“A BIGGEST PICTURE CHRISTMAS”

How many times have we heard the phrase “The BIG picture” with regard to ideas or projections and how often have we been reminded to not loose track of “the BIG picture”?

Sometimes the BIG picture remains buried beneath very difficult circumstances and sometimes it is simply too impossible to be true, as with the angel’s BIG news for Joseph & Mary in Matt. 1: 19-23 and in Luke 1: 26-38……

¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.” ³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”  Then the angel left her.

In one word, JESUS will always be the BIGGEST picture in this short life of ours and of all other humans!!  May we all be encouraged and reminded of that as we daily live out our situations that can so easily “derail” us and our perspectives of life.  May we also continually pray for and encourage each other in our serving and extending Jesus to others, Christians and non-Christians alike!  We so appreciate your prayers for us and for Chile Mission in its work and ministries and you have our prayers as well!  THANK YOU and MERRY JESUS CHRISTMAS from all of us to you!!

December marks the beginning of summer in Chile and also a good season of “dryness” in middle Chile with weather conditions conducive to the development of the camp property.  Abraham continues to work diligently on the many projects preparing for the eventual time when we will have “real” camps.

• The greenhouse is finished and ready for the planting of vegetables.
• The hired giant excavator is making good progress in its clearing of all areas with poplar trees and underbrush to prepare for the moving of the electric lines out of our proposed lake project.  There are new entrances to the property, and plenty of cleared routes to allow the electric company to relocate the lines.  We are also trying to define the lake area to see how much surface may be involved in this future project.  We now know that the water table is about 3 feet below the ground that is covered in winter with water runoff.
• In addition, we have interior leveled-off roads to move between various parts of the camp—e.g. future sites for wilderness-type camping, ropes courses, cabins, dining room, guest house, open-air chapel and amphitheater.
• In the meantime, Abraham is doing his best to determine with Rosa the boundary between her property and ours without becoming enemies over the issue. Please pray for this ongoing issue.  

In Santiago, the young women coordinating our work on the Mission’s property are doing a good job of making further contacts with hospitals and clinics to make them aware of our house for mothers and families.

Please consider making a larger contribution to Chile Mission before the end of the year.  At present our funds will cover all first steps of land clearing, re-aligning of electric poles, and the first structure built on the camp property, but further steps will depend on additional financial support.  Our website www.chilemission.org gives contribution directions under the category CONTRIBUTE.  Jack’s next trip to Chile is scheduled for January 4^th, while the timing of Janine’s trip will depend on developments in the preparation and sale of our Indiana house.  We will both be working on that during this month of December until leaving for Birmingham, AL to spend Christmas with Jayme & Malia and family.

Mutual prayers are so important to keeping track of the BIGGEST picture!

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  –John 3: 16-18

Praising, praying, and fasting with you in our JESUS, THE ALWAYS “BIGGEST PICTURE OF GOD,

Jack & Janine