It’s the end of the year, the time when we calculate the harvest and ask, “After all our work this year, how much fruit is there?  Any?”

My favorite group is the Health Care Volunteers. They are so open to learning! They wrote their greatest achievements on purple paper “grape bunches” and stuck them on a “grape vine” on the wall. Soon the vine was heavy with fruit. The women listed technical skills (“I learned to take blood pressure,”) but also life changes, thanks to the spiritual portion that I teach. Maria de la Paz(right), in her 70’s, said, “I reconciled with my next door neighbor after learning conflict-resolution techniques,” and “My neighbors know how I used to be, and that I’m not like that any more.”

Maybe we weren’t “scared” by the catch of fish with ICLH staff’s most satisfying accomplishments for the year written on them, but we saw that God prospered our work in 2008. I was touched and humbled by how many people mentioned in their annual reports, “thanks to what I learned with Janet…” or “thanks to Janet’s support…” This year I see much growth compared to when I first began work with the ICLH. Yeah!!

Daughter Keitlyn convinced me to use her ticket to Honduras to fly me to Mexico instead where, she promised, “Christmas will be livelier.” The 9 days were indeed lively: a year-end luncheon with AMEXTRA staff …two worship services and a Posada at Buen Pastor Lutheran church…hanging out with daughters Wendy and Keit and lots of friends…cooking and baking (and washing dishes)… blessing Mexican cooks for their imaginative, mouth-watering cuisine…sitting close to a crackling fire on a chill evening …knitting…reading late into the night. Ah, God chooses lovely gifts!!