This weeks writing has been more focused in an end of the year, thanksgiving note to those that pray and still financiall support us. The list of the former has dwindeled over the years, but it still important nonetheless.

Here is a bit that I wrote, not all but some.

Yesterday, Andrew took his scooter over to the hospital next door and sat with Sarah, an English widow who hires Andrew to translate for her and her doctors during her medical visits for a chronic disease. After experiencing a number of health crisis in the last month, Andrew spent two hours with her and her doctors to arrange meds, treatment and tests. Afterwards they had a coffee and talked at length. She has had some difficult health and personal issues lately and to thank us for our support and help, she gave us a little holiday package of chocolates and a beautiful card.

Later that afternoon, I drove up to visit an elderly English man, who is now confined to a wheelchair. He has lived and worked all over the world, and now lives on top of the hill behind our apartment. God has sent us and other believers to him at the end of his life and R. now professes a deep faith. He was tickled pink to drink tea with me yesterday as we brainstormed how I could help him sell some of his properties. He and I both cried at different moments as we rejoiced in God’s deep love. Sitting in his garden at a table drinking tea, we really felt God’s presence with us.

I could go on. Our Thanksgiving celebration last Saturday, today’s luncheon with clients that have turned into friends and more. These last few weeks and months have been full of so many moments of sharing God’s love and witness around so many tables.

Last year at this time, we shared how we had formally gained permission to build our own home, and yet during this entire year, the doors have not opened for us financially to begin construction. It has been a bit discouraging. We long to have our own place big enough to expand our hospitality ministry, but until God provides for us financially, we cannot.

However, we are still grateful.

Grateful for God’s provision, our daily bread.

Our new and old friends that have come to visit us this year, sometimes just for an hour and sometimes for a few days.

Our car and scooter that keep chugging along.

Our cozy, little apartment that still rocks with laughter over a meal or a movie night.

Our friends who believe that come and sit and pray and hope with us. And for our friends who are not yet believers who come and feel the peace of God in our house even though they don’t understand it yet.

Thank God with us for all these things.

Please pray with us that our hopes and dreams for a new home would be a reality very soon.

Thank you for standing with us. For supporting us financially and emotionally and spiritually and physically. Our ministry has evolved and changed over the years, but we rejoice that we can continue to serve Him, following His example by sharing our table, our lives, our joys, pains and walking with those He sends us in order to share His love to everyone in our path.

Maybe you can see the aungish behind my words, when I talk about how much we want to build our own place, but not yet.

This year has been one of living in the not yet.

But in the not yet moments, we find ourselves learning and refining and defining things we knew always were important, but didn't realize how important they were until we had to do it.

As I sit here in my little office/spare room, with folded laundry on my desk, me with the laptop on my sofa surrounded by pillows and blankies, I remember a very painful moment, that of which stings 15 years later.

Someones, plural not singular, had decided we didn't really preach the Gospel because it didn't look like their definition. Their definition was in church, with sermons, language peppered with out of context verses, theology so defined it sharply cut to the quick. This, they felt was the good news.

But somehow in the mess of living in Spain, learning another language, worshipping with people really different from myself, I found myself learning what the Gospel is.

It's sharing a meal and blessing it. And the couple that's never had Thanksgiving with you, is so blessed, they go and tell all their friends about it for the whole year afterwards, they learn your receipes, make them for all their friends,  and when they come back a second year, they talk about the first year  with such passion again, and joke and laugh and drink too much wine with all your guests.

In turn, blessing another couple who have had Thanksgiving 60 times, but are so blessed, that they stay and drink too much wine and then the next day, offer to take you out to the best restuartant in Granada.

The Gospel is this, that God loves us so much, He wants us to sit and drink wine and eat bread with Him now and in the next life. All we have to do is accept His invitation, and receive His gift of Grace. And live abundant life. And be blessed. And linger with Him over His table.

Guys, its that simple. It's about love and peace and grace and true healing.

This year, one of my friends said, Jamie, you and Andrew are the only Christians I know that actually practice what you believe.

Sheesh, no pressure right? But, its that simple. Its sitting with the woman at the well and telling her she doesn't have to live that way anymore.

It's picking up the wounded on the side of the road, paying for their care and food and clothing, and it doesnt matter what they believe or not.

It's going to a party, and when you walk in the room, it changes, and those who see your light, come and talk to you and say, I've been looking to talk to someone like you for a long time!

It's fighting for justice, while keeping your own integrity, and your calm, but walking in the light and finding those that do as well.

It's honestly very simple, but the hardest thing to not only do, but be. It isn't............and you know my lists already, but I'll do it.

It isn't a polished sermon.

It isn't the perfect Sunday School lesson.

It isn't the small group or the other churchy things we tick off the list. Even though we need these things and they are necessary.

But its God with Us in the darkness, who shows us the Light. Immanuel.

This Christmas feels darker, drearier for many people not just phsycially but spiritually. May we see and be His light and love and peace and grace and mercy this season so that the good news is so irrestiable, they can't shut up about it.

 May His Kingdom come on earth at it is in Heaven.