2015 White Family Christmas Letter

December 2015

Greetings Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas from The White House! =)  It is so amazing to think that 2015 is nearing its completion, and that a new year is about to begin.  Time passes by quickly.  Remember when it took “forever” for a whole year to pass?!

Marcelo is in 1^st grade this year, and loves reading, tinkering, and is very detailed.  He is very determined in most everything he does, or doesn’t do.  He played his first team sport this year, and has since decided he plans to be a professional soccer player.  Obviously, he ended up loving soccer!

Ethan is in the 4^th grade this year, and also loves reading, art, music, and sports.  He is detailed as well, and this particularly shines in his drawings or art projects.  He is also a gifted athlete.  He is currently playing basketball, played soccer earlier this year, and dreams of being a professional football player.  Both boys learned how to play chess this year, and I’m amazed at their ability to strategize.

Although Mario has been a pastor for over 10 years, this year he pursued becoming a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God.  In addition to being on the pastoral staff at our church, he oversees a counseling ministry at the church, and has his own private counseling practice in a nearby town.  He is the lead pastor for our 5pm service on Sundays, and we love being a part of our church and community.  He also had the opportunity to climb Mt. Adams this year, and hopes to climb Mt. Rainer in the near future! Michelle continues teaching Spanish to elementary aged students, and leading a Summer Enrichment program through our church’s preschool.  A highlight for her continues to be leading a week long Missions Emphasis week for elementary aged students, sharing about Unreached People Groups (UPG) and praying for our church’s adopted UPG’s.

More than anything, we are thankful to the Lord for His great gift of salvation. Because of Jesus, we no longer need to be separated from God.  This Truth offers us hope daily, in both the good times and the hard. It is our deepest desire that you each know God’s immense love for you. Whether or not you know Him, may this year mark a newness in your understanding of His love for you.  May this be true for our family as well.

Sincerely,

Mario, Michelle, Ethan and Marcelo White

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”         Isaiah 9:6

Las Posadas

As many of you know I have taught Spanish for years.  Currently I teach for elementary students, and I was searching for a simple way to share with them about Las Posadas.  I used several story books and handouts, but also felt inspired to write this poem.  Enjoy!  And Feliz Navidad!

A child dressed as Joseph, a child dressed as Mary

And many young travelers more….

Walk house to house looking for shelter

Waiting for an innkeeper to open his door

Those outside sing can they come in?

Those inside sing  “no room in the inn”

Night after night continues the drama

Nine nights in a row they search for Posada

The path sometimes long, the path sometimes short,

Luminarias lighting their way

Over and over they are told there’s no room

And the pilgrims have nowhere to stay

Those outside sing can they come in?

Those inside sing  “no room in the inn”

Night after night continues the drama

Nine nights in a row they search for Posada

At last there is hope --- an innkeeper says yes,

And shelter the couple has found

Candy and food, piñatas and fun

Songs of joy can be heard all around

Those outside sing can they come in?

Those inside sing  “Yes, please come in”

Night after night continues the drama

Nine nights in a row they search for Posada

We each are the innkeeper guarding our heart

Will we let the Christ Child come in?

He offers us life, wants us to be whole,

Only He can forgive us of sin.

The God of Creation asks can He come in?

We must decide what we’ll answer Him.

Night after night continues the drama

Until everyone’s heard He is our Posada

The Arrival of Advent

I am so excited for Advent to begin today.  I enjoy pausing in the midst of all the hustle and bustle to really think about what Advent really is and means.  The word “Advent” means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.”  For those who believe Jesus is the Messiah, Advent is all about the waiting, hoping, and preparation for His arrival. 

As I ponder the characters in the Christmas story I wonder about how they were waiting, hoping, and preparing.  It’s not unlike my own story. Or maybe yours. Aren’t we all waiting for something? Hoping for something?  Preparing for something?  For me it used to be waiting until I found someone I wished to marry and spend the rest of my life with.  Would I ever meet him?  Or, I hoped, by some miracle my dad would be cured of his Louis Gehrig’s disease.  Or, I prepared for my son’s birth…thinking he would follow the family trend of being born weeks early…only to have him be two weeks late.  Waiting is never fun.  It’s hard. It’s work.  It takes encouragement and determination to hold on. To not let go.

