Mary wasn't perfect either.

Friday morning, December 20, 2013, Desi and I took the trolley to the safe house.  My bag was filled with scissors, construction paper, pens... and baby Jesus.  This baby Jesus is one we have had in our home since our kids were tiny.  The plastic doll with movable arms and legs smells like baby powder and has chocolate colored skin.  Every year it is wrapped and placed under the tree.  Every year the youngest of our kids opens this "first present" and we then pass baby Jesus in his swaddling cloth around our family circle.  Each person reflects on the past year and God's faithfulness through His Son Jesus.

Desi, dressed in a shawl and skirt and holding baby Jesus, shared the story of His birth in first person.  All of us chuckled at parts of her animated story.  The girls became serious however, when Desi explained how Mary, who is often thought of as perfect and sinless, was a teen girl just like them, with fears and worries and pain and imperfections.  She became the mother of Jesus because she chose to believe God and obey Him, even knowing she might be misunderstood or rejected or even divorced.  She simply said, "Do to me as you will."

Many times I think I know what is the best for me or for others.  I tell God what this "best" is and feel frustrated when He doesn't listen to my ideas.  How much more might God be reflected in my life if I would respond like Mary, "Do to me as you will..."

Next we made paper chains from colored paper for the girls to hang in their rooms or on the security bars on the windows.  None had made them before, and they became absorbed in a simple task, something that seemed so Sunday "schoolish", but for them, it broke up what was another boring day.

Several of the girls asked if we would come back next week to celebrate Christmas with them.  Although I was unable to tell them that day at the request of the director, some of the Casa Adalia team and Douce family arrived the morning of the 24th to bring presents, games, worship and another pancake fest.  I cannot describe the depth of joy I felt when they saw us and shouted, "You came!!  You came!"


A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy.  I came so that everyone would have life, and have it to the fullest.  John 10:10

Oh might they know the ONE who came to bring them life!

Hugs from heaven!!

Oh no, You never let go through the calm and through the storm, through the high and through the low, You never let go.

Today I found myself singing worship songs at the top of my lungs because my heart is so full of thankfulness…and because I am the only one in the house.  Last night Phil, our daughter Danelle and her husband Nate (they are here for two months!), our newest Casa G team member Sonnet, most of the Casa G boys and team, and friends from a local church left at midnight on an old school bus to go and minister to the village of Chuwitayo.  Phil’s cell phone had been ringing over the past week from several members of the village who are super excited about their expected arrival.  I stayed back because I am… well, I am just pretty much worn out.  I also wanted to finish writing Christmas thank you letters, actually now New Year’s letters to send with someone heading back to the U.S.  One little Christmas letter hardly begins to express our gratefulness for God’s provision for us and for the ministries of Casa Gabriel and Casa Adalia through His people.  I am so humbled by the goodness of God!!

I was also singing because of the joy of hanging out with our daughter Chelsea this morning via Skype.  If you haven’t heard the exciting news, Jonathan DiLallo proposed to our Chelsea on December 29^th while they were visiting us in Ecuador.  If you are interested, check out our facebook phil-debbie douce “Chelsea says, “Yes!” on top of the world”  to see pictures.  

Today Chelsea told me that God was hugging her from heaven.  Her friend Lydia talked her into going to a bridal shop this morning that was going out of business.  It was a cold and gloomy winter morning, and she was trying to get over being sick.  Chelsea came out of the shop with a dress and wedding veil that are more "perfect" than she imagined possible, to the sun shining, and to the certainty that God was smiling down on her. Isn't it fun to know that Our Father cares about details like wedding dresses?!  Her Jon said, "Jesus really is your best friend!"

http://www.photos-public-domain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/sun-through-winter-tree-branches.jpg

Well, I won’t lie that I also grieved a bit in the midst of such elation.  To not be there in person for your daughter when she is trying on wedding dresses stinks.  Lydia wanted to surprise Chelsea by having me (and her sister Danelle) on Skype once they reached the bridal shop, but when she tried calling, our stateside phone had gone out, and she couldn’t reach me.  Thankfully, I was able to see her in her dress later when she reached home and after we got Skype working. It was kind of blurry, but maybe that was because of the tears in my eyes at the joy of being blessed by such a beautiful, sweet daughter who has such an incredibly grateful heart.