Poinsettias Year Round

South Africa has sort of a tropical, Mediterranean climate. The weather is truly amazing here. And they really grow poinsettias. They grow them year round into full size bushes/trees. Huge bushes...6 foot tall sometimes. So, this year for Christmas I thought I would get my first poinsettia plant and try my hand at actually growing one. For the first time I can have this plant at Christmas and not have to throw it away after New Years. So, now begins my attempt at growing a poinsettia!



Oh, and tonight I had friends over (Glinys, her two daughters, and the daughter's friend) to help put together Christmas packages for the staff and their kids at Eagles Rising. It was so much fun! A lady in Abilene had the great idea of sending Christmas gifts. She sent toys, candy, socks, teachings, books, papers, folders, all kinds of things. Plus some herbal teas for me. Yeah!!! Oh, and of course, candy canes. It was fun putting it all together tonight and it was fun sharing the American candies. The biggest hit: Hershey Kisses. Which made me remember how much I love the Mint Kisses and cherry kisses that come out at Christmas time. Can anyone buy me some before they are all gone???? I'll be home in Feb to fetch them :)
Oh, and I don't know if you can see my new TV in the first picture. Wow, I have a huge TV. It took me two days to get past this guilty feeling that missionaries shouldn't be able to have such nice things. I literally stayed up all night for two nights thinking this just can't be right. Today, Glinys told me about how Mother Teresa shared that she had to have good food, high quality clothes, and plenty of rest to do her work. She lived so long and was able to be effective throughout her life because she knew she had to have some nice things along the way. Glinys said after knowing me it seems the thing I need most is a comfortable, peaceful, enjoyable, safe, inviting place to live in. So maybe this is a piece of quality home life for me as a missionary.
But it is a HUGE TV!!!!! It looked like a normal size TV in the store among all the other giant TV's. But once I got it out of the store I could see it is really big. But on the day that I wrote about before....when there were no more TV's of the one I went for. I asked God to please make this thing clear. On one hand it is really just a TV and who cares! But I just knew God was using it as a lesson in my life. it is really not about the TV, it is about a lot of stereo types about how missionaries are suppose to live being destroyed in my mind. So, anyway, on that day I just said, God can you point me in the direction of another TV or else send the other half of finances that I need to get the LCD. I gave an exact amount for the LCD. The next morning my mom wrote to say she was putting Christmas money from her and my grandmother into my account...it was the exact amount I had mentioned to God. Then, my mom wrote that I should use it to get the TV. So there you have it.....I've never had a really nice TV in my life. Now that I'm a missionary in Africa God sends me a big screen, flat panel TV. How do you like that. Its challenged all my images about how missionaries are suppose to live. I keep telling God that it simply does not look right. God keeps telling me He doesn't care if it looks right, He wanted to give a gift so He gave it...and it will be used well. And it puts me in a position to be more relate-able to the people I live near here. While I'm doing community work and outreach in impoverished areas, I live in a safe, nice area. People here need to know God is not just the God of poverty. They have a desperate need for God in their lives, too. Read about the lukewarm church in Revelation. God says that they think they have everything they need but they are actually the ones in poverty. That is what I am praying through right now. In so many ways the people living in physical poverty are not necessarily the poor ones here.
Okay, enough for tonight :) J