A different kind of Christmas

This Christmas has definitely been a different one for me. The past few days I have had a lot of ideas on what my Christmas should look like- lounging in my pjs, skyping my family, reading a bit. I didn't want to participate in any of the festivities on the base. I wanted my Christmas just like it was at home. Last night I was semi pouting about my boring Christmas Eve. We had fun famiy time taking family pictures but then everyone went their own ways and I was left to clean up everything. At first I had a total attitude. No one was praising me for cleaning up and I really didn't want to be doing that on Christmas Eve. Earlier that day I had asked the Lord to totally change my preception of Christmas and he used my attitude to do just that. I started thinking about the first Christmas. The one where my Saviour King was born. His birthday really wasn't some extraordinary day for the entire world, well at least not that they knew. He was born to normal people on a normal day. Yes the heavens rejoiced and he shepherds came but the whole world should've been on their knees. If he was born in such a humble way, why does my Christmas need to be so special? Why can't I help clean up meals and make dinner and SERVE on the greatest servant of all's birthday? Christmas isn't about presents and it isn't about traditions. It isn't about my level of happiness. It's about the glorious birth of Emmanuel. Today I spent the most time with Jesus than I ever have on Christmas and that's what has made my day so wonderful(though the surprise presents from home helped too)I encourage you on the celebration of such a life changing day to marvel at the glorious birth of God with us.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

God is Good All the Time

The title itself should be enough for this blogpost, but I'll ramble a little bit for your enjoyment. :) I have officially been in Hong Kong for two weeks! It has been a good two weeks, full of adjustments, major spiritual warfare and lots of prayer. I like it here though. The city is such an adventure. It's huge and full of people who need to know about Jesus. 7.1 million people or something crazy like that. We are staying at the YWAM base here. It's in an old old Chinese village tht is very traditional. There are temples ALL around us so we have been doing lots of prayer to proclaim Christ as King here.
Anyways, back to the point. God is always good. It sounds like such a simple statement, but when you really apply it to your life, it's kinda hard. Our first intense testing of this was the other night when we went to the red light district here. God is good all the time? When young girls are selling their bodies? When men who probably have families at home walk down the street with someone who is not their wife by their side? Our team had a hard time swollowing that at first glance.
God has been whispering this simple truth to me every day. In the moments when 4 more months of being away from home seems like an impossible amount of time. When hearing hurts of loved ones thousands of miles away happens through words on a computer screen. When trees are being decorated and fires started and movies watched, all with out me there. When the aches of my new family here seem unfixable and forever painful, GOD IS GOOD.
How do I know this? Because I have seen His goodness. I have seen how He places it in the hearts of people to love prostitutes and hope for a better life for them. I have seen how He has given me family and friends that im able to miss, because He loves me that much. I have seen how he heals the hearts if those who seem too broken.  I can see the evidence of his goodness in my life everyday if I look hard enough, and I bet the same is true for you. I have also been learning that He deserves to be praised all the time, so here are a few examples of His goodness.
-Skype. It is a wondeful invention that allows me to see the faces of sweet loved ones. I'm so thankful that God has provided that blessing.
-Internet in our house. Somehow we get Internet from one of our neighbors for free. One of the few places it reaches is right on my bed. God knew our team needed that one :)
-The joy of a little 8 year old Nepali girl as she read me book after book
-Breakthroughs when it seems like all hope is lost
-Worship every single morning
-The heart that God gives me for this place when I feel like I won't last another day
-The story that God has written for me ad the greatness that he continues to call me to
-The joy that the Lord gives when you ask for it
-Faces of prostitutes when they realize that someone remembers them and cares about them
-The power of prayer
-Encouragement from those around me and those at home

Those are just a few things that make me remember the goodness of my God. He cares about me. He cares about even the little things like the comforts of ice cream at McDonald's and unexpected hugs.
Please keep me and my team in your prayers! We know that the strength of the Lord is the only thing that will allow us to continue serving and loving so please pray that we will continue to fall on him ad remember his goodness!
I have two more weeks here and then I'll be headed to Thailand! I'm so excited to continue on the path God has for us :)
Love you all!
Carrie
P.s sorry for no pictures. I was waiting to post this until I could figure out a way to put some on here but I've realized that it's not gonna happen :(