Holiday Wrappings

With Christmas, New Year’s and Three Kings’ Day over, it’s a good time to wrap up this holiday season with some news worthy reflections.

The candle light service during the holidays was memorable. It started out with cookie decorating for the children as well as an inflatable. Renting inflatables for children to jump on during a special event is the norm. A special highlight for me was Diana having the opportunity to use her musical gifts to play the piano as we all joined in singing Christmas carols. And then for people to express their appreciation afterwards was a special treat. The evening was complete as our van became a taxi stuffed with eleven people for the ride home.

Maria had the idea of putting together some of our traditional shoebox gifts. The difference being we didn’t need to ship them off to another country to make the day of some needy child. Instead Maria, Christina and I packed up the van and headed downtown. Our first encounter was the most difficult as the lady’s lifeless eyes looked back into ours revealing the pain of a hopeless life. But, all in all there was a sparkle in their eyes and appreciation on their lips as we handed them a shoebox filled with goodies and prayed with them.

For us the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without giving away cookies. Back in the day, dozens of them were made at home and given to neighbors, Sunday School teachers, family and friends. This year we made up plastic bags of store bought ones and tied them up with Christmas ribbon. Some went to neighbors, but most were given at the market and San Francisco, a local community where we have been reaching out over the last few months. It’s another way to “show the love of Jesus in a practical way” and a joy to see the quizzical looks turn into beaming faces.

2009 brings a shift in focus for us. While we continue many of the same ministries, we are shifting our focus to El Puente. El Puente (the Bridge) meets in a hotel across town from where we live. It is a forming church that is ministering to career bilingual Mexicans. It’s definitely a community marked by grace and led by Steve, a retired pastor from Canada. He and his wife Blanche came here a few years ago to be with family. We are looking forward to our continued ministry here in Puebla as well as to the new opportunities this change opens up to us.

Hotel El Molino where El Puente meets for Sunday services.

(Candle display above was made by Christina in her Friday craft class.)