Human Kindness is on the rise again!

As I sit here it is the dawn on a New Year and I realize that if I could say one word to capsilize this past year it would be:  surprised!!  Don't you love a good surprise?  I do.  Well, truthfully it is best to be surprised if you aren't wearing old clothes and have a bad hair day but yeah most surprises are wonderful.  :-)

I would say the biggest surprise this past year was the support we recieved from so many people.   Over and over and over people stepped into our world and blessed us.   Why would that be surprising you ask?  Because it seems to be that more and more people are becoming too busy to get involved or  too  inward to think of someone outside their family circle.

Human kindness is on the rise again!!  

 Yippee!  It would take me forever to actually write about all the ways people have become "Jesus with skin on" for us but I hope these photos will paint a better picture then my words could ever do.

Blessing #1 - Through a generous gift we were able to fly our  kids down for 10 days over Christmas.  It was so good for my momma heart to have them around me: we laughed, we told old funny stories, we played games, we went for walks together, we worked hard for the Food Drive together, we shared gifts on Christmas Day (see photo below), we hugged, we prayed together, we sang songs together.  We were family again.  Blessed!

Blessing #2 -  We hadn't been able to spend Christmas together in 5 years.  Um... it was so fun!

Blessing #3 -  We had the Kent family come down for 2 weeks to help with the food drive.  We worked hard, we played hard.  They brought down 'sole's 4 soul's' shoes for the people of Roatan.   They bagged up food, candy and toys and worked very hard to distribute them.  They tirelessly sorted shoes and clothes!     They used their photography skills to capture so many beautiful moments! They helped in the Made In Roatan shop...even on the most beautiful sunny beach days! 

Blessing #4 -  Bob decided to head up the Because we Care food drive this year

and we can't thank our 31 hard working volunteers (too many to mention by name but you know who you are!) enough for their support with donations, the time, and their love.  We visited 12 remote areas on the island and were able to feed over 600 families.   It was a lot of hard work but it 

translated into real blessings!!

Blessing #5 - We are always grateful for people who come down.   We had the Naugler family come 

to Roatan for a week.   They helped in the shop, they made price tags, Sammy shares her creative designs with us, Mel used her photography skills,  they brought down needed items,

they visited island families, brought nail polish and soccer balls to Punta Gorda, Dusty helped fix a lady's house in French Harbour.   Also in the above photo is Joe and Sherry Houtman who brought freeze dried vegetable

mix for the feeding program in French Harbour

Blessing #6 - Our friends Sandy and Bill arrived on a cruise ship with 11 large boxes of shoes and clothes for us to distribute and also more boxes for the Orphanage in Sandy Bay.   They also donated a projector so we can show the Jesus film around the island.   It is so cool because it is solar powered and the size of a small phone! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Sanibel Island Church!!

Blessing #7 - Rhonda Lux wrote and said she wanted to come to Roatan to help.  I didn't know exactly what that help would look like but as it turned out we worked endlessly for an entire week redesigning the whole shop! You can read more about it here

Check out what I wrote at our other blog

Blessing #8 -  Since we opened up the new shop we are so busy in there and I can't

manage the shop by myself anymore so we are grateful for volunteers who come in.

The Lawyer family have been a huge help to us in the shop and also coming to our house on Saturdays.   As well Jeanette comes in and does 'the book' for me.  I have also trained Ladeesha, Joan's daughter to do the book on Thursdays.  It is all such a huge help!!  

  

We began praying last year that we would have help and ... voila... God answers prayers!! So why was I so surprised....???  Oh me of little faith!   Either way,  I cannot express enough the gratitude we feel.

   Thank you a thousand times!!  Mil Gracias!!!

Advent : Waiting for the Shepherd

I have been lighting the advent wreath for over 20 years now.  It has always been a highlight for me.  For years our family would gather around the coffee table and together we would focus on the Christ in Christmas.

Advent 2004, Dartmouth, NS.

Advent is latin for the word 'coming'.  I love to make time for 4 Sundays before Christmas to remember His coming and to focus on His presence.  Since we have been lighting the advent wreath for so many years we have tried many different readings as we light the candles.   The most common is to focus on hope, peace, joy and love with different readings and prayers for each week.  We, as a family have chosen to taken 4 different characters from the Christmas story and focus on what we can learn from them.   Mary, Joseph, Angels, Shepherds.   I am in total awe that each year we are able to learn something new from these characters and readings.

This year I am doing something different, because I think change is refreshing and good.   You can come along with me if you like as we 'wait' for His coming together.  We wait for many things, don't we?  We wait for our coffee to brew, we wait in line, we wait for the doctor, but I am talking about a different type of waiting.  I am referring to an expectant longing, a deep desire to find Him in this season.  A yearning that only is fulfilled when we carve out moments of silence and we pray and read His beautiful Words to the gentle light of a single flame.

So tonight as lit the first candle we waited for the Shepherd. He always comes because a shepherd is faithful to His flock and when we wait, He comes.    One of my favorite psalms to read and recite is Psalm 23.  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me lay down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul, He guides me in paths of righteousness for His namesake.  Provision. Rest.  Restoration.  Guidance.   Oh the blessings of having a shepherd who carries us close to His heart.  No matter what the day holds, whether we face bad news, or stress of any kind there is One who carries us back to the fold. Yes please Lord, carry me back to the fold.  I wait for my Shepherd to once again speak peace to my soul...day after day after day.  And He does.

Please read these beautiful verses, slowly and reverently...
Psalm 80: 1-7 ~~~~ Isa. 40: 1-11  ~~~~  Rev 7: 9-17

As you read those verses there may be certain parts that seem to leap off the page to you.   For me I was so moved when Bob was reading Isa 40.

Get yourself up on a high mountain,

O Zion, bearer of good news,

Lift up your voice mightily,

O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;

Lift it up, do not fear.

Say to the cities of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

10 

Behold, the Lord [i]God will come with might,

With His arm ruling for Him.

Behold, His reward is with Him

And His recompense before Him.

11 

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock....isn't that a comforting image?   He is tending to me.  He is tending to you.  He is tending to your family.  He is tending to the homeless.  

     

 The word tend means to care for, watch over, look after.

This advent season I encourage you to let the sweet Shepherd take care of things.   Release  your cares to Him because He cares for you.  It is not your job to do everything.  There are many things to do during this Christmas season but let Him carry the bulk of the load.  Let Him tend to YOU!  Let Him carry you.  Let Him lead you and here is the beautiful part:  when you do this then you can stand on the high mountain and proclaim:  Here is your God!!!

Say to the cities, say to the towns, say to the islands, say to your family, say to your coworkers, say to your children, say to the wayward, say to the educated, say to the poor, say to the church: 
                             "Here is your God!"

The world is looking for someone who really believes that Emmanuel has come and is still present day after day.  They are looking for someone who is a bearer of good news!  Just think:  it could be you!  :-)

Blessed advent, wait for your Shepherd to come and carry you through so you can bear good news that indeed He has come!!  Hallelujah!  Blessings!