Finally Home!

Just a word before we leave Christmas this year.....

In my quiet-time this morning the Lord whispered, JUST LISTEN AND WORSHIP! But isn't that what this season is all about anyway? I made the following notes in my journal this morning..."Stop...Look inside the stable. There lies the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Mighty Counselor, a baby whose shoulders will rest the governments of the world. The One who the Shepherds bowed before, and the Wise Men fell down to worship and offered the best gifts to Him. The baby that one day EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that He, He alone is God; when  everyone who chased after all the other gods will final fall down and worship the ONE TRUE LIVING GOD!"

I had a very joyful heart this morning, yet still hurting for the children in Newton, Conn who will not have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with their families; for the 3 firefighters killed in New York, and a dear friend of ours who just found out she has stage 4 cancer. Then as the Father usually does, He gives me these words in my devotional for the day:

"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20

At the birth of Jesus, amidst the dirt and straw of a stable, lots of promises, prophecies, and hopes were fulfilled. In the birth of a Child, something that happens every single day all over the world, something happened that would change the world. Everything the faithful were anticipating took shape. It was the alignment of all that was meant to be. But the birth of Jesus has that power and significance only if He really is who he said he was.

The Shepherds heard, they saw, and it was all just as they had been told. In a perfect conjunction of heaven and earth, God came to earth, connecting the two for His eternal purposes. Years later, Jesus would tell us in so many different ways, “I have come into the world as a light” (John 12:46); “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10); “For this reason I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth,” (John 18:37).

So…

When we are sensing the dirtiness of life in this world, we can focus on the purity of Christ.
When we feel weak, we can lean on the power of Christ.

When we are ill, we can remember that He is the great physician.

When we are confused, we can turn to His words to get our bearings.

When we are damaged, we can remember that He said that He would not break a bruised reed nor snuff out a smoldering wick.

When we know we have sinned, we can know His forgiveness.

When we are wayward, we can remember He called Himself “the way.”

When we have been lied to, we can remember He called Himself “the truth.”

When we feel like our energy and our enthusiasm is waning, we can remember that He called Himself “the life.”"   Taken from The Brook Network, A Christmas Story

What did I, you, offer up to Jesus this Christmas? What consumed most of our time this holiday season? Is there anything that stole your JOY lately? Jesus says, I am the answer! The writer of Hebrews sums Jesus up the best; "Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message)

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We arrived home late Sunday night due to a delay out of Houston. And of all people to have their luggage not make it, Christie was the lucky one! Not only did it not make it to Birmingham, they had no idea where it was. We knew it made it to Houston because we rechecked it after clearing customs, so as Christie explained to the agent on the phone, "There is no reason for this! I know that I saw it in Houston. Let me speak to a supervisor!" When Ms. Christie takes it to the next level, things are not good! :)

After some serious negotiating with the "powers to be" at Untied, and the entire staff at United, the bags finally arrived late Monday night. And she even left the man who delivered them some brownies! She really has a good heart. You just do not want to see her Madea side! :) We will save that for another blog!

It is always hard for to leave Trinidad. I always leave a part of me there so I will have to go back! These people are beautiful people, inside and out, and need to hear about the love of Jesus! The little children are like sponges, they soak of everything you give them! When they really come to Jesus and accept Him as their Savior and Lord, you see a change in their lives immediately...and it is REAL!

But with the excitement, also comes a degree of fear. Accepting Jesus, as a Hindi or Muslim, means they will face persecution and harassment from their family. One young man, who is my little buddy, accepted Christ in Sunday School the Saturday after we arrived. Later that day we were talking about it and he said, "I am afraid to go home." I asked him why, and he said, "My mom and dad are Hindi!" I tried to explain that it was OK, that He does not need to be afraid, or ashamed, because Jesus is now walking with him. That Jesus will give him the words to say, and the strength to stay strong. As encouraging as we can try to be to them, they know what lies ahead. So please pray for my little buddy Kevin.

What an awesome week. It always seems that things are just getting rolling when we have to leave. I guess the only solution is...stay longer! This week of ministry was amazing! God showed up in so many ways, even when we were a bit unsure! Over the four Christmas Treats we saw 175 plus children hear the Gospel thru the Christmas Story, and God planted seeds in these hearts. God turned the indecision about one of our new locations into an awesome victory, with a permanent place and 42 children to start the ministry in that village. We saw smiles on lots of faces, as some children got the only Christmas treat they might get this year! We got some good plans laid out for 2013, which by the way, is going to be an incredible year. Soooo, you need to book your trip with us and come see, and be a part of God's work in Trinidad!