I’m sure Isaiah had hoped he’d see the Messiah come and fulfill all that he had prophesied.  My guess is the shepherds were encouraged (along with being scared) that the long awaited Messiah was really finally coming.  I think Mary held tight to the fact that someday others would finally see that her hoping in the Lord was honorable.  So honorable, that she became the mother of the Messiah, the Savior.  She endured shame and rejection, but clung to what she knew to be true.

May I continue to do the same.  Hold tight to what I know to be true.  Keep hoping when it seems impossible.  And prepare.  Prepare for what is yet to come.  Prepare my heart for what matters most.  Prepare my children by investing in them.

I wanted to share with you a few simple things we’ll be doing this season.  We’ll be lighting advent candles each week (beginning today), and then the fifth candle will be lit on Christmas Day.  Each means something significant.  In the past, I’ve printed coloring sheets for the boys to color the candles instead of lighting real ones.  We’ve also made a paper plate wreath, and cut out three purple and one pink circle to set tea lights on.  This year I found an advent candle stand at a second hand shop.  So, we’ll light the appropriate candles each week, and talk about its meaning.  I found some simple prayers I’m posting on our wall by our dining table to help us remember.

I find it’s so easy to get caught up all that our society says about Christmas.  And we have to be intentional about slowing down, pausing to remember what’s true, and taking time to ponder it and be encouraged by it.  The truth is that Jesus IS Truth (John 14:6). He is our Savior, the long awaited Messiah.  We might spend our whole lives waiting in lines, hoping for something to change.  Whether it’s hoping and waiting for the little things or big things…it still drains us.  Leaving us thirsty.  But the only thing that can truly satisfy is Jesus (Matt. 11:28). Only He has the power to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness (Col. 1:13). Only He can breathe hope and joy and love into us that is eternal.

May you, along with our family, pause this season to be filled up.  To remember, and refocus, re-invite our Savior in.

Michelle

p.s., here are the prayers we’ll be using this year:

Candle 1 (purple) This is the candle of hope, aka the prophecy candle.  Prayer: Come Lord Jesus fill my heart with hope.

Candle 2 (purple) This is the candle of peace, aka the Bethlehem candle, as well as the candle of preparation. Prayer: Come Lord Jesus fill my heart with peace.

Candle 3 (pink or rose) This is the candle of joy, aka the Shepherd’s candle.  Prayer: Come Lord Jesus fill my heart with joy.

Candle 4 (purple) This is the candle of love, aka the Angel’s candle. Prayer: Come Lord Jesus fill my heart with love.

Candle 5 (white) This is the Christ candle. Prayer: Come, let us adore him.  Jesus, the Savior, has been born!

Here's a simple coloring sheet of the candles:

http://www.freefunchristmas.com/christmas-coloring-pages/advent-wreath-coloring-page/

Christmas GIVING

This year we have been attempting to help the boys learn that Christmas time is not just for getting, but for giving.  Now, when we pass by a Salvation Army volunteer ringing a bell the boys get all excited, shouting “there is one of Santa’s helpers!” (or as Marcelo says, “There’s Santa!).  =)  They are eager to share some of their change into the red bucket, ring the bell, and share with those in need.

We also bought some ducks from the World Vision gift catalog…helping a family in somewhere like Bangladesh that has been flooding a lot.  This way…even if it rains, the ducks can still survive since they can swim!  Ethan has asked if duck eggs taste like chicken eggs…any answers anyone??  I told him I thought probably pretty close.  =)

The biggest “hands on” Christmas “giving” we did though was help put together the Christmas food baskets at our church.  What a delight!  16 kids and 8 adults worked hard on putting the 60 boxes together.  There are so many people going through hard times.  And I want to be a part of the solution and help.  And I want my kids to be as well.  I don’t want Christmas, or any other time of the year, to be an “all about me” time.  I want to teach my kids, and remind myself, that there are people in NEED; people who don’t have food, shelter, or warmth…living RIGHT HERE.  We can be a part of the solution and be a blessing.  AND by helping it brings perspective to our own lives. 

Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given us.  Please help us to be mindful of them.  And please help us to be ready at any time to be a blessing to those around us going through hard times. 

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you!

Michelle