LWML e-News #33 Please forward this e-mail to friends and members of LWML. E-mail is an important tool in communicating our mission. Christmas Message from President Linda Reiser Blessings to you this Christmas! I share with you these words from a Christmas hymn written by Jaroslav J. Vajda, entitled, "Someone Special." Someone Special, that you are To create the Christmas Star, Heralding the Savior's birth, Bringing peace and joy to earth. Someone special I must be, Since You made that Star for me! Someone Special, who would send His good Spirit for a Friend, Faith Creator, Light and Guide, Always standing at my side. Someone special I must be, Since you gave that Gift to me! I pray your Advent preparations are leading you to the manger at Bethlehem! May your heart jump once again for joy at hearing the Christmas story as we are reminded of the One who comes - Jesus, the light of the world. He came as a baby in a manger, to be our Savior, and with joy and gladness we celebrate His coming. Let us open our hearts to Him and walk in His ways. Women of the LWML, as I write this Christmas message, I am reminded daily of the joy and love I have for each of you and your commitment to this organization. What a blessing I count each of you - women, who in response to Jesus' love, have a heart for service and mission. Moved by all that our Savior has done for us, you are sharing the love of Jesus, about which we are so privileged to hear this Christmas season, through the mission grants selected in your district and our national grants. Because of your dedication to filling the Mite Box, women, children and men around the world have been given the opportunity to hear of Jesus love and share in knowing the Hope brought by this Child in Bethlehem! I share the following story that has no author to give credit to, but may it remind you of the Gift we share through the gifts to our Mite Box and the prayers we offer for our grants to bring hope and instruction to others. A man sent his parents a microwave oven one Christmas. Here's how he recalls the experience: They were excited that now they, too, could be a part of the instant generation. When Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frowns! Even after reading the directions, they couldn't make it work. Two days later, his mother confessed to a friend her inability to get that microwave oven even to boil water. "To get this thing to work," she exclaimed, "I really don't need better directions; I just needed my son to come along with the gift!" When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn't send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out; he sent his Son. Aren't you glad He did! May your Christmas celebration be about the Son! Linda Reiser LWML President THE LUTHERAN WOMEN'S MISSIONARY LEAGUE The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), with a membership of over 250,000, is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The LWML focuses on affirming each woman in her relationship with Christ to enable her to be in ministry among the people of the world. For over 60 years the LWML has been encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to financially support global mission. The first issues of LWML e-News are available as text documents; click here: http://www.lwml.org/e_news.html. To subscribe, click the link below and follow instructions to add your email to the LWML subscription list under "Mission and Ministry." "Full Text Version" will include LWML graphics and logo. The "Weekly Summary" version comes on Friday in a weekly abbreviated version with links to the entire text without graphics. Refer to your Internet provider about enabling images and links embedded in email.