Christie and I would like to thank Suresh, Reena, Amanda and Alicia for allowing us to spend the week in their home. For us this was like being with family. Everything was great! Although Christie is not a fan of hot weather, I think if Amanda and Alicia work on her she will come back! If she does we will have to hide the what...BUTTER! You guys are the best!

While we had great ministry this week, we have a lot of work to do in the coming months; we have two new locations that are starting weekly Sunday School after January 1st that will require a lot of on the ground work; we have a covered building (for worship services) at Suresh's house to get funded and built before Easter; we need to purchase a ministry vehicle for use at the the two new locations (remember, most families do not have vehicles, some children must be picked up); and we need to be sure we have on-going funds for the two new locations. If you would like to help with the work of this ministry please contact me and I can give you the details.

I hope that you have enjoyed the work that God has been up to this week! The next trip is being planned, which will probably be a Easter VBS/Youth Event. We would also love to do a dental mission on the Easter VBS trip. If you are a dentist, or know a dentist, that might be interested please let me know. If you are interested in going on the Easter trip, please contact me!

Thanks for all your prayers and support

Christie & Mike Mason
65 Poindexter Lane
Selma, AL  36701
334-876-9101  Home
334-292-0090  Mike Cell

Suresh's 10th Annual Christmas Program December 22, 2012

A Last Minute Christmas Thought

 

"Songs on the radio, television specials, a glut of holiday advertising—our culture’s message is clear as the glass on a snow globe: The ideal celebration can, and should, be yours. But reality is often different. For many people, the weeks leading up to Jesus’ birthday are fraught with tension and difficulty, and the pressure to have a picture-perfect holiday lingers not so subtly in the back of our minds. The big day comes whether we’re ready or not. What we need is a different mindset...Peace, Not Perfection!

You may not spend Christmas morning in a stable. You may get a room at the inn. You may even finish your shopping and bake the cookies and decorate the tree. But should your body become weary, if your path becomes difficult, and if nothing goes as planned, remember that you can embrace Christmas right where you are. Reject the false promises of perfection. You don’t have to wait for peace, because peace didn’t wait for you.

It is here now. Kneel at the manger and see. It is Jesus."  Ginger Garrett     

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Our week in Trinidad ended with an awesome Christmas program for the Sunday School of Pastor Suresh. It was a busy morning getting chickens plucked and marinated (do not worry, we didn't have to pluck them but we picked them up where they did!), Roti made, China made and the Chubbies on ice! By noon we were all ready for the 10th Annual Sunday School Christmas Treat.

The kids have been practicing for this program since early November. But we got a call early this morning that the young man who plays Joseph got very sick and had to go the hospital. With one call to the director of the play, Samson, we had it all worked out.

The kids started arriving early, as they usually do on Saturday mornings for Sunday School. One of them even came to the door and asked if the "white man could come out and play". I will let you guess who that was! :) I had a great time hanging out with many of the guys and throwing rocks in the river trying to wake up the alligators! I know, don't I know better...yes, but I could not let these guys know that I was scared!

 


Here are a few glimpses from the program:                                                 

One of Pastor Suresh's friends, Charles, is a worship leader, and he lead us in several Christmas songs. The kids did very good. They even sang my favorite Christmas song, Go Tell It On The Mountain! The only song missing was Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer! Charles said that was a new one to him!

I had the privilege to bring a Christmas message. I talked about the two greatest gifts of Christmas...the first gift is very familiar, even here in Trinidad -- the birth of Jesus Christ...but, the real gift of Christmas was the cross that Jesus came to die on.

The kids did a great job with the skit about the Christmas story.

What would the Christmas program be without the new ministry leaders bringing a word to the kids. Zack and Leah had a big fight...because Leah forgot Zack's birthday. Zack said he did not want to be Leah's friend anymore. Zack realized he was not right in what he said to Leah and knew he had to tell her he was sorry!

Then...BeBoy and the gang finished the program leading the kids in a song.

