Good morning everyone! We're in the middle of Christmastide, and the New Year is almost upon us, as hard as it is to believe. Here's a bit about how things are going in our neck of the woods.
First of all, our Christmas services went great! Our early service Christmas Eve (a service of "Lessons & Carols") was well attended despite heavy rain, in large part due to the fact that the Salvation Army and Pentecostal churches in town also participated with us. We had a wonderful time singing and listening to the story of our redemption, and I think it also helped to build relationships between our various churches in the community, certainly among the pastors. Our later service (11:00 PM) that same evening attracted some attendees, but it was our Christmas Morning service where many of us gathered together to take great joy in celebrating the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for all of your prayers for our special celebrations!
In these days, we've had some other blessings for our church and its worship. A few weeks ago St. Hilda's purchased its first projector and laptop computer, though it has wiped out the savings the church had accumulated. This is a huge blessing, and we were able to first use the new apparati (apparatuses?) for our Christmas services, thanks be to God! In a few weeks, we hope to have a bell installed at the church and so be more able to call the community around the church to worship. Please keep all of this in prayer!
My hunt for a house continues, and it looks as though I might be able to find a home in the facilities that the (government) Ministry of Agriculture owns in Central Farm. The structures aren't the best, and they're a little expensive, but it is some of the only housing that I can find in the communities I principally serve: Georgeville and Central Farm. As far as a vehicle, the last I understood things stand as they did a few weeks ago: I still have about halfway to go with raising funds. Please pray for God's continued provision, and that he would give me his wisdom regarding how to proceed.
In the next week, things will probably be quite busy! My mother and a friend arrive tomorrow (New Year's Eve) to spend a few days with me here, and New Year's Day we will have special services in the church. I plan to make pastoral visits to people in our community, and especially to the latino families in Georgeville. And then next Monday we will celebrate the feast of the Epiphany that evening ... we're still working out the details, but I expect it to be great!
Thank you all for your prayers and support for us in this ministry. Have a Merry Christmas, a happy New Year, and eat lots and lots of chocolate!
