"Moments of joy. "

On Wednesday night, we had the joy of going to Speedway in Lights at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN, with my family, and while we were there, those were the words God spoke into my heart.

He showed me those "moments" through watching a young girl skipping to "Joy to the World" alongside of her older sister as they walked through the crowd at the Christmas village, through seeing Amaury share fresh Kettle Corn with my family, and through all of us being awed by the beauty of the lights and music surrounding us.

My favorite moment was watching the Symphony in Lights inside the speedway as the music played Handel's "Messiah" and the lights flashed and danced to the changes in the music, thinking how grateful I was to be there in that moment, listening to music that celebrates our Savior's birth, sharing this Christmas with my family and my husband - it was a moment I will not soon forget.

Standing in the midst of this beautiful Christmas celebration, I was reminded of my favorite Christmas verse from Luke 2:10,

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.'"

He is the reason we have such moments of joy in our lives.

As I thought more about this today, I realized that God has been giving us these "moments of joy" throughout this Christmas season. One of my favorite things about living in the DR is that Christmas season begins much earlier than in the states - the first decorations in Santiago went up in late September - and it lasts longer too, ending after King's Day, which will be celebrated on January 10 this year!

So, the Christmas season began for us when our Drama Group first started rehearsing their latest production, "Navidad: Tiempo para Cambiar (Christmas: Time for Change)," in mid-September. It then continued through November with the graduation for the two classes Amaury had been teaching in the prison since mid-August, the conclusion of Amaury's residency process, the presentation of the Drama Group's production, and my trip to the NCTE in Orlando, FL, with the other high school English teacher from SCS. And now, we are in Virginia, where all day today snow has been gently falling as we finalized Christmas preparations in anticipation of "Noche Buena," which literally means "good night" and is the Spanish name for Christmas Eve.

It has been a "full" season in many aspects, and many of them blessings! To share these with all of you, we have included below several pictures from the last few months. They are representative of those "moments of joy" and we hope you will enjoy them!

With love in Christ,
Catherine

Rehearsals for and the presentation of "Navidad:Tiempo para Cambiar" - a Christian retelling of "A Christmas Carol" - the Spirits are Angels, and the third Angel gives Scrooge the opportunity to accept Christ as his Savior, which he does!








































Our group watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol" at our house - it was an impromptu moment as we waited for transportation for our day trip with them, and they loved seeing "their parts" being presented by Mickey and friends!










Our "pasadia" with our Drama Group - a day trip for fun, fellowship, and a time of prayer and sharing!











Graduation day for Amaury's most recent Protocol and Etiquette and Intro to Business classes at the men's prison - Mr. Lynch, the Director of Santiago Christian School, shared a message with the participants about Christian business principals, and he was impressed by how attentive and focused the class members were!











Catherine is now directing a "jovenes" (youth) choir at our church in Hoya del Caimito - they sang a special in November and one for Christmas!











Amaury's most recent Protocol and Etiquette class at the church where some of our Drama Group members attend - they are excited about him coming to teach other classes in the future!



Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!