Tidings of Great Joy

"...And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not" for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men."

I just love Christmas time! This year is no exception. Even better because this year, we have the added joy of welcoming our first Grandchild into our family. I love the decorations, the baking, the traditions, and of course the presents! But this morning as I sat in church and listened to the beautiful music and message, the Lord really impressed upon my heart, that although all of those things are fun and special, you don't need any of them to experience the "joy of Christmas!"

Anyone that knows me well, knows how much I love decorating my house for Christmas. There is not one room that goes "untouched". I love baking and having people over. I love making up plates of cookies to give away to neighbors and community helpers. I love planning and having special parties and programs at church. I love being with my family! These last years have been harder for me as the girls have grown up and are starting lives of their own. Last year it was such a blessing to have Ashley and Lexi back "home" in Manta with us for Christmas. It was the first year for us to be separated from Mandie.

This year, I have missed a lot of the "Christmas traditions" I have always loved so much. I have had the incredible blessing of being able to be here in Korea with Mandie, Mike and Ioan, but I will admit that I have also missed "home" at this time of year. Enjoying the kids here, but in a part of my heart, wishing we could all be together at "home."

This morning as I listened to these verses being read, and thought about the message of Christmas, I realized that I haven't really "missed" Christmas at all! Christmas really is all about...

Good tidings of great joy! God sent his angels to earth to announce the birth of his son and the only people the angels found who had time to listen to the announcement were lowly shepherds out in the field.

"Those who missed His Majesty's arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren't looking." -Max Lucado

Dear Lord, Please help me to remember that the Joy of Christmas is a choice... It is focusing on you and the Good tidings of great joy! that you sent to us over 2,000 years ago. May I not get so wrapped up in all the "trappings" of Christmas that I forget that it is You and You alone that put the Joy in Christmas.

God Bless you and Merry Christmas!
Joy

Welcome Baby Ioan

Ioan Michael Lewis was born, Friday afternoon, Dec. 7th at 4:25pm. He weighed right around 7Lbs. 3oz. and was about 20 inches long. Mother and Baby did wonderfully well. Daddy and Nana were allowed to both be in the delivery room and see the miracle of his arrival! What an incredible experience!

We brought them home from the hospital on Sunday morning, and have enjoyed having them here and taking care of them. This morning Mandie and Ioan both had a doctor's visit. Mandie is healing very well and got a good report from the doctor. Ioan is very healthy. He has gained a little more than a pound these last 4 days, so he seems to be thriving.

To be here in Korea with the kids, to see this amazing miracle and have the chance to be with Mandie has been a blessing beyond words.

Please keep Mandie and Mike in your prayers as they continue to adjust to this new life God has given them. Pray that Ioan keeps healthy and continues to grow stronger each day. Pray for Tony and Teddy as they are in Manta. Pray for Ashley and Lexi in the US. Both girls are finishing up Finals as this semester comes to a close.

God Bless each of you!
Joy
the new Nana! :-)

In Korea...

My trip to Korea went very well. My luggage was about a day behind me, but other than that I experienced no mishaps. I was very thankful that my luggage arrived and nothing was missing, although they had been a pretty big rip in one of the duffle bags that had been taped up.

I have enjoyed being with the kids and seeing where they live and meeting their friends. Their apartment is pretty old and very small. There are definitely some cultural issues that would be hard to adjust too, if you lived here all the time, but I am very proud of Mandie and Mike and how well they have adjusted to life here. It has been fun to learn my way around their neighborhood...actually I'm still working on that, and just to go out and see what is involved in their everyday life.

I am trying to learn some Korean... have "thank you" down pretty well, and I'm learning some other basic phrases to be able to get around some on my own... and also just to know... it is all very interesting. My husband is so good at languages, I'm sure he would be trying to read everything by now... I think I will stick to learning some basic polite phrases :-)

Sunday I enjoyed going to church with the kids. Mandie teaches the preschool Sunday School class and it was fun to help her out in her class. I also enjoyed the church service. It is such a blessing that no matter where in the world you go, you can feel at home and know that you are with brothers and sisters in Christ, worshiping God together.

We are still awaiting the arrival of baby Ioan. Please be praying for Mandie and the baby at this time. We all appreciate your prayers. Please keep Tony and Teddy in your prayers and the work in Manta. I miss them very much, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to be able to be here in Korea with Mike and Mandie at this time.

God Bless you as you serve Him this week!
Joy