First Baptist Church (Montgomery, Alabama)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
 
 
 
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”  —  Philippians 4:4-7
 
 
In 1979 we lived in Nanyuki, Kenya with our two young daughters, Kelly and Carrie. We were the only Air Force family stationed in a small town 130 miles north of Nairobi. I remember our first Christmas in Nanyuki. There were no bright Christmas lights, no hustle and bustle of shoppers singing carols on the corner, and no place to buy a Christmas tree!

One afternoon Bob and the girls ventured out into the bush to find us a Christmas tree. They came back with kind of a tree – not one that would win any prizes, but the perfect Christmas tree for our family.

I look back on those two years in Kenya as a time when were able to live so simply.  Our time together as a family was not complicated by watching too much television, over scheduling soccer and dance lessons, ringing cell phones, or constantly checking Facebook for messages. It was an amazing time! Together we discovered God’s beauty in a strange and beautiful country. We learned we could do without so many “things” we thought we needed. It was a time of depending on God and each other. For me it was a “season of peace.”
 
 
Activity:
 
Spend time together. Enjoy God’s creation on a walk in the woods (without cell phones, iPods, and distractions).
 
 
Prayer:
 
Thank you God for simple times and the peace you provide for us each day through your spectacular creation. Amen.
 
 

Merry Christmas!
Bob and Sheila Hinds