Christmas 2014

This year around Christmas,

I was not feeling so "Christmasy".

The weather had been so hot and dry.

Still the rains did not come.

I am one who loves to decorate my home.

It is so fun to put out all of the Christmas things that remind me 

of home, family, and Christmases past.

This year was a bit different.

I had nothing to use (everything is still in South Africa in storage).

Thankfully, my dear friends at the plant nursery

lent me this 2 foot high tree, which I decorated with handmade things 

(from seed pods found in the bush, toilet paper tubes, 

paint, washi tape, and glitter).

It still didn't feel like Christmas,

until I found the above nativity.

That was what was missing.

I collect nativities, but this one meant alot more to me 

because I had nothing else.

~~~

Over the last few weeks, 

as I have been working on the Christmas program with the children,

the Lord impressed on my heart the grand joy that surrounded 

the birth of the Christ-child.

The shepherds and angels gave glory to God.

The Bible says that even the rocks and hills cry out.

Every week, I would go home after hearing the kids sing-

"Joy to the world,

the Saviour reigns,

let men their songs employ;

while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,

repeat their sounding joy,

repeat their sounding joy,

repeat, repeat their sounding joy,"

I began to listen more closely to the sounds of nature around me.

The bleating of the sheep,

the wind in the trees,

the bird's song,

the tree frogs,...

all repeating the sounding joy of my Saviour!

My Christmas Eve this year was not different

than that night so long ago when the Saviour came to earth.

As I sat around the table with new "Church family & friends",

there were sounds of laughter and joy. 

Conversations of the Lord's goodness to us and our thankfulness for God sending His Son to earth were the praises sounding joy from our lips.

IBC Ladies group singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Christmas Day began with a breakfast with friends

and then we headed over to church for Christmas Service.

After service, we went back to share gifts, eat delicious leftovers, 

and just spend some time together (I even took a nap!).

I hope that you too had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS

filled with joy for the Saviour's birth!

Luke 2:10-11

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, 

I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord."

"Joy to the World, the Lord is Come" - our 2014 Children's Christmas Program

Starting at the beginning of December,

we invited a group of kids from church to come on Saturdays 

to prepare for a Christmas Program.

We could not invite all of the Sunday School kids, 

because we usually have 200 or more.

Most of the children in this year's program have never been 

a part of a Christmas Program.

Rebecca teaching new songs

In fact, most do not know many/any Christmas songs.

We worked hard every Saturday for a few hours, 

singing the songs over and over again.

They rehearsed their lines so much, 

that some even knew the other's parts.

We planned and wrote this Christmas program with the

desire to teach the children the "Christmas" verses 

and that they would also be able to quote

 these Scriptures on Christmas day at their homes

 for their family and friends to hear the Word f God.

Angels

Narrators in back, shepherds in front.

More narrrators in back, shepherds in front.

Little sheep

Below is the video of our Children's Christmas Program.

(Turn up the volume on your computer and enjoy!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS from sunny South Africa !

Well , some of you have probably been wondering

 what Christmas is like in South Africa.

Christmas is HOT!!!!

Most South African Christians celebrate Christmas 

by attending a Christmas service.

Our church

(Enjoy a few pictures I took in my neighbor's garden on Christmas Day,

 while I tell you more about Christmas here in South Africa.)

We had a Christmas Morning Service at 9am.

During the service, we sang the Christmas carols 

and read the Christmas story from Luke 2 & Matthew 1&2.

Our service was packed and it was very hot in the building.

I wonder if this guy is any relation to the Christmas beetle? (heee, hee!)

After service, the families exchanged a few homemade presents 

and we went our separate ways for  Christmas dinner.

The Demarests and I enjoyed Christmas meal together 

since we are the only family each other has on this side of the world.

We ate - turkey breast, mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, 

corn pudding, stuffing, sweet potatoes,

 and had cream cheese pie with cherries (from the States) on top.

After lunch, Robbin and I played a round of Phase 10,

while pastor enjoyed watching some football in between his cat naps

(Shh, don't tell him I told you that!   :)   )

The afternoon meant that our families in the States 

were just waking up on Christmas morning.

So we parted ways to talk to our families.

My family lives on the East Coast, 

but the Demarest's family is West Coast and MidWest.

 So, I had to wait a little longer to talk to my family.

That was okay, because I got to take a nap.

What a blessing it is to see and hear your family on Christmas Day!

I got to talk to my mom, dad, brother, cousin, aunt & uncle.

I felt like I was there with them!

Thank the Lord for modern technology and that my internet was working!

Most South Africans celebrate Christmas different than us.

After church, they may gather with family, 

each family bringing part of the meal and all contributing a different meat to the feast - one will bring lamb, another turkey, ham, gammon, duck,....  

They cook their meat ahead or brai (barbeque) there

 and bring cold salads to share.  

They know how to enjoy a hot day by eating cooler things 

and going swimming in the afternoon!

Christmas Cracker

Some South Africans open Christmas Crackers at mealtime.  

The first time I heard of Christmas crackers,

 I thought it was special crackers to eat at Christmas, but it is not. 

 They are little tubes filled with sweats and treats, wrapped in pretty Christmas paper and then "Cracked" open by each pulling an end. What a fun tradition!!!

Well,that is all I will share for now about Christmas here in South Africa.

Wishing you a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

from Gina in sunny South Africa!

PEACE, JOY, LOVE : Our Nursing Home Ministry

Welcome to our nursing home service!

