Christmas International House - Day 13 and 14; Happy New Year & Farewell

Day 13 – Happy New Year
Traditionally, we take down our Christmas tree on New Year’s Day, and this year is no exception. Being a believer that today sets the “tone” for the year to come, I take time to write a blog post and work on some ongoing writing projects. My husband works around the house, and the kids and Ren Zhe hang out, play the Wii and other games, and everyone enjoys their day.

Day 14 – Farewell
We will miss our new and dear friend, Ren Zhe. Today we took her to the Greyhound bus station. While the CIH program kept us all very busy, it wasn’t overwhelmingly so (well, at least not most of the time), and we had a wonderful and special holiday as a result.

Christmas International House
A Holiday of Friendship with International Students
This year in Houston, students were turned away due to the lack of participating host families. CIH is a wonderful program that I recommend, and it occurs in several major cities throughout the country. Please check it out and consider participating. My family and I benefited and learned so much . . . about the Chinese culture, our differences and similarities, traditions . . . we shared stories, played games, had lots of laughs . . . it really can’t all be put into words.

Christmas International House - Day 11 and 12; Food and Trivia

Day 11 – Market Day
As we near the end of the CIH program, today the International students go to an Asian market to pick up supplies for the dishes they are preparing for the International Luncheon.  Since I have a lot of catch-up work to do after playing yesterday, another host family graciously agrees to pick up Ren Zhe at the end of their shopping trip, and let her hang out a few hours during the afternoon.

I'm feeling down. We've kept so busy throughout the holidays that I've missed having time with my mom and dad, and my sister and her boys. Isn't the holiday season supposed to be warmly shared with family?

Day 12 – Farewell and International Luncheon
Held at a church, each International student prepares a favorite dish from their native country to serve to the host families. Ren Zhe fixes a tomato and egg soup, as well as a pork and tofu dish made with a spicy bean sauce. It is delicious and my favorite. We enjoy the foods prepared by all the students. What a feast!

There is a Trivia game / Yankee gift exchange for the International students. First, they must answer a trivia question correct, then they can pick an unopened gift or select one that has already been picked and unwrapped.  All the students select new gifts (are they trying to spare feelings?) until it gets to Ren Zhe. She very happily “steals” a rice cooker and presents it to us, her host family, as a gift. That’s re-gifting made simple and very nice! Thank you Ren Zhe, and we are so enjoying our rice cooker.

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Here is one trivia question that stumped everyone in the group – Americans included! Let’s see how you do (send me an email with your answer and I will reply - click on the "contact" button at the top of this page). But no cheating and looking it up! No electronic devices or computers allowed – we didn’t have them for the game and neither can you!

Who was inaugurated President of the United Sates in 1789?

Christmas International House - Day 1; Welcome

This year, my family and I participated in Christmas International House (CIH), a program designed to provide homes over the holidays for international students attending stateside universities. Colleges close over the holidays and many students cannot afford to go home. Through the Christian ministry of CIH, host families open their homes to these students, developing friendships, exchanging ideas, and cultivating peace with people from countries with different cultures.

So many people have asked me about the program that I thought I’d share a day-by-day review here on the blog. I hope that it will answer questions for anyone contemplating the program, and provide insight for me as to future participation. I welcome and encourage comments and questions from those seeking more information, or from anyone who has a similar story to tell.

Day 1
After a day postponement due to an overbooked Greyhound bus, our student arrives.  She looks much like the picture she sent ahead of arrival, only she’s tired after the very long ride from the University of Missouri. Friendly and pleasant, the family likes her immediately. Her English is good.

Our student, Ren Zhe, just barely has time to unpack and shower before we're off to the opening dinner for host families and students. Held at a church, the food was Japanese and very delicious. Families and students had the opportunity to meet and interact. We sang Christmas carols and Santa visited with a gift for each student. Then we broke into teams and had a Gingerbread House building contest. Ours didn’t win, but we sure had fun trying.

Ren Zhe is from China. I learned that there is no English equivalent to Zhe. It sounds something like Gya or Djyal (with the d and l very subtle). I don’t know if I’ll ever pronounce her name correctly.

Wordless Posting - Pics of Live Nativity

Live Nativity - A Holiday Stress Buster

Continuing with the theme of my last post, I offer this as a holiday stress buster. While true this is still something to do, it's meant to result in your taking the time to reflect on the true meaning of this season. And it's fun and free, and the weather looks to be perfect.

Woodforest Presbyterian Church hosts its annual live nativity, tonight, between 6-8pm. It's your chance to dress as a shepherd or angel and participate. The stage is set for the holiest of nights, complete with stable, live animals, Mary, Joseph and the babe. Refreshments are served.

