Merry Christmas Eve!

 "And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:10-14

Grace and peace to you.

Things just got crazy.

Actually, they've been a bit crazy. Christmas Unwrapped is finished. Christmas parties for Sunday School and Youth Club were a blast. Christmas concerts, nativities, and pantomimes have been attended.  Pictures for proof:

Lochaber High School's Pipe Band.

Christmas Unwrapped at Banavie Primary School.

Sunday School Christmas Party.

Banavie Primary School Nativity.

Banavie Primary School Pantomime.

Kilmallie Free Church Nativity.

 This past weekend, I had back to back Bible study sleepovers. The first night, we went into town for the Christmas festivities in Fort William. It was all lit up and so busy and fun!

Kara and Hannah.

Pipe Band.

My parents and my sweet friend Caroline sent me Christmas!

Santa mug and peppermint hot chocolate.

My parents are the best.

We've gotten a bit of snow in the past month! It's absolutely beautiful.

 Saw some real reindeer in town at the Christmas fair in November!

I went to Edinburgh with some friends to see the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Mound at the end of November. They set off fireworks from the Castle and had a kilted Santa. Amazing.

Fireworks.

Kilted Santa.

Christmas Markets and Scott Monument.

I was FaceTiming with my parents the other day, and my mom read me 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. It was fantastic. 

On Sunday, Kilmallie Free Church's new building opened for our first services! Here's a sneak peek into the building:

You can go watch this video on Facebook and see more!

In other news, I've been loving John Piper's Good News of Great Joy Advent devotional, as well as The Park Forum's Advent devotional. This has been a really sweet time. Hard being away from home for Christmas, but wonderful to really focus on Christ and understand more about the sacrifice that God was making when he sent his Son to Earth. I have some friends from Covenant here for Christmas. Erica is studying in Edinburgh and Rashad has been at L'Abri in Holland. We figured since we are on the same continent, we might as well be together. I have really enjoyed spending time with people from church and am loving learning about how Christmas is celebrated in Scotland. We are having a Watch Night Service at church tonight. It starts at 11:30 pm, and will go into Christmas day. I'm really looking forward to it. Tomorrow we'll have Christmas lunch with the MacRae's, and then Christmas happens again for me on Friday morning when Josiah gets here!

So much happening. So much good.

Christmas Unwrapped

Things have been busy over here, and I'm loving it. We've been going to different primary schools around Fort William and presenting the story of Jesus' birth in a fun and creative way.

It starts with kids being divided into groups, and the leaders asking the kids what they have been waiting for. Their answers range from Christmas to baby brothers and sisters being born. They all come  to the middle of the room and give their answers, then sing a couple of Christmas songs. They play a round of Christmas story bingo just to get their minds going, and see how much they can remember.

Singing.

They head back to their groups and play a game and put pictures of Christmas story scenes in sequential order. After they are finished, they get a visit from Simeon and Anna. They do a craft, making a candle that they take home reminding them that Jesus is the light of the world. We conclude with singing and a prayer.

Simeon and Anna.

Candles.

The story of Simeon and Anna is found in the end Luke 2, when Jesus is presented at the temple. We learn that God told Simeon that he would not see death until he saw the Lord's Christ. He had been waiting for years, and when he saw the Christ child, he took him in his arms and prayed:


“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
                     (Luke 2:29-32 ESV)

Anna was an elderly woman who had become a widow at a young age. She worshipped in the temple day and night. The passage says that she gave thanks to God and began to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Please be praying that as we visit schools and interact with both students and teachers, we will be able to clearly share the story of Jesus and the message of the Christmas season.

Thank you!