“Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace to men on whom his favor rests”

Wow… today has been amazing. It was my first day off in weeks and I will tell you the Lord definitely took the opportunity to really talk to me. I slept in and woke up at 1100 was walking to the DFAC ran into some friends who picked me up and took me to the NICE DFAC on the other part of our base and then went to work at 1400 for a meeting… (here a day off means you get to sleep in and come and go to work as you please… there is never really a day off) I ended up staying at work longer than I would have liked to and decided to check my mail before I left. Opened my inbox and there was an e mail about the church services here on post. There was one at 1730 that was a protestant candlelight service. I looked at my watch realized I had plenty of time to spare and decided that I would walk over there.

On my way to church I got this incredible urge to praise the Lord. I couldn’t think of the words to any songs so I started to make up my own telling the Lord how much I loved him and repeating promises that he has made to me. I was actually kinda caught off guard as I sang as I realized that the melody completely fit the words and the words actually rhymed. Right now as I think back I can’t for the life of me remember how the song went but in the moment it was beautiful and it made my spirit happy. I arrived at the church singing about 10 minutes early and the only vehicle I saw outside of the T walls was a humvee. (For those of you who don’t know what a T wall is… it is a huge concrete barrier about 10 feet tall that protects the buildings from mortar fire.) As I made my way through the barrier I saw a small group of 5 men outside waiting. Three guys were in their PT uniforms, one was in his ACUs and one was a contractor with his bike. They told me that the door was locked and that it didn’t look like anyone was there yet. I stood there with them for about 5 minutes waiting for someone to open the door. As I was waiting I saw three women approaching wearing our company’s jacket. It was my friend Beverly from back home and two other ladies. It was soo exciting to see people from work there at church. We chatted about work and then 2 soldiers came up and told us that the service was actually at 1930 and that we the flyers were printed incorrectly. The ladies said that they were going to go eat and asked me if I wanted to join…I did.

While at dinner we started talking about Iraq and about our living conditions etc. I mentioned that I really wanted a desk so that I could read and use my computer and Beverly lit up and told me that she had an extra table that she had to get rid of by tomorrow morning… PRAISE THE LORD!! She then said that she loved how that happens how nothing is a coincidence and how it gives her chills all of the time. I was soo excited to hear that she felt the Holy Spirit in us hanging out tonight and running into each other also. Get this… it also turns out that all 4 of us have Wednesdays off and so we are going to be able to go shopping and on the tours and exploring the base together now. They also meet up for breakfast every morning so I think I am going to start going with them. J After dinner we went to the PX where I was able to buy a bunch of stuff that I have been wanting to get but didn’t have a car to carry it home… and Beverly told me that anytime I needed a car I could call her. After we took everything back to my Hooch…including the desk that I am using right now as I type we finally went to church. When we got there I found Mike the guy that I met on Sunday night and he was talking to a man who everyone was calling Pastor Ken… so I believe that he is a Pastor back home… but he works here as a contractor. The four of us sat down by Mike and Ken and waited for service to start.

As I was sitting there praying Pastor Ken started talking about this verse in Mark … Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them ‘Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while.‘” As he said that something in my heart caught. I knew that the Lord was using him to talk to me. That is why I am here… He then started talking about Martha and Mary and how Jesus called Martha to be like her sister and just sit at his feet and be with him. I feel like the last week God keeps emphasizing this to me. To live simply and humbly and just be with him. I told Ken that that was exactly what I needed to hear. And GET THIS!!! In my single Bible that I have here with me the translation doesn’t say desert….so the only way that I would have known that that was what that verse said in other translations is through someone either telling me or me using someone elses Bible… Geez it gives me goosebumps right now. I love the Lord SOOOO MUCH!!! In one day he has talked to me sooo much given me everything that I have been not only needing… like a reassuring word from him and other believers to be and talk with on my day off, but also things that I wanted like a table and a ride to get everything that I wanted to have in my room.
It doesn’t even end there. While I was on my way out of the Church I saw a rack of books in the back. There is a book that almost everytime that I am in Barnes and Noble I think about buying… “Experiencing God Day-by-Day” I have never bought it though… something always held me back from buying it. Well today as I was walking out of Church there it was… a free camo version sitting in the rack for me to take. I picked it up and decided that I would look at it once I got home. I got home set up my room at at my new desk getting ready to blog and open to the 24th of December… and what does it say??

“Blessed is she who believed. For there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45

Praise be to God in the Highest… Emmanuel… God is Definitely with us.
I knew when I left to come to Iraq that I needed to be here for Christmas… I kept thinking it was so that I could be a smiling face for the soldiers but I know now that it was so that God could really show me the true meaning of Christmas and so that he could show himself to me and make me realize how much he loves us… to send his only Son into the world so that he could Save Us!! I will never ever in my life see Christmas the same!!!