A MERRY Christmas Indeed

Indian Christmas Bulbs

This was a Christmas party the way Christmas parties were intended to be!

Christmas is probably the biggest  celebration that many people have all year. Just go to a mall or shop and you'll see crowds of people shopping for gifts, spending money they don't have to buy gifts to impress people they don't like. It's so, so sad. Just recently I saw people pushing a cart, complaining about the gifts, complaining about the people they were buying for, and preparing for a party they were too tired to attend but couldn't miss. Liquor stores have had a brisk business, I'm sure. Gift cards are being bought but will never be used. Christmas has been hijacked it seems.  

Christmas Stars in India

I awoke this morning and was greeted by a text on my phone from my Pastor friend in India. It told me the best kind of Christmas story. Let me share it with you in hopes that your heart will be made light and that you will enjoy a "Christmas party" like they're having in Heaven today.

On the evening of December 23rd, the Pastor went to a restaurant near our place of ministry in India. The waiter serving him was a member of the Brahmin caste. This is the Hindu priestly caste that sits at the very top of Indian society. Amy Carmichael once said they were some of the hardest people to ever reach in Indian society.

But the pastor gave him one of the first tracts we printed and went his way. Then, today, Christmas Eve, the pastor went back to the same restaurant. The waiter came up to him and told him that the words had touched his heart. Pastor shared more about Jesus with him and he prayed right there in the restaurant to be born again! He was eager to be baptized in water on January 1st at the church.

Luke 15:10 says, "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."  Since this is the whole reason Jesus came to earth (to seek and to save sinners), this is why I am am so sure that today was the best kind of "Christmas celebrations" ever! I would love to be present for one of these celebrations.  

The first printing of the simple Gospel tract that God is using to save souls.

The orphans in India are well today by God's grace. Thanks to the gifts of many of our friends, we were able to purchase clothing for them for Christmas time. Back in November we were able to buy warm blankets, bedsheets and other necessary items for the cooler months that are now upon them. It is an honor to be able to be there firsthand and share with them the things that you have shared with us. May God bless you for thinking of the "least of these".

We love and appreciate you and pray that today will be a wonderful Christmas for you. There are so many who are facing this Christmas with no real understanding of why Jesus came. May God open to you many opportunities to share the love of God with those you meet each and every day.  

Merry Christmas!

Beyond Frontiers