I missed Tuesday, but how about a Christmas day special. Today is a big day for multiple reasons. 3 days ago marked Kate Turner & I's 10 month mark in Haiti. Although we are currently in the Dominican Republic we celebrated with a fist bump and sharing a few memories of our first few months here.
Today is special. Today is significant for the me & for the world. Who knows if Jesus was really born today, but he was born on a day a few years back & we continue to celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Today was my first time to celebrate Christmas not in Amarillo or Lubbock, TX. It was my first time not to be at 3001 36th St. opening GG gifts. Today was a first. Today was a joy. Today was a loss.
This morning at 4:30am the Rounke kids woke up with anticipation of what was to come inside of our stockings & inside of some wrapped packages. At 7:00 am they jumped on my bed and said Amanda (said in a different accent) and woke me up. Our team sat in a living room, opened stockings stuffed with goodies, passed around gifts, made breakfast burritos, & celebrated.
Today was a joy. Even sitting here I am filled with thankfulness and tears at who God has given me to share this journey with; my team. We didn't choose each other. We didn't know each other a year ago, but we have become a family of sorts. These last few days we've been smooshed together in an apartment fully furnished by IKEA, cooking in a hallway of a kitchen, and laughing with each other. I've heard many times that team life can be one of the most difficult things but I have not had that experience. To think of leaving these people seems almost as painful as the people I left 10 months ago. When you go to war with someone you build a depth of relationship that can't be recreated any other way. We've been to war together. These 8 other people will be the only ones who I share these times with. I have found some good ones & we can laugh really hard.
So today is Christmas. It's a different Christmas than I've ever had, but it is Christmas. Jesus did come, he did die, he was resurrected, and he will return. Just at the kids woke up with hopeful expectation of what was to be opened, I wait & all of creation waits with hopeful expectation that Jesus will return one final time. All will be made right & all will be restored. I can't wait!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Today is special. Today is significant for the me & for the world. Who knows if Jesus was really born today, but he was born on a day a few years back & we continue to celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Today was my first time to celebrate Christmas not in Amarillo or Lubbock, TX. It was my first time not to be at 3001 36th St. opening GG gifts. Today was a first. Today was a joy. Today was a loss.
This morning at 4:30am the Rounke kids woke up with anticipation of what was to come inside of our stockings & inside of some wrapped packages. At 7:00 am they jumped on my bed and said Amanda (said in a different accent) and woke me up. Our team sat in a living room, opened stockings stuffed with goodies, passed around gifts, made breakfast burritos, & celebrated.
Today was a joy. Even sitting here I am filled with thankfulness and tears at who God has given me to share this journey with; my team. We didn't choose each other. We didn't know each other a year ago, but we have become a family of sorts. These last few days we've been smooshed together in an apartment fully furnished by IKEA, cooking in a hallway of a kitchen, and laughing with each other. I've heard many times that team life can be one of the most difficult things but I have not had that experience. To think of leaving these people seems almost as painful as the people I left 10 months ago. When you go to war with someone you build a depth of relationship that can't be recreated any other way. We've been to war together. These 8 other people will be the only ones who I share these times with. I have found some good ones & we can laugh really hard.
So today is Christmas. It's a different Christmas than I've ever had, but it is Christmas. Jesus did come, he did die, he was resurrected, and he will return. Just at the kids woke up with hopeful expectation of what was to be opened, I wait & all of creation waits with hopeful expectation that Jesus will return one final time. All will be made right & all will be restored. I can't wait!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Beautiful words! I love your thoughts.
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