December 2007 Newsletter

Hi everyone! I pray you are all enjoying the Christmas festivities. This will be a quick update as I am very tired from all the opportunities to serve this month.

It's Christmas Eve and the sixth mission team of December left yesterday. 92 volunteers have been here giftwrapping for free on the street and doing other Christmas projects with us. We have wrapped literally thousands of gifts. And every person we met during this time could not believe that we do this for free. That is so unheard of in NYC. It was a big impact for spreading just how special God is. Keep all those we touched this year in your prayers that they will think more and more about God at this time.

In the past we have wrapped the gifts for one week right before Christmas. This year we expanded the mission to cover most of December to accommodate the schedules of the churches. It was a big success and we will plan on gift wrapping most of the month of December next year. It will be awesome!

A couple of wonderful guys worked on my 'Honey-Do' list at the Space this past week. They built shelves in our new closets (built by the last teams) and put up shelves in our office, hung curtains and other items, moved a cabinet, etc. Now I can get the place ORGANIZED! I am so excited. I kept thanking Tim and Bill, but they will never now how very much I appreciate all they did.

This next week, a team will be coming up and doing some painting in the Studio and Theatre while we are closed down for the Holidays. As they are painting I will be happily putting the office back together. I can't wait to see Scott, Danny and Mike's face when they come back to a more functional office. ahhhh....

My Sister and Niece's visit went very well. We scurried all over NYC. It was amazing all the things we got to see. The Rockettes Christmas show was wonderful. The weather was very cold most days, but we braved shopping in Chinatown and seeing all the sights. It was so fun to have them here. And my Sister says she will come back in the warmer weather to see more. But she said that a person would have to really love NYC to live here. I'm glad she came to visit. My Niece fit in fast. She learned well how to navigate the sidewalks and such. Of course, we had a wonderful time just eating cheesecake everyday that they were here.

Megan Corbett and her friend Jessica stayed a few days with me, too. We found out that my floor is indeed big enough to hold a full-size inflatable bed, although, no one can safely walk to the bathroom once it's blown up. But I'm so excited to know that I have room for visitors! So feel free to come up and sleep on my floor!

It was fun to record my Christmas greeting from Times Square. Megan actually recorded it for me. It was sleeting and raining freezing ice as we were taping. But I hope you got a warm feeling from my heart. I hope to see everyone else's greeting soon. How fun to be a part of it!

I hope to see more of the kids this week while school is out. Maybe we can play games and eat snacks. I have 3 days off in a row before the next mission team, and I will spend the time being lazy at home, going to a movie, stopping by Juniors restaurant for yummy cheesecake and just seeing the beautiful lights. (and shopping with the much appreciated Christmas money sent my way)

This Christmas season has been very blessed for me. I actually set with tears running down my cheeks in Worship yesterday. It was so simple and beautiful. I feel God's love enveloping me so much this year.

I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas week. I will be praying for all of you and I thank you so much for your love and prayers.

I'll be sending more news soon. And I'll see many of you in Thailand as I am so blessed to serve next to you at the AGM. What a wonderful opportunity. (and the weather is not bad either!)

Have an awesome Christmas Day. Share God's love with loved ones and with somone you don't know, too.