First Ever Live Nativity

I am so excited to share with you our first ever live nativity in Obule!  We called it Journey to Jesus because they don't have a word for nativity here.  God has put this desire on my heart for a few Christmases now, but I was afraid it wouldn't work, people wouldn't understand and people wouldn't come.  Actually, I could think of a bunch of reasons it could be a disaster here!  But this year I couldn't shake the idea from my mind.  So I figure it must be from God and so I had to try.  I talk to Josh who also questioned it but was supportive knowing the Lord often leads me to do things.  We then brought the idea to our church leaders and asked if it would work and if they wanted to do it.  The idea was very new to them and hard for them to completely understand, but they really wanted to do it!  All of them agreed this was a new way for people to learn and see the love of Jesus.

We decided to do it at our annual church conference so the other UCFM churches could be involved.  This way we could work together and they could bring it home to all their districts.  

I prayed so much and left it in God's hands to use it as He wanted to.  It was my prayer that God's people grew in Him through seeing and hearing the Christmas story, that the community would come, and lost would be saved.  I wanted the last station of the Journey of Jesus to be the cross and empty tomb so that the whole Gospel, the Good News, would be shared.  I got all the props and costumes ready with material and things I had at home.  The setting is perfect here, sheep are available, and the weather and whole way of life here is similar to the Christmas story.  Josh wrote the scripts for the five stations and our leaders helped us translate so everything was in Ateso.

The night before the Journey to Jesus everyone who wanted to be involved got their parts, the angel choir practiced, and a group went to the center to invite people to come.

December 15 was show time! (And my birthday - what a special birthday!)  Everyone got very into it when we started setting up and dressing up!  It was fun!  Everyone looked great!  It was very exciting to me to see them now understand, take leadership, and do a great job.  They shared the story perfectly with expression and made it personal.  Others led groups around.  The angels blew us away with their organized song and motions!  They looked amazing.  The shepherds had their sheep, the wise men had their shining star, and the manger with a real new born baby!  It was beautiful.  

 

We had all of the other conference people get into groups and take the Journey to Jesus.  Then a few people from the community filtered in to see and hear.  But after that the group decided to take the Journey to Jesus to the center so everyone there could come and see.  Great!  The whole group, in costume, walked to the center singing and dancing.  Love it!

After marching around the field to draw attention, which we did, we set up on a path for people to come and see.  Our church did a great job welcoming, inviting and escorting people through the Journey to Jesus.  They did it!  They got it!  And many people heard the good news!

The whole thing was an answer to prayer.  We were unified as a church and shared the Gospel.  I was thankful that a few people said to me, "We didn't just share Jesus birth, we shared the whole Gospel!"  God is at work and He used us.  Thank you God for inviting us to do the Journey to Jesus in Obule.

Walk through the Journey to Jesus!

Inviting people in the center.

The big day!  Welcome!

Time for costumes.

The Prophets foretold Jesus will come.

The Wisemen followed the star to the newborn King.

Shepherds were told the Good New, a Savior has been born to you!

The angels glorified God!

Joy to the world the Lord has come!

Jesus came to save us.

Makai wanted to be an angel but in the morning he found his solider costume and put it on. 
That works, Roman solider.  He went around all night with his sword.

Our Mary is really named Mary, her brother Joseph played Joseph and Mary's baby (Joshua), only 2 weeks old, was Jesus.  How perfect!

How real, how precious.
People kept looking to see if she really had a baby.  Mary laid him in the manger (fitting) at one point and everyone came to see the live baby in the manger.

Performing

Walking to the center - what a sight!

By the end everyone was tired and my manger scene started to shrink.  Grace took over as Mary holding baby Jesus - aka Lydia Faith.

Homesick for where?

This week I received this devotional for missionary women through an group called Thrive and my dear mother sent it to me too.  I was very encouraged that someone understands and can put words to some of my feelings.  Although not all of mine is about family-sick, some of it very much is.  Like the author I have now served for over 20 years and it still is hard.  I struggle with being away especially for big life events, yet struggle with the thought of going back and living there too.  It always comes back to calling.  Being called by God somewhere doesn't make it easy, it just right.

The author suggests another article at the bottom so I read that too.  It is a really good article that puts into words why technology and things like facetiming are both a blessing and makes grieve.  It simply is not the same as a real relationship.  Talking or seeing family is different than being present with them.  So we mourn being far away.  Technology also keeps us connected to two worlds which makes focusing and living in one even harder.  The line I appreciate is, As we do in so much of life, we can mourn and rejoice at the same time.  You can read the article for yourself.  Over the years I have found it to be true.

Family-sick is a Real Thing

November 28, 2023FAMILYCaring for aging parents long-distanceFeeling connected to those back homeTrust

• by MANDY POST
•   
• 

“So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.”

Psalms 143:4-5

---

By far one of the biggest challenges for me in following God’s call to global work was leaving our families. My husband and I grew up together, and both our families live in the same metroplex area. When we said our goodbyes, we were the first of either of our families (immediate and extended) to leave our corner of the world. And twenty years later, we are still the only ones who have left! 

Little did I know that that first goodbye would only be a snippet of the challenge of living far from loved ones. Each time we had a baby, I grieved the distance between our child and her/his relatives. When my father-in-law was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, we struggled with knowing how to help or if we should move back. Every time a niece or nephew reached a milestone, I jealously longed to be the doting auntie in the midst of celebration.  

When I’ve struggled at these times, I’ve wondered what it might be like to move back near family. But then the Lord gently reminds me how He guided and directed every step of our journey here and how He narrowed our calling to this specific pin on Google Maps. If I try to imagine living near our families, my mind has difficulty conjuring up a picture of it. Nothing feels right about it. And, overwhelmingly, the Lord affirms that we are meant to be here, no matter how “family-sick” (like homesick but just for family) I may be.  

Recounting the number of times God has needed to remind me of our calling, I find comfort in knowing I am not alone in this. After God called Abram out of Ur, He proceeded to remind him no fewer than eight times of His promise. The man whose faith is highly revered in the New Testament had to be reminded of God’s calling on his life, repeatedly. That makes me feel a little better! 

God’s consistent reminders of our calling to global work has strengthened my faith and sanctified me. And I’ve discovered that being in the middle of God’s will is the best place to dwell.

---

CLOSING PRAYER

Father, please continue to strengthen our faith as you remind us of our calling, especially when we are missing loved ones. You are worthy of our rest and trust in Your calling on our lives. Amen.

Resources

Article: You Can’t Cross the Ocean on an iPad by Beth Barthelemy