As I think about Operation Christmas Child details and work on writing more thank you notes to participating churches and groups (up to 74 and counting), I'm also thinking a lot about life and death tonight.
My friend Sarah's baby, Mila, had surgery today to drain fluid from around her heart. Mila has Down Syndrome and was adopted by Sarah and her husband Shawn a few months ago from Eastern Europe. She had open heart surgery right before Christmas and is suffering some complications. She likely would not have survived if God hadn't moved in miraculous ways for her to be adopted by Shawn and Sarah. Mila means 'miracle' in the language of her birth country and she is already living up to her name. You can read Sarah's blog by clicking here at "A Hopeful Heart".
I'm also praying and thinking of my brother-in-law Brian who is fighting lung cancer and dealing with pain and breathing difficulty. He and his wife Brenda (my husband's youngest sister) and their six children are praying for a complete healing for Brian--a miracle of life.
These physical needs are so immediate and so compelling. But it's easy to forget that spiritual death threatens all around us. Our neighbors, coworkers, and, yes, billions of children around the world are all facing spiritual death day by day.
These simple shoeboxes we pack and send through Operation Christmas Child bring life to so many. And so, every little note we write, every call, every effort that brings one more box to one more child can mean life for one more.
Will you join me in praying that we can redouble our efforts to bring life to all those around us? And will you join me in praying for Brian and for Mila?
It's a matter of life and death.
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