Advent Weekend Wonders

Lord Jesus, Master of both the Light and the darkness, send Your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious about many things look forward to Your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of Your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are Your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To You we say, "COME, LORD JESUS!"  ~Henri J. M. Nouwen

-Putting up the Christmas tree always delivers delight. Especially when the teenagers get to laughing and being goofy together. We're thankful for the coolness that this rainy weekend brought, even under the heavy rain warning and the lack of solar power to charge our batteries.

-This time of year makes me miss family, but I've been harboring a little tucked away secret all year long. My aunt makes delicate ornaments cut from white paper, and at the beginning of this year, just before we left America to return to the Solomon Islands, she slipped me a little packet of her handmade ornaments. I've had them paper clipped in my planner all year long, just waiting for the beginning of Advent. What a sweet reminder of far away family.

-While it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas inside our house, outside, one of the tribes is finishing up a big meeting. Complete with pigs. This is the second tribe to meet in Marulaon this week. And two nights this week, I've awaken to the smell of bar-b-que making me hungry.

-December also means that it's pineapple season. Before we arrived on this side of the world, I never knew pineapples were so beautiful, with their tiny purple flowers and streaks of red running up their spiky leaves.