Christmas: Filipino style

Merry Christmas, everyone! I am sitting here at the Children's Garden, an orphanage and home for former street boys. I did not know I was going to be spending Christmas here until maybe a week ago, but I am so glad that I am. These past couple of weeks have been pretty stressful as my co-leader and I have been working towards solutions to tough situations and trying to plan and meet deadlines for certain things. But it is pretty apparent that the LORD was in control and has brought me to the only place that would eliminate distractions for a while and let me enter into his rest. And I am thankful for that.

 

I don't really have much to say as much as I want to share with everyone what this Christmas eve is like for me. It is 7pm, the boys and our team just ate an entire pig at our Christmas feast and party. I am in my temporary office/ bedroom, which is the library here at the Children's Garden. My family really couldn't be much further away on this planet than they are already. But I am surrounded by a family of 7 young American adults known as team Fearless and all of the staff and 20 young men that live here. Despite the lack of extravagant gift giving that will take place tomorrow, I feel like I am so rich and lucky to be here with these boys. Without things here that distract me on a regular basis back home, I am able to truly feel this “Christmas Spirit”. I tend to get really excited about Christmas time back home thinking about what new toy I will get. I'll admit that I like getting new guns, things for my truck, pipes, expensive guitar strings, things like that for free. Not having that on my mind seems to be a huge gift from the LORD in itself.

 

It has been a beautiful day already. We kicked off our Christmas party with worshiping the LORD and a young man sharing his testimony. We truly celebrated Jesus. We celebrated his coming here and dying for me, as disgusting as I am, and through that giving me salvation, life, freedom, purpose, hope, and joy. It is so hard for me to feel this back home. This is not my first Christmas away form home, nor is this my first Christmas away from home and in a different country, but it is my first to truly feel deep within my being the significance of what I am celebrating. The transition from celebrating food, presents, and a warm bed to celebrating Jesus and the family of redeemed people I have through him bring so much joy and life in the midst of the simplicity that surrounds me. I don't have much more to say, I just hope this Christmas is as amazing for you as I know it will be for me. If you are anything like me, take some time to really forget about Christmas and think about Jesus and exactly how unfathomably amazing his gift of grace and life is and find the true joy and peace that comes with this Christmas season. Thanks for reading and God bless!

 

Oh yeah, by the way I will be taking all the men on our squad to the island of Mindanao in 4 days to stay there for a month. That was the island hit the hardest by the last typhoon that came through a couple weeks ago. It is a month we like to call “MANistry” month, and we will be all together just as men to sharpen each other into mighty men of God and serve the people of Mindanao however they need and how the LORD should use us. I cannot wait to let everyone know what that is all about next week!