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My Cappuccino this morning. Chocolate and broken up candy cane for my topping today. Used the mug Maddy gave me because all my big Kimmy/Jared mugs were in the dishwasher because of making the girls cappuccinos yesterday.
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Waiting to go into the church
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| In the church |
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| Beautiful packed church....Many who have been coming and many 1st timers. It’s out in the country and since starting 27 years ago there have been 66,700 people come to it. |
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We always love it when the angel appears.
Outside listening to shepherds talk about a new king being born
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| Our family traditional picture afterwards. Miss that Jacob and Hailey couldn’t be there. They were missing being there. Missed having Melissa and family there too. |
Had Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast this morning and a cappuccino. I went over my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow again. Bill went to town, so picked up what I need to make my banana cream pudding dessert for one of our Christmas parties tomorrow after church. I will make it in the morning. We read our Bibles and then got ready and went to our friend, Jim Estep’s funeral. We gave our condolences to Peggy and the family, and then sat with friends from Trinity Riders. It was a moving service with his son sharing about his dad’s life and crying at times. He loved Jesus and followed Him, so it was a comfort to know he’s with Jesus and not suffering any longer. There was a wonderful meal afterwards. We sat with Jim and Laurel who we haven’t seen in a long time, and loved catching up with. We also sat with a teacher at Peyton and Isaac’s school and her husband. He was a grandson of one of our friends.
We took a short one hour nap, then we got ready and went to the Living Nativity. We have been going for 20 years. I loved it when my mom and dad used to go with us. Love having the kids and grandkids love it as much as we do. Kimmy said Jacob would have come home for it and was missing being there. I would have picked him up if I would have known he could have come home and so would they have. Hailey went to Nebraska with her friend’s parents and sister, to visit Brianna. She would have been there otherwise. We sat in the church listening to some sing, and some play instruments, and at times the congregation gets to pick Christmas songs out of the book and we would sing them. Then when it’s our turn, our family goes outside and our shepherd takes us on a journey to Bethlehem. It is so amazing! They have shepherds along the way and we stop and warm up by their fire while they talk to our shepherd and ask him if he has heard about a king being born. They said there was a bright light and an angel and they sent shepherds to Bethlehem to check it out. Then we move along to another fire stop with more shepherds. After that, we run into the Roman soldiers who are very gruff and say they are going to search us, and say we smell from our journey. Adam tried to hide by becoming very short, but the soldier saw him and pulled his sweatshirt hood and checked him over. He told him he was smelly. We got to a tent and went in to get our parchment rolled up to take and get stamped at the next tent after our shepherd pays our taxes. Then we go through the marketplace which is so amazing with all the things they are selling and all the animals they are selling. They have chickens, ducks, rabbits, donkeys, and even a camel. They are also selling merchandise and camel tongue soup (yuk). We don’t have money to spend, so we pass through and then come to the inn. The innkeeper tells us there is no room and no food, but tells us about a young couple he just sent to his stable for shelter and she was with child.
He told us there may be room for us there. We walk a little farther and there are children and others all excited because the savior has been born. We go around the corner and there is Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. There are donkeys and cows in stalls too. What a great way and a wonderful tradition to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus was born as the savior of the world to take away our sins. At the end, our shepherd prays with us and we go into the fellowship hall for cookies, cocoa, orange drink or coffee. I love this family tradition so much.
On the way home, Bill asked if I wanted to go see the Christmas lights. We went and saw the ones in the city, then went by Brad and Jen’s house because they put up lots and lots. Then we went by a gated community which a house that had more than even the city lights.
We got home and our lights Bill worked so hard on putting up in the cold, were just beautiful and our nativity the kids got us looked amazing. We have much to be thankful for. Jesus is number 1.
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