Christmas Eve...

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room

The words of this song are in my heart and mind as I sit alone on Christmas Eve. Christmas time is indeed a joyful time because of the gift of Jesus to mankind. May each of our hearts prepare room for Jesus since he was sent to us out of love and to reconcile us to God the Father. I am thankful for Jesus since this year I am away from my family and friends. Today I am filled with joy and sadness. Joyful because I am blessed to be here in answer to God's call to serve him in South Africa and sad to be away from home. I don't feel alone because Jesus is with me and that makes me happy.

Christmas time in South Africa has been very different. There is no winter wonderland filled with snow. Instead it is summer time, so everyone is on holiday and people are having fun at the beach. There are Christmas trees in the malls and stores but there aren't very many lights. In Phoenix and around the U.S. there are towns decorated like Christmas villages, zoos are covered in lights and I miss that. I love Christmas songs and I used to listen to the radio everyday to hear them. There haven't been many songs on the radio, so I am glad for iTunes. There was no Charlie Brown Christmas, or the Christmas Story with Ralphie shooting his eye out. I did see the Grinch that Stole Christmas today. I am thankful for all of the blessings and it will be a good Christmas because of Jesus.

To my family and friends a blessed Christmas to you.

Invictus

I saw the movie "Invictus" today and in my opinion it was a very powerful story. Of course the critics can always have something negative to say. I highly recommend seeing it. The angle that Clint Eastwood took and the story that it told was perfect. Nelson Mandela after being released from prison after 26 yrs became president of South Africa. Now as the leader of a country divided he looked to the captain of a rugby team to unite the nation. Many opposed him, but he did what was necessary and he saw his country come together. In spite of the evils of apartheid which kept him imprisoned for so long, he approached his presidency with a forgiving heart. The message that I got was that if we seek vengeance against those who harm us them we are no better than they are. Instead we should forgive.

The movie got it's title from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. The word Invictus comes from the latin word meaning unconquerable. Nelson Mandela first discovered this poem when he was locked in a very small cell during his time on Robbin Island. In the movie he said that it gave him the strength to stand when all he wanted to do was fall. Mandela shared this poem with the captain of the rugby team, Francois Pineaar before the start of the world cup where 43 million South Africans stood in support of their team the Spring Boks. I share this poem with you.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul.

World AIDS Day.....

Today is World AIDS Day and all over the world people are showing their support by wearing RED ribbons. I don't know if any of you have lost a friend or a loved one to AIDS. I lost my Uncle David to AIDS many years ago. I didn't understand the far reaching effects that the disease would have. I happened at a time in the U.S.A. when people thought it was only the homosexuals who got it. But HIV/AIDS is much more than that. It knows no boundaries affecting people of all ages, gender and nationalities. It is crippling our world.

In 2008 there were 22.4 million people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, more than two thirds of world's total. In South Africa there were an estimated 5.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS, more than any other country and there are 1.4 million AIDS orphans. I am in a country surrounded by people who are living with HIV and many don't even know it. On this day South Africa's message is three-fold: (1) I am responsible - calling on everyone to know their HIV status, (2) We are responsible - encouraging couples to protect each other and remaining faithful and (3) South Africa is taking responsibility - the government is providing leadership to ensure that every South African can prevent HIV.

So today on World AIDS Day, I first ask that you pray for all of those infected and affected and for God's healing and peace. Go for a HIV test, wear a RED ribbon to show your personal commitment to stopping new HIV infections and to support people living with HIV, talk to family, friends and co-workers about what they can do to stop the spread of HIV and be educated on how to prevent HIV, how to manage it and how to help others cope with it.