Born To Set Me Free

Please CLICK HERE to listen to a beautiful rendition of this hymn by Charles Wesley, 1745. This is the back of the Christmas card from our dear friends the Trabuns. This song has been on repeat in my car for a month and it seemed like perfect timing to have received this card on Christmas Eve. The lyrics have resonated in my heart this Christmas and I wanted to share them with you.

Phil and I praise God each day for the birth of His Son. There is no greater feeling in the world than being set free from the bondage of sin. We tried to do life on our own terms for quite a while, but it was pointless-meaningless at that. We were missing out on so much that God had planned for our lives.

We have seen Him work in powerful ways. He has provided when there seemed to be no way. He has used trials to teach us valuable lessons and grow us in our faith. He has used our gifts and talents to help others and serve in our church. In fact, we have served in ways that we could have never dreamed of! We have learned so much. We are grateful for His hand on our lives. We couldn't imagine doing life without Him. His presence is undeniable!

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.    . ~John 10:10b

Santa is not coming this year. We've simplified our 12th Christmas together for a few reasons. One is that we want to be a good steward with all that He has provided for us. Like most Americans, we have debt. We want to be free from this debt so that we can give more abundantly to others in need. Also, in previous years we have been so caught up in the commercialism of Christmas that we have almost forgotten to celebrate Christ's birth. This year we are focusing solely on the true meaning and it has been a powerful time for Phil and I. We have discussed setting our vision and mission for our family and we are excited to see it lived out!

We are so thankful for those that have been so generous in giving gifts to us. They were such a blessing and we are so grateful!

Back in the summer I had the privilege of going to Orange Beach, Alabama with our youth group for a week long retreat. It was during a night of worship that a graduate of the Compassion program from Africa spoke about his experience as a sponsored child. He said that the letters he received from his sponsors in the United States meant the world to him. When asked what the most important thing he had ever been told in a letter was, he answered simply, 'I love you'. They were the only ones who told him that. The only people in his life that truly believed in him and prayed for him faithfully throughout his life. He even called them, 'Mum and Dad'.

As an act of worship that night the students went forward in the auditorium and sponsored children individually or as a group. I knew I wanted to sponsor a child but God put it on my heart to go forward on behalf of our student group to sponsor a child together. A group of 5 boys from our group quickly followed right behind me and we decided that we would commit to sponsoring a child together. For one of the boys, it wasn't enough, he thought we could sponsor two! They were so excited and enthusiastic about it. I've never had a better experience worshipping!

Meet Fani from Ethiopia.

Meet Hamisi (Hami as we call him) from Kenya!

Fani & Hami. I've yet to meet them, yet I love them and pray for them daily. You may have noticed on my sidebar that I now have a banner from Compassion so that you can explore their website and learn more about sponsorship. Through such small sacrifices, we can help end poverty in a life-or two!

I am so proud of the students that have remained faithful in their commitment to these children. For Christmas, we chose to give gifts to these two in honor of the loved ones in our lives. I hope you understand. We couldn't afford much, but what we could give, meant a whole lot to these children and their families.

Have a merry Christmas! May you rejoice in our Savior's birth! We love you all!

Love,

The Sokic's