Shepherds, Sheep, and a Savior...

Many people consider it “over the top” when Christmas preparations begin in October...but not here in Kudjip!  Throughout the month of October: the MK’s and I have been practicing for the Christmas play, I joined the other ladies on the station in an afternoon of Christmas ornament crafting, and Teddy and I have been brainstorming ways we can make it feel/look like the Christmas season in our home, come December.
  
Along with being the 4^th-6^th grade teacher at the MK School, I am also the Music Teacher for the 1^st-6^th graders.  We have music class every Tuesday afternoon, from 2:15-3:00pm.  My partner at the MK School, Ms. Judy Ralph, informed me this summer that we needed to put on a Christmas Program with the kids, and asked if I could be in charge of finding/coming up with a program.  In the midst of packing, moving, and tying up loose ends in Richmond, I did not have time to creatively come up with a clever Christmas play.  So, I reached out to Lisa Eggert, our Children’s Ministry Director at our home church (West End Assembly of God), and was put in contact with Ashlyn Bolton, who works with the Pre-School Program at our church.  Ashlyn came to my rescue and not only informed me that she had just the thing, but came to my house and dropped off an amazing Christmas play with CD, script, music and everything!  Yet another way we are SO grateful for our WEAG Family back home!

The kiddos were hesitant, to say the least, about learning lines and songs...there were a lot of eyes rolling and loud sighs happening during our first class.  : ) Miraculously, they are beginning to take pleasure and pride in the work that they are putting into the Christmas Play!  The entire production is based on the Christmas Story that we all know and love…from the perspective of the shepherds.  These shepherds were just ordinary people, with commonplace jobs….yet God chose them to hear and spread the good news about the birth of the Savior!  I love the lines of the chorus of our closing song: “Go and tell, go and tell, Christ is born, Emmanuel.”  So….if you find yourself becoming perturbed with all the “holiday hype” this Fall, remember that God can use ordinary people in ordinary places to share the good news about Jesus….keep your eyes and ears open this holiday season…who can you “Go and Tell” ??

The kiddos practicing one of their favorite songs from the play… “Shaggy, Smelly, Sheep”

My shepherds….who appear happy to be practicing…

 My sheep…obviously not so happy about practicing…

Here are some pictures of my classroom…the kids did all of the decorations…we have a “forest” theme in our room.

                    

Here are some pictures of the kids delivering bracelets to patients at the hospital last week.  The bracelets contained the same colors representing the gospel story, so each child had a color that they explained the meaning of in Pidgin!
They did GREAT!
                                                                                     


"And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."    ~ Luke 2:10-11