Christmas 2013

On Christmas Sunday, our church had a rather impromptu Christmas program, practicing during Sunday School. Crystal and Carrie played a piano duet, "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," during the march offering. I had never had a chance to just sit and listen to the whole song through, and I was amazed at the beautiful arrangement! The girls had ordered a piano duet book and then practiced one they liked.  Others of our church sang or had instrumentals as well, and quite a few played the chimes for a couple songs.  Crystal played "Do You See What I See?" and 2-year-old Michael Mosley carried a helium balloon star across the front to the manger as the girls (who asked Cheryl Mosley to please join them!) sang the words about the "star, with a tail as big as a kite." One lady said that she would forever have a changed perspective about that star with a tail as big as a kite after seeing that balloon float across the front of the sanctuary!

We spent Christmas Sunday dinner and afternoon with Jonathan's parents, and then after evening service, several from our church went Christmas caroling.

  Usually we have spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family (or invited Jonathan's clan to our place) and Christmas with Jonathan's clan, but this year we switched and spent Thanksgiving and then Christmas Sunday with Jonathan's folks so we could have Christmas this year at home. With Jonathan working six days a week and traveling to town seven days a week,  and just gone ten days to Haiti, we really needed some time to just be a family on Christmas Day.

To just be--

 instead of doing and running and rushing madly around trying to meet expectations--something almost everybody struggles with.

We hadn't been sure how to celebrate this year--did God want us to forgo gifts and send money to missions or charity? We don't want our children growing up thinking Christmas is all about getting and how many gifts under the tree and going crazy with Christmas. So several weeks ago, we had talked about it, and I had asked about the possibility of just giving each other homemade gifts rather than buying, like my favorite blogger, Ann Voskamp does with their family, and then contributing to charity.

Well, the girls took me seriously, and little did I know how many hours they spent knitting and sewing! Mittens, hats, hot pads, pillow cases--what a pile they had made, and all cheerfully from their hearts! It was just beautiful! I had taken the boys shopping as well, to buy some gifts for their sisters and parents. It was a unique experience, taking my 16-year-old shopping for his sisters!  Good practice for buying nice gifts for your future wife, son!

In the end, we ran across different sales and things we needed anyway, so we had some nice gifts for the children and for each other. It just seemed that with some of the heavy loads we'd been carrying lately, that we needed some cheer for Christmas instead of just doing for others. We had a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying each other on Christmas morning. 

Above, the oldest four are looking at the Bible games and Bible-themed puzzles I had bought for them for Sunday activities.

Below, Danny is leaping and shrieking with excitement over a 200-piece marble  activity that we had gotten for him and Timmy.

We opened part of the gifts Christmas Eve, in between singing Christmas carols and a devotional and prayer. Then Christmas morning, we had clues on most of the gifts, having each other look up Bible references that would give us clues for what the gift was. For the beautiful 1000-piece puzzle depicting Christ's return, I had verses from 1 Thessalonians about Christ's return, and for the Noah's Ark puzzle, a verse about the animals going into the ark. For Jonathan's gift of smoked salmon, the girls had a verse from Psalms with the name "Salmon" in it! For the gift for me of a food processor (since ours had been broken a long time ago), the children had a  verse about two women grinding at the mill! What a fun way to guess what our gifts were on Christmas, and a great way to include God's Word. The morning was full of love, thankfulness, joy and contentment.

On Christmas eve at Home Depot, Jonathan ran across toboggans for just under $5, so he got some for the children. Here they are running out to the truck to find the surprise. 

Rose bringing in the toboggans

Kenn and Iva's family came for dinner and the afternoon!We were awed at how Kenn had suddenly "aged" since we last saw him!  :) :)

All those red and white hats made a cute addition later in the evening when we went caroling together. 

I told Iva I wanted a very simple meal--so we could have time to focus on 

each other.

  So Iva brought a delicious ham, and we had baked potatoes and corn, and a veggie tray and pickles and rolls.

And in the afternoon we nibbled on the popcorn balls that never turned into popcorn balls.

They wouldn't stick, so the girls just spread the popcorn in pans, and we ate it that way. 

I couldn't stop eating that wonderful molasses-y popcorn! 

In the afternoon, the guys and children went out to target practice.  

The girls played Christmas or other music.

The children played a new Bible game.

And after munching chips and dip, we caroled to a few neighbors. 

Then we came home to warm up with----

Iva's homemade vanilla icecream!!!

It was just toooo good! Mmmm!

T

It's Christmas break for the girls--the boys do the ironing!!

Actually, Timmy really enjoyed learning to iron. He wants to do more!

Jonathan told the boys who were making scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning that a chef is a male cook--and I added that some of the best cooks are men! The manliest thing a boy can do is to help his mother or sister--to lift loads and do it without complaining.

Would you like to live in Haiti?

Above, the pastor's wife in Haiti cooked meals in this kitchen for the crew. Boy, isn't that a disaster waiting to happen? It is hoped to remodel this kitchen for this dear lady later on. The guys tried to adjust the stove for her so the flame wouldn't be so dangerous. Below is another picture of the dilapidated kitchen of the pastor's home beneath the missionary apartment that is being added on.

Many of the meals consisted of rice and beans (left) and chicken with vegetables.

The guys making plans while others hold the cord for the light.

On Saturday afternoon, there was a "Christmas banquet" for everybody, after which Christmas gifts were given to the orphans and pastor's children.

Hungry boys eager for the feast. In Haiti, most people may only get one meal a day. So this rice and beans, meat, fried plantain, etc. is a real treat. 

More lovely food that the pastor's wife prepared.

The children received gifts of shoes, backpacks,  and other fun items.

What fun the children had going through everything! They loved those orange hats!

And the balloons!

Hats, yoyo's and backpacks!

Breakfast might consist of spaghetti! No kidding. When Jonathan called on one of the crew to pray the blessing on that breakfast of spaghetti, there was uncontrollable snickering! Spaghetti with boiled eggs sliced and onions. NO meat or spaghetti sauce. Some of the guys really couldn't eat that morning. 

The evening before Jonathan left home for Haiti,  there was some room left in his bag, so I sent along some extra fabric, lace and buttons we've been given, along with a few sewing notions such as needles and safety pins, and a kitchen towel set, which Jonathan gave to the pastor's wife for me. I wish we could have done more. We have so much and they so little.  Jonathan was told that in Haiti it is often the men who do the sewing/tayloring, and sure enough, it was the pastor himself who sews! I have to wonder if it's because the women are so busy just trying to put meals together and keep clothes washed by hand, etc.

The almost finished kitchen cabinets before they ran out of material.

Loading for the crew to go back to the airport and back home!

The boy leaning mournfully against the tree is Laqua, a dear 12-year-old boy that really loved having the crew. He isn't much bigger than our 7-yr-old Danny, but he wanted to help Jonathan with pulling wire through the conduit, etc. He was the crew's shadow. Laqua had been found abandoned when very small. He felt very, very sad when the crew left. 

A castle the crew visited on the way to the airport.

This is how a Christmas tree at the Haitian airport was decorated!

Snaps from Haiti

 Above: Mission Helps crew to Haiti: Jonathan, John Holderbaum, Michael and Jason, Dave Holderbaum, missionary Danny Flowers, and Dave Weaver

Below--part of the mission area, with the blue water barrel on top of a roof, feeding spigots with gravity flow water

A banana tree. We learned that a banana tree only produces one bunch of bananas and then dies! It takes about four years to grow a bunch of bananas, but one bunch might have hundreds of bananas. The banana tree sends out sprouts around it, so that when the main tree dies, other smaller trees are already growing up to take its place.

Electric cords running from the generator to the apartment where the guys were working. And laundry in the background, of course.

Our children were so excited to see this picture of their daddy with this huge leaf. Danny begged him to bring one home! And amazingly, customs let him bring one leaf in his suitcase. Which reminds me that just as the guys were arriving back to Florida, the computer systems for airports countrywide shut down. Thankfully, the guys were on a small plane and the officials had a list of all their names and info, and the crew was allowed through customs before the computer system came back on.

Some sort of pod from some tree...

This is how goats in Haiti get around--with a big wooden yoke around their neck to keep them out of places they don't belong.

Homemade car made out of water bottle with lids for wheels.

Amazing creativity!

An overloaded truck!! But typical scene down in the middle of town.

Hijacking electricity! Typical scene.

Village oven

Unloading the truck

Had to wear night goggles at night, and try to work by lamplight

 The well pump burnt out while the guys were there, on Saturday night! So they spent hours replacing it with another old pump, to be used until a new pump can be bought.

Jonathan at the pump situation

Don't reckon that Dave Holderbaum is just taking a nap!

"If He can hold the weight of the world, brother,

Don't you think that He can carry you?"

says the good song.

God's Glorious Frost!

I had to share this beautiful walk I had today. 

,

 While working in the office this afternoon, I am uploading these photos that I snapped--just for the blog.

It was one of those days when I felt carried.

With only half a night's sleep--I didn't know how I could face the day,

but strength was given. 

Jonathan is a good truth speaker--helping me see what is my problem--

and what is NOT my problem.

Sometimes it is what is NOT our problem that is the problem. 

Because we make the mistake of thinking it is our problem--when it does not belong to us.

When you know the truth, you can throw the burden off. You can get out of your bed and face the day with cheer,

get lots of hugs and kisses from your hubby who has been away tooooo long, to Haiti, 

and pray together, him doffing off his hat before he leaves, and holding me close 

and surrendering our cares to the Lord. 

This was one of  those rare days when everything was covered with frost, and much of it did not melt all day, not even in the sunshine. When I went out for a late afternoon walk, it was still breathtakingly beautiful!

Don't fence me in!

But sometimes, God allows fences--circumstances that imprison us, situations that make us feel stuck.

But even those--

those ugly, miserable fences--

if we look at them with new eyes, 

are crowned with the glory of God.

Those beautiful, frost-covered trees were glorious. 

But weeds--the unkempt, the ugly, the dried up, unwanted, unloved, despised plants along the path of life--

do we have eyes to see God's glory in those unwanted people, those dried-up, prickly circumstances?

I couldn't help but think about these things as I walked in the crisp, fresh, frosty air, 

drinking in the stunning beauty covering all that brownness--

all that weediness along the path. 

And this--this was just a clump of grass,

until I got down low and snapped a shot from ground level.

When we are up on our high horse, all we see is brown.

All we see are those unwanted and despised people and circumstances.

We don't see anything but a clump in the dirt.

A clump of dry, brown, ugly grass--miserable, disgusting specimens of humanity, and frustrating situations.

But when we get down low, 

from the perspective of our knees, 

ground level,

the perspective changes. 

At the foot of the cross everything changes.

There is the glory against the blue sky. The beautiful whiteness--the crystal frost.

There is beauty in that clump of dead grass. There is glory in that despised person. There is hope in that hopeless situation.

Those earthen vessels--not looking like much--not very often displaying glory but more often earthiness--they are just that, earthy, in order that it be God who is seen and glorified.

God shining in our darkness.

God radiant in our frosty coldness. 

God shimmering in His glory--

when we find ourselves low at His feet.