It was a tough year, but...

I've had a pretty big day so far. Two Bible studies and a prayer meeting. Since then I've been sitting here trying to figure out what I'm going to write on "on the edge of ordinary" today. In the meantime I sent out our monthly newsletter (that I'd prepared earlier) to our supporters. It struck me after I did, that the email I wrote to accompany the newsletter might be the best writing I'll do today, so why not share it with you. Here is a portion of it:

Every year we say, "Christmas has crept up on me." And I say it again, "I don't feel ready for Christmas, didn't we just have one recently?" But then as I went through the photos we've taken in 2011 for good ones to send to our family, I realise that there is an awful lot of evidence that we've had a year since last Christmas and a pretty big one at that. 

But regardless of all the challenges and difficulties of the year, I have to say that God's been with us the whole time. Back in March we looked death in the face. Literally—we had to make big decisions in the light of the nuclear disaster happening to the north of us. But God was with us. He reassured us that even in the face of death, he's not absent. And even if the worst thing we imagine happens to us, God is there with us. 

We've seen members of our community here have one of the worst thing you could imagine happen to them. Two sons were lost. But God was there, comforting them in their loss. We've seen colleagues lose their parents and siblings. We've seen colleagues retire, only to have the wife die within months of returning to their sending country. But God was there with them. And with us as we help them through their grief.

 So, I hope that you can say that as you look back at 2011, that you can say, "God's been with me." And isn't that what Christmas is all about? Celebrating that God is with us. Celebrating that he loves us so much that he sent his one and only son.