The month of December has brought visitors from afar to Bethlehem uh, I mean Rock Hill, SC. They did come from the far east, although not quite as far east as those original visitors and they may not have brought gold, frankincense and myrrh but they did bring gifts of encouragment and news.
I give you the Three Wise Men Wild Kids...
and their parents who managed to avoid the pictures. It was so encouraging to hear David and Laura testify to the faithfulness of God during and after the flooding in Niamey. Not only that but I also had fun playing with the kids, reading books and filling up the "kid time" tank in me.
I've been filling another kind of tank hanging out with the next visitor from afar.
Crystal! We've been filling up the tank marked "chocolate" - especially today as we went to the Cheesecake Factory in Uptown Charlotte to celebrate her birthday. Mmm, chocolate and cheesecake - is there a better combination?
And now, just for a little something crafty, here's the gift I made for Crystal. My personal favorite is the whale one in the top right hand corner.
I know I've used this verse before here on the blog but Proverbs 25:25 is so applicable, "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." These visits have brought refreshment and encouragement as I continue to be concerned for my colleagues and the situation in Niger.
Today was a full on baking day in the Botheras' household. My brother wanted to bless the people in his workplace with some Christmas treats. There are over 70 truck drivers so we had to get down to work. A whole lot of ginger snaps, sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles, peppermint crunch cookies, chocolate chip cookies, rice krispie treats, brownies and cherry kiss cookies later...
what to our wandering eyes should appear but a brother bent on evil intent.
Check out that eyebrow!
Every man must make his contribution. But don't worry though it may appear so, I assure you, his was not a little bit of spit to hold the decoration in place.
In actual fact, Kent thought we may have overdone it a bit (Surprise! Surprise!). So he called some friends of his who have a ministry to the homeless in Charlotte and inquired whether they might like to have some cookies for the people who came through their doors tomorrow. And this is where the Christmas miracle happened. They were planning a party for tomorrow but somehow the person who was supposed to make the treats wasn't able to do it. Did they need cookies? Absolutely!
Wow! We all had a smile on our face after that phone call. Kent listened to the Holy Spirit as he placed these friends on his heart and we were able to meet a need we didn't even know about. That made all the hard work even more worth it! And that was our little Christmas cookie miracle.
That's right! It's been 4 years since I strapped on these puppies!
So last weekend, just for fun, I went down to Atlanta to hang with my friend Jen and her nephews who are into hockey.
While I practiced my triple axel stroking, Jen practiced a technique known as "boarding it" (aka: sticking close to the side of the rink) which by the way, she totally mastered despite the rugrats doing hockey stops in front of her. It's a little grainy but I love the incensed look on her face here!
We spent some time in the penalty box
trying to look very innocent and sad.
Then we took picture proof that for a moment in time, Jen courageously struck out for the center of the rink.
Well, okay, we were only one step closer to the center of the rink! Who's counting anyway?
We ended the evening on ice too, taking in a Gwinnett Gladiators game with our friend Amy. A special treat, indeed!
Driving home last night, I was listening to "Mended" by Watermark and it so perfectly expressed what I see God doing and the praise that he deserves. I am so thankful that in our brokenness there is One we can go to who brings healing. He reaches into our lives and redeems us from our sinful situation and restores the wasted years. And He is to be praised!
Mended
by: Watermark
You repair all that we have torn apart and
You unveil a new beginning in our hearts and
We stand grateful for all that has been left behind and
All that goes before us
You've got all things suspended
All things connected
Nothing was forgotten
'Cause your love is perfect
You are our healer
And you know what's broken
And we're not a mystery to you
(to you, oh Lord, to you)
We will dance 'cause you restore the wasted years and
You will sing over all our coming fears and
We'll stand grateful for all that has been left behind and all that goes before us
You've got all things suspended
All things connected
Nothing was forgotten
'Cause your love is perfect
You are our healer
And you know what's broken
And we're not a mystery to you
(to you, oh Lord, to you)
Bridge:
Lord, you mend the breech
And you break every fetter
You give us your best, for what we thought was better
And you are to be praised
You are to be praised
You are to be praised
You are to be praised
You are to be praised
You've got all things suspended
All things connected
Nothing was forgotten
'Cause your love is perfect
You are our healer
And you know what's broken
And we're not a mystery to you
(to you, oh Lord, to you)
On Tuesday I drove up to Greensboro to have a cookie making day with my friend Karen and her family. The kids were super excited and anxious to help in any way they could.
Stirring
Beating
Unwrapping
Sugaring
Yummo!
We partook of some of the deliciousness and then we headed out for a "sleigh ride" also known as a ride around the neighbourhood to see the Christmas lights. A blanket to be bundled in was a requirement.
But my favorite quote of the day came from the two year old pictured below.
"Look, Auntie Beth!" she declared in the middle of the cookie making process, "I'm licking the table."
You have it on good authority - this day was table licking good! :)
