Merry Christmas (La version en français suivra après celle-ci)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In this season, that has been reduced to silly arguments over “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”, let us “be still and know that He is God”!  We can take the time to remember the personal love He showed for each of us in becoming God incarnate, so He could sacrifice Himself for our sins. And today, He continues to become flesh through believers, so that many more can “come and see” how Christ is.

The past month saw another visit to La Ceiba, where the students (mostly pastors) went through the seventh book in the First Principles series. It is exciting to think that many of these are leading either other pastors, or members of their churches through this series.

We will soon see the graduation of a group in our “Iglesia Bautista Hermon” who have finished the Leaders I series of First Principles. While were to have this on December 29^th, it has been postponed to January.

Our church has had, or is having, three different weddings this month.

I had the privilege of preaching at the wedding of Carlos and Alma on December 6^th. Lise and I witnessed the baptism of Carlos’ brother Pablo about four years ago.  A little over two years ago Pablo was picked up by the police as a witness to a murder. (He had stopped to see if the body was still alive). He was kept in a prison in Comayagua. The night before he was to be released, there was a fire in the prison, the inmates were not allowed to escape the fire (those who did were shot and thrown back in), and hundreds died, including Pablo. A very sad story.  Carlos took my Homiletics course, and has become quite active in the church, last year he was president of the men’s group.

Another wedding we will be attending at the end of this month is that of Fabicio and Silvia. Fabricio took my Homiletics course as well as my course on Inductive study of Colossians. He is also among the first group of students in the church in the “First Principles” course, and will be graduating with the others. He is very excited about this course. He is the principle of a school, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if he ends up becoming a pastor.

We were very grateful this month for God’s protection on Melodie, who was in what could have been a fatal car accident. She lost control of her car on a slippery road, and it flipped over several times in a field. The car is a total wreck, but Melodie walked away. She wears a neck brace and has some pain, but it could have been so much worse!

We will be returning to Canada, Lord willing, in March for at least six months.

God bless you and keep you during these holidays!