THANKS FOR A HOLIDAY

The unexpected gift is a great delight. It is good for us to think about how the earliest Christians felt. The earliest were Jews in Jerusalem. Some Jews expected the Old Testament prophetic promises to be fulfilled in a real way, in their daily lives. So they were ready when it came. But what a great delight it must have been for them to know that forgiveness had really arrived, that in their own time and in their own lives the Holy Spirit came to bear witness to God's full entrance into human life in Jesus. It was the most unexpected gift.

Street children have often had almost nothing in their lives. We have met some who have never been out of Mathare Valley and Eastleigh slums. Lucy Muthoni had never slept on a mattress at 13. One girl wrote, "Anywhere else besides Made in the Streets if you get a gift or a trip, you have to pay it back with work or something." Think of being a young teenager who has never eaten a piece of meat, or never held a pencil in your hand, or never heard anyone say, "Good job."

So on Christmas morning 64 teens at Made in the Streets - Kamulu awoke to a new gift -- a stocking hanging on the wall of the Learning Center courtyard filled with candy and nuts and fruit and even a little envelope with 50 shillings (71 cents). And they were delighted.

Thanks!