What an awesome time we had! With many games, gifts for all the children, an awesome snack bag (can you believe they have Nerds, Tootsie Pops and Bottle Caps down here) and a snack supper, this was by far the best Christmas Treat for Suresh's children.

In attendance at the Christmas Treat today were 75+ children and 45+ adults. The music and words of Christmas rang throughout the village. Everyone around knew that the REAL meaning of Christmas was Jesus Christ!

We have an early start in the morning, so goodnight until we reach back in the US. I am looking forward to bringing some final thoughts in my next blog post.

Christie & Mike

It seems like everywhere you go during the month of December people ask the same question. At the grocery checkout counter--"Are you ready for Christmas?" At the bank drive through window--"Are you ready for Christmas?" At the doctor's office--"Are you ready for Christmas?"

I think the answer to that question depends on how you define "ready." Let's ask ourselves this question: "Am I ready for Jesus?" Now that puts the idea of being ready in a whole different Christmas light, doesn't it?

What do you think it means to be "ready for Christmas"? What do you think it means to be "ready for Jesus"?

Last night I mentioned the word Selah...a word used many times in the Psalms, which means “pause,” “stop and listen,” or even “pause and think calmly of that.”. Well, I guess I needed to hear it AGAIN! I was reading a devotion this morning and I was taken to a website that I use a lot, The Skit Guys.This was the video that I found.

Today has been a Selah day...I had an awesome time of worship early this morning in my quiet-time! After a few hours of making final preparations for the big Christmas Treat Saturday, there was time for a rest! What a good rest it was! But the greatest rest I think the Lord is trying to show me is the Selah rest...that rest that can be found only in Him. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27. This is the peace that Christ brought that Christmas night. Yes, He was born a baby and laid in a manger. But He was, and always will be the Prince of Peace.

Take a Selah moment over the next couple of days and run to the manger like the Shepherds did...take that long journey to the home of Jesus as the Wise Men did, and fall down and worship the Prince of Peace!

Until Saturday night's good news from the last Christmas Treat...good night!

Christie & Mike

RockRoad Christmas Treat December 20, 2012

 Selah—a word Bible scholars translate as “pause,” “stop and listen,” or even “pause and think calmly of that.” It is in nearly half the Psalms as well as Habakkuk, and in each case, it appears after a description of God’s power and glory that demands contemplation.

I wonder if the Shepherds had a "Selah Moment" after the angels sang, "Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him."...or when they entered that stable and were the first "outsiders" to see the Savior of the world. What about the Wise Men when they entered the house over which the star they had followed rested, and they saw the Savior they had been looking for...when they entered the house and fell down and worshiped the Christ Child...what a "Selah Moment" that must have been.

I know how overwhelmed I was when I got to see the birth of 2 of my girls. Those were moments, as I looked into the eyes of those girls, when the world just seemed to stop! I do recall that each time I saw the miracle of birth, I remember what God had said about each one..."You are fearfully and wonderfully made [by Me]. These were "Selah Moments" for me.

What I have been thinking about over the last week is, what must Mary and Joseph have thought that night Jesus was born. I am sure that there was that happiness and joy that every parent must feel. But in the back of their minds I am sure they flashed back to the visit each had from the angel that told them WHO this child really was!  As they sat by the manger, in that dirty, filthy stable, they must have had a "Selah Moment"! That lying before them was the Son of God...the Savior who would save the world...the Wonderful Counselor...the Prince of Peace...the child on whose shoulders would rest the governments of all the world!

This Christmas find time for a "Selah Moment"! Sit beside a nativity scene, or read the Christmas story a time or two. And like Mary did after the Shepherds left, ponder the things about that baby lying in that manger. Who Is He To You? Selah

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The Christmas Treat at Rock Road, one of our two new Sunday School locations, was awesome! Wish you all could have been there! This was a place that God opened the floodgates on Wednesday and kids started coming from nowhere. Of the 38 kids we talked to on Wednesday, 30 kids came to the treat. we also had five parents and several youth attend. The awesome thing about the adults and youth that came, was their participation with the kids. This location has a great potential for leaders to help the ministry team!

Here is a little sample of the Christmas Treat at Rock Road:

The kids were ready to get started...BeBoy and Leah (the puppets) had already gotten them excited with some songs!

One of the games we played was the Chubby Chugging contest...a Chubby is a local drink that kids and adults love. It comes in a little "chubby" bottle. My favorite is Pear!

