Merry Christmas to you all! I am in Tennessee, just south of Nashville, where my beautiful, expectant daughter-in-love is hosting Christmas in her new home this year. My Three Sons will be around the table, along with Rachel’s sweet mother and of course, The Sweetheart.
What’s on the menu? Rachel and her mother are fabulous cooks so we are excited!
Beef Burgundy
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Dressing
Asparagus
Homemade Rolls
Desserts!
For a moment I wanted to share a thought on this favorite day of the year.
I just returned from Haiti last week and Haiti was life changing. You are not surprised? Me either.
My friend Bonnie had warned me it would affect my heart. I thought I was prepared but how can you truly prepare yourself for the devastation that surrounds every day life in a third world (some call Haiti a fifth world) country?
Before I go on, let me say there were plenty of beautiful things to see on the island country of Haiti! The mountains, the ocean, the views are just breathtaking.
We were able to visit a resort while we were there that was just gorgeous, but on the other side of the barbed wire-topped wall was just more poverty and sadness.
Your heart hurts because you feel so helpless, can do so little to make a difference and you want to take all of the orphans (and some of the adults!) home with you.
So, this Christmas, I have some takeaways from my Haiti trip that I feel will forever change Christmas for me.
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Family. If you have one, you have everything. Almost all of the children at the orphanages we visited had lost their parents in the earthquake in 2010. If they were not affected by the earthquake then they were there because their family could not afford to feed them. The sad thing is that many days in the orphanage they only receive one meal. So when I gather with my family for the holidays I am one of the most blessed creatures on the planet.
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Stuff. I have too much of it. Everywhere. I downsized a few years ago when we moved to the country of Latvia for a year. It was originally to be for a longer stay so I sold almost all of my furniture and kept the bare minimum. But I live in a country of plenty and very little want. If we WANT it, we GET it. And so there is stuff that we do not need and do not use and others not so far away that cannot comprehend the “wealth” that we have. The things we easily throw away reminds me of those around the world that would love to be waiting to catch our Leftovers.
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Love. It is infectious. Watching the children throng anyone who came into their compound, into their world, was overwhelming. We were told to be prepared for the constant touching and hugging and literally hanging-on-for-dear-life grips they would surround us with. But I wasn’t prepared for the desperation in their eyes for the simplest touch. Just a hug, just to be able to hold our hand for a little while, sit on my lap (without a diaper or underwear) or lean their head on my shoulder was pure comfort. And it made me think of Jesus saying, “…Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
The thought is simple but it is sincere. We are blessed. So blessed. If we have our families, food on the table, roof over our head and all the things we take for granted every day, we are some of the wealthiest people on Planet Earth. Knowing there are people that do NOT have these things causes me to pause today and say, “Thank you, Lord.”
Then it causes me to stop and remind myself, if I didn’t have all of these things would I still be thankful, would I still be happy and would I still serve Him?
Even if everything is taken away from us tomorrow, if tragedy strikes, if our world is turned upside down, Jesus will still be God and still in control. In that we take great comfort.
On this most wonderful day of the year, before we tear into our gifts, let’s pause and be thankful for a God that is with us every day, not just Christmas. That He came, He gave, He loved and He died so that we could have HOPE. And one day soon that HOPE will return for His Bride, the Church!
How, where and who is gathered around your table today? We would love to hear! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.
The New Year is upon us! Fasting time is coming, have you got your Daniel Fast Devotional! Get it here in paperback and Kindle!
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Your words ♥ I never dreamed ten years ago that I would have even left the USA, let alone being blessed to be able to go to places like Haiti. Earlier in May we were in Malta, in the Mediterranean, a far cry from Haiti. So we have been fortunate to see quite a bit and everywhere we go I am reminded to give God thanks in all things, whether we HAVE or HAVE NOT, He is still God! And I am learning that from the people of these different cultures….no matter whether they live in plenty or poverty they still love Him! Blessings to you for a wonderful New Year, Emily. So happy to have made connection with you this past year. ♥
I have been trying to formulate my words for a few days to convey just how amazing this all is to me. 1) that you went. I would love to do something like this, but even traveling within our borders usually induces at least a cold. 2) to try and not make it about me, which I already did :(. 3) though it’s touched my heart, but to try and say something that conveys how I actually grasp how it felt to be there and see these children? Everytime I do, it keep sounding cliche’. So suffice it to say, I am thankful that there are people like you that step up and go outside of our comfort, to provide comfort to others.
blessings to you Nannette. Hugs!💗
Thank you my friend! Praying God’s richest blessings of love and contentment on your family in 2016. We are so blessed. ♥
Thank you Hazel, we are so blessed! ♥
So true, Rachel. We all have so much to be thankful for. I am praying your same prayer ♥
Nannette, my heart is so heavy after reading your post and looking at your pictures which speak a thousand words. I have so much to be grateful for – family, stuff and love – yet sometimes I so ungrateful. I will ponder with the Lord how I can be more generous to those in need over the coming year.
We do have so much compared with those who have so little. May we be thankful and pray God’s blessings on those in need. Thank you for sharing your inspiring post with us here at “Tell Me a Story.”
Powerful post in so many ways, Nannette. Thank you for sharing about your trip. I hope you & your family had a joyous Christmas. May God’s blessing be upon your growing family. How very exciting to wait for a newborn to join you all! May 2016 be filled with the favor of God on each of your lives! Blessings! xo
We are enjoying Christmas with our precious family…today my dear husband got to spend Christmas with his sister for the first time in over 30 years! OH, God is GOOD! Thank you ever so much for the sweet picture and note from you. God bless you and your family with a wonderful new year! Thank you for sharing your heart about Haiti.
Thank you so much for this right on target post! I’m in sunny Florida, missing my precious mother who is spending her third Christmas with our Lord. Your post brought tears to my eyes. You are so right with everything you said. Thank you for your wonderful blog and sharing the Lord and your ministry with others!