This Christmas, someone created a snapshot memory just for you by sharing Christ's love through giving.
"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."
1 John 3:16-18
Share with us your Snapshots of Christmas. What did you do this Christmas to create a snapshot for someone else? Tell us your story...
1 comment:
First off I am no writer so as I begin this I am already outside of my comfort zone, but you asked for it so here is goes.
I was talked into going to Western Heights to volunteer to help with the Christmas gathering. Not that I really needed to be talked into helping out I am ok with that. The key for me was that there would be some Russian’s at this event and would get to practice my limited knowledge of their language with them.
They we very easy to pick out of the crowd, they all we older and were off by themselves. The first person I spoke to was Boris, next was Nickoli and last was Victor. You can’t get more Russian then that!
Our conversations were a little bit of charades and bad English and really bad Russian. We had a great time. All three of these men within the first minute asked me if I was a Christian. Amazing there was no fear in the question, no hesitation just flat out "are you a Christian?" Next they all wanted to know the make up of my family. Not only if I was married, but was my wife with me and could I point her out. Not only if I had kids but where did they live and what was their life like. They never asked me about what I did, strange we seem to always ask that when we meet. To them your job was really not that important.
Boris has 10 children, 5 sons and 5 daughters and 20 grandchildren!! I could go on and tell you about Nickoli singing “How Great Thou Art” in Russian, but I need to get to the point. Towards the end of the day I was making cookies. Actually I was slapping chocolate icing on sugar cookies and giving them to the kids. A woman approached me named Lyubov, pretty cool name it’s Russian for love, anyway she asked me if I could get her some fire wood. Kind of an out of the blue request but I took her name and number and said I would try and I would call her back. I am sure she thought she would never hear from me again.
So here is how it all played out. I went to Tracy’s Sunday Morning Bible Fellowship class and asked if anyone had any wood to spare, Robbie said he could give me a truck load. I then asked Gordon to make an announcement before you (Phillip) started teaching and I think Gordon was more amazed that I spoke Russian and did not even think about saying no. His announcement brought in another three people who were willing to give me wood. I had to borrow a truck to deliver it and when I called Lyubov and told her I had wood for her you would have thought that she had won the Publishers Clearing House Contest. She heats her home with wood only and was almost out. So I delivered a load on Friday and Greg delivered another load on Saturday. She had me come in and sit with her after we unloaded the wood and practice my Russian. She gave me a book to complete so when I return she can work with me some more. I had some awesome Russian pastries and no I did not bring you any Phillip. Some things are just too good to share.
I have spoken with Lyubov a couple of times since I delivered the wood. She and I have plans to meet again after the first of the year. I hope to maybe take her a Christmas present. In Russia Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January. I hope that I can learn more new pieces of information to build a friendship and continue to develop my Russian. Lyubov has a son named Victor who is ten. Victor goes to the magnet school and does well in all subjects but reading English. I plan on working a trade with Victor as well, a little English for Russian.
All this came about thru a bunch of little pieces working together. When you sit back and think about it each person in this event made it possible for a person to have heat. Something most of us take for granted, but Lyubov does not. To me delivering that wood in the rain was a pretty good day.
Thanks to all of you who helped me in this. For those of you that have offered wood and I have not picked it up yet I will soon. Phillip do you know where I can get a deal on a good used truck! HA.
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