The adults even had their turn as they tried to see who could blow the largest balloon in 20 seconds! This really got the kids going! It was a tie!

We have our island version of the familiar game musical chairs...we play it passing a balloon while someone plays a tambourine. Whoever has the balloon when the music stops has to sit down. It all works fine until the balloon decides to fly away!

BeBoy and Leah brought the Christmas story for the kids. (There is a rumor that has gotten started that BeBoy is trying to get Leah to be his girlfriend. It was a good thing that her dad was on the trip! :) ) After the program we handed each kids a snack to eat, a goody bag and a Christmas gift. We even had a couple of Santa's helpers give us a hand!

Of course, I could not leave out my new little friends! They are just too cute!

There was much talk, even in Trinidad, yesterday about the world coming to an end. I even heard that people were stocking up in case it did. I am not real sure the logic behind that thought!

There was a Hindu Night of Prayers and Worship planned Saturday night in the temple about a block from the home I am staying. They changed it from Saturday to Thursday night. The only thing we could think was they wanted to do all their praying before the world came to an end Friday!

Thursday night Pastor Suresh held the first annual Christmas dinner for the Thursday night Bible class. This group meets to study the Bible in more detail. The class is made up of a few Christians and many Hindus. Each week Suresh teach from the Bible and explains the salvation message. In addition to the Bible class, Suresh has given out many copies of the Jesus film and many are asking questions.

What an awesome day! I was very excited about the Christmas Treat we did today at the new location. There is a huge opportunity in this village. Not only do we now have a permanent place, we also see great potential for the youth and adults to be part of the ministry team, Our goal in each village is to raise up locals in the village to take the lead in Sunday School and eventually a Bible class just like Suresh. The kids that came Thursday were from the few houses surrounding the home we were using. There are many more that we will be ministering to and reaching out to. Please pray for the two new locations, as there is great opportunity for the Gospel. We have one huge financial need. Then location at Rock Road, where we held the Thursday treat is much farther from Suresh's home. We are looking to buy a used ministry vehicle to be used at both the new locations. The cost for a good used vehicle is about $8,000. We would love to have folks to partner with us to buy the vehicle. God will provide I am sure...just like He has done this entire week.

Tomorrow is the big Christmas Treat at Suresh's home for his Sunday School. There will be about 150 kids and parents attend. Most of those who will attend are Hindus. Please pray that the Christmas message will be clear, and stir their hearts to salvation.

Well...I need to go and the puppets ready for the big treat tomorrow...especially BeBoy and Leah...you cannot leave those two alone!

Christie & Mike

Wednesday December 19, 2012

 "Luke 2:19 tells us that “Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart,” but how often do we walk away from December 25th with merely a handful of good memories, sweaters that do not fit, toys that will be put in a toy chest? What if we were to return to this most basic essence of Christmas—to the simplicity, power, and awe of Jesus’ first moments in human form? What if we were more interested in cultivating wonder at the love and generosity of God than at our gifts, decorations, or even beautiful church cantatas? What if we took the time to truly worship the infant Messiah of the first Christmas and made room in our hearts to receive Him?

True to His nature, God had fulfilled His promise to provide a Messiah, and the first Christmas, albeit supernatural, was actually quite simple. It was a day to praise God that He hadn’t forgotten His people—that in His goodness, He had sent the salvation so desperately needed by humankind." The First Noel, In Touch Magazine Dec 2012

December is supposed to be the end of the rainy season, and the start of the dry season, in Trinidad...well, someone needs to tell the rain that! It rained very hard last night, but oh how good it sounded on the metal roof. Have you ever been under a metal or tin roof during a heavy rainstorm? It beats any seat by the ocean any day!

Most of the day we spent in downtime...we were not expected to go visiting by the second new location, in preparation for the Christmas Treat Thursday, until late in the afternoon. So we all got some good rest!

