New-Birth Day

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to Alicia. Happy Birthday to me. November 2, 1982. It was very late at night my last year of University. I had been studying God's Word with one of my best friends, Carol, and the campus minister, Larry Cline, at Troy State University. I grew up "going to church", but some of the things I studied challenged my thinking. I finally began to understand the great sacrifice Jesus had made for me. I realized my great need for His blood to wash away my sins. I longed to be a new creation in Christ. I died to myself into Christ's death, coming under the authority of Jesus 27 years ago!!! I've taken some time this past week to reflect on the many ways God has used others to help mold me into the person He has created me to be. I'm so very grateful to be walking in the grace of God's love. Without that life-changing decision in the late hours of that Nov. 2 night, I would have lived out a very different life. It's a privilege and honour to represent the One who has made all the difference in my life. It's been a great 27 years.

Our family had an adventurous week-end. Saturday was packed with activities and people. We began the day by visiting my friend's aunt and uncle. Socorro has been asking me for weeks to drive out to Guacamayas to "chat" with her Auntie Socorrita. Getting there was like going out into the bush of Africa (Okay, it wasn't that rough, but close.) It was an extremely poor area, and we were the novelty item of the day. Logan became quite uncomfortable that "everybody" stopped and stared at the "guerros" (white folks). We finally arrived at the tios' home, which was little more than a wooden shack. A little old lady was sitting out in her big plastic chair that seemed to dwarf her little body even more. She broke out in a huge smile to see Socorro, then the tears followed. She explained that her "viejito" (old man) had left her and she had been sitting there all day. She didn't know where he was. As it turned out "Tio" (Uncle) returned about an hour later from the ferreteria (tool shop) where he had bought a pump (through small weekly payments) to supply water to his cactus plants. The moment he arrived home, Tia Socorrita settled. Socorro introduced us by telling her uncle that we were teachers of the Bible, and that we could answer any questions he had about God. (After picking my jaw up off the floor, we explained that we were simply on a journey, and that if he would like to join us, we could investigate God's Word together.) He was thrilled. He popped one question after another as we tried to give the Reader's Digest answers. After an intense and quite enjoyable time of discussion, he leaned back in his chair and declared, "No one has ever been able to answer all these questions I've had. I've asked many people who have come knocking on my door. They don't know the answers, and they never come back." We expressed our concern in just "knowing facts", and explored the need to know God and His desire for our lives. We left him a Bible, which clearly marked the passages that answered some of his questions, and we settled on a date when we would return again to spend the afternoon together (as well as bring him a pair of reading glasses). What impressed me the most about this gentleman was his passion to live for God. There he sat in front of his wooden shack, his wife robed in a dirty plain dress, his home supplied with the most basic of necessities--and guess what he spoke about--his desire to do good for the poor!!! What a humbling experience. This humble man who works every day in his cactus garden to earn a few pesos for his little wife and himself taught me a lesson in having compassion for the poor. He knows he's poor, but he realizes there are many who have even less than he. We can't wait to be with him again and glean from his many years of wisdom. Our lives will no doubt be blessed!!

Sunday's Celebration brought 108 people together in worship to our God. It was a great morning of song, prayer, testimony and praise. Afterward, we loaded into various cars and trucks and headed out to Miramar where Tammy and Malcolm hosted between 70 and 80 folks in their home. It was a grand time of fellowship and getting to know one another on a deeper level. As we have the privilege to walk shoulder to shoulder with our brothers, sisters and friends of La Comunidad de Cristo, I can't help but wonder if much of what we do would have been similar to many things that the first century church did that we read about in the book of Acts. What a great family of believers!!

Hope you had a great week-end, too! Until next blog,
Alicia, for the Krogsgaards