pre-Christmas

So we can’t really call this Zoe’s first Christmas, because well…she’s not “here” yet. However, this has not stopped anyone from buying her Christmas presents! Since we are leaving for Nairobi on the 15^th and only allowed one bag each (to last us 2 months and stuff for a baby!) our families sent us our Christmas presents early and we already opened them, because there is definitely not room in our luggage! Nate’s parents and sister sent us all sorts of fun stuff: card games, candy, pedicure stuff for me, a baby monitor, etc. We have had a lot of fun just in the past few days playing Monopoly Deal (one of the card games they sent) and it will most definitely be making the trip with us. Here is Nate with just a few of the gifts:

My parents and sister sent two big boxes of stuff…one entire box was filled with Zoe’s Christmas presents and a few things for me as well. We opened that while we were skyping with my parents over a week ago. Here is just some of the stuff from the box. My sister sent the stuff from the first picture and the presents from my parents is the second picture:

The other box…well, who knows where the other box is. Both packages were sent on the exact same day, but we have yet to receive the second. This package apparently has our wrapped presents, including Nate’s stuff. Poor Nate, for the past 8 months we have been getting packages filled with stuff for Zoe and me, and now the one package with his gifts has gone MIA. We are hoping it arrives before we leave, but if not…we will have a post-Christmas when we get back in February.

We feel so blessed to have people sending us stuff across the world, but Christmas really isn’t about “stuff,” is it? My mom recently wrote a devotion for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers…you may be thinking she isn’t the mother of a pre-schooler, which is true! She goes to the meetings to help out and be a “mentor” type to the moms.) Anyway, I thought her devotion pretty much sums up why we celebrate Christmas…it’s not gifts, or decorations, or trees, or even family and friends…it’s about our Heavenly Father sending a Savior to Earth to bring redemption to His children.

WHO IS CHRISTMAS REALLY ALL ABOUT?

I have been feeling a little bit sorry for myself this year.  This is the first time in 28 years that both of my girls will not be with us on Christmas. Tiffany and her husband will be spending Christmas with his family in MO and Lindsey and her husband are missionaries in Tanzania.  They are also expecting their first baby, my first grandchild in January, which makes this year even more difficult.

The past month whenever I start to feel sorry for myself, I hear a little voice saying "Who is Christmas really all about?" As I read this story, written by a missionary who was working in an orphanage, I was reminded once again that Christmas really is all about Jesus.

We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. The children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened.  Afterwards, we gave the children cardboard and napkins to make a crude manger.  Old flannel was used for baby blankets and the baby Jesus was cut from felt.

As I walked among the orphans, I noticed that 6 year old Misha had placed 2 babies in his manger.  I asked him why there were 2 babies and in his broken English he began to repeat the story about the birth of Jesus. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.

At this point, he made up his own ending to the story, "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay.  Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like the wise men.  But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much. So I asked Jesus, If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?' And Jesus said, that will be the best gift. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes filled with tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his shoulders shook as he sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon or abuse him, someone who would stay with him always.

I've learned it's not what you have, but who you have in your life that really counts. That is the truth. The role that Jesus plays in your life makes all the difference. The beauty of the story is God Himself came down to earth to live among the people He created. Why, because he loves us so much that he made a way for us to be with him forever.

So this year, after you have spent the day with family and friends, the presents have been opened, and the food has been eaten, I pray that you will thank God for the many blessings that he has given to each of you.  And when you fall into bed and you hear that small voice asking "Who is Christmas really all about?"  I pray, that like that small boy, you will snuggle up close to Jesus, who came to earth as a baby to save those who believe in him, and you will know that amazing gift of love.  A gift that will stay with you Forever and Always!   ~Beth Franklin~