Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I pray you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I wanted to share a crazy encounter I had this past week. My family and I went on a 7 day cruise to Mexico. It was quite a treat for us. We don’t get to travel very much so it was a truly amazing experience. I cherished every single breathtaking view. All I wanted to do was say thank you to God for his goodness. The food on this cruise was INCREDIBLE!! The amount and the variety were astounding. Every single meal we could choose from this buffet of over 10 different countries. There was American food, Chinese food, Indian food, Filipino food. It was beyond anything I have ever seen. After our meal we had options of 7 to 8 different desserts, and we could eat as much as we wanted. It was pure overindulgent heaven. One day our cruise ship stopped at Puerto Vallarta. Before we got off the boat, we enjoyed the most AMAZING breakfast I have ever had. Fresh cut fruit, pancakes, biscuits, French toast, oatmeal, omelets.
It was all there, just scoop whatever your heart desired, as much as you wanted. It was once again pure heaven. As we were walking on the streets of Puerto Vallarta, I noticed a very poor skinny man sitting on some large rocks overlooking the beach and our cruise ship which was docked. It was a lovely view I must admit. I kept watching him for quite some time. I began to feel guilty for the life I have. I began to feel guilty for stuffing my face with all this food and having the finance to travel and live so exorbitantly, yet this fellow lives in poverty. That cruise ship has so much food that will go to waste, yet we don’t spare extra for the needy. Only the wealthy or privileged can enjoy being spoiled.
I began to think of Jesus, and how sad he must feel for that man too. However, then I thought of Matthew 20:16 “So the last shall be first, and the first shall be last: for many are called, but few are chosen.” It made me think of the rich who are greedy with their money and never want to help the poor. God blesses many with wealth and He wants us to bless others with His blessings He has bestowed upon us. The money we make is not ours, it belongs to God. This Christmas try something a little different. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on Christmas for your kids, ask them if they are willing to share their gifts with an orphanage, or foster care program. Contact a local church and see what special non-profits they work with. Trust me, there is a ton you can help.
Remember, Christmas is about the precious birth of our Lord and Savior. How HE left heaven for us!! Let’s show Him how much we love Him by blessing others. He will be so happy. When we do kind things for others, we are increasing our gifts we will receive in
heaven, not here!! We do not belong to this earth; we are just passing through. Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Love you all so much!

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