Woodforest Presbyterian Church is located at 15330 Wallisville Road, at the corner of Black Rock and Wallisville in Houston, Texas.

Perhaps one of the best ways to bust the stress of the season is to be intentional. Read this "Holidays or Holy Days" post by our church pastor, and please share your stress busting thoughts in the comments.

Learning to Be Grateful

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe everyone has been charitable at some point or another. People give to those in need in huge numbers. Perhaps you donate to a favorite cause, or you've prepared a meal for someone who has experienced loss, or you adopt a family over the holidays and buy gifts they otherwise wouldn't have. Or maybe your giving is the gift of time as a volunteer, tithing to the church, preparing food at a soup kitchen, or simply comforting and talking to the lonely. We've all “been there, done that” - just some more than others. But what happens when you are the recipient of all that giving? Have you been?

Blessed with friends and family that are unbelievable at lending support and help, recently, I’ve been heavy on the receiving side. My friend had a household item repaired for me – something she knew wasn’t a priority in my current financial situation, but something she knew I would love to have fixed. The Chevy I am driving belongs to my parents – they loaned it on pretense and immediately began calling it mine. Even businesses I frequent have bartered. And there’s been more. It’s been an incredible journey throughout this period of under- and unemployment.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the barrage of emotion that would go along with these gifts and acts of kindness.

Most obvious, of course, is the direct joy and pleasure resulting from these expressions of love. To know that people care, and care so deeply, is undeniably mind-boggling. It is a true reflection of fellowship and community, and of complete selflessness and generosity.

But on the flip side, and where I’ve been surprised, are my conflicting sentiments. I feel beholden, that I need to repay these offerings, but how? What could I possibly do to repay all this bigheartedness? Am I a charity case, and when did that happen? Do I talk too much about my personal situation? Am I accountable for this assistance? And what about moving forward?

In a nutshell – I’m feeling guilt when I should be feeling gratitude. Which, by the way, makes me feel shame. However, I am truly thankful too. It’s confusing to say the least.

So what about you? Have you received something that has left you with conflicting emotions? How did you work it out?

LIVE NATIVITY

What better way to prepare your heart and mind for Christmas than to visit a live nativity during Advent. Through the ministry of Woodforest Presbyterian Church, visiting and participating in a live nativity can become a reality. All are welcome; please stop by for this magical dose of Christmas that will leave you filled with the Holy Spirit.

The manger takes center stage, where the baby Jesus lies sleeping with Mary and Joseph standing nearby. The donkey, sheep and goats, and even a camel grace the landscape and munch on hay, while shepherds and angels gather to celebrate and see the miraculous birth.

Guests are invited to don shepherd and angel costumes and interact at the stable scene. Costumes are provided, as is a free Polaroid picture of your party with Mary and Joseph at the manger. Cookies, coffee, tea, or hot cocoa is also available. Everything is free and it’s great fun! The tough decision then becomes, which costume to select, the angel or the shepherd.

Both are so important to the Christmas story.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY
from Luke 2: 1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

Woodforest Presbyterian Church is located at 15330 Wallisville Road, Houston, TX 77049, at the corner of Wallisville at Black Rock. The church website address is www.woodforestpc.org. The live nativity event will be held on Saturday, December 15, at 6:00-8:00 p.m. I invite you to attend!

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

What I Like Most About Church

I missed church this morning. Missing church is not something I do often or take lightly. To help alleviate some of the guilt I am feeling over missing church and my Sunday morning ritual of fellowship and worship, I thought I would spend a few minutes blogging about what I like most about church. My church in particular.

Woodforest Presbyterian Church is very small, and that is exactly one of the things that I like about our church. When you arrive, whether for a morning worship service or an evening bible or book study, you are always greeted with genuine smiles and warm hugs. Everyone knows everyone, and there is truly a sense of community, of family.

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.–Matt. 18:20. And so it is. I can truly feel the Lord's presence at my church when we gather together in worship and in fellowship. While the church may be small, it is large in belief.

Right now, in the adult Sunday school class we are studying the Book of Revelation. Another wonderful reason to love our church, this study is fascinating to say the least. Enough so that I will need to reserve more time and space to a more full discussion at a later time. Suffice it to say that we have a magnificent and very knowledgeable leader, one that is able to reference many Old Testament passages that support the Book of Revelation, very interesting questions and conversation, and well, we know the end. God wins!

These are just few things that come to mind when I think of reasons I love my church. There are more. In fact at one point we came up with and published a "top ten list" of reasons to attend Woodforest Presbyterian Church. I don't remember all ten, but I know fellowship and a sense of community was right at the top.

We don't have much information posted on our website, but it you want to take a look, the address is http://www.forministry.com/USTXPCUSAWPCWP/.

Shalom!