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Christmas comes each year to draw people in from the cold.
Like tiny frightened sparrows, shivering in the winter cold, many live their lives on the barren branches of heartbreak, disappointment, and loneliness, lost in thoughts of shame, self-pity, guilt or failure. One blustery day follows another, and the only company they keep is with fellow-strugglers who land on the same branches, confused and unprotected.
We try so hard to attract them into the warmth. Week after week church bells ring. Choirs sing. Preachers preach. Lighted churches send out their beacon. But nothing seems to bring in those who need warmth the most.
Then, as they year draws to a close, Christmas offers its wonderful message. Emmanuel. God with us. He who resided in heaven, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, willingly descended into our world. He breathed our air, felt our pain, knew our sorrows, and died for our sins. He didn’t come to frighten us, but to show us the way to warmth and safefy.
Excerpt from The Finishing Touch by Charles Swindoll
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God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into
the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!
John 3:16-17 (CEV)
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 Praises
Haiti
- 25 couples from Laregal will be married in a joint ceremony on Dececember 21. Many couples in Haiti live together because they cannot afford a traditional wedding. These 25 couples have been convicted by God’s Word to marry and the church is rallying together to provide a wedding for all of them together. The church did the same thing several months ago for 14 couples. Many of them were baptized. God is obviously up to something in this mountain region.
- Lifeline’s chicken coop owners are learning rapidly as their businesses are becoming more profitable. It hasn’t been easy, but these families have been blessed by sponsors who have financed their business start up.
- People have started giving the gift of a home for Christmas. You can find more information about donating a home for a needy Haitian family or your Haitian sponsored child atwww.Lifeline.org/Homes.
- We just learned that the container with Christmas gifts for children will be picked up tomorrow and in our possession! Hallelujah and praises for the donors who gave extra money so we could give a deposit to get this countainer out in time for the women’s gift distribution trip in January.
Honduras
- Funds have been coming in for our CaryHill multipurpose project in Honduras. We’ll soon be able to complete the roof, staircase and balconies!
U.S.A.
- Volunteers are hard at work making child ID cards for all the children in Haiti. Thank you for your time to help us out!
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Greg Bondurant at Westerville Christian Church (Ohio) preached a great Christmas message about giving that resulted in 32 children being sponsored this past weekend! PTL. Would your congregation like to host a sponsorship drive? It would be great for the school kids, for Lifeline and for you home church! Contact Erma@Lifeline.org for more information.
Photos:
Top set – CaryHill multipurpose building in Honduras
Bottom – new child ID cards |
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Prayer Requests
- Continued prayers for safety, unity and effectiveness in ministry for the upcoming Women’s Work Team in January.
- The new church plant in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has an outreach event this Sunday. Pray for connections, impacted lives, and more to learn about God’s love for them.
- Pray for the Laregal Church in Haiti as they seek funds for the December 21 wedding ceremony for 25 couples. Many dresses, decorations, etc. collected for the previous group weddings will be reused, but funds for the meal and additional expenses are still needed. Pray for someone with a heart for Lifeline and this church’s vision to write a $750 check this week to cover all their expenses. Contact Andy@Lifeline.org for details.
- Pray for the ongoing success of our Poultry Project as we contemplate adding additional “farmer families” in the coming year.
- Lee Frazier, a friend of Lifeline, will have hip replacement surgery soon.
- Karen Kennison (Lifeline’s Executive Assistant) requests prayers for her stepfather: he had another major stroke and is in the hospital unresponsive (3rd stroke this year). Prayers are appreciated. He is the primary caregiver for her mother.
- Lifeline’s stateside cargo van that’s used for ABC food events and general mission hauling is broken down and may even need a new engine. Pray that we’ll get it back in service soon and that finances will be forthcoming.
- Lifeline’s board meeting is this Saturday. Please keep us in prayer as we’re reviewing 2013 and planning for 2014. We’ve had a wonderful year, but need to press on to be in “His perfect will” as we serve in all of our mission field locations. Thank you.
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Women’s Trip to El Salvador
Ladies, you have the opportunity to minister to the women and children in Lifeline’s ministry communities in El Salvador! Trip dates are May 14-20, 2014. Contact Cathi@Lifeline.org or 614-794-0108 for trip details.
Please note that this is a select opportunity with only 15 openings!
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People, Programs or Projects
Cuba: A Multiplying Church Movement
by Andy Sims, Lifeline’s Leadership Development Director
I’ve just returned from my third trip into Cuba. It’s hard to believe an island less than 100 miles from our shores remains such a mystery. For most Americans, Cuba holds both an old-world charm and a spy-novel intrigue.
My job at Lifeline is to develop leaders in each country where we serve. I didn’t know what to expect on my first trip to Cuba. While political tensions have cooled, repression and isolation are all that the current generation of Christians has ever known. Would we find any common ground between our two distinct worlds?
On my first trip, I discovered a culture that was completely secular, yet still welcoming, curious and inviting. Things are ordered but scarce. Vacant cathedrals hint of a different era a century ago, but the Church today is almost invisible.
That’s not to say the Church in Cuba isn’t alive. In fact, it is thriving. 18 years ago, Eduardo Otero heard God calling him to abandon the traditional church model that was being smothered by political control. He divided his church of 80 – large by Cuban standards – into 4 house churches. Fellow pastors and Christians thought he was foolish. But Eduardo recognized that God’s calling in Cuba was similar to what happened with the persecuted church of the New Testament. So he kept making disciples who make disciples. The Bible became their only guide. Deep, authentic relationships formed. The church multiplied.
Today Eduardo oversees a growing network of 72 house churches that stretch across the island. I’ve experienced their warmth, unity and passion. Without the trappings and traditions that can sometimes get in our way, it’s easy to see Jesus living in His people – the Church.
Each time I visit, I’m reminded that God is way ahead of us. His Kingdom is advancing!
We are still in need of individuals or churches to help provide for the 8 house churches Lifeline supports! Additionally, we’ve been asked to fund two more churches; can you or your congregation help by donating $1,500 per year? If you would like to partner with the Cuban church ministry, contact Andy@Lifeline.org.
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