Happy New Years!

In Ecuador each household makes a life size doll usually made from cardboard and paper. Some even created large displays with multiple dolls which showed a scene. Most were accompanied with a written out description of the scene or with some sort of explanation. I helped create the “muneco” for the Nazarene Church. Ours was not nearly as elaborate as others but it served its purpose. At midnight all the dolls are placed into the middle of the streets and set on fire. It looked like there were riots in the streets as everywhere you looked was fire and people. There were also a few fireworks lighting up the sky to celebrate a year passed and anticipation of the one just beginning. It was a good time to embrace the new friends I have met and realize how much they have become a part of my life. New Years is a good time to reflect on the past and to look forward to the future. As I think back I am astounded with where God has taken me. I would have never guessed that I would return to Ecuador so soon after my initial visit a little over two years ago. I cannot even begin to dream of what God has in store for me in this new year. As I meet new challenges and see glimpses into what my future holds, I pray that I stay focused on the one true light. I don’t want to forget who I live for and that all of this is for Jesus. “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12