I have a confession to make...on the way home last night from the Christmas Treat at one of our newest locations, I started to think about the next one at our other new location. (You recall in my blog post last night I said this was going to be the hardest of the new locations) Over the last few weeks we had not spent a lot of time in the village area meeting the kids and parents, and announcing the Christmas Treat. In fact, we have had some "technical issues" trying to get all the people involved to allow us to use the covered area of their home. For this treat we were going to have to rent a tent and chairs. My thoughts were, due to all the rain we have had, and the rain expected today, we may not be able to get the word out about the treat Thursday. Right before we were to leave to go visit this village, I asked Suresh if we were really being good stewards of our money by making the investment in this treat given we are not sure what to expect. It is not that I do not want to do it, just we have not had the time to invest in this area. He said that the tent people were already out and may already have the tent setup. But he understood what I was saying. I told him if we get there and the tent is not setup we will not have the treat. (Not that I was putting a fleece out or anything! :) )

When we arrived at the location the tent guys were there but had not started to put the tent up...they had the poles laid out. (Maybe half the wool was wet! :) ) We asked them to hold off until we talked to the lady who owned the house. Well, the next is nothing but God, Part 1. The lady told us that she would promise that 30 + kids would show up Thursday! She said that she had talked to some of the parents already. (It does not hurt that many of them were related to her!) We decided to have the treat as planned! We asked her if she would walk around the area with us since no one knew us, and she said she would be glad to.

Sidebar: The house she lives in has a few rooms underneath and in the back that she rents out. To the far back of the home was a nice covered area, just what we need for Sunday School at this location. She said that we were welcome to use it each week! Otherwise we were going to have to buy a tent and have the extra time each week to setup and tear-down ! Nothing but God, Part II!

What happened in the next 30-40 minutes was incredible! We were able to visit several houses, with lots of children, and in that short time had recorded 40 kids that are coming Thursday to the Christmas Treat. Nothing but God, Part III! We had a chance to play with some of the kids and even gave one little 4 year old girl a little gift for her 4th birthday that was today! WOW...the treat is on!

At one of the homes, the mother was the principal at a local school. We told her about our new puppet ministry and she told us to call her after the first of the year and we could come do a small assembly! Nothing but God, Part IV!

This location is different from the other three. Most of the people that live in this village are very poor and renters, whereas in the other three locations the people own, or are paying for, their homes, and most have fairly good jobs. I feel like this location, once we get going after the first of the year, may be the best one! I am so looking forward to the treat Thursday!

Oh, by the way...on the way home the Father whispered to me, Mike, oh, ye of little faith! " “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Message) Yes, Father!

Until I bring the awesome news about the Christmas Treat tomorrow night....good night!

Christie & Mike

Tin Pan Alley Christmas Program

What an awesome day today...and it all started off in THE WORD! I was reading the Luke version of the Christmas story in my quiet time this morning and listening to John Piper. In Luke 2:10-14, when God announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, what an amazing announcement it was; It was at the PERFECT TIME (v11, born to you THIS DAY), in a PERFECT PLACE (v11, in the City of David), the PERFECT NEWS (v11, a SAVIOR is born) bringing a PERFECT PEACE (v14, peace among those with whom He is pleased)! At this news a multitude of angels praised God saying, "Glory to God in the highest!". Piper says, "The angels kept it all connected; glory ascending from man to God, and peace ever-descending from God to man. God gets the glory and man gets the peace."

Listen to how Paul describe this peace in Romans 15:13 (NLT),  "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." How rich and powerful these words are!

This Christmas, as you spend time in the stable by the manger, remember that the Christmas story does not end when the Wise Men leave the baby...the Christmas story ends on Calvary...when the Savior born in that manger, bled and died for each one of us...that we may experience Peace with God, Peace with Ourselves and Peace with Others.

Today was a busy day as we started early preparing for the first Christmas program at one of our new locations, Tin Pan Alley...yes, this is a real place (I guess I should have taken a picture of the street sign)! Here are few shots from the day:

Suresh and the eye doctor

Christmas came early for Pastor Suresh...we stopped by the eye doctor to get him setup with new glasses! He had to go with bi-focals this time! I told him he was getting old like me! As you can see Christie is smiling...why, because she hates going to the eye doctor and is making Suresh nervous telling about the tests they do!

Christie, Suresh, Amanda and Alicia

Since we have been here, Christie has introduced Suresh, his wife Reena, and his daughters Amanda and Alicia to her homemade chocolate chip cookies and homemade brownies. Here she is looking for bacon and bologna...she has also introduced them to fried bologna sandwiches! She had her first Roti cooking lesson, which she did pretty good!

Christie (with her shopping bag), Amanda and Alicia

Of course, girls have to shop, and Trinidad is a great place to do some last minute Christmas shopping!

Best Priced Toy Store - Debe

Shopping for our Christmas at Tin Pan Alley...I saw all kind of things I wanted for Christmas...but did not find any Franklin turtles! Hey, Caleb and Mason, you need to come see this!

Zach - one of our newest ministry staff - he says Hi to everyone back home!

Leah, Zach and Cloe, newest ministry staff, getting ready to take the stage! These guys have been a great hit...the kids love them!

 Leah and Zach - Zach is trying to explain all the rules he has made up for life...the problem is, they all revolve around him! Leah explains that God makes the "rules for life"...and He does it because He loves us and wants us to obey His commandments!

This was our first ever meeting at this location...we had 35+ kids and 25+ adults attend the Christmas Treat! It was amazing how God showed up. We arrived early to get setup and we saw kids already starting to walk to the home of Jennifer and Carlton. And when we arrived at the house there were 15 kids already there! AWESOME!

We had a very special treat...a group of youth from the school in the village came by to sing Christmas carols to the kids...this was truly amazing! God has His hand on this village!

Tin Pan Alley Ministry Team - Tony, Samson, Jennifer and Carlton (awesome believers who have gladly opened their home, and have been praying to start a ministry like this in their village...they know everyone), Senior Pastor Suresh Seebalack.

And I had to save the best for last...this is Kayla. Isn't she the cutest little girl. After the program, she kept singing Feliz Navidad and dancing. Most of the kids in this area are her age and a little older, so we have many years to work in this area.

WOW...what an amazing day! 

The next two days are going to be the hardest for us as we prepare for the Christmas Treat at the second of our newest locations. We do not have a permanent place (as in a home that will allow us to use their covered areas of their homes) as of yet! Also, due to the rainy weather in the last couple of weeks, getting into this village has been hard. But we do have a home where the lady will allow us to put up a tent beside her home. Tomorrow we are going to spend time in the village walking and letting people know about the Christmas treat. We are trusting God because He lead us to this village!

 

Until tomorrow night...

 

Christie and Mike

Monday December 17

It started as a rainy day in the islands...but by mid-morning the sun was out and it was another gorgeous day! Nothing like the islands in the middle of December doing Kingdom work! You need to get signed up for the next trip! More on that later!

I mentioned in my blog last night that our Christmas program schedule may have to be rescheduled due a death in the family of one of our newest village church host, Carlton. We spoke to Carlton earlier today and he said that we would have the Christmas Treat as scheduled on Tuesday. He said he had many children excited about this and he must not change the plans! (What a God we serve!) Pastor Suresh and I attended the funeral of Carlton's sister this afternoon. We really did not know much about her background, so when I asked Suresh what to expect, he said...we will have to wait and see! When the service started with Blessed Assurance, followed by How Great Is Our God and Amazing Grace, I knew that we were at a Celebration and not a funeral. Yes, there were tears, but the message was a salvation message! This woman was a godly, praying woman, and the celebration of her life expressed that! The pastor spoke a powerful message, saying we are all in the preparation stage of life, no matter what age we are. The question is, how will Christ find us when our time to die comes, or He returns to get us...Will my garments be adorned in white, washed by the blood of Christ, a bride ready for her bridegroom? The Spirit of God covered that entire village! (the funeral services are mostly held at the home, then to the cemetery, or the cremation site if a Hindu). What an AWESOME God we serve.

As you can see in the pictures above, we had a busy rest of the day. We got our puppet stage built thanks to the engineering skills of Samson and Tony, the two young men who are leading the ministry at the two newest locations. These guys have an incredible opportunity at the newest locations as there are many children in both areas. Please pray for these young men as they both have full-time jobs, but have a heart for children's ministry.

We closed the night by putting together 130 Christmas Treat bags for the kids at the two new locations. We will have the Christmas program at the two new locations on Tuesday and Thursday. We know already that there will be 50 + kids at Carlton's place tomorrow...we are also expecting a big group Thursday.

Please pray much for the Christmas programs at the two new places...most all these kids are Hindu or Muslim, and probably never heard the REAL Christmas program. Pray for seeds to be planted!

Until Tuesday night when I will share how God shows up at Carlton's Christmas Treat...good night from Trinidad, West Indies!

Christie and Mike