Joyful Sharing

It’s hard to believe that we are already in 2014.  I wonder what this year will hold.  In the next couple of days, I will try to post some pictures from our Christmas here.  We have been having a number of “most of the day” power outages, so that makes posting much more difficult.  Conrad called the electric company the other day and they said “Sorry for the inconvenience but we are working so you aren’t in the dark in 2014.”  Well we have officially been in 2014 less than 2 days and have already had two power outages. J

Today I want to share you a story that blessed my heart this holiday season.  A daughter of a missionary set up a “Day Spa” for missionary women to bless them.  She asked some girls from the local orphanage ( Evanjafrica) to help her.  The “Day Spa” included foot massages, head/shoulder massages, haircuts, extension braids, facials, crafts, pretty snacks and beautiful dishes with Christmas music playing. 

  It was a very special afternoon of hanging out with friends.  As two young orphan girls rubbed my feet with huge smiles on their faces, my heart was blessed.  Their joyful attitude in serving other was so refreshing.

I was able to buy some fun gifts that they had made and then I headed home. 

Later, I heard the rest of the story.  At the end of the evening after everyone had left, the girls were giving the money they had earned from their crafts.  If divided evenly, it would have been about $2 each, enough to get a new pair of flip-flops or a shirt at the market.  But do you know what they did with the money?  They decided to buy bread for the whole orphanage so everyone in the orphanage could have bread for breakfast the next morning.  They wanted everyone to enjoy a treat.

My heart was so touched by their selflessness.  They have so little and yet when they got something of “value” they wanted to share.  This holiday season, their example kept running through my mind.  How could I selflessly share what I have with others?  And when I think of selflessness, my mind goes to God’s gift to us of Jesus.  It was a gift that cost our Heavenly Father so much.  Yet, He gave because He loved you and me. 

  Am I willing to share so selflessly?  May I always be listening carefully to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and share whatever and whenever He speaks to my heart.  May I grow in sharing selflessly, seeing it as a joy.