"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:10.
Lord, thank you for our church and for dedicated teachers, sacrificially give their time to teach my children. Thank you for friends and family. Thank you for filling our lives with joy.
For the past few months the girls have been practicing for the Christmas musical at church. This will be their third program and they just love singing and performing. The children's choir director believes any child who wants a solo speaking or singing part should have one, so even if it is only one line in a song, that child gets his or her moment of glory. I've seen my girls blossom on the stage from shy and fearful to bold and confident. Last year Arielle said she would never sing alone, but this season she sang her solo part beautifully.
Fred and I sat watching the show surrounded by friends and family--my new friend Colleen's 10-year old daughter who was adopted from Ukraine only a few months ago was also in the choir. My old friend Bonnie came with her daughters, one of them lived her first year of life in the crib next to Liana's at the orphanage in China. I hope Liana and Sara will be forever friends. Behind me sat my dear friend Connie whose Chinese daughter was also in the musical. Connie and her family will soon travel to Russia to adopt their 13-year old son, Sergei.
All of us here are bound by our commitment and call to adoption. I look at each of these precious children on stage and think what wondrous gifts of joy they are to us. Thanks be to God for sending his Son to this earth as a little child. We celebrate our Savior's birth tonight! But we also praise God for these children he brought into our lives. 
