Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your time with family and friends.
Enjoy the food and the gift-giving.
But don't forget the best and most expensive gift of all.

Please pray

I just got an e-mail from missionaries in Haiti. They use Agape Flights to supply their mail and package service. They received this news from Agape Flights:

There is no easy way to share this with you. Today (Friday, 12/21) on its return flight Agape's Caravan experienced an engine failure and ditched into the Caribbean off of Chub Cay near Abacco and not for from the US.

We ask you to share in praise to the Lord for the safety of Agape's crew Rocky and Paolo... I have just spoken to them and all is well...

Pray with us as we regroup... Please be assured we will persevere...

Please share this with other members of the Agape family, thank you...

God Bless,
Charlie (Gardner, Director of Agape Flights)

Please pray for Agape Flights. As far as I can tell, this is their only plane used for delivery service. They had just spent a lot of money to have the engine rebuilt this fall. This loss will impact the missionaries they serve in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Thanks for praying with me.

Bummer

I've had to sit out of participating in worship teams for over two months now. If you know me well, worship is a passion for me.

God has his way of keeping me humble. He has shown me that sometimes things are right for a season, and sometimes not. His ways are not our ways, and His timing is not our timing.

At long last, I commit to sing this Sunday. I got my rehearsal notification e-mail today. And I came home from the school running a fever. And as my friend calls it, having a face ache. Probably a sinus infection.

Pastor Steve said that Joseph, the father of Jesus, just did the next right thing. It's never fun when the next right thing is stepping away from something that is your passion. But when the time's right, I'll be up there again, singing my heart out. For now, I'll just sing in my heart!

I hope you and yours are escaping the many ailments that are going around this fall and winter.

Blessings!

Realizations

I've come to realize a few things over the last few weeks.

I realized I don't spend near enough time communing with the Father.

I realized that I need worship. The times I have missed it due to illness, trips or serving at church have been felt deeply.

I realized I need my friends. For support and encouragement. To share my joys, sorrows and concerns. To share their joys, sorrows and concerns.

I realized I like my job. There's never a dull moment and I don't get bored! I love working with the kids and the parents and the teachers.

I realized I like my new campus director. She is the superintendent's wife, but she has her own educational experience as a principal and assistant principal, and also has special ed training. She'll be great for our school, and I think we'll be good friends! (For those concerned about nepotism, she reports to the board, not her husband.)

My hubby and I realized we could not make it on the maximum salary the school could offer. Not to mention wondering what would happen in summer. It would be an hourly position (as mine is), so it would be "No work, no pay."

I realized that following your convictions is better than trying to please others based on their convictions.

One other bit of news: We've begun a dialog with Agape Flights, a mission organization that provides mail and delivery service for missionaries in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They also provide transportation for missionaries and bring in short-term teams for mission trips. They are in need of a field director for Port au Prince. The position requires organizing volunteers to sort mail, interfacing with customs officials, hosting teams, and record keeping, among a multitude of other duties. We're not sure how well we fit what they are looking for, but after having them "coincidentally" cross my path several times in different ways, we've decided to talk with them further. Please pray for wisdom as we investigate one another.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every
circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

-- 2 Thessalonians 3:16