Reflections

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on eart has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:36-37

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'you must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:5-8

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:14-16

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"He said to them:"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid from their sight. Acts 1:7-9

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, " I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion," It does not, therefore depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:14-18

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 4-7

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

To my dear friends and family, I share this walk through the Scriptures I made tonight when I sat to embrace the wonderment of our recent journey. To those who have wondered where God is or if He still creates miracles I want to confess to you the journey you have followed is one God called us to and gave us clear direction and confidence in. Every step of the way was orchestrated by our Lord and Savior,a nd it is the Power of the Holy Spirit which He has lavished poured out on us that has given us this confidence in Him. We cannot explain our journey in words that man can understand but rather we offer our journey to you as one that God has called us to and carried us through every step of the way. I sat tonight and tears filled my eyes as I looked into Gabriella's eyes. It absolutely amazes me that this child was born in China with a birth defect, one that her parents could not take care of so out of love they wrapped her in a blanket, attached a bag of powdered milk to her blanket along with 100RBm(equivalent to about 12 us dollars) and laid her in the doorway of the women's and children's hospital. Now one can say how could this be done out of love and for this I offer to you the following wisdom that can only come from God, her affliction was given to her by design, her blanket offered warmth, her powdered milk offered nourishment and the money offered services that were needed. Her placement was that of a place that takes care of children, one that takes care of those in need, so you see, while others may call this speculation I call it Divine placement. Our heavenly Father knew her before she was ever formed in her mother's womb and He knew her before she was ever place in my heart. He prepared my heart and her placement for a life filled with love, hope and a future. A eternal future of one in Christ. He placed in my heart a wisdom that she is not just a gift to me and to my husband Kevin or daughter Hannah, but a true gift from God born to lead many to Christ. Her spirit is captivating, her smile is endearing and her love pours out to all she sees. She is a miracle. Kevin has this same understanding and continues to encourage me to begin writing "my book" I know that God is preparing me for this and I have many accounts already written. My account tonight was to write to you all and share with you the miracle of God's love and His presence in our lives. Look around you today and ask God for your next move. A life led by Christ is rich in blessings and filled with peace. May God continue to strengthen us and prepare us through our journeys here on this earth as we know this is but a temporary place for us to dwell. The final destination is one of eternal peace and it is not our understanding of this by our own strength but of the wisdom and strength and sight given to us by the Spirit of God, this is our faith. He lives and reigns now and forever and His love endures all things. We trust the Lord and seek His will for our lives and the greatest joy we have is in sharing God's love with others. WE have come to an understanding that if the world is for it we must be against it for the world loves money, fame and sin but the Lord detests it. In this world as Jesus has warned we will have trouble, but remember also, He has overcome the world. He reigns now and forever so it is He whom we will follow. We praise God for His mercy upon us and the faith He has given us and we we thank Him for the mercy He has bestowed upon Gabriella MaryMei Huggins Friedman, a true child of God. We will celebrate in her water baptism on Jan 27th 2008 and we we rejoice in the love the Lord has for all the little children of the world. We also testify that we as His body of believers have to be His hands and feet. If we don't go, if we don't teach and preach,then how will they hear and if they don't hear how will they have faith? Faith comes form hearing the Word of God and He has called us to take this to the ends of the earth. Go forth then all you who believe and share the Gospel Message with those around you. Right next door may live a brother form India, a sister from Iraq. A grandmother from China, or an auntie from Vietnam. We are free not because of our government but because of Christ. True freedom comes in Christ who has truly set us free! Thanks be to God. In His Grip now and always, Hayley