Annual Christmas Outreach
Our Annual Christmas Outreach to children through the Samaritan’s Purse Ministry was once again very successful.
We enjoyed purchasing, preparing and packing the boxes which will be sent to children worldwide. It was fun putting these boxes together. The big lion in one of the pictures did not make it into the box:)! Highlight – Gabriel, age 7 writing a card for a child with his mom.
November 24th we delivered the 62 boxes to Surrey Alliance Church who will ship them to Samaritan’s Purse Ministry and they will be sent to children in many countries in time for Christmas.
Precious children who may not otherwise receive anything for Christmas will receive a gift. We pray that each family that received a Christmas Shoebox will also receive the greatest gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been working on this project since September of this year and our hearts are full of joy as we send them out to the children.
November Outreach in Whalley
On November 17th, Jacquelyn, Ezrah and I ministered to some of the people who live on the streets in Whalley, BC. We met Christina and her friends who were seated on the ground and received the care packs gladly. We talked with them for a while and went near the skytrain station where we met Christa, Mikhaela and Tyler and introduced ourselves as we talked with them.Christa shared a challenging experience she had gone through and when we offered to pray for her, she said yes. Ezrah prayed for her and all I can say is “heaven came down and glory filled us all”. It was God’s love, mercy and compassion that we all felt so tangibly. We watched and witnessed first hand how the Holy Spirit ministered to Christa as Ezrah prayed for her. When we got back into the car, Ezrah was weeping. Without exception, every time to date, that I have been out on street ministry no matter who I go with, the Lord always ministers to us as well. God sees, He cares, He loves all of us and His mercy overflows!!
We prayed together in the car before we went home. I treasure the many “sacred God moments” I have experienced during street ministry. Overflowing joy!
As always, thank you for sending us to share the Gospel of Good News. Many or almost all of the people we encounter on the streets will not come to a church building. The Lord has asked us to ‘go’ so we need to heed that call and go, share the love and goodness of Jesus to whosoever will believe and receive the Gospel of Jesus!
Have a wonderful & blessed Christmas!
With joy,
Sound of the Lord Mission
The Perfect Gift
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”I watched my 5-yr-old daughter unwrap her Christmas gift. Her little hands, tore away at the wrapping eagerly. As parents, it is so satisfying to see our children express their joy at something we give, or do for them. But to my dismay, instead of the anticipated squeals of excitement, a look of disappointment crossed her face. Obviously, the Dora themed toy was not on her ‘wish list’.My 2-year-old, had a completely different reaction to her own gift. Helped by big sis, she proceeded to pull the gift right out of the box, discarded it to the side, and promptly climbed into the box. Her toy didn’t come in any packaging and was quite big, so we had to use a packing box to fit it in. She sat there curled up, so happy, completely oblivious to the real gift lying on the floor.
That was 13 years ago. My two teenagers are better at hiding their reactions now. God the Father also gave us a gift – A Perfect Gift in Jesus.
But the Scribes and Pharisees were disappointed because they expected their King to come and save Israel with a flourish, not ride in on a donkey. They rejected Him as their Savior because He didn’t meet their expectations. They were willing to sit in the box and were blinded to The Gift standing right in front of them.
John 10: 24 & 25
The Jews who were there gathered around Him, saying, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify about Me.
Even John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was the true Messiah.
Matthew 11: 2 & 3
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask Him, “Are You the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
More than 2000 years later, we are still sometimes disappointed with God’s Perfect Gift. When prayers seem to get lost in an abyss, relationships feel they are irreparable, good health feels like a dream and Jesus seems unreachable and distant, we question our faith and doubts take root.
Like the Scribes and Pharisees, are we looking for something more?
Friends, He cannot be any closer than He already is. If you believe that Jesus is Lord, then He is your constant Companion. He was born to die so that we will be reconciled to the Father, that through Him we would have life, and life abundant on this earth.
All that we will ever need to live a victorious and triumphant life is already given to us through Jesus. Jesus is The Perfect gift and no one can add, or take away from this gift to make it more complete or whole.
This Christmas as we prepare to celebrate His birth, let’s embrace this truth with thanksgiving and gratitude. May all the festivities and gaiety of the season pale in significance to the true reason we celebrate Christmas – the birth of Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Merry Christmas to you and your families. Let the Joy of His birth and the overwhelming love that initiated that gift to us, continue to leave us all in awe.In His Service,
Sohani Faria
Director
Sound of the Lord Mission
We would love to pray for & with you!
Prayer requests can be emailed to
soundofthelordmission@gmail.com
Redeem the time and maintain a strong prayer life. Stay Blessed!
Rochelle Soza
Founder, Sound of the Lord Mission