shine your light

"You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16

It's the strangest thing, but every Christmas I find myself a year older than the one before.  And at the same time, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning from when I was young. Christmas was all about the presents until a few years ago.  I knew "Jesus is the reason for the season" was true, but my main focus was on the gifts and getting what I wanted.  Even after I had children of my own I found myself worrying and fretting about what gifts to give each child and making myself crazy!  Presents are still a huge, fun part of our Christmas tradition, but they are honestly the least important.  I've grown to appreciate spending time with family and friends and celebrating the birth of our Savior as what matters most.  But there are still things God wants us to do and to be in the life of others during Christmas and throughout the year.

Looking at Jesus' words in Matthew 5, we are clearly called to be a light to everyone around us. Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill?  Its light can be seen from miles away at night and it's impossible to keep it hidden.  Most of the time we focus our attention and energy on "shining" without considering the times we might be hiding our light.  Simply put, we can hide our light by neglecting to speak up when we should and by ignoring the needs of others.  Ouch! So, what do we do with this call to be a light in respect to orphans and Christmas?

We believe Christmas is hope...  Hope for all mankind because we can have a relationship with God.  Not because we did anything to earn His favor, but because the fullness of God took on flesh and lived on this earth as a man.  "He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him.  He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:10-12) THIS is what Christmas is all about!  We have hope because of the birth of Christ!  And by speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves and giving to the needy and forgotten in our world, we are shining a light of HOPE to a local church and 36 orphans in Santo Domingo.

This Christmas we are beyond excited that people all across the United States have joined together to use the blessings God has given us to shine the love of Christ to those who might not be blessed with the friends and families we have.  We will no longer feel sorry for those who are less fortunate without doing something about it.  It's time for action!  Over two thousand years ago, Christmas changed the world.  Forever.  If Christians come together and serve the least of these, Christmas can change the world once again by bringing light into darkness.  There are more than 147 million orphans in the world.  If you're anything like me, that number is so large it's hard to comprehend.  For too many years I told myself I couldn't do anything to change the world for 147 million orphans.  The number is too great, but you know what?  While we might not be able to provide love and care for all 147 million, through No Longer we CAN change the world... one orphan at a time.

Thank you for partnering with us to give light and hope to orphans in Santo Domingo.  We look forward to providing construction updates and more details about upcoming trips in the near future.  I pray this Christmas your joy will be found in more than just the presents under the tree.  As you visit with family and friends and celebrate Jesus' birth, pause to thank Him for His many blessings and offer a prayer for the children and needy families around the world who need hope.