Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!! It's so hard to believe that it's Christmas! This year has flown by!!!! Honestly, it just seems like yesterday I was in Hong Kong for COR just finishing up with outreaches and celebrating Christmas with all my friends there. I never would have thought that that 3 week trip would change my life so drastically. As you know, God called me back to Hong Kong for DTS 3 weeks after I got home...and my experience there is unforgettable.

Not just that, but this year has also brought an addition to our family...little Nora. And how God revealed her to me in a dream still blows my mind. A year brings change, healing, new life, and hope.

The way God works will never be something I understand. This past week and a half has been difficult. My dear friend Dean Cyboron died in a car accident in Ch!na while spending time with his family. This man meant so much to me. When I look back at my life and my walk with God, Dean definitely was a part of my growth. I don't remember any significant moment or conversation we had that totally changed me...but it was how he lived his life. He loved Jesus with all of his heart and that love God put in him poured out onto all of us kids at TEC. He was always there with encouraging words, hugs, and often times a joke or something random to say to make me laugh :) Looking back on his life has inspired me to seek even more of God in my life. I want to live my life in a way that the people around me know how much I love Jesus for what He's done in my life. I want that to be an example to the kids I work with both in school and especially at youth group.

Yes, I don't understand why something like this would happen to Dean and his family, but I do know that God is working through this accident to reach many people. I can see how people who maybe know "about" God look at this and truly see God. It's hard not to see God in this situation. How He has provided peace and healing for the rest of the family and friends.

Tonight, we had the candlelight service for Christmas Eve...well at the end we turn off all of the lights, light candles, and stand in a circle and sing. I couldn't help but think of TEC and the Agape banquet...it was so similar, and to think that Dean is there right now with Jesus at the banquet is a beautiful sight. He's there celebrating Christmas with Christ...and also praising Jesus for all He's done. God is so good!!!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!! Remember the true reason for the season...the little baby Jesus that came to be Emmanuel...God with Us. And that is so true! He is with us yesterday, today, and forever.