12/31/2006 - Martin's New Year's Greeting!
Dear Friends and Family,
I just wanted to write and wish you all a very blessed New Year! I am anticipating with great hope what 2007 has in store for me, and for the whole kingdom of God! I know that God has some very exciting breakthroughs for all of us in the coming year. May you have all the hope and faith for God to do great things in your lives in the coming year! I look forward to hearing your testimonies.
I had a wonderful Christmas in Sevlievo, Bulgaria. I preached the Sunday morning service on Christmas Eve at my church. We had around 67 people, and we normally have 40-50! It was quite a good crowd. The children did a special musical program. There was a short drama, and then a puppet show.
It was the last Sunday of Advent, and I preached on "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men!" This is the typical message of the Shepherd's Candle in the Advent season. I shared that God sent His angels to the shepherds first with His message of Peace. I believe that this is because they were considered the lowest of society. In Hebrew thought peace is not just the absence of war, but also a general sense of well-being, and feeling that all will be taken care of. Peace is to be at peace with who and where you are.
This message of God's peace was not lost to the shepherds. They realized that God knew right where they were, and came to give them peace. Even though society viewed them as liars and unreliable witnesses, God trusted them to share first the greatest message ever sent to men--Jesus is born!
They left the manger changed--glorifying God for what He had done, and telling everybody what they had seen and heard. I gave a simple call to salvation, and seven people responded. I know for sure that at least one of them was a Moslem. It is so exciting to see people responding to God's message of salvation! Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men! A Savior is born!
After the service I went home with a family from the church, and we had a wonderful lunch, and great fellowship. I left there in time to run home, pick up some gifts and get to the bus station to go to spend Christmas Eve evening with another family. It was so nice to spend Christmas with children. We had a great meal, but the highlight was going caroling in Bulgarian. (Of course, I had to see the words in order to sing the songs through, but it was so fun. The people in the village of Popovtsi seemed to enjoy it so much, and the elderly people all wanted to invite us in, give us some kind of treat, and sing another song with us. It was really a great
time!) On Christmas day, I was invited to my pastor's home for Christmas lunch, and again a wonderful meal was served, and we had such fun around the table. I really missed being with my family back in the States, but if I had to be away I was in the perfect place. I thank God so much for sending me such dear friends and church family. On Christmas evening my mother and I enjoyed our annual tradition of eating Chinese food together. This started after my sister married, and they would go spend Christmas with her in-laws, and we would eat our Christmas meal a few days early with them. So Mother and I would go out for dinner, and the only restaurants open back then (more than 20 years ago) were Chinese restaurants. Today we keep the same tradition. If I am out of the country, we simply bring our Chinese food to the phone (now to the computer), and we talk and eat together. It's the next best thing to being there! Needless to say, I don't think I lost weight those two days!
Now I am in Arad, Romania. I preached this morning in the town of Vinga at a gypsy church there. I have preached there a number of times this year.
God has certainly enlarged my territory this last year! I will be here a few more days, and then will go on to Hungary to visit some more missionary friends there.
I just wanted to touch base, and let you know that I am thinking of you, and wish you all the blessings from God in the next year!
Be blessed in Jesus' Name!
Martin Sutton