Coats!!! Testimony Tuesdays

These are a few of the seventy-some kids who received a coat and socks this past week. Praise the Lord!

No place to lay his head...

I have a barn. It's a typical Eastern European mud brick barn. It freezes in winter and roasts in summer. It's full of cobwebs. It doesn't smell like Apple Cinnamon, I can tell you that. I certainly wouldn't want to live in there, much less give birth to a beautiful baby in there.

But that's how Jesus came. Talk about contrast! From the most beautiful splendor of Heaven. From a throne more glorious than anything I could ever imagine. From ceaseless praise.

To...

a barn.

A barn. Housing meant for animals. Not fit for a baby, much less a King. And not fit at all for the King of Kings.

But Jesus came.

He humbled himself and took on human flesh.

That day in the stable was just the beginning. Jesus, the greatest gift ever given!

Oh the weather outside is frightful..

but the fire is so delightful...


and since we've no place to go, let it snow...


let it snow...



let it snow...

And really, who WOULDN'T want nasal strips for Christmas?

Seriously loud guffaws caused the kiddos to come a runnin' because of this article. Oh my!

Instead, her husband gave her golf gloves, a golf skirt and a golf shirt with a country-club logo on it—even though she rarely hits the links. He also presented her with a heating pad, Listerine breath strips and generic nasal strips to prevent snoring.

"I never got gifts like that before," says Ms. Gibson, who lives near Hershey, Pa. "It looked as if my husband was buying for a 70-year-old lady riddled with arthritis and face-crinkling halitosis, not me, his lovely 34-year-old bride who practices good oral hygiene."

and

What did it for Susan Wilson? A nightgown her husband bought a number of years ago for their anniversary and presented to her at a cozy dinner for two at their country club.

It was cotton (the scratchy kind). Extra-large (she is a size four). Wrapped in a Wal-Mart bag. And emblazoned with St. Bernards carrying snowballs in their mouths.

Poor guys. Really. I feel sorry for them.

But I can't help but laugh. Nasal strips? Really?

Love, if you're reading this, I do NOT snore. Ever. Thank you.



Snort

Recovering Nicely

The last few days have been horrible. Sometimes I wonder why I ever dreamed of owning a home.

So here's what happened... our first storm of the winter blew in. Fiercely. But we were inside all cozy by the fire. That is until the winds gusted so strongly that it caused back puffing in our woodstove. And it stayed that way for hours. My Love and I sent the kids into their rooms on the other end of the house, so they felt no effect of the smoke. We, however, were not so lucky. We worked quickly to put the fire out because it had become dangerous. But in doing so, we inhaled more than our share of toxic gas.

Because this is such a major problem, this woodstove cannot be in use until the problem is completely fixed. BUT... the woodstove is this end of the house's only source of heat. So out come the flannel jammies.

I'm cold. I'm sick. And I'm frustrated as all get-out.

BUT...

I'm thankful.

Thankful that God sent a storm to show my Love very clearly that there is a problem with this chimney. Thankful that no one was hurt. Thankful for flannel.

Now I'm off to take a nap with my stocking hat, coat, and thermal socks on. :)

I May or May Not...

I may or may not be procrastinating by sitting at the computer...

I may or may not be skipping my workout to do this...

I may or may not be listening to Chicago love songs at this moment...

I may or may not be eating chocolate...

I may or may not have gained a couple lbs from Thanksgiving...

I may or may not feel badly at all about any or all of the above...

And

I may or may not remain this way for a little longer....

:)

Coats and Shoes and Candy---OH MY!

As I sit here, exhausted, I can hardly focus enough to complete a sentence (not that I'm all that hot with it on a good day, but...). I am chilled to the bone and ready to jump in the shower and then sit by the woodstove. Tired. Anxious. Cold. Those are three ways I could describe myself right now. But the word that better describes me is pleased.

I could not be more pleased with how the day went. It was our first big day of coat distribution. We started with our local feeding center. In addition to the coats, we also did shoes, socks, and a bag with fruit and candy.



Unfortunately for us, it was raining today. Poor weather to distribute in, on one hand. On the other, what perfect timing to get these kids a coat!

The first group showed up a little after noon, running as fast as they could from the school. They were so excited that they ate with lightening speed. Before they left, the little girls kissed my cheek and said 'thank you'. It blessed my heart!



They all left, thanking us as they went. We thought we would have a bit of a rest between one group to the next, but Rocko showed up. He was supposed to be at school, but for some reason, he wanted to come when no one else was around. We gave him his bag and he tried on his coat. He looked at the shoes and the other items. He seemed like he wanted to say something.

He then followed the lady from the feeding center into the kitchen for a minute. When she returned, she told us that Rocko wanted to say something to us, and tried, but couldn't. She said, "Rocko wants to tell you thank you for him and his Grandmother. He says thank you to Jesus for giving these to him. He says that he wants to hug you but can't bring himself to. He is very thankful."

I peeked into the kitchen to see if his shoes fit---they were perfect. He looked up from the shoes with such a big smile. He opened his mouth to speak but made no sound. His eyes teared and he quickly turned away. But he let me take this picture...



When the other kids arrived---running and knocking over anyone and anything that might stand in their way---we were shocked. "Wild" is how I would describe them. Most definitel excited! They slurped down their soup before their chairs even warmed. Then they were ready to open their gift bag. They were pushy and overbearing and my Love had to direct traffic, so to speak. Working together, we finally got everything to everyone. But by the time we were finished, we were spent. Teens are exhausting!



After a long, cold day, we were finished----or so we thought.

For over an hour, our new doorbell never ceased to ring.

"Ma'am, my coat sleeves are just a bit too short. Do you have a different one?"

"Ma'am, I really like black. Do you have one in black?"

"Ma'am, there is a hole in this pocket. Is it okay like this or should I have a different coat?"

"Ma'am, I found a Q-tip in this pocket. Do you want it back?"

and

"Ma'am, do you have any coats for little kids. I have a kid brother and he has no coat. Do you have anything for him?" (I heard this one 4 times)

What a blessing to be able to help! This is my first distribution of this size----and it's only just begun. Sometimes I feel inadequate for the task. Other days I feel like I have the strength of Samson. But in all of that, I thank God for helping me to be able to help them. Praise the Lord!