Peter always does such a wonderful job with leading the music!

Miss Margret playing the piano.

He is accompanied by the very talented Miss Margret.

She is one of the residents 

and can play about anything without any sheet music.

For this service, I had the priviledge of playing a flute prelude of Christmas carols.

The humidity made some of my keys stick, but the people enjoyed it.

There is nothing like the singing the songs 

about the Saviour to get your heart ready to hear the Word!

Pastor Jeff preached to us about -

PEACE,

JOY,

&

LOVE

PEACE: True peace comes from God~

Luke 2:14 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

John 14:27 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, 

give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

 John 16:33 

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. 

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; 

I have overcome the world."

JOY: Joy comes from knowing Christ and living a life glorifying to God.

Luke 2:10 

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,

 I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 15:10

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence 

of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

 Nehemiah 8:10 

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

LOVE: God loves you more than anyone ever could!

AND

His love can be perfected in us, if we show His love to others.

John 3:16 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

1John 4:12 

"No man hath seen God at any time. 

If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us."

Please pray with us, for the dear people at the Winston Park Rest Home.

Christmas can be a very lonely time of the year for the elderly.

Also pray that the Word of God will help some to find 

the true PEACE that only comes through knowing Christ as Saviour;

and for others to have the encouragement 

that God LOVEs and cares for them and will bring them JOY, 

even in the lonely times.

Carols by Candlelight

Every year, here at Village Bible Baptist Church,

we host a Carols by Candlelight Service.

It is a special service where we sing the hymns of Christmas by candlelight and hear preaching about the true meaning of Christmas.

Below, I have posted pictures and a video from our service.

Between each photo, I have put meaningful Scriptures that go along with the acronym for CHRISTMAS (this was adapted from http://www.homeschooled-kids.com/christinchristmas.html). 

 May you be blessed as you read these verses 

that remind us of that Light that came to us so very long ago.

C- is for the Christ child who was born long ago in a manger in Bethlehem. Luke 1:31  "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,  and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."

H- is for the hope that Jesus brings to all who believe in Him  and trust Him for their salvation. Romans 5:2  "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,  and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,  thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. "

R- is for the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin,  lived a sinless life, was both man and God, died on the cross for our sins, and then was raised from the dead (resurrected)  and is now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven. 2 Corinthians 5:21  "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;  that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 

I- is for Israel, who God chose to bring forth  the promised Saviour of the world. Acts 13:23  "Of this man's seed hath God according to His promise  raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:"

S- is for the salvation that Jesus offers to all who are willing  to confess their sin, believe in Him,  and confess their belief in Jesus with their mouth. John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Romans 10:9  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

T- is for the empty tomb. Matthew 28:6,7  "

He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. 

Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead;

 and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; 

there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you."

M- is for the mercy God has shown the world by sending  His only Son to die for our sins. Hebrews 4:16  "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,  that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

A- is for the amazing grace He shows us every day  by loving us unconditionally. 2 Corinthians 9:8  "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye,  always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"

S- is for the shining Light that Jesus is to the world. This is the Light 

that we ha

ve shared with the people 

in Hillcrest,South Africa 

during our Carols by Candlelight service

.

John 8:12 

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: 

he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life."

Ladies Christmas Tea

my front door

This year, I had the blessing of hosting our

Ladies Christmas Tea.

Like all good Baptist churches,

our ladies bring some delicious treats.

Thandiwe

Ladies gathering for the Tea

Lisa & Thandiwe

We had a wonderful group of ladies who came.

Our time together started out with some chit-chat.

Then Robbin stood in front of the group and said that she wanted to recognize someone for something special.  While she was talking, I got up to get my camera to take a picture of whoever she was going to recognize.

Funny thing is, it was me!

She presented me with roses!!!

Robbin giving the challenge

Then, Auntie Robbin gave us a challenge from the Word of God.

She spoke from Psalm 33:20,21 & Psalm 34:1-11

"Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield.

 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name."

Psalm 33:20,21

After our challenge from God's Word,

we had game time.

We played 2 games-

the Left-Right Game (see pg3)

and

Christmas Carol Trivia.

Finally, came the food.

Everything was delicious!

We each brought a gift and went home with a gift,

a handmade Christmas soap from Auntie Robbin,

and a gift bag with a homemade ornament & hand cream.

We praise the Lord that every woman who attended

has accepted God's free gift of salvation!

~~~

Please continue to pray for us as we minister to these and other ladies.

We are asking the Lord to give us wisdom in how to guide them in their spiritual lives, so that they can have a closer walk with the Lord.