been known to do a lot of talking in my sleep (just ask my college roommate), but the latest incident has got to be the most memorable.

I'M DREAMING OF A HONDURAN CHRISTMAS

As I eluded to in the previous post, Erin and I are going to Honduras over Christmas. We will be there from the 20th of December until the 30th.

I am glad Erin thought to do this. The story is we heard Jessica Wires wanted to go: yada, yada, yada we leave the 20th. We will be staying with a missionary who keeps four orphans and one child of her own. We will be giving love and attention to these children during Christmas. We aren't necessarily there to be Santa Claus, although we will share with them. Our main objective is to show the love of Christ to those children and to encourage the missionary.

I will try to update you on what is going on. Also, I am toying with the idea of making a small documentary of the trip using our digital camera. Either way, I am certain I will have lots of pictures and stories to share. On my Christmas list from you is prayer for a successful trip.

SCHOOL SPIRIT

On this date 11 years ago people died in the high school I was attending. People were also paralyzed and a few survived their wounds. I think about that at least once a year, usually more. Yes, I knew everyone involved including the shooter who was in my first two classes.

In high school there are always the corny cheers about being "proud to be a Pirate, yes I am...".
Well at football games I usually wasn't. We stunk. But 11 years ago tomorrow I was proud to be a Pirate. Some students from the prayer circle which was the target of the shooting made a huge sign and put it on the front of the school which was surrounded by TV vans from CNN, NBC, CBS, etc. The sign read, "Michael, we forgive you." I don't think about that part of the story as much. I wish I did. That is awesome maturity from high school students, unfortunately I was too immature to be a part of that at that point in my life.

Heath High School has since put in a memorial garden, which is nice. But I wonder what happened to that sign.