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Newsletter
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Christmas Newsletter
"...And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night..."
It can be cold in the field...or depending on where the
shepherd lives, the temperature may be sweltering. It could be
dangerous, as well. Predators may be lurking in the dark, and
even when it is safe to rest, the lodging may be primitive.
They may have a nomadic lifestyle, seldom staying in the same
place for long. Shepherding can be lonely, and in spite of
one's best efforts it seems at times impossible to guard the
flock, lead them to good pasture and quiet water, watch over
the younger ones, care for the older ones, and still have
time to take care of one's own needs. Trying to tell others
about what it's like being a shepherd is often difficult, and
many don't understand why one would want to do that sort of
thing in the first place. Yes, shepherds are most interesting
folk, the sort that God would choose to be the first to hear
of the birth of His Son.
Shepherds are some of our favorite people. We know many of
them...the missionaries who nurture and protect and care for
and guide flocks large and small, in rural and urban settings,
in cold or arid or temperate climes, in situations of discomfort
and sometimes danger. For the past ten years we have the
marvelous pleasure of moving about from field to field, from
shepherd to shepherd, to hear from each what their flock is
about, where they have had difficulty finding food and water,
who the predators might be, what it's like to live alongside
other shepherds, and to rejoice with them as they see increases
in number and maturity of those over whom they watch. As we
have had opportunity to visit with them in their homes or in
ours we have laughed and cried and learned to appreciate that
differences of cultural expression are rich and varied, while
languages of humor and caring and love are universal.
This Christmas season we thank God for all of you who have
made this year possible, for your gifts and your prayers and
your notes and letters, for all the times and situations that
we have been shepherded by you. May the power, the truth, and
the excitement of the angels' message to the shepherds fill
your hearts and your homes...
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to
men on whom His favor rests..."
Godspeed,
Barney and Karen Davis
Godspeed Missionary Care
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