Matt's Christmas Newsletter - UK

Merry Christmas
Happy New Year
From Stirling, Scotland.

Vol. 3

Hello all and welcome to my Christmas Newsletter! This month finds me spending the holidays in a new country with a new family and new friends! I have experienced many new things and am looking forward to a Scottish Christmas!

The youth of the church are excited about our Christmas service we are preparing for the congregation and many of the University students are getting ready for tests before spending some well earned time off.

I will be playing in a Scottish Ceilidh band this Christmas at the youth Christmas party. They may even manage to get me in a kilt. We will see!

It will be hard to be away from my family and friends back home. I will miss my Colorado Christmas, but it will give me warm feelings to remember all of you and what you will be doing with your families.

More than ever now, I realize how much this life is about being together with the ones you love. Not just at Christmas time but every day. Every day it’s about making human contact with another person. In a world where it’s so easy to ‘tune out’ and not associate with anybody for long periods of time, the challenge to us is to break that norm and spend some time with another human being.

Thank God for friends and family this time of year!

For many people this time of year can be really hard. Actually it can be the hardest time of year. For just as the good feelings are increased when you’re together the bad feelings multiply when you are not. They can be absolutely horrible if you know you will never be able to spend time with that person again.

This is the reason Jesus came. He came to a hurting dark world. He came that this world may have life and have it to the full! To have light in the dark. So whether you find yourself with friends and family this Christmas or without, know that Jesus is the reason for all this crazy fuss this time of year. The only thing He would ask of us I think is to stop and remember that He came to this earth to love you. That’s it! To show you that there is light in this dark world and He loves you. May we all remember this year.
Matt


Top Ten Things I Will Miss This Christmas
1. My Family!
2. My friends!
3. Christmas Eve Candle Light Service.
4. SNOW! Though I will have plenty of rain this year.
5. My mums food and cookies!
6. Watching loads of Christmas movies and tv!
7. The Mountains!
8. Watching loads of Christmas movies and tv!
9. Laughing with my crazy family on Christmas eve.
10. Going out in my car and looking at Christmas lights.