A Christmas Miracle!

During our stewardship campaign in the month of October, we adopted the Liberdade United Methodist Church for our Miracles for Mozambique outreach project. Throughout the campaign, we asked people in our church and community to help provide gifts of Bibles and hymnals to the church. We set a goal of $200, which we estimated would purchase approximately 200 Bibles and hymnals. Thanks to the generosity of this wonderful congregation, over $2,700 was raised, shattering our goal, and increasing our miraculous outreach to Mozambique!

Last week, I received an email message from Rev. Sambo from Liberdade UMC about our gift. I want to share that note with you.

Dear Pastor Jordan,

Greetings from me and from Liberdade UMC. We are doing fine here and very grateful for working/partnering together in the making of Disciples for Christ. When the idea of Miracles for Mozambique started, I just thought of BIG possibilities and of open hearts and minds to sustain this project. My family and I started praying for Miracles for Mozambique.

Upon the Press Release in the local News in Atlanta, the congregation was thrilled and I said, lets pray that this Miracles for Mozambique's dream come true. Soon after the Press Release, I shared the good news with my Bishop here. She was also excited about hearing that people of God from overseas are partnering with a Congregation in Mozambique. She said: "Rev Sambo, lets pray with thankful hearts because while we journey in faith and ministry, God uses people as His hands and feet to help the need". Our bishop was right and I never doubted on her. The dream "Miracles for Mozambique" is coming true.

I have ordered the Bibles and Hymnals. I will have them Monday, and this will enable us distribute them to our Congregation before Christmas. It's going to be a wonderful Christmas Gift to our Congregation. I am excited about that day. Certainly, certainly we'll make sure we document that through pictures taking to share with you.

This Sunday Dec 15, we'll announce the Bibles and Hymnals' distribution for Sunday Dec 22. Our calculations will enable us purchase more than 200 Bibles and 150 Hymnals. Like I said, the order has been made and will be collected Monday.

Dr Mark, please, convey our gratitude and greet the Cokes Chapel UMC members. Inform them, their generous donations will continue to change and transform people's lives and expands the kingdom of God in Mozambique. You are a blessing to Liberdade Community in Mozambique Conference.

Yours,

In the same vineyard,

Rev. Joao Sambo

Friends, it warms my heart and blows me away that this project coalesces at Christmas! It is during this season that we celebrate GOD’s sending Jesus, the living Word of GOD, to us to light our path and show us the way. Consider John 1.14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NIV) I also love how it is stated in The Message version: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” And since we know Jesus as the Word of GOD, our church…here in Sharpsburg, Georgia…is generously giving the gift of Jesus to a church half-a-world-away! Isn’t it amazing how GOD works?

Friends, I hope as we prepare for next week’s Christmas Eve services, you will add an extra mention in your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Mozambique. I know as I think about the literal shelves of Bibles I have in my office and at home how blessed I am, but the thought that someone might hold a Bible for the first time in his/her entire life, thanks to the generosity of this church, fills my heart with all kinds of Christmas joy!

As Pastor Sambo said, we are all “in the same vineyard”! May our joy be complete this Christmas knowing that something as simple as placing a dollar or two in a treasure chest over a month ago is helping to bring the Word of GOD to people across the world. Thanks for being the church. Thanks for living out your ministry of generosity. And thanks for being part of the miracle…the Christmas miracle!