Full Day

Early this morning I phoned to see if Fawn could somehow catch a bus to worship with us. No buses ran that direction at that hour, so we drove into town and got her, not knowing what a black Vietnamese girl would think of the Jewish flair to our messianic congregation's style of worship.

"Oh, Ms. Syvia," she said in her cute accent, "Everybody kin praise da Lord!" In fact she was so comfortable that I handed her a tambourine. She loved the dancing, and added a beautiful freedom to our praises with bold Hallelujahs and lovely Oriental dance hand movements.

She joined in as the group gathered around our kids and prayed God's protection and care for them as they travel this coming Thursday. It blessed me so much to see the children's serious faces and eyes closed receiving the blessing of the rabbi and others who loved on them.

At the end of the service we carried out several more boxes and bags of gifts for the children of Africa. There are blankets, toys, bibles, kleenex, hand lotion and more. Three ladies had made a hundred darling, little bead bracelets for the girls at the orphanage, children's hospice, and squatter camps.

There is far too much for the team to transport, of course, and I think everyone realizes that, but the congregation is just bursting forth with love and concern for our children and those they will meet in Johannesburg, that the kids will just have to take many of the donations downtown for the Lancasters to distribute in Jackson. We will also take some blankets and gloves and sweaters to the homeless park church tomotrrow. One man came up to me smiling, and handed me a bag of sweaters for downtown, and the tithe of some new socks he'd bought!

Like us, many of these folks have never ministered directly to the poor before, but want to and are reaching our in obedience to the beautiful laws laid down in the Old Testament scriptures by a loving Father who has great concern for the needy and hurting. Additionally, my prayer is that we find ways of not merely 'giving men a fish' but also 'teaching him how to fish.' There is not much industry in the Jackson area.

As I write, the house is empty but for me. Maggie has gone off to a birthday party for her old roommate at college. The boys are experiencing their first campout with the brand new scout group started by the messianic group. It happens to be at the base of our backyard. I can see a blazing fire back there, and the guys are roasting hotdogs around it. May they sleep well, toasty warm in their sleeping bags and sweatshirts pulled over their heads. It is clear